Photo by flickr / Curt Carnemark / World Bank

Resources and contacts

Asia Focal Point

• Robert Oberndorf
  robert@recoftc.org

Case studies

• Cambodia
• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Nepal
• The Philippines

See also

• Bibliography - Cambodia
• Bibliography - Indonesia
• Bibliography - The Philippines
• ODI Natural Resource Perspective 75- From supervising 'subjects' to supporting 'citizens': Recent developments in community forestry in Asia and Africa, February 2002

The Asia-Pacific Region is currently dealing with issues related to illegal logging and transport of timber. The forests in the region have been decimated by unconstrained logging, much of it illegal, over the last two decades. Current patterns of forest exploitation in the region threaten ecological security, biodiversity, and the livelihoods of millions of people who live in the remaining forest areas. In the Philippines, for example, 16 million hectares of natural forest have been reduced to just 700,000 hectares, with illegal logging causing much of the destruction (Source: Illegal-logging.info, 2006).

A recent ITTO report indicates that 70% of all internationally traded tropical wood products originate within this region. Characterised by porous borders, a high level of uncontrolled smuggling, relative ease of fabricating customs and shipping documents, combined with high demand for products from international markets including the likes of China, Korea, Japan, United States, and the European Union, the region faces serious issues related to controlling illegal timber trade.

VERIFOR activities in Asia 2007/2008:

• The VERIFOR Project provided technical input, advice and editing services during the preparation of a recently released report entitled “Illegal Logging: Current Issues and Opportunities for Sida-SENSA Engagement in South East Asia,” which VERIFOR’s Asia-Pacific Partner, RECOFTC, jointly prepared with Sida and the Swedish Environmental Secretariat for Asia (SENSA). The paper reviews existing initiatives to mitigate illegal logging, assesses gaps that remain to be addressed, and provides recommendations for Sida/SENSA engagement in the region.
• Trade and Market Reforms in the Mekong Sub-Region - Workshop to Promote Sustainability, Legality, and Pro-Poor Impacts in the Forest Sector: The Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific (RECOFTC) and the VERIFOR Project, in partnership with Forest Trends, helped to organize and hosted this workshop in Bangkok, Thailand on August 20-22nd, which brought together forest sector researchers from all of the Greater Mekong region countries, including Myanmar and China, in addition to a selection of international forest sector experts. VERIFOR’s regional focal point provided a presentation at the beginning of the workshop on verification and how it links with emerging market-driven demands for legally sourced timber and developing demands for sustainability. It is hoped that this workshop will be the first step in creating a network of researchers and other interested parties in the region that will result in high quality research products that feed into national and regional forest policy dialogues. Specific topics identified as a result of the workshop are already being researched by participants from the meeting.
• The VERIFOR Project and RECOFTC, in conjunction with partners at SmartWood, the German Agency for Technical Cooperation’s (GTZ) German Regional Forest Programme (ReFOP), and the ASEAN Secretariat, delivered a three day training workshop on the design and implementation of timber verification of legality mechanisms to the ASEAN Working Group on the Pan-ASEAN Timber Certification Initiative (a sub-working group of the ASEAN Senior Officials in Forestry). Participants included government officials, private sector representatives, and members of civil society from ASEAN Member States. This training workshop was hosted by the Government of Brunei in July 2008 and was exceptionally well received.
• VERIFOR’s Asia-Pacific Focal Point was invited to provided a presentation at the “Carbon Markets Asia 2008” conference on the importance of having the active participation of, and ensuring proper benefit flows for, forest dependent communities, and the need for effective verification mechanisms to ensure the success of “REDD” mechanisms as part of a panel discussion on sustainable forest management and carbon financing at this event in Singapore in May 2008.
• EU-Viet Nam FLEGT Meeting: VERIFOR’s Asia Focal Point was invited and joined this important meeting between the EU and Viet Nam Government representatives in April, as an initial step towards a possible Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) in conjunction with the EU’s FLEGT Initiative.
• VERIFOR’s Asia Focal Point was invited to sit as a key panel discussant on the “Finding the Best Investment Opportunities Within the Agribusiness Value Chain” panel, during the Plantation Investment Asia 2008 conference, held 25-27 March in Singapore. His presentation underscored the importance of choosing investments that protect the rights of local communities while also providing them with employment and partnership opportunities if these investments are to meet national and international legality standards, address emerging corporate social responsibility requirements, and provide sustainable returns over time.
• The VERIFOR Project and RECOFTC provided a presentation on “Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) and Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiatives in Southeast Asia and the Implementation and Sustainable Operation of Timber Legality Verification Mechanisms” at the Forest Restoration and Rehabilitation in Southeast Asia Project’s Training Course on Tropical Forest Landscape Restoration in Southeast Asia, Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Forestry, Bangkok, Thailand, on 9 January 2008.
• RECOFTC co-facilitated an international training course organized by Wageningen International and CIFOR entitled Governance for Forests, Nature and People, which was held at CIFOR’s facilities in Bogor, Indonesia during December 2007. The VERIFOR Project’s Focal Point for Asia designed and delivered a one-day interactive training module for the training course entitled “Maintaining Independence and Credibility: Experiences from VERIFOR.” The training course was attended by forestry officials from throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
• The VERIFOR Project provided a presentation on verification of legality in the tropical timber trade at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)/Telapak-sponsored non-governmental organization (NGO) Illegal Logging Regional Network meeting held during October 2007 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
• VERIFOR’s Asia Focal Point, Robert Oberndorf, has been working with the ASEAN Secretariat, in partnership with GTZ and SmartWood, to develop a three day training workshop on Timber Legality Verification Systems for senior forestry officials and other targeted stakeholders from ASEAN member countries.  A series of training proposal conceptualization and development meetings have been held over the past year in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and China.  The training workshop is in its final phase of development, with a formal proposal recently approved at the 7^th meeting of the ASEAN Ad-Hoc Working Group on a Pan-ASEAN Timber Certification Initiative held in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  The workshop is currently scheduled to be conducted in early October 2008, with the Government of Brunei graciously agreeing to host this event.
• The VERIFOR project, throught Robert Oberndorf, was invited to attend the 7th Asia Forest Partnership Meeting in November 2007 in Yokohama, Japan. A presentation was made on 'Governance mechanisms to verify legality: the what, why and how of verification system design' .
• The VERIFOR Project, through Robert Oberndorf, submitted a paper abstract to FAO on the future of verification in the forest sector for the upcoming International Conference on The Future of Forests in Asia and the Pacific: Outlook for 2020 (Chiang Mai, October 16-18 2007).
• Robert Oberndorf, VERIFOR Asia focal point, gave as presentation at the EU-China Conference on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance in Beijing, September 19-20 2007.
• Robert Oberndorf helped to organize the FAO-ITTO Regional Workshop on Improving Forest Law Compliance and Governance in SEA in the Philippines during the second week of September 2007. VERIFOR providied a presentation on verification mechanisms in the forest sector for this workshop. Contact Rob Oberndorf (robert@recoftc.org) to request the presentation.
• The VERIFOR Project participated in the design of the Forest Governance Side Session at the RRI International Conference on Managing Forests for Poverty Reduction, during the first week of September 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand . Robert Oberndorf, VERIFOR Asia focal point, also gave a presentation on timber verification systems, their impacts on the poor and lessons learned from the VERIFOR project.
• The VERIFOR Project participated to the Transparency International workshop on corruption in the forest sector (Bangkok 26-27 July 2007), where Verification was one of the main discussion points.
• VERIFOR participated in the Transparency International Forestry and Corruption Workshop, 25-27 July 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand.
• VERIFOR gave a presentation on the use of independent monitoring in the forest sector at the East Asia FLEG technical workshop in Manila on 26 June 2007.  As a result of this workshop, VERIFOR Project is exploring opportunities to provide technical support to the ASEAN Secretariat and the Senior Officials on Forestry (ASOF) through GTZ's ASEAN Forestry Programme.
• The VERIFOR Project was represented by Robert Oberndorf at the UNESCAP 3rd Green Growth Policy Dialogue on the Greening of Business and Environment as a Business Opportunity in Bangkok during week commencing June 5 2007.
• On April 3 2007 Robert Oberndorf, Daru Asycarya of the Indonesian Ekolabel Institute and Ngadiono, Yayasan Adi SangorroDaru in Jakarta gave a presentation to EU Delegation working on the FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement Process in Indonesia. The purpose of the meeting was to analyse the findings of the VERIFOR Indonesia case study. Contact Rob Oberndorf (robert@recoftc.org) to request the presentation.
• VERIFOR's Asia focal point, Robert Oberndorf, provided a presentation on Linking Communities to Forest Governance Verification Mechanisms at a CF Forum Workshop held in Bangkok on the 23 March 2007.
• In January 2007, the co-authors of the Indonesia case study gave a presentation on harmonisation of verification standards to the Ministry of Forests Secretary General and Environmental Standards Centre in Indonesia, also in January 2007.

VERIFOR activities in Asia 2006:

• A presentation on VERIFOR, and links between timber verification and the Millennium Development Goals, was given at the 11th annual Asia Forest Network meetin, held in Bangkok between 28 and 30 November 2006. The presentation, by Rob Oberndorf, aimed to give participants an overview of the broader issues surrounding forest law enforcement and governance. Read the full meeting report.
• Between 18-22 September 2006, Robert Oberndorf attended two workshops in China – ‘China and the Global Forest Products Trade: Strengthening Production and Policy', and ‘Improving Production and Livelihoods in China through Tenure and Regulatory Reform' – where he introduced the VERIFOR project.
• Robert Oberndorf visited Sarawak, Malaysia in July 2006, with ODI team member Adrian Wells, in order to gather additional information for the Malaysia case study and to meet with a variety of stakeholders from the timber industry, government and civil society. Prior to this meeting he visited Peninsular Malaysia with Adrian Wells in relation to gathering information for the case study.
• In June 2006, the VERIFOR Asia Focal Point, Robert Oberndoft, joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil's (RSPO) Verification Working Group, submitted written comments on the RSPO's verification guidelines in August, and actively participated at a Working Group meeting held in Kuala Lumpur (18-19 October 2006).
• VERIFOR attended the Asia/Pacific Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade meeting (2nd Working Meeting of the Task Force and Advisory Group) in Manilla, Philippines, from 6-11 March 2006. info... presentations.
• In February 2006, the Asia-Pacific Programme recruited an environmental lawyer, Robert Oberndorf J.D., as the new VERIFOR Focal Point for Asia.