Insight: Notes from the Field
'Insight: Notes from the Field' aims to create a forum for practitioners to share field-level cases and lessons in Community Forestry (CF) and Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM).
Rationale
In 2005, RECOFTC commissioned a review to assess information needs to support CF and CBNRM in the Asia-Pacific region. According to a survey, many respondents felt that their information needs were not adequately met from existing sources. It was also found that many publications with a wide reach into CBNRM interest groups have disappeared in recent years.
Through our network with CF and CBNRM practitioners, we have come to understand that many field-level practitioners feel they have insufficient opportunities to share knowledge and experiences with other practitioners. In 2006, as a response to this need, RECOFTC launched our first issue of 'Insight: Notes from the Field' and will produce two issues per year.
Practitioners play a key role in shaping the outcomes of CF and CBNRM. With a direct connection to the people who manage and depend on natural resources, field practitioners form a crucial link between local communities and other levels of society by providing support to local actors and at the same time relaying information on their community realities.
Below are current and past issues of 'Insight: Notes from the Field' for download.
Issue 3 - 2008 'Innovative Approaches With Non-Timber Forest Products': Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV
The subject of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) is not new, but has recently generated increasing attention both in scholarly literature and practical fields. Debate has grown over the potential of NTFPs to achieve ecosystem conservation and poverty alleviation, and concern has been raised that NTFP activities may not always provide the poor with the expected benefits. Considering these concerns, the aim of the third issue of Insight: Notes from the Field, which was developed in collaboration between RECOFTC and SNV Netherlands Development Organization, is to showcase approaches that have led to increased access of poor forest dwellers to resources and markets, increased participation, and benefit sharing.
This Insight draws lessons from five case studies from Bhutan, Lao PDR, India, Nepal, and Thailand. Most of these cases were initially presented at the International Conference on Poverty Reduction and Forests, held in Bangkok in September 2007, and organized by RECOFTC and the Rights and Resources Initiative. They demonstrate NTFP activities that effectively contribute to poverty alleviation and ecosystem conservation, given their specific contexts. The studies also point to issues and limitations that require further attention.
Issue 2 - 2007 'Exploring Payments for Environmental Services': Part I, Part II, Part III, Back cover
Organizations in Asia have become increasingly interested in Payments for Environmental Services (PES) and the potential for poor communities to receive benefits from the environmental services they provide. Although PES is a relatively new concept in Asia, a growing number of field experiences and lessons can be shared among key stakeholders and other interested parties in the region. In response to this trend, the second edition of Insight explores critical issues in PES and shares lessons from practitioners working to promote PES in the field.
The publication provides some brief background on three key concepts within PES: environmental and economic feasibility; characteristics of service providers; and opportunities and risks related to poverty. Following this theoretical background, six case study papers illustrate lessons from field-level practice in Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, India and the Philippines.
The second issue of Insight was developed in collaboration between RECOFTC and RUPES-ICRAF SEA, Winrock India and SNV Netherlands Development Organization.
Inspirational stories on Community Forestry in Thailand, development of Village Forest Councils in India, experiences on Public Hearing and Public Auditing in community user groups in Nepal, and how to improve buffer zone co-management in protected areas of Vietnam.
Questions or Comments
We highly appreciate your feed-back and especially comments or suggestions for future issues. Please send to the Regional Analysis and Representation Program (RAR), RECOFTC Phone: 66-2-940-5700 ext. 1249 email: wallaya(at)recoftc.org.
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