In this issue... a new IIED forest project in the Congo Basin, our latest publications and a blog on locally controlled forests.

The forests newsletter is sent out quarterly with updates on our work to improve forest livelihoods and ensure forests are managed in a fair and sustainable way.

News and blogs

A planetary-scale solution for forests and people

Evidence suggests locally controlled forests are better for the forest and people, so why are smallholders often dismissed as a threat or an inconvenience?

IIED at the IUCN World Conservation Congress

We held a number of successful side events in Hawaii, including the launch of our new Securing the Future report (featured below).

Our work

CoNGOs: NGOs collaborating for equitable and sustainable community livelihoods in Congo Basin forests

CoNGOs is a 3 year project managed by an IIED led consortium which aims for improved governance and practice for equitable and sustainable community forestry livelihoods in the Congo Basin. The geographical focus of the initiative is Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with some policy and legal reform engagement work in Gabon, and region-wide dialogue, learning and advocacy activities.

Publications and briefings

Securing the future:
Managing risk and building resilience within locally controlled forest businesses

This book develops a framework for proactive risk self-assessment and management for locally controlled forest-farm enterprises. It includes eight case studies where a participatory approach was used to identify both ‘bad’ and ‘good’ risks to guide development of options for risk management and innovation.

Forest and Farm Producer Organizations- Operating Systems for the SDGs

Responding to the new global development agenda, this publication highlights the important role forest and farm producer organizations (FFPOs) will play in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Forestry has links to all 17 of the SDGs, so FFPOs are a vital part of the sustainability equation.

Translation: Supporting small forest enterprises – A facilitator’s toolkit

This popular IIED toolkit to help supporters of small and medium forest enterprises (SMFEs) work more effectively is now available in Chinese. It is aimed at 'facilitators', for example donors at the international level and, most importantly, government extension services and non-governmental organisations at the national level.

Partner spotlight

Forest Peoples Programme (FPP)

FPP supports the rights of peoples who live in and depend on forests for their livelihoods. We work to create political space for forest peoples to secure their rights, control their lands and decide their own futures. One of the key work themes at FPP is advocacy, which aims to ensure that all international funding for forests and climate change mitigation and adaptation is accountable to indigenous peoples and other local rights holders who depend on forests for their lives, livelihoods and way of life.

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