25 April 2018: Held under the theme ‘Protecting forests and people, supporting economic growth,’ the 2018 Asia-Pacific Rainforest Summit brought together more than 1,200 participants from 40 countries, who discussed forest conservation, livelihoods and finance.

The meeting took place from 23-25 April 2018, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, hosted by the Indonesian Government, with the support of the Australian Government and in partnership with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) of the CGIAR Consortium. Two high-level panels were held on nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and on REDD+. Participants stressed the need to include forests in NDCs.

Parallel sessions addressed: restoration and sustainable management of peatlands; forest finance, investment and trade; production forests; community forestry; ecotourism and conservation of biodiversity; and mangroves and blue carbon. The need for stakeholder cooperation, good governance and strong law enforcement were among the key messages.

Other messages included the need for political commitment and coordinated action that also involves communities, noting that tackling illegal logging will require the engagement of both consumers and producers. Participants also stressed the importance of early cooperation between governments, investors, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders to make financing work. [Meeting Webpage and Summary] [CIFOR Webpage]