The indigenous cloud forests in the Taita Hills, Kenya, have suffered substantial degradation due to agricultural expansion. Currently, only one per cent of the original forested area remains preserved. Furthermore, climate change imposes an imminent threat for local economy and environmental sustainability. In such circumstances, elaborating tools to conciliate socio-economic growth and natural resources conservation is an enormous challenge.

The Agroforestry for Livelihoods of Smallholder farmers in Northwestern Viet Nam project (2011-2016) focuses on agroforestry trials on farms in the northwestern mountainous region of the country. The objective of the study was to make an inventory of the current upland farming systems and identify key strengths and weaknesses of each system, including economic efficiency. The farming system diagnosis was based on participatory assessments and focus group discussions and in- depth interviews with 45 project ‘farmer co-operators’ in 17 villages in Yen Bai, Son La and Dien Bien provinces.

Thinking about forest management has undergone important changes over the last two decades. These changes have inspired attention to the reform of forest laws on a range of subjects, from forest planning and utilization to governance and trade. From its traditional narrow focus on government control and management of forests, modern forest law has expanded to encompass attention to environmental and social goals and to accommodating the interests of multiple stakeholders in forest management.

This brief discusses Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) safeguards in the context of Vietnam and makes recommendations for future action. It begins by outlining the Vietnamese context and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defined REDD+ safeguards.

This working paper examines how Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) has been framed in Indonesia’s media. The report’s findings are based on content analysis of three national newspapers and a series of expert interviews. It is argued that Indonesia’s REDD+ discourse revolves primarily around land use, where REDD+ conservation is pitted against economic growth fuelled by land use change.

This report examines strengths, weaknesses and gaps in the capacity building services available for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) readiness in Asia-Pacific countries. It begins with an overview of capacity building service providers and then assesses the leading providers currently operating. The report concludes by offering recommendations for policy makers, development partners and service providers.

The Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL) spreads across a vast region that includes remote portions of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China (TAR China) and contiguous areas of Nepal and India. This area is historically, ecologically, and culturally interconnected; it is the source of four of Asia’s most important rivers, and at the heart of this landscape is the sacred Mount Kailash, revered by millions of people in Asia and throughout the world.

This policy brief, published by the Centre for International Forestry Research, provides a snapshot of 17 REDD+ pilot projects in Indonesia. It begins by discussing early REDD+ pilots in Indonesia and then provides a comprehensive typology of REDD+ activities in Indonesia. The brief continues with a discussion of the motivation behind different pilot models and the following section outlines research needs and implications of REDD+ design in Indonesia.

Drylands have potential for economic activity now markets are emerging for natural products such as aloe or gum Arabic. However it is difficult to take advantage of these opportunities because there is a lack of structure for this market. A regulatory framework providing an enabling environment for increasing investment in the sustainable use and management of land and natural resources would be beneficial.

This profitability assessment is an early effort to generate baseline information for the Agroforestry and Forestry in Sulawesi: Linking Knowledge with Action project the ‘AgFor project’ , for implementation in two provinces, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi. The study collected information on existing farming systems and estimated profitability for each land use. The profitability indicators used in the study are: net present value NPV , equivalent annuity and return to labour.

This study examines land tenure data for 24 of the 30 most forested countries accounting for 93% of the worlds natural forest cover and examines global trends in forest ownership.

The interfaces between high-altitude rangelands and other ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region such as forests, wetlands, and agricultural land are suffering from degradation, desertification, and soil erosion, which are further aggravated by climatic and anthropogenic factors. However, more information is needed on the ecological role of high-altitude rangelands and their interfaces as a basis for developing and implementing plans for conservation and sustainable management of these fragile ecosystems.