Month: July 2013

Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia
June 28, 2013

The ASFN officially announced the adoption of recommendations forwarded by civil society organizations in Southeast Asia. In particular, these recommendations called on the ASEAN body to push their member-states to adopt country-level policy that would support greater forest access rights and security of tenure, livelihoods and community-led forest management initiatives.

The announcement has been made in a press conference in Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia with Dr. Haryadi Himawan, Director of Social Forestry Development, Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia, ASFN Leader of Indonesia and Chairperson of ASFN Secretariat as key speaker. He will be accompanied by Mr. H. Muzni Zakaria, Regent of Solok Selatan District, West Sumatera Province. The announcement is a culmination of a series of activities organized by the ASFN three weeks prior. These include the ASFN CSO Forum held in Siem Reap, Cambodia last June 13-14, and the ASFN Conference in Luang Prabang Laos on June 17-18. The two consecutive events served as venues to review and develop the recommendations and get consensus from its constituency, which included NGOs and grassroots organizations from 8 ASEAN countries, government officials from the ASEAN member-states and the academe. The recommendations, embodied in the document CSO Proposals for Strengthening Engagement with ASEAN on Social Forestry and Climate Change, was presented by CSO representatives at the 7th ASFN Meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos on June 20-21. The ASFN Meeting, which is attended by a combination of ASFN focal points (officers) and ASOF leaders of the forestry department / ministry of each ASEAN Member State, convenes yearly to decide on forestry measures in the region.

The ASFN is a government-driven social forestry network that links government forestry policy-makers directly with members of the civil society, research organizations, academia, the private sectors and experts of related fields. The ASFN was created by the ASEAN specifically to respond to the global climate change situation through social forestry, a forest governance model that places strong emphasis on community participation as a strategy to combat deforestation and manage forests sustainably.

Social forestry is a model for forest governance that puts indigenous peoples and forest-dependent communities at the forefront of management. Social forestry is seen as a key strategy to keep the remaining forest cover in Southeast Asia standing and mitigating global climate change.Deforestation accounts for almost 1/3 of total carbon emissions worldwide, bigger than the total transport sector’s carbon emissions combined. Deforestation in Southeast Asia is currently pegged at an average of 1,086,000 ha forest area/year between 2005 and 2010 (FAO). If current trends continue, forest area in Southeast Asia will fall from 49 percent in 2010 to 46 percent in 2020 – a loss of 16 million hectares, an area just less than the size of Cambodia.

The CSO recommendation called for the ASEAN to promote social/community forestry for better understanding among its member-states and to review the social forestry and other related policies of member-states. To ensure that this recommendation is followed through, the CSOs also called for the creation of ASFN Country Teams composed of government, indigenous people, local communities and NGOs.

The CSO recommendations also includes proposals for the ASEAN to promote enabling policies for social forestry and REDD+ implementation and which support efforts to integrate REDD+ into social forestry policy and implementation level. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) is a global initiative designed to pay groups or countries for protecting their forests and reducing emissions of greenhouse gas pollutants, especially CO₂. REDD+ could provide financial support for social forestry projects, funds from which could be used to support country efforts such as developing alternative livelihood for communities and community forest patrols.

The CSOs aslo recommended the creation of a Working Group on community livelihood, which had previously been adapted at the previous ASFN conference in 2012. An estimated 300 million people – or over 50% of the ASEAN region’s population – live in rural areas and use forests for subsistence needs, including food, fuelwood, timber, medicines and income (FAO 2010). The forthcoming ASEAN Economic Integration plan is also expected to have an impact on community and forest-based livelihoods, and as such, the CSOs call on the ASEAN to make a study.

I – What is BD-MGF?

The BD-MicroGrant Fund (MGF) or “Partnership Fund for Community-Based NTFP Initiatives in South and Southeast Asia” is a small projects grant facility managed by the Non-Timber Forest Products – Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) and supported by Broederlijk Delen (BD).

NTFP-EP is a network of indigenous organizations and support NGOs in South and Southeast Asia. Its shared goal is to empower forest-based communities to make use of and manage forest resources in a sustainable manner. To this end, it catalyses and supports activities that build up and strengthen the capacity of partner organisations in their work with forest-dependent communities, particularly indigenous peoples.

With funding support from BD, the “Partnership Fund for Community-Based NTFP Initiatives in South and Southeast Asia” (BD-MGF) was established in 2011. It is a continuation of NTFP-EP MGF facility supported by other donors before 2011.

BD-MGF is made accessible for:

• Promising new initiatives needing start-up funds; and
• Established initiatives in need of immediate support (unexpected opportunities, sudden threats)

The over-all purpose of the MGF is to catalyze and support activities that will build up and
strengthen the capacity of local organizations in:

• the protection and sustainable management of ecosystems
• mainstreaming and integrating sustainable forest management in NTFP enterprise development and NTFP subsistence uses or vice-versa.
• communicating their local issues and plans to other stakeholders and parties locally or on a more macro-scale.

II – Who can apply?

The MGF is primarily directed at the wider NTFP-EP network in forested areas throughout South
and Southeast Asia with special focus on the following countries:

Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, India (Western and Eastern Ghats)

III – Which initiatives can apply for MGF?

A. GENERAL

1. Actor: Applicant is a community / peoples’ organization (P.O.) or local non-government organization (NGO) with close community links.
2. Urgency: if not funded, momentum may be lost or set-back may occur in overall strategy.
3. Alternatives: other sources of funding are not immediately available (on the assumption that this has been checked by the initiative and/or its supporters.)
4. Ownership: The project has been discussed in the community/ies involved; motivation is high among a large section of those community/ies.
5. Organization (Institutional Capacity): the initiative is sufficiently well-organized to carry out the activities on its own OR adequate assistance/support by others can be relied on.
6. If bridge funding is requested, the organization should be: (a) able to present reasoning why the former donor will not fund the activity and (b) willing to develop a clear operational and resource mobilization plan during the bridge period.

B. THEMATIC

Depending on the primary focus of the proposed project / activity, the following thematic coverage/ focus will be considered:

1. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The project contributes to one or more of the following:

a. enhancing or reviving sustainable traditional practices;
b. adapting local RM to changing circumstances;
c. improving capacity for monitoring and RM planning;
d. sharing of important learning.

2. TENURE

The project is concerning land rights / access to forest lands, territorial claims of other communities
have been solved, are in the process of being solved or the project contributes to solving the
disputes.

3. LIVELIHOOD

The project:

a. contributes to improving income situation, through fair trade of forest products from community-based enterprises;
b. has potential to become self-sustained in the future;
c. addresses possible impacts on the resource.

4. THREATS

The project contributes to:

a. awareness-raising of the impact of destructive developments among communities directly affected or within society at large;
b. effective lobby to halt these development; or,
c. better monitoring and enforcement of regulations.

5. CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION

The project contributes to:

a. building resilience among forest –based groups in the face of climate change;
b. testing localized climate change adaptation interventions. Important reminder – All projects should utilize the most efficient, environment-friendly tools and resources to prevent any damage to the environment. This includes use of organic and natural materials for fertilizers, pesticides, etc. if required by the project.

IV – How much can be requested?

Maximum amount of grant funding is € 5,000.00 for a maximum of ten (10) months project duration per applicant.

V – How to apply?

Pre-application forms can be downloaded from the following:

NTFP-EP website: www.ntfp.org
Google Docs Link: http://bit.ly/1buZ0vd

It is recommended that applicants carefully read this guideline prior to accomplishing the MGF application/proposal and budget format.

The completed application/proposal (in MS Word) should not exceed three (3) pages. The project budget should be indicated in detail in the Budget form (in MS Excel). Applications should be sent through email to mgf@ntfp.org addressed to –

The MGF Secretariat, NTFP-EP for South and Southeast Asia

indicating in the subject line –

BD-MGF Application 2013 (name of your organization)

THE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS WILL BE ON 23 AUGUST 2013, FRIDAY.

Note: Please be advised that due to the anticipated volume of applications, your proposal might get lost in internet traffic. If you do not get an acknowledgment after two weeks from closing date, please contact the MGF secretariat at mgf@ntfp.org. Shortlisted applications will be reviewed by the MGF Advisory Committee and decisions will be released within one and half month.

Southeast Asian Civil Society network draws up strategic actions to expedite implementation of social forestry goals in the region. These strategic actions will be presented to the 4th ASEAN Social Forestry Network meeting to be held in Luang Prabang July 17-20.

30 civil society representatives from the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, collectively calling themselves the ASEAN Social Forestry Network Civil Society Forum converge in Siem Reap to prepare recommendations for the ASFN Meeting in Luang Prabang next week. The forum is the second one after the group’s formation in 2012. The forum, which is supported by the ASFN, is envisioned as a platform for civil society groups in the region to engage the ASEAN on matters relating to social forestry and climate change.

At the First ASFN Civil Society Forum held in 2012, a statement was drawn by the group outlining a set of proposals to create greater space for civil society in Southeast Asia to participate meaningfully in decision-making in the ASEAN, particularly on forestry issues. The statement proposes a more people-centered ASEAN in the forestry sector, which would give more focus on community economy and livelihoods, forest access rights and tenure, safeguards against outside threats, and greater community participation in forest governance.

Social forestry has, in recent years, gained currency as an effective way to address deforestation while ensuring tenure, economic security and a more participatory approach to forest management. In Cambodia, social forestry takes the form of community forests, in which the Cambodian government, through the Ministry of Forestry, awards portions of forest areas to communities under a 15-year contract. Under this scheme, communities are expected to manage the forest sustainably for their own benefit. However, current weaknesses in law implementation and conflicting development priorities which favors large-scale forest land conversion to other uses often negate whatever gains have been made in sustainable forest management under this social forestry scheme.

Social forestry is also being recognized by the ASEAN as a strategy to address climate change and mitigate its impacts on communities. Deforestation accounts for almost 1/3 of total carbon emissions worldwide, bigger than the total transport sector’s carbon emissions combined. Deforestation in Southeast Asia is currently pegged at an average of 1,086,000 ha forest area/year between 2005 and 2010 (FAO). If current trends continue, forest area in Southeast Asia will fall from 49 percent in 2010 to 46 percent in 2020 – a loss of 16 million hectares, an area just less than the size of Cambodia. Up to 300 million people – or over 50% of the ASEAN region’s population – live in rural areas and use forests for subsistence needs, including food, fuelwood, timber, medicines and income (FAO 2010).
With the geographic nature of the region, particularly its long coastlines, low-lying coastal areas, and large river delta systems, ASEAN nations are also continually at risk from the evident effects of climate change, including frequent and severe storms, sea level rise, and flooding.
The ASFN Civil Society Forum, was thus created through the efforts of civil society groups in the region calling for a more inclusive ASEAN, specifically in matters of forest governance and climate change. The CS Forum was thus created as a mechanism for civil society groups to engage the ASEAN and member-states in constructive dialogue and share learnings in social forestry and climate change initiatives happening in communities all over Southeast Asia.
Since its inception last year, the ASFN CSO Forum has observed gaps in implementing the proposals in the CSO Statement and have thus come together to develop further recommendations to facilitate its implementation. Among the emerging recommendations are: for ASFN to facilitate the creation of country-level teams, for ASFN to call on member-states to more stringently observe social safeguards such as environmental impact assessments and Free, Prior and Informed Consent, for member-states to allocate more resources towards developing non-timber forest products and value-addition through processing.
The Second ASFN Civil Society Forum, is being held on June 13 and 14 at the Somadevi Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap. It is designed to be a back to back event with the ASFN yearly meeting, to be held this year in Luang Prabang, Laos on June 17-19.