Report of the Twenty-Fifth Session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission

RAP PUBLICATION 2013/15

Report of the Twenty-Fifth Session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Bangkok 2013

ABSTRACT

This publication reports the proceedings of the twenty-fifth session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) held in Rotorua, New Zealand from 5 to 8 November 2013. In line with the “forests for prosperity” theme of the session, the Commission reported on recent initiatives in several countries to expand value-added wood processing, enhance wood recovery from forest resources, tap new market opportunities, develop payments for ecosystem services and create more jobs in the forestry sector. Main themes considered were: sources of forest financing; forest law enforcement and governance; promoting opportunities presented by the growing awareness of links between forests and climate change; and mechanisms for capacity building, awareness raising and information sharing, among others. An in-session seminar highlighted the issue of building resilience in forests, landscapes and forest-dependent communities. Main recommendations are included in the report.

Table of Contents

Summary of recommendations
Introduction
Adoption of agenda
Election of officers
APFC session theme: “forests for prosperity”
Forest financing: investing for prosperity
Forest law enforcement, governance and trade: emerging legality
    restrictions and responses
State of forestry in the Asia-Pacific region
In-session seminar: building resilience in forests, landscapes and
    communities
Progress in implementing APFC- and FAO-supported activities in the region
Heads of forestry dialogue: policies to support wood processing
    development
Forests and climate change: pathway to prosperity?
Strategic developments in FAO and the UN
Tools for sustainable forest management
Forests and food security: follow-up to the conclusions of the international
    conference
Preparations for the xiv world forestry congress
Regional issues identified by the commission for the attention of the
    committee on forestry (COFO) and the FAO regional conference for Asia
    and the Pacific
Other business
Date and place of the next session
Appendix
    Agenda
    List of Participants
    List of Documents

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ISBN 978-92-5-108123-5 (print)
E-ISBN 978-92-5-108124-2 (PDF)

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For copies write to:	Patrick B. Durst
	Senior Forestry Officer
	FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
	Maliwan Mansion, 39 Phra Atit Road
	Bangkok 10200, Thailand
	Tel: (+66) 2 697 4000
	Fax: (+66) 2 697 4445
	E-mail: [email protected]