February 2016: Launched during the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week, a multi-country study by the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC) reviews the status of forest and land degradation in the Asia-Pacific region, the restoration approaches commonly used, and the policy and institutional environments that can support them.

Titled ‘Forest landscape restoration for Asia-Pacific forests,’ the report provides a synthesis on forest landscape restoration for Asia-Pacific forests, and includes country studies from China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. It reviews the status of deforestation and forest degradation in the region, which results in: loss of timber and biodiversity; reduction in other goods and ecosystem services; and undermined livelihoods of people dependent on forests and agriculture.

The study provides an overview of developments on forest restoration, noting that success lies with those countries that have provided the appropriate policies for public participation; and examines specific issues relating to forest landscape restoration. It stresses the need for countries to formulate supportive policies and legal frameworks for: implementing forest landscape restoration approaches, covering governance issues, property, tenure and access rights; strengthening capacity of public institutions; engaging the private sector and markets; and decentralizing control and decision making to local bodies. [FAO Press Release] [Publication: Forest Landscape Restoration for Asia-Pacific Forests] [IISD RS Story on the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week] [RECOFTC Website]