ASEAN’s leadership in forest landscape restoration Supporting the Bonn Challenge and the New York Declaration on Forests: Workshop summary report

ASEAN’s leadership in forest landscape restoration Supporting the Bonn Challenge and the New York Declaration on Forests: Workshop summary report

The designation of geographical entities in this document, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN. Published by: IUCN Asia Regional Office (ARO), Bangkok, Thailand Copyright: © 2019 IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural

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prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: IUCN Asia (2019). ASEAN’s leadership in forest landscape restoration.

Supporting the Bonn Challenge and the New York Declaration on Forests: Workshop summary report. Bangkok: IUCN ARO. ii+25pp.

Cover photo: © IUCN Asia 2019 Back cover photo: © Li Jia/IUCN 2018 Layout by: IUCN Asia Regional Office Available from: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Asia Regional Office

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION TO THE EVENT ......................................................................................................... 1

KEY MESSAGES .................................................................................................................................... 3

OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENTATIONS ............................................................................................... 4

Bangladesh ......................................................................................................................................... 4

Cambodia ............................................................................................................................................ 4

India ..................................................................................................................................................... 5

Indonesia ............................................................................................................................................. 5

Lao PDR .............................................................................................................................................. 6

Malaysia .............................................................................................................................................. 6

Mongolia .............................................................................................................................................. 8

Myanmar ............................................................................................................................................. 8

Pakistan............................................................................................................................................... 8

Singapore ............................................................................................................................................ 9

Sri Lanka ............................................................................................................................................. 9

Thailand............................................................................................................................................. 10

DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................................ 11

Regional Collaboration on FLR ......................................................................................................... 11

Financing FLR ................................................................................................................................... 14

Tracking and reporting on restoration progress ................................................................................ 18

Towards the 2nd Asia Ministerial Round Table on the Bonn Challenge ............................................ 19

ANNEX I: AGENDA ............................................................................................................................... 20

ANNEX II: PARTICIPANTS LIST .......................................................................................................... 24

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INTRODUCTION TO THE EVENT

The Bonn Challenge is the largest restoration initiative in the world. The target is to bring 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands into restoration by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030.

The Bonn Challenge has already resulted in commitments to restore more than 170 million hectares of degraded land. This has led to the Challenge reaching the 150 million hectare milestone and putting it on track to meet the 2030 target. The accelerating pace of implementation highlights the ambition and success of Bonn Challenge signatory countries and the increasing diversity of partners who are supporting restoration action.

In 2017, the 1st Asia Ministerial Roundtable on the Bonn Challenge was held in South Sumatra, Indonesia, where four countries made restoration pledges totalling 1.65 million hectares1. The roundtable created a space for participating countries to discuss how forest landscape restoration (FLR) could be used to meet national and regional objectives on mitigating climate change, enhancing water security, generating livelihoods and conserving biodiversity.

In January 2019, a workshop titled ASEAN’s Leadership in Forest Landscape Restoration: Supporting the Bonn Challenge and the New York Declaration on Forests was organised by IUCN in partnership with the Royal Forest Department of Thailand, in response to requests from the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) for increased exchanges and technical support on restoration. Representatives from 12 Asian countries met in Bangkok, Thailand, on 23 and 24 January to discuss the latest developments on FLR in the ASEAN region and in other countries that have joined the Bonn Challenge and the New York Declaration on Forests. The meeting agenda can be found in Annex I.

Amongst other objectives, the meeting sought to:

• Provide a platform for participating countries to share their experiences with FLR, highlight progress on their commitments and exchange solutions to implementation hurdles;

• Increase the ambition of participating countries for restoration, a globally accepted solution to environmental and sustainable development issues;

• Discuss strategies and approaches for unlocking domestic and external financial resources for restoration;

1 The 1st Asia Ministerial Roundtable on the Bonn Challenge was held in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia on 9 and 10 May 2017. Four countries made restoration pledges: Bangladesh (750,000ha); Mongolia (600,000ha); Pakistan (100,000ha); and Sri Lanka (200,000ha). A report of the meeting can be downloaded at the following link: https://www.iucn.org/sites/dev/files/content/documents/2017/final_report_for_distribution_-_bonn_challenge_asia_roundtable_4_cct_2017.pdf

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• Discuss ways to report on restoration progress as part of national and international processes, such as those related to climate change mitigation and adaptation;

• Share existing successful FLR experiences from ASEAN countries and discuss details of a potential ASEAN pledge to or regional statement on the Bonn Challenge; and

• Prepare a roadmap for the 2nd Asian Ministerial Roundtable on the Bonn Challenge, to be held later in 2019.

The countries that participated in this event included: Bangladesh; Cambodia; India; Indonesia; Lao PDR; Malaysia; Mongolia; Myanmar; Pakistan; Singapore; Sri Lanka; and Thailand. Regional and international organisations included: the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet); the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO); Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (FAO); and The Centre for People and Forests (RECOFTC). A full list of participants is provided in Annex II. The meeting was generously supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

Aban Marker Kabraji, IUCN Asia Regional Director and Director of the IUCN Asia-Oceania Regional Hub (right), delivers opening remarks © IUCN

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KEY MESSAGES

Some key messages from the event were:

• There is a wealth of experience on FLR within ASEAN countries. A wide array of national restoration programmes is being undertaken in support of national environmental agendas as well as international environmental goals;

• In addition to restoration programmes, governments are also reviewing and developing supportive national policies to enable implementation;

• There is a diverse range of FLR definitions and typologies across the ASEAN region, with governments implementing multiple restoration programmes at local, national and regional scales. This is due to the use of different terms and communication gaps. ASEAN countries should seek to align FLR initiatives with international restoration paradigms, and strengthen communication and cooperation on future programmes;

• There is a need to foster regional collaboration on FLR within the ASEAN region. This would allow countries to share goals and lessons learned, increase national and regional investment in restoration, strengthen capacity to implement restoration programmes, provide a marketplace for funding access, and provide a regional platform to share progress on international commitments (such as the Paris Agreement) through restoration programmes;

• Among ASEAN countries, there are existing mechanisms to foster regional collaboration on priority policy issues such as the ASEAN Forum on Wildlife Trade and the ASEAN Social Forestry Working Group. It was recommended that IUCN request the ASEAN Secretariat to develop a regional collaborative mechanism dedicated to FLR and/or a regional statement on supporting FLR;

• Regional organisations such as AFoCO and APFNet can act as supporting agencies to foster regional cooperation with non-ASEAN countries. Pan-Asian or ASEAN collaboration could be enhanced by a regional strategy and targets developed during the next Asia Bonn Challenge ministerial roundtable;

• Governments recognise that FLR has unrealised potential to help their countries mitigate and adapt to climate change. While countries are embedding their restoration programmes in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), there is greater scope to align with FLR principles and approaches;

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• Some strategic areas identified for further exploration include transboundary restoration, the role of economic forests in landscape-level restoration, the production of sustainable commodities on already degraded lands, the development of technical guidance on FLR (including in urban contexts and other ecosystem types such as coastal landscapes and rangelands), and the involvement of youth in FLR;

• Technical exchange events such as this one enable the sharing of experience and lessons learned and should be held more frequently.

OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENTATIONS

Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a number of policies and programmes relevant to FLR, including the national forestry policy of 1994, the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, the REDD+ process and the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100. Bangladesh social forestry programmes are highly successful and have been mainstreamed into the country’s legal and institutional frameworks (e.g. the Forest Policy and Social Forestry Rules), the achievement of national targets (e.g. Forest Master Plan targets), and up to 1 million ha of restoration targets. Through its social forestry programmes, Bangladesh has successfully planted more than 80,000ha of degraded land and 68,000km of strip plantations. More than 650,000 people benefitted from the initiatives, of which 121,000 are women and many are landless poor around forest areas. To date, more than US $34.8 million has been distributed to over 150,000 beneficiaries, while government revenue has increased by approximately US $40 million.

Challenges facing restoration programmes in Bangladesh include: inconsistencies in multiple policy instruments; short-term planning; dependence on single species; and constraints on human capacity, funding and logistics.

Cambodia

Cambodia has experienced severe deforestation over the last 45 years, having lost about four million hectares of forest. The country has an increasing population and low GDP, with some three million forest-dependent people still living in and around forested areas. Various forest programmes and legal instruments have been developed for conservation and sustainable forest management purposes, such as the Forestry Law, the Protected Area Law, the National Production from Forestry Strategy Plan, the Government Declaration on Management and Removal of Illegal Activities in the Forest Sector, the National Strategic Development Plan, the Cambodia Climate Strategic Plan, the National Green Growth Roadmap, the National Forest Program, the National REDD+ Roadmap, and the National Policy on

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Green Growth. Significant efforts have been put in place to balance socio-economic development needs with forest conservation and restoration. Half a million hectares of land have been demarcated as community forestry areas.

It was recommended that a cooperative platform between IUCN and ASEAN for forest landscape restoration be established and used to strengthen community forestry capacity and improve livelihoods.

India

Under the Bonn Challenge, India has pledged to restore 13 million hectares by 2020 and an additional 8 million hectares by 2030. An additional 27.78 million hectares must be restored for India to achieve its national 108 million hectare forest land target. The limited availability of vacant land has prompted India to invest beyond forest lands and to take a broader approach to restoration than simple reforestation. This approach includes restoring ecological functionality such as soil moisture. India’s reforestation initiatives include the National Afforestation Programme, the Green India Mission, the National BambMission, the Ganga Mission, and others. Strong institutions, such as the Joint Forest Restoration Committee, have also been developed. As of December 2017, about 10.39 million hectares had been planted, bringing India close to achieving its Bonn Challenge target. Project support is provided under various schemes to engage local communities in restoration programmes. The remaining barriers include insufficient cross-sectoral cooperation and the need to prioritise restoration areas. India also suggested that NGO and other partners invest in capacity development for governments and implementing agencies.

Indonesia

Indonesia has made substantial progress towards strengthening national policy and institutional frameworks for restoration over the past four years. In places such as Sumatra and Kalimantan, a reduction of up to 90% of forest fires has been recorded and immediate impacts include reduced haze and improved air quality in the region. The government is committed to addressing the role of climate change mitigation through its Nationally Determined Contribution to the UNFCCC and has intensified its commitment to resolve tenure conflicts related to forest management. It is addressing this through a shift from a court-oriented to a more community-oriented approach intended to improve economic development by ensuring access to land and forest resources for the 30 million people living in the villages surrounding forests.

Indonesia is trying to establish more than 600 Forest Management Units to manage the 600 areas across the nation to increase forest management effectiveness. Communities are increasingly engaged in adaptive forest management, including indigenous people.

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Restoration is also contributing significantly to Indonesia’s NDC. The forestry sector will make up 17.2% of the 29% unconditional GHG emission reductions and 23% of the 41% conditional emission reductions the country has committed to.

Lao PDR

Lao PDR aims to increase its forest cover from 58% to 70%, meaning it must address multiple drivers of degradation including agriculture expansion, shifting cultivation, infrastructure development, and unsustainable and illegal logging. Currently, the country is using a combination of public education, assisted natural regeneration and afforestation to increase forest cover and quality. Thus far, Lao PDR has successfully restored 2.9 million hectares of degraded land, but an additional 3 million hectares are required to reach their 70% forest cover target. FLR was identified as an important approach for achieving Lao PDR’s ambitious restoration plan. Given the various policy reform processes currently underway, there are valuable opportunities to integrate FLR into Lao PDR’s restoration efforts.

Malaysia

The total forest area in Malaysia is 18.27 million hectares, or 55.3%, which is in line with the country’s commitment at the Rio Summit in 1992 to maintain 50% forest cover. Sustainable Forest Management forms a significant part of Malaysia’s forest management work. In 2017, forests contributed to 1.7% of Malaysia’s GDP, 2.1% of total employment and 2.5% of total exports. Most restoration efforts are funded through state and federal budgets. Since 1970, some 38,000 hectares have been planted in permanent forest areas and a further 30,000 hectares have been planted along coastal areas. Remaining challenges include land status verification within rehabilitated areas, low quality of planting stock, high cost of planting and maintenance, encroachment, the lack of innovative planting methods, and the lack of land tenure security over long time periods. Moving forward, there is a need to share experiences in restoration and rehabilitation among ASEAN member states through international and regional cooperation platforms.

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Mr Pankaj Asthana, Inspector General of Forest, National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India © IUCN

Ms Carole Saint-Laurent, Deputy Director Global Forest and Climate Change Programme © IUCN

Ms Swati Hingorani, Project Knowledge and Impact Officer © IUCN

Mr Athapol Charoenshunsa, Director General of Royal Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand © IUCN

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Mongolia

Approximately 18 million hectares (8%) of Mongolia’s land area is forested. The country’s forests face multiple threats, including fire, pests and the intensification of both these threats due to climate change. Up to 70% of the forests in some areas in north-central Mongolia have been lost to forest fires; this damage has catalysed a number of significant (and successful) restoration efforts. In the past decade, Mongolia has also implemented restoration programmes, with support from international donors, to address the issue of dust storms that affect northern China, the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Mongolia’s goal for 2016 to 2020 is to reduce desertification, increase protected areas to include 25% of its territory, and increase forest cover to 8.3% by 2020 and 9% by 2030. This translates into an annual reforestation target of 120,000 hectares and restoration of an additional 150,000ha addressing fire and pest issues.

Myanmar

Myanmar’s forest cover is currently 43% of its total land area. It has a strong political commitment to address deforestation and restore degraded areas through a number of domestic policies, including the Forest Law and Restoration Program 2017-2027, and international commitments such as Myanmar’s NDC. Among the many restoration efforts, a key initiative is the 10-year Myanmar Restoration and Rehabilitation Programme (MRRP), which aims to establish 148,647ha of state-owned forest plantations, 115,427ha of private plantations and 331,392ha of assisted natural regeneration. The MRRP also aims to conserve 202,429ha of natural forests in the central dry zone and establish 311,875ha of community forests to help fulfil the national target of having 30% of the country in the Permanent Forest Estate (PFE), in accordance with the Myanmar Forest Policy of 1995. Critical factors for successful implementation of the restoration programme include effective law enforcement, sufficient funding and human resources, proper assessment of degraded areas, robust plantation management plans and implementation, effective utilisation of intermediate yields, clear land tenure and rights, effective engagement of private sector and rural communities, and regular monitoring and evaluation.

Pakistan

Pakistan introduced their very successful Billion Tree Tsunami Project, which showed how landscapes can be transformed from unproductive degraded areas to thriving landscapes with benefits for people and the environment. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province is the first sub-national entity to achieve and extend its Bonn Challenge commitment. The project has been scaled up to the national level and the new Ten Billion Tree project aims to achieve forest cover of 15% within five years. The inspiration for these restoration efforts came from a GIS study in 1999 that suggested that 78% of the forests had

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been degraded for fuel wood. Therefore, a significant portion of the newly restored area aims to meet local fuel wood demands, and concerted efforts have been made to show communities how to manage these areas sustainably. A major behaviour change has been observed, and today, 50% of the restored forest area is on communal land. Pakistan’s Bonn Challenge commitment and the international recognition it brought to the country were also identified as factors contributing to the success of the programme. Independent monitoring and evaluation of the Billion Tree Tsunami programme conducted by WWF revealed that planted trees had a survival rate of more than 80%.

Singapore

Singapore is a very small country (720km2) with a dense population and very limited land resources for forests. However, 5% of the country is classified as nature reserves dedicated to forest conservation, research, education and recreation. When combined with other green areas, the vegetation cover of Singapore is about 56%. The management of natural areas is aligned with Singapore’s national conservation agenda as well as international commitments under UNFCCC and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Nationally, Singapore’s strongest interest lies in trees in cities and vertical greenery, which can result in benefits such as reduced energy use and improved water quality. Singapore is a supporter of regional collaboration on the environment and conservation and has a strong partnership with AFoCO and APFNet.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is making significant efforts to increase its forest cover up to 32%. Since 2014, the Forest Department has restored over 9,500ha of degraded forests and private companies have restored an additional 200ha. A variety of restoration techniques has been employed, including afforestation, enrichment planting, conservation, watershed protection programmes, erosion control and mangrove restoration. Improved agricultural practices such as agroforestry, alley cropping and techniques to enrich fallow soil are additional restoration options. Some of the challenges to restoration work include invasive species and damage by wildlife. Future plans include government restoration of 27,500ha of degraded forests, improved management of the 9,700ha of newly restored forests, and restoration of a further 3,000ha of degraded forests through private participation. If funds are available, additional restoration targets of 130,000ha on public land and 30,000ha on private lands can also be achieved.

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Thailand

Thailand has experienced severe deforestation and degradation in the past and is trying to recover with an ambitious reforestation target of 40% forest cover (25% as conservation forests and 15% as economic forests). As of 2018, forest cover was about 32%, so more restoration efforts are still needed to achieve the national target. Many of the degradation drivers are similar to other countries, including encroachment, illegal logging, poaching, and development pressure from urbanisation. A number of national policies have been developed to support conservation and restoration, including the National Economic and Social Development Plan, the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Natural Resources Development and the 1985 National Forest Policy. A noticeable change to the policy framework is the shift from a top-down approach to a bottom-up approach which embraces greater community engagement. Law enforcement continues to be a challenge. The nation is looking at ways to align its natural resources management, particularly forest management, with its various international commitments, including its NDC and the New York Declaration on Forests. Thailand has prioritised the improvement of human well-being in its FLR programmes, since large areas are dedicated to community forestry and urban forestry. Thailand is also engaged in a major rehabilitation programme for its coastal areas.

Thailand is currently implementing its 12th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2017–2021). This five-year plan contributes to the 20-year strategic plan (2017–2036), which sets a target of 55% national green area cover. The 15% target for economic forests is essential to this plan. The Thai government is also supporting the registration of community forests (over 1 million hectares to date) and using cutting-edge technology for monitoring. In terms of private plantations, about 247,516ha of plantation area has been established since 1994. In the next 10 years, 20,000 communities totalling 2.6 million households will be engaged in the planting of over one billion economic trees. Thailand is also pioneering a scheme where slow-growing, high-value trees such as teak and Siamese rosewood can be used as collateral for loans, in order to provide an extra incentive for planting such species. This ‘tree bank’ scheme has encouraged some 6,000 communities to grow 11 million trees. Other complementary programmes are also being rolled out on forest certification, monitoring, and research and development to improve tree health.

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DISCUSSION

Regional Collaboration on FLR

Ms Swati Hingorani, Project Knowledge and Impact Officer for the IUCN Global Forest and Climate Change Programme, provided delegates with an overview of regional initiatives on FLR in Africa and Latin America, distilling the key elements of success that could be included in an ASEAN regional effort.

Mr Jake Brunner, Head of the IUCN Indo-Burma Group, initiated a discussion by asking participants to consider two overarching questions:

• What are the potential benefits of regional cooperation within the ASEAN framework? • How could such cooperation be designed and implemented?

Mr Brunner cited the recent ASEAN declaration on illegal wildlife trade as an example of ASEAN cooperation on an important regional environmental issue.

Mr Jake Brunner, Head of the IUCN Indo-Burma Group and moderator for the discussion © IUCN

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Mr Sapol Boonsermsuk, Director of the International Forestry Cooperation Division of the Royal Forest Department, Thailand, suggested that cross-learning on common strategic issues such as restoration is a key benefit of cooperation among ASEAN countries. Sharing lessons learned beyond national boundaries can be an effective way to catalyse innovative solutions to common challenges.

Mr Hassan Ibrahim from Singapore called for young people to be engaged in FLR.

Dr Ponika Chan from Cambodia emphasised that FLR should be the centre point of the forestry sector and that regional collaboration would be particularly useful for coping with transboundary issues such as the illegal timber trade.

Dr Thaung Naing Oo, Director of the Forest Department in Myanmar, reminded participants that FLR is more than just tree planting. It delivers multiple ecological and socio-economic benefits, and therefore provides direct support to a national government’s mandate to its constituency and helps achieve international commitments under multiple legal and policy frameworks.

Dr Oo also drew attention to the existing mechanisms among ASEAN members, such as the ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry, the ASEAN Working Group on Forest Products and Development, the ASEAN Working Group on CITES and Wildlife Enforcement, the ASEAN Working Group on Forest Management, the ASEAN Working Group on Forest and Climate Change, and the ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry. He recommended incorporating FLR into these existing processes.

All parties agreed that the NDCs of ASEAN countries showed the region’s willingness to protect and restore forests as part of their climate adaptation and mitigation strategies.

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Workshop participants at Klang Dong Plantation, Nakhon Ratchasima province © IUCN

Forest economy models based on the cultivation of insects © IUCN

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Insect products - Malaengdana (Belostomatidae) © IUCN

Participants learning about forest plantation management and different agroforestry models in Thailand © IUCN

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Financing FLR

Ms Carole Saint-Laurent, Deputy Director of the IUCN Global Forest and Climate Change Programme, provided an overview of existing funding sources for FLR.

Ms Yingluck Patibhanthewa, Chair of the Private Forest Plantation Cooperative Limited, shared her experience of enabling policy frameworks that incentivise restoration. For the past 25 years, there has been a strong interest from private plantation owners in growing high-value timber trees, but harvest restrictions have prevented large-scale plantations from using high-value species. When these restrictions were lifted, high-value trees became accepted as loan collateral in land valuation processes. Trees are now better-valued as assets, providing communities with stronger incentives to plant trees. In light of these developments, Ms Patibhanthewa felt confident that, within the next five years, the Cooperative would expand its private plantations by some 480,000ha.

Mr Syed Nazar Hussain Shah, Secretary Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, made a point about engaging local communities in patrolling and monitoring to reduce the costs of restoration programmes.

Mr Pankaj Asthana shared India’s experience of drawing on multiple domestic funding sources to support restoration. These include: federal and state government budgets; Finance Commissions; the Forest Authority under the framework of the Forest Conservation Act; the Clean Highway scheme under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; and private investment through incentive schemes. A number of legislative frameworks have been revised to encourage communities and private investors by creating a more favourable investment policy framework. Funding is not the most limiting factor for FLR in India, but technical capacity remains low. There is a need to obtain support from organisations such as IUCN India to strengthen restoration planning and implementation capacity, perhaps with funding from GEF or other bilateral agencies.

RECOFTC introduced the FLORES project, which aims to put in place an enabling environment for negotiation between private investors and communities for benefit-sharing from restoration investments.

Pakistan reminded participants that species selection is a critical factor in ensuring the success of restoration efforts. There have been cases where the right to harvest conifer species had been taken away from communities, which led to a strong preference for fast-growing species with little ecological value.

Ms Li Jia from IUCN brought to participants’ attention that the 1.5 billion smallholders managing land-based resources might well be the world’s largest private sector and that government regulators should enable smallholders to invest with their own resources, innovation and entrepreneurship.

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Ms Hingorani pointed out that India has a CSR policy that mandates companies to dedicate 2% of their profits to social responsibility initiatives. This funding could be channelled towards FLR.

The moderator concluded the session by re-emphasising the importance of tenure and incentives to ensure that people grow and care for trees and are able to benefit from them.

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Mr Christian Großheim, Head of Division on Forest Conservation, Sustainable Management of Forest, Biological Diversity and Climate Change, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany, interacting with workshop participants. © IUCN

Dr Thaung Naing Oo (right) and Mr Syed Nazar Hussain Shah engaging in discussions (left) © IUCN

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Tracking and reporting on restoration progress

Mr Sukan Puengkul from the Royal Forest Department of Thailand gave a presentation on monitoring forest land encroachment and the registration of E-trees (electronic registration for trees).

The Royal Forest Department has used long-term satellite images and other data sources to monitor forest cover change and has established an online registration system for trees. The E-tree scheme provides regulator data throughout the whole lifecycle of timber production: forest plantation registration; chainsaw and wood identification for certification; forest industry permission; and wood transportation certificates. E-tree registration can be leveraged to scale up FLR efforts by providing appropriate technology to track timber production, and ensuring the role of plantations as a sustainable part of landscape governance while incentivising private investment in restoration.

Ms Hingorani provided an introduction to the Bonn Challenge Barometer, a mechanism to track progress on Bonn Challenge pledges. It was emphasised that the Barometer maximises the use of existing data so as to reduce the reporting burden on pledge owners. Monitoring and reporting under the Barometer can be tailored to a country’s regular monitoring data collection frequency.

Mr Christian Großheim from BMU said that the Barometer was a good example of applying the landscape approach, as it provided additional information (beyond hectares under restoration) on how the drivers of deforestation can be addressed and identified which policies have enabled restoration.

Dr Oyunsanaa Byambasuren, Director General of the Department of Forest Policy and Coordination, Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia, expressed a strong interest in applying the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM) to prioritise restoration efforts, especially after Mongolia’s Bonn Challenge pledge made in 2017. IUCN expressed its interest in supporting ROAM assessments in Mongolia as well as other countries in region, subject to the availability of funding.

Suggestions were sought from around the table about FLR project ideas that could be taken forward in partnership with IUCN. The following were identified:

Bangladesh: Social forestry and community-based forest management projects.

India: Scaling up the ROAM assessment that was undertaken in Uttarakhand region to the entire country; strengthening technical capacity-building, especially related to reporting under the Bonn Challenge framework.

Indonesia: Establishment of an IUCN country office in Indonesia; consolidation of ecosystem restoration on public land and on private sector concessions under a forest landscape restoration umbrella; further project development on peatland restoration.

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Mongolia: ROAM assessment; learning exchange with other countries on restoration experiences in arid and semi-arid environments.

Myanmar: ROAM assessment.

Pakistan: Additional international funding for restoration initiatives.

Singapore: Urban forests and vertical forests.

Sri Lanka: Capacity-building on Bonn Challenge and FLR.

Thailand: Promotion of private sector engagement in reaching the national 15% economic plantation target.

Towards the 2nd Asia Ministerial Round Table on the Bonn Challenge

Ms Saint-Laurent started the session with a brief introduction to making a Bonn Challenge pledge. The key elements are to specify the number of hectares to be brought into restoration and to provide a defined timeline and restoration plan. Countries that have pledged to the Bonn Challenge have noted that their pledges have resulted in increased visibility and support at both national and international levels for their FLR efforts.

In the concluding round of discussions, participants agreed that it would be useful to hold a second ministerial meeting on the Bonn Challenge and FLR in 2019. It was agreed that IUCN would send out a formal letter to countries in the region, inviting expressions of interest in hosting the event.

It was also agreed that IUCN would approach the ASEAN Secretariat to explore the possibility of issuing a regional statement on FLR. This would help to re-energise political momentum on FLR and could perhaps pave the way for the creation of a regional mechanism on FLR or the issuing of a joint Bonn Challenge pledge.

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ANNEX I: AGENDA

ASEAN’s Leadership in Forest Landscape Restoration:

Supporting the Bonn Challenge & the New York Declaration on Forests

23–24 January 2019, Bangkok, Thailand Final Agenda

DAY 1 January 23, 2019

07:30 – 17:00 Field trip to Klang Dong Plantation, Nakhon Ratchasima province

DAY 2 January 24, 2019, Rattanakosin Room, Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok

08:30 – 09:00 Registration

09:00 – 09:30 Opening session

9:00 – 9:05 Welcome remarks by Mr Athapol Charoenshunsa, Director General, Royal Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand; 9:05 – 9:10 Welcome remarks by Ms Aban Marker Kabraji, Regional Director, Asia and Director - Regional Hub for Asia-Oceania; 9:10 – 9:20 Keynote speech by Mr Christian Großheim, Head of Division on Forest Conservation, Sustainable Management of Forest, Biological Diversity and Climate Change, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany; 9:20 – 9:30 Keynote address by Dr Wijarn Simachaya, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand.

09:30 – 09:45

PHOTO AND COFFEE BREAK

09:45 – 12:00 Discussion Topic 1: Country experiences and progress on forest landscape restoration (FLR)

9:45 – 9:50 Opening remarks by the moderator (Mr Sapol Boonsermsuk, Director of International Forestry Cooperation Division, RFD) 9:50 – 9:55 The Bonn Challenge in Asia video

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9:55 – 10:00 Principles & global status of FLR (Ms Carole Saint Laurent, IUCN)

10:00 – 10:10 Bangladesh country presentation (Mr Hossain Mohammad Nishad) 10:10 – 10:20 Cambodia country presentation (Dr Ponika Chan) 10:20 – 10:30 India country presentation (Mr Pankaj Asthana) 10:30 – 10:40 Indonesia country presentation (Dr Henry Bastaman) 10:40 – 10:50 Laos country presentation (Mr Phouthone Sophathilath) 10:50 – 11:00 Malaysia country presentation (Mr Mohd Ridza Bin Awang) 11:00 – 11:10 Mongolia country presentation (Dr Oyunsanaa Byambasuren) 11:10 – 11:20 Myanmar country presentation (Dr Thaung Naing Oo) 11:20 – 11:30 Pakistan country presentation (Syed Nazad Hussain Shah) 11:30 – 11:40 Singapore country presentation (Mr Hassan Ibrahim) 11:40 – 11:50 Sri Lanka country presentation (Mr M.A.A.M. Jayarathne) 11:50 – 12:00 Thailand country presentation (Dr Preecha Ongprasert) Delegates will share their country experiences with other participants, considering the following questions: • What are your country experiences on restoration of forest landscapes? • What government policies are needed to create an enabling environment for

FLR? • How can domestic forest landscape restoration in your country be aligned

with international processes, such as those related to climate change? • In your experience, what factors are critical to the successful implementation

of restoration commitments? • What are the major FLR opportunities in ASEAN countries? • For those countries that have already made pledges: are there any hurdles

commonly faced while moving from pledge to implementation? What solutions are available to address these?

12:00 – 12:10 Invited talk: Extension of Thailand’s economic forests (Dr Suwan Tangmitcharoen, Technical Expert on Forest Plantation, Royal Forest Department)

12:10 – 13:00

LUNCH BREAK

13:00 – 14:45 Discussion Topic 2: ASEAN cooperation on FLR

13:00 – 13:05 Opening remarks by the moderator (Jake Brunner, IUCN)

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13:05 – 13:15 Invited talk – Bonn Challenge processes in other regions and FLR opportunities in the ASEAN region (Ms Swati Hingorani, IUCN) 13:15 – 14:35 Facilitated discussion. Participants may wish to consider the following questions: • What can ASEAN draw from other regional Bonn Challenge experiences? • What is needed to enhance regional cooperation on FLR and the Bonn

Challenge among ASEAN countries? • What should the key functions and technical focus of regional collaboration be?

14:35 – 14:45 Invited talk - The Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM): A Key Tool for Designing and Implementing FLR (Ms Li Jia, IUCN)

14:45 – 15:00

COFFEE BREAK

15:00 – 16:00 Discussion Topic 3: Approaches for unlocking domestic and external financial resources for restoration

15:00 – 15:05 Opening remarks by the moderator (Ms Carole Saint Laurent, IUCN) 15:05 – 15:10 Financing FLR (video - 5mins) 15:10 – 16:00 Facilitated discussion. Participants may wish to consider the following questions: • What types of innovative and creative domestic financing mechanisms have

you put in place in your jurisdiction to direct or redirect funding to forest landscape restoration?

• Are there opportunities for finance allocated to related sectors, such as agriculture, to be leveraged for restoration? How can this be achieved?

• What assistance do countries require to unlock financing? • What are the international processes that can support restoration financing

efforts in your countries?

16:00 – 17:00 Discussion Topic 4: Tracking and reporting on restoration progress as part of national and international processes

16:00 – 16:05 Opening remarks by the moderator (Mr Sapol Boonsermsuk, RFD) 16:05 – 16:10 Invited talk - Monitoring of forest land encroachment and registration of e-trees (Mr Sukan Pungkul, RFD) 16:10 – 16:15 Invited talk - The Bonn Challenge Barometer (Ms Swati Hingorani, IUCN) 16:15 – 17:00 Facilitated discussion.

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Participants may wish to consider the following questions: • From your perspective, how difficult is it to assess and monitor progress in

the implementation of landscape restoration in your country? • What are the systems and indicators that are already in place? What are the

obstacles? (For example, challenges might include difficulties with verifying field-level data, aggregating data from the landscape to the national level, and monitoring capacity development for local communities engaged in restoration.)

• How important is it for the Bonn Challenge Barometer to align with reporting on international commitments such as the NDC under UNFCCC, CBD Aichi Targets and SDGs?

17:00 – 17:30 Discussion Topic 5: Towards the 2nd Asia Ministerial Roundtable on the Bonn Challenge

17:00 – 17:05 Opening remarks by the moderator (Mr Sapol Boonsermsuk, RFD) 17:05 – 17:10 Invited talk: How to make a Bonn Challenge pledge (Ms Carole Saint Laurent, IUCN) 17:10 – 17:30 Facilitated discussion: Towards the 2nd Asia Ministerial Roundtable on the Bonn Challenge. Participants may wish to consider the following questions: • Based on the discussions that have been held today, is there interest in

holding a Ministerial-level Bonn Challenge event in the region later this year? If so:

o What are the key topics and issues that should be addressed at such an event?

o When and where could such an event be held? o What should the next steps be?

17:30 – 17:45 Closing remarks (Mr Athapol Charoenshunsa, RFD)

19:00 – 21:00

Official Bonn Challenge reception (Premkamol Room)

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ANNEX II: PARTICIPANTS LIST

Country Prefix Name Designation Organisation

Bangladesh Mr Hossain Mohammad Nishad

Assistant Chief Conservator

Forest Department

Cambodia Dr Ponika Chan Deputy Director General

Forestry Administration, Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries

China Ms Sun Wei Na Head Department of Project Management, Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet)

Germany Mr Christian Großheim

Head Division on Forest Conservation, Sustainable Management of Forest, Biological Diversity and Climate Change, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

India Mr Pankaj Asthana Inspector General of Forest

National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

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Indonesia Dr Henry Bastaman Director General Forestry and Environment Research, Development and Innovation Agency, Ministry of Environment and Forestry

Korea Ms Park Joowon Program Officer Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO)

Lao PDR Mr Phouthone Sophathilath

Director Planning and Cooperation Division, Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

Malaysia Mr Mohd. Ridza Bin Awang

Deputy Director General

Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia

Mongolia Dr Oyunsanaa Byambasuren

Director General Department of Forest Policy and Coordination, Ministry of Environment and Tourism

Myanmar Dr Thaung Naing Oo

Director Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation

Pakistan Mr Syed Nazar Hussain Shah

Secretary Forestry Environment & Wildlife Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

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Singapore Mr Hassan Ibrahim Deputy Director International Biodiversity Conservation, National Parks Board

Sri Lanka Mr M.A.A.M. Jayarathne

Deputy Conservator of Forests

Forest Department

Thailand Dr Wijarn Simachaya

Permanent Secretary Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

Thailand Mr Athapol Charoenshunsa

Director General Royal Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

Thailand Mr Kenichi Shono Forest Resources Officer

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations

Thailand Mr Lok Mani Sapkota

Assistant Program Officer- Research and Analysis

RECOFTC

Thailand Mr Sirichai Saengcharnchai

Project Coordinator ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC), RECOFTC

Thailand Ms Prattana Meesincharoen Potts

Foreign Relations Officer

International Forestry Cooperation Section, Royal Forest Department

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Thailand Mr Sapol Boonsermsuk

Director International Forestry Cooperation Division, Royal Forest Department

Thailand Mr Montri Intasen Forestry Technical Officer

Royal Forest Department

Thailand Dr Suwan Tangmitcharoen

Director Silvicultural Research Division, Royal Forest Department

Thailand Dr Woranuch Emmanoch

Director New York Declaration on Forests Coordination Center, Royal Forest Department

Thailand Ms Aban Marker Kabraji

Regional Director IUCN Asia Regional Office

Thailand Dr TP Singh Deputy Regional Director

IUCN Asia Regional Office

Thailand Dr Scott Perkin Head Natural Resources Group, IUCN Asia Regional Office

Thailand Ms Li Jia FLR Coordinator IUCN Asia Regional Office

Thailand Ms Supranee Kampongsun

Head IUCN Thailand Programme

Thailand Ms Hélène Marre Communications and Private Sector Engagement Associate

IUCN Asia Regional Office

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USA Ms Carole Saint-Laurent

Deputy Director IUCN Global Forest and Climate Change Programme (GFCCP)

USA Ms Swati Hingorani Project Knowledge and Impact officer

IUCN GFCCP

Vietnam Mr Jake Brunner Head IUCN Indo-Burma Group

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