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*** PRESS RELEASE***
(June 7, 2013, Beijing, China) The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has renewed its partnership with the State Forestry Administration (SFA), the authoritative entity on forests in China.
“This commitment represents the shared vision of CIFOR and SFA to enhance forestry research and policy analysis, promoting forests’ economic, social and ecological value at the national, regional and global levels. This is especially important as Chinese research institutions and enterprises are increasingly engaging internationally,” remarked CIFOR Director General Dr. Peter Holmgren.
At the office of the State Forestry Administration, Dr. Holmgren and SFA Vice Minister Madame Yin Hong signed a 3-year Memorandum of Understanding to collaboratively address key issues and lessons arising from China’s forestry development, namely:
- Sustainable forest management and forest certification – China has implemented large-scale forestry programs for protected and production forests as well as forests for environmental services. The country also has over a decade’s worth of experience in forest certification;
- Climate change mitigation and market-based instruments – Forests planted as part of China’s afforestation programs have significant potential to mitigate climate change. The programs also allow for the development of new mechanisms for Payment for Environmental Services (PES) and can support China’s progress in carbon trading;
- Biodiversity conservation and forest ecosystem services – Exploring how large-scale afforestation on China’s sloping lands can contribute to water quality and supply;
- Forest land tenure and financing systems – Widespread tenure reforms for smallholders and communities in China provide lessons for how individual and collective ownership affects long-term land cover, and offer insight into how forests can contribute to the livelihoods of rural communities managing the forests.
Learn more about CIFOR’s work in China at http://www.cifor.org/china-africa and http://www.cifor.org/china-publications.
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The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) advances human well-being, environmental conservation and equity by conducting research to help shape policies and practices that affect forests in developing countries. CIFOR is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. Our headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia, with offices in Asia, Africa and South America.