This document outlines RECOFTC's strategy for private sector engagement to enhance community forestry. It discusses challenges facing community forestry, such as lack of land tenure and market access. The theory of change is that by improving enterprise capacity and market access for local communities through partnerships with the private sector and government, forest-dependent communities can alleviate poverty through sustainable forest-based livelihoods. Initiatives taken so far include capacity building, research on best practices, and piloting partnerships. Next steps are to develop RECOFTC's internal private sector engagement capacity and strategy through support from SDC. The goal is strengthened community rights, benefits, and governance through tripartite partnerships between communities, private sector, and government.

1. Chandra Silori
Senior Program Officer,
Country Program Coordination
RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests
Private sector engagement for
people and Forests

2. Outline
• Justification
• Approach – Theory of Change
• Steps taken so far
• Future plan

3. Justification
• Community forestry has come a long way,
but facing with a number of challenges
• Role of CF in livelihoods security and
poverty alleviation
• Innovative approaches needed to enhance
the potential of CF for forest dependent
communities
• Look for win-win solutions
• Enhancing market access to CF
• Improved efficiency of private sector
• Innovative approaches for governance

4. • Three key obstacles to
maximize potential of CF:
– Government regulations and
attitudes (conflicting and unsure
tenure)
– Capacities of communities to
negotiate with government and
private sectors
– Access, remoteness to attract
services and investors
Challenges

5. • Lack of land
tenure
• Capacity to
govern
Limited quality and
quantity based business
relations
• Trade barriers
• Lacking
infrastructure
Lacking
functional
relationships
hinders economic
development and
opportunities of
the state and the
poorest
Climate
change

6. Private sector engagement
strategy

7. Theory of Change
Forest-based
income is enhanced
through increased
market access
Win-win partnership
established to
sustain forest-based
enterprise
Enabling
environment is
improved
Improve
enterprise
capacity of
local
communities
Strengthen
capacity for
safeguarding
rights and
mutual
benefits
Establish
mechanism
for mitigate
business
risks
Establish
mechanism
for mitigate
business
risks
Forest dependent poor people are out of
poverty through tripartite partnerships
between community-private sector and
government
Stronger rights, fair benefits and good governance

8. Initiatives taken so far

9. Capacity and skill development
o Enhancing livelihoods through CF
o Market Analysis and Development
o Networking of small holders
o Cambodia SFM project: 30 CF-based
business/enterprises plans developed
o FLEGT (Thailand): increasing awareness for
CSO and developing capacity to negotiate in
the VPA process
o Piloting partnership with Stora-Enso in Lao
PDR

10. o Best practice CFE cases
(Thailand, Vietnam, Lao,
Indonesia)
o Compendium of best practices
in WFC2015 (Forest Connect)
o Promoting efficiency in supply
chain in bamboo and teak in
Lao PDR
o Exposure and networking of
small holders through regional
and international fora
Research communication and
advocacy

11. 1. Developing in-house capacity:
o developing own unique way of
working with the private
sector, explore how to further
CF and how the private sector
can gain from working with us.
o With SDC support to finalize 3
phases:
1. Develop foundation and
readiness
2. Develop a PSE strategy
3. Establish an assessment
system and carry it out
Development of PSE

12. • Continue to strengthen the long-term
development of RECOFTC’s capacity to
effectively use/influence private sector
engagement contributing to the
enhancement of CF livelihoods
• Discuss with SDC for continuation and
finalise Phase 1: with as output a PSE
strategy
Next steps: a parallel process

13. May the forest be with you!
Wealthy rural communities & healthy forests………. Thank You!
www.recoftc.org