Why This Matters

The Lower Mekong region is a globally important hotspot for biodiversity, but the number of endangered species is on the rise. Rosewood and Agarwood are among the three CITES-listed endangered genus home to the region. The endangered status of Rosewood is the result of an expanding appetite for rosewood furniture in China and across the region - growing with the region's economy. Agarwood-producing taxa of Aquilaria species have been known and loved for their fragrance but over-harvested to the point of depletion. 

Key Achievements

• Assisting Lao PDR in conducting a forest inventory on rosewood sp, which led to publishing a zero quota for the commercial export of wild specimen Dalbergia cochinchinensis and Dalbergia oliveri. 

• Conducted a feasibility study for Cambodia to adopt the electronic CITES permitting system ('e-CITES').

• Facilitating countries to better understand and access international trade tools to better manage the trade of CITES listed and endangered tree sp.  
   

Read More

 To continue reading and for more information, visit the links below:

Why This Matters

Forest certification serves as a means to reward producers of sustainable timber by granting them enhanced market access. Despite the potential benefits and the growing demand for certified products, the rollout of forest certification in the Lower Mekong region (LMR) has been slow. There is a crucial need to promote certification by improving awareness and compliance with certification requirements improving the link between supply and demand of certified products, and improving access to competitive and inclusive certification services. 

Key Achievements

Paved the way for certified forest products from the Mekong Region to achieve greater market access through:

• The launch of the FSC Tropical Timber InfoHub, offering information on international legality requirements in 8 Asia-Pacific languages.
• The establishment of an FSC Sustainable Tropical Timber Trade Network connecting certified timber suppliers and buyers in the Asia-Pacific region with over 100 registered companies.
• The organisation of 20 networking and awareness-raising events by FSC (engaged over 2,700 individuals) to promote forest certification and sustainable timber trade between LMR and China. 
• The organisation of strategic dialogues between PEFC International and the China Forest Certification Council on how PEFC certification can enhance responsible timber trade in China.
• The development of the initial management structures and implementation framework of the PEFC national forest certification scheme in Cambodia and Lao PDR.
• The development of guidance for group certification of smallholders in Thailand, leading to the piloting of effective group certification models replicated in Thailand and Viet Nam.
• The accreditation of 2 new certification bodies in Thailand to certify against the country's PEFC-endorsed certification system, with 6 companies achieving or preparing for Chain of Custody (CoC) certification.
• The organisation of over a dozen training events across Mekong countries to strengthen PEFC certification systems and build capacity for remote auditing.
• A gap assessment of PEFC's Forest Management and CoC standards against the EU's Deforestation Regulation requirements to help PEFC adapt to new market requirements.

Read More

To continue reading and for more information, visit the links below:

Why This Matters

Banks and financial institutions play a role in greening the supply value chain of forest products by offering financing and investment opportunities for sustainable forestry projects, promoting transparency and accountability in the forestry sector, and implementing due diligence processes to ensure their investments do not contribute to deforestation. 

Key Achievements

• A regional finance forum for collaboration and capacity building between regional lenders launched

• Assessment on financial flows, policies and guidelines on forest lending conducted

 Read More

To continue reading and for more information, visit the links below:

Why This Matters

Despite being the primary contributors to timber production in the Lower Mekong Region, Smallholders and Micro-Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) frequently find themselves de facto excluded from legal and sustainable supply chains. This exclusion is often attributed to their informal status and a need for more awareness regarding the requirements for legality and sustainability. Capacity-building initiatives focused on these critical topics have the potential to unlock opportunities, facilitating the integration of smallholders into formalized value chains. By enhancing their knowledge and compliance, these initiatives empower smallholders and MSMEs to access more lucrative markets.

Key Achievements 

• Developed and piloted a curriculum for smallholders to integrate into certified timber supply chains.

• Conducted a total of 4 national trainings in Lao PDR and Thailand, with 77 participants.
• Conducted a total of 7 local trainings in Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Thailand, with 151 participants.
• Five organizations are currently using or planning to use the curriculum in their work.
• Developed a strategy for promoting the future uptake of the curriculum.

 Read More

To continue reading and for more information, visit the links below: