Myanmar forest landscape restoration for asia pacific forests 2016 04 eng

23 Partnership arrangements with communities have evolved over time, with collaborative arrangements between forest occupants and the government for the restoration of degraded and denuded areas e.g. the Family Approach to Reforestation, the Communal Tree Farm. The arrangements were not clear, until the 25-year certificate of stewardship tenure system was created, which was the precursor of the Community-Based Forest Management Program of 2009. The 1997 Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act had a strong influence and moved forestry towards community-based management, along with recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights over ancestral lands. The principal forest policies and initiatives for influencing forest restoration are given in Box 8. The evolution of forest policies clearly demonstrates that originally concerns targeted restoration of degraded forests by establishing industrial timber plantations. Although they were considered to be technically sound, these government- led initiatives were not entirely successful. Only with the implementation of community-based forestry, with appropriate ownership rights for communities, has stabilization and positive increase of forest cover resulted.

3.4.6 Thailand

Forest restoration approaches in Thailand have mainly focused on industrial plantation development although some enrichment plantings have been done in conservation areas. These industrial timber plantations were mainly established by state agencies such as the Forest Industry Organization and the private sector. In addition, the Royal Forest Department RFD has also promoted community forestry development by promoting the use of fast-growing trees in private farm holdings. A simplified chronology of forest restoration is given in Box 9. It demonstrates the shifts from indigenous species to fast-growing exotics, the growth of pulp wood plantations and the use of wood from old rubber trees as an important source of furniture timber. Box฀8.฀฀Philippines:฀Major฀policies฀and฀initiatives฀for฀forest฀rehabilitation Policies and laws which support FLR approaches in various management units or watershed ecosystem units include: •฀ Revised Forestry Code Presidential Decree 705; 1975 – although dated, the law has provided the basis for the rehabilitation of open and degraded forest lands with development of industrial plantations, tree farms and agroforestry; it has promoted their implementation with an incentive package. •฀ National Integrated Protected Areas Systems Law 1992 – protected areas under this law are considered as ‘set asides’ for protection, conservation, development, regulation and management of biodiversity and ecosystem services. •฀ Community-Based Forest Management Program Executive Order No.263; 1995 – this programme provides the means for restoringrehabilitating open and degraded forest lands by communities, with usufruct rights, possessory and custodial rights, and overall management of the lands. •฀ Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act 1997 – these land and resource management units are to be managed using traditional knowledge, attitudes and practices. •฀ Master Plan for Forestry Development 2003 – one strategic policy measure is forest expansion, to be achieved through afforestationrestoration in available barren and degraded lands, deforested areas and marginal lands, and to further extend tree planting to farmlands, grazing lands, recreation areas, and to support expansion of community forestry, farm forestry etc. •฀ Promoting Sustainable Forest Management Executive Order No. 318; 2004 – this decree provides the guiding principle for sustainable forest management, with priority for rehabilitation and protection. It provides incentives for the private sector’s participation in forest development. •฀ The National Greening Program Executive Order No. 26; 2011 – a massive forest restoration programme was announced in February 2011 to grow 1.5 billion trees over 1.5 million ha from 2011 to 2016. This programme has strategies that cover climate change mitigation, poverty reduction and timber production. Source: Guiang and Aragon see p. 125 Box฀9.฀A฀chronology฀of฀forest฀restoration฀efforts฀in฀Thailand Policies and laws which support FLR approaches in various management units or watershed ecosystem units include: •฀ 1906-1965 – planting indigenous commercial species teak, Pterocarpus, Dalbergia etc. as compensation for timber cut from natural forests. •฀ 1965-1975 – planting pines and acacias for protection of degraded watershed areas; similar species were used for commercial plantations in the lowlands. •฀ 1975-1978 – plantations of fast-growing species eucalypts, acacias, Peltophorum etc. for regreening and