Event: Third International Forest Connect Workshop

ANSAB in partnership with the International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED) and the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations (FAO) organized the third Forest Connect International Workshop from February 12-15, 2013 in Kathmandu Nepal. A total of 30 individuals and institutions from 19 countries participated the workshop. Welcoming the participants, Dr. Bhishma P. Subedi – Executive Director of ANSAB thanked all the delegates for participating the workshop and wished the event would benefit from their expertise in prioritizing supports for small farm-forest enterprises. Dr. Duncan Macqueen – Team Leader, Forest Team, IIED briefed on Forest Connect Network and its current activities in prioritizing scarce resources for supporting small farm-forest enterprises. Mr. Radhesh Pant – Chief Executive Officer of the Nepal Investment Board, Government of Nepal delivered a keynote speech during the event with a focus on the importance of small farm forest enterprise in biodiversity conservation and livelihood improvement in countries like Nepal.

During the workshop, the country teams from Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Congo, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Brazil and Mexico presented forward-looking reports in response to increasing threats of global climate, biodiversity loss and excessive nitrogen use associated with changes in forest land use. Invited forest institutions concerned with farm forest enterprises from Indonesia, Myanmar, Guatamala, Uganda, Mali, Ghana, Canada, USA, Finland and United Kingdom also made their presentation on their current state of activities and support to small farm-forest enterprises. The participants also made a field trip to the Charnawati CFUG – Dolakha that is involved in national level REDD+ demonstration activities and production of FSC certified handmade paper, Sikre briquette enterprise – Sindhupalchok that is manufacturing briquettes at community level, and Himalayan Biotrade – Kathmandu that processes and trades handmade paper and essential oils. With the workshop, the Forest Connect members envisioned a renewed strategic focus to effectively support small farm forest enterprises contributing to fair and green economy.

The first two International Forest Connect Workshops were organized in Edinburgh, Scotland and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

For more information, please contact: Sudarshan Khanal at [email protected]