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| Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation | |
|---|---|
| Name | Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation |
| Abbreviation | APFNet (commonly used) |
| Formation | 2000s |
| Type | International organization; network |
| Region served | Asia-Pacific |
| Headquarters | Beijing |
| Parent organization | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; United Nations system partners |
Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation is a regional initiative focused on promoting sustainable forest management, restoration, and rehabilitation across the Asia-Pacific region. The network works with national forestry agencies, research institutions, multilateral development banks, and non-governmental organizations to implement projects, share technical knowledge, and support policy harmonization. Its activities intersect with regional fora, transboundary initiatives, and global conservation agreements.
The Network operates as a collaborative platform linking institutions such as Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, United Nations Environment Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank to address deforestation, degraded landscape restoration, and climate resilience. It engages with national ministries like Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Thailand), Ministry of Environment and Forests (India), State Forestry and Grassland Administration (China), and agencies such as Forest Research Institute Malaysia and Philippine Forestry Development Bureau. The Network aligns with multilateral frameworks including the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Paris Agreement, Ramsar Convention, and Sustainable Development Goals.
Origins trace to regional dialogues among organizations like Asian Forest Cooperation Organization, ASEAN, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, and research centres including Center for International Forestry Research and Vietnam Academy of Forest Sciences. Early sponsors and partners included Global Environment Facility, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Korean Forest Service, United States Agency for International Development, and foundations such as Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation. The Secretariat was established with support from entities in Beijing, involving collaborations with universities like Yunnan University, Chinese Academy of Forestry, University of the Philippines Los Baños, University of Queensland, and University of British Columbia.
Mandates focus on implementing sustainable forest management consistent with conventions like Convention on Biological Diversity and targets under Aichi Biodiversity Targets and later global biodiversity frameworks. Objectives include restoration of degraded lands in areas such as the Mekong River Basin, Himalaya region, Papua New Guinea, and Borneo, promotion of landscape approaches akin to initiatives in Greater Mekong Subregion, and support for carbon sequestration strategies linked to markets like Carbon Disclosure Project and policy tools similar to REDD+. The Network supports evidence-based policymaking relevant to institutions such as Ministry of Forestry (Indonesia), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines), and Forest Department (Pakistan).
Governance involves a Council and Secretariat model engaging member countries including China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Mongolia, and Pacific Islands like Fiji and Solomon Islands. Partners include research bodies such as CIFOR-ICRAF, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, and funding partners like Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development. The Council draws expertise from representatives of institutions including Smithsonian Institution, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Botanical Garden of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, and regional think tanks like Asia-Pacific Economies Research Centre.
Programmes encompass pilot restoration projects, silvicultural research, community-based forestry initiatives, and policy dialogues mirroring projects supported by UNEP-WCMC, WWF, Conservation International, and BirdLife International. Activities include technical workshops with universities such as University of Tokyo and Seoul National University, demonstration sites in places like Sumatra, Kalimantan, Luzon, and Yunnan Province, and exchange programmes with institutions like Copenhagen University and ETH Zurich. The Network coordinates regional training, supports national action plans similar to Indonesia's Forest Moratorium and China's Grain-for-Green Program, and helps implement restoration pledges comparable to initiatives by New Zealand and Australia.
Research agendas connect with laboratories and institutes such as CSIRO, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Korea Forest Research Institute, Forest Research (UK), Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, and university departments at Harvard University, Yale School of the Environment, and Oxford University. Capacity-building covers community forestry models used by World Resources Institute and training curricula developed with IUCN Academy of Environment. The Network fosters knowledge portals, monitoring protocols that draw on methods from Global Forest Watch, MODIS, Landsat, and biodiversity assessment approaches used by GBIF.
Funding sources include multilateral donors such as Global Environment Facility, Green Climate Fund, Asian Development Bank, philanthropic donors such as Gates Foundation, bilateral donors including Norad, DFID, JICA, KOICA, and private sector partnerships with timber certification bodies like Forest Stewardship Council and markets linked to Borsa Italiana. Project implementation partners include UNDP, FAO, ADB, World Bank Group, and NGOs such as CARE International, Oxfam, The Nature Conservancy, and Ecosystem Marketplace.
Impact assessment uses indicators aligned with Sustainable Development Goals, Aichi Targets, and carbon accounting methods recognized by IPCC. Monitoring employs remote sensing collaborations with NASA, European Space Agency, and data platforms like Google Earth Engine. Challenges include coordinating across diverse legal regimes exemplified by treaties like Transboundary Watercourses Convention and governance models in countries ranging from China to Papua New Guinea, addressing land tenure conflicts seen in cases involving Moro Islamic Liberation Front-affected areas, combating illegal logging trends highlighted in reports by Interpol and UNODC, and ensuring financial sustainability amid shifting priorities of donors like European Commission and United States Agency for International Development.