Forest Governance Learning Group

Improving citizen empowerment and public accountability in Asian and African forestry

The Forest Governance Learning Group (FGLG) is an informal alliance of in-country groups and international partners across eight African and three Asian countries. It addresses the need for citizen empowerment and public accountability in the face of the complex challenges currently facing forestry.

The FGLG aims to improve forest governance through:

• Policy reforms, investment decisions, and institutional arrangements in favor of secure forest rights and small forest enterprises.
• Strategies to improve the legality of forest products, institutionalize citizen engagement, and contribute to broader forest governance improvement.
• Initiatives to combat climate change through action in the forest sector contribute to pro-poor forest governance and sustainability.
• Building improved understanding in international networks and processes about effective action for improved social justice in forestry.

Our Work with the Forest Governance Learning Group

RECOFTC is a member of the Steering Group, and provides support for project development and implementation in Vietnam and Indonesia. Our activities include forming country teams; collating participatory knowledge; networking and capacity building; engaging in policy dialogue; testing options for governance improvements; and disseminating ideas and findings. RECOFTC also coordinates regional learning events and workshops in Asia, facilitates exchange visits, and contributes to international learning events.

Recent Milestones

• Governance issues are much more recognized in Vietnam due to successful community forestry implementation. FGLG has actively contributed to attaining legal status for community forestry through myriad activities, including research, awareness-raising, policy briefs, and multi-stakeholder dialogues.
• Annual international learning events bring together more than 40 participants from 10 member countries.
• Several national learning events in Indonesia and Vietnam gather provincial and national stakeholders two to three times each year. RECOFTC contributes resource persons and facilitators who bring a regional perspective to these events.
• Three multi-sector and multi-disciplinary country teams have been formed in Indonesia, India, and Vietnam.
• RECOFTC provides support for participatory knowledge assessments of relevant information – for instance, on specific aspects of forest rights and small forest enterprise, legitimate forest products, and pro-poor forestry for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Multimedia

View a video on FGLG in Vietnam published in March 2010. Although many communities in Vietnam have been managing their forests for centuries, it is only recently that the government has been experimenting with a system of legal ownership at the community level.

For more information, please see IIED's Forest Governance Learning Group project page.

Publications

REDD+, Governance, and Community Forestry

August 2011

How can REDD+ benefit from the lessons of community forestry?

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Red Books for Greener Trees: Strengthening Community Forestry in Vietnam

August 2009

Do stronger rights result in greater benefits? This study from Vietnam examines whether the granting of legal forest land-use titles resulted in better protection and management of forest resources.

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Community Forestry Management for Whom? Learning from Field Experience in Vietnam

April 2008

What makes community forest management work for forests and livelihoods? And how can policy help? A 2007 survey provides insights into the factors influencing the success of community forest management in Vietnam.

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