In search of excellence deviates from the path that most authors have taken. Instead of dwelling on the failures and the negative, it celebrates the “good” and the many positive management efforts in the Asia–Pacific region. It highlights the many people who are striving for excellence in forest management and seeks to encourage others to emulate these positive efforts. Collectively, the story of forestry that emerges may be more about endeavour and ingenuity than greed, indifference and incompetence.

This publication reflects the outcome of an ambitious initiative of the Asia–Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC), entitled In search of excellence: exemplary forest management in Asia and the Pacific. The initiative was coordinated by the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO/RAP) and the Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific (RECOFTC). It has set out to make a difference by drawing our eyes from the negative to the positive. It has also significantly advanced understanding of the common elements of what constitutes good forest management and what can be generally regarded as “well managed” and a job well done.