Social Forestry in the ASEAN Region: Gaps and Strategic Interventions

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is pleased to share with you this monograph on Social Forestry in the ASEAN Region: Gaps and Strategic Interventions. It is one of the publications supported under the ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry Strategic Response Fund (ASRF), a grants program implemented by SEARCA through the support of the ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC), with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Over the course of implementing this grants facility, the projects that were supported have generated significant lessons and information that could serve as inputs to national, as well as regional policies and programs on social forestry. SEARCA, as a regional center for agriculture, has been supportive of such efforts, particularly as they relate to the promotion of agricultural and rural development, which extends to and includes the forestry sector. Unfortunately, the forestry sector continues to be threatened by increasing population coupled with extreme climate events and a dwindling natural resource base. The challenge, therefore, is to continue pushing for sustainable forest resource management through active community engagement and participation.

In this monograph, we provide an overview of the current status of social forestry in the ASEAN Member States (AMS) with particular focus on existing social forestry laws, policies, institutional arrangements, and key programs and projects. It also presents strategic interventions to address gaps, issues, and challenges confronting each AMS in achieving its Plan of Action on social forestry.