Burung Indonesia has been assigned to be a national partner in the implementation of the European Union-Forest Governance (EU-FG) project which is titled “Strengthening Non-State Actor Involvement in Forest Governance in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Papua New Guinea”. The project was initiated by the global partnership of BirdLife International and funded by the European Union for 5 years (2017-2022).
The National Stakeholder Committee was organized at Savero Hotel in Bogor on 13 August 2019, with the main agenda of the activity was to discuss project developments and plans for the Forest Governance Forum (FGF). This event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Birdlife International, Centre of International Development and Training, Independent Forest Monitoring Network, Forest Watch Indonesia, and the government of West Manggarai Regency.
Asep Ayat, the Forest Program Coordinator of Burung Indonesia, delivered a presentation related to project developments at the national and site levels. Currently, the Ecosystem Restoration Working Group (ERWG) with multi stakeholders is a think-tank for policy strengthening and a learning centre for the implementation of Restoration Ecosystem. Through the ERWG, the promotion and strengthening of conservation activities, restoration ecosystem and REDD+ can contribute to sustainable forest management. The project is expected to promote the strengthening of the Independent Monitoring Network and small farmers in the Mbeliling Landscape (Flores), the pilot site for the FLEGT-VPA.
Also discussed in the meeting was the planning of the Forest Governance Forum (FGF). The event will be held in February 2020 in Jakarta, involving non-government actors in Southeast Asia. Richard Nyirendra, the representative of CDIT, described that the FGF is an open discussion on the latest issues of forest governance, FLEGT-VPA, REDD+ and other initiatives related to reducing deforestation, forest degradation, and eradicating illegal logging. This forum will also focus on sharing experiences and documenting lessons learned in the FLEGT process and also perceiving future developments.
The Regional Project Manager of Birdlife International, Hum Gurung, said that the project is designed to support forest policy monitoring, planning and strengthening processes including existing FLEGT-VPA and REDD+ initiatives. This project is also expected to make positive changes and the importance of REDD+ related to climate change.
Djohan U. Perbatasari, the Business Director of Environmental Services and Non-Timber Forest Products in Production Forests, welcomed the project and supported the ecosystem restoration carried out by non-government actors, who are expected to contribute to the economic sector. He also emphasized the importance of strengthening stakeholders in forest governance, in particular in Indonesia. (ARI)
