Issue 26
April-May 2007
The Mountain Partnership Newsletter
'Peak to Peak' is an opportunity to keep you up-to-date with the latest news, activities and events related to the Mountain Partnership. This monthly newsletter, prepared by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, is sent by e-mail to all members and other interested partners and can be read on-line at www.mountainpartnership.org. Help us share news, information and features with members by sending a message to: info@mountainpartnership.org.
Membership
As of April 2007, there are 142 members of the Mountain Partnership: 47 countries, 15 IGOs and 80 major group organizations (e.g. civil society, NGOs and the private sector).For information on their activities and contact details, visit the Members section of the Mountain Partnership Web site.
New on the Mountain Partnership web site
New database of FAO projects in mountain areas
FAO's focus on mountains is a key part of its responsibility as the UN agency devoted to raising levels of nutrition, improving agricultural production and alleviating poverty and hunger. Its wide range of programmes and projects related to mountains in Africa, Asia and Latin America is helping countries tackle mountain issues through capacity building, institutional strengthening and activities on the ground. Search this database for details on the wide range of FAO mountain and highland/lowland projects around the world.
News highlights from around the world
Resources Himalaya Foundation honoured with prestigious MacArthur Award
We wish to congratulate Mountain Partnership member, Resources Himalaya Foundation, who have recently won a MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, in recognition of its work in protecting and sustaining the biodiversity in the Himalayas against the impacts of poverty, tourism and population growth. Resources Himalaya Foundation has gained respect for its work in training in geographic information systems, remote sensing analysis, mapping, and field survey methods. It has also developed management plans for important conservation areas in the Himalaya region and hosted scientific conferences bringing together conservationists, scientists, and students from across Asia. Resources Himalaya Foundation was one of eight NGOs from six countries receiving the honour. ‘In creating this award, we wanted to make a strong statement that the institutions of civil society matter,’ said Jonathan Fanton, President of the MacArthur Foundation. ‘These eight extraordinary organizations empower ordinary citizens to shape their own destinies, and they accelerate our collective journey toward the highest aspirations of human dignity, security, and opportunity. While they have already made a huge difference in the world, we believe that they are poised to have an even greater impact.’ Resources Himalaya Foundation will use its US$ 350,000 Award for permanent office space and research studying the relationship between conservation and development. Go to the Resources Himalaya Foundation Web site and find out more about the MacArthur Foundation here.
The Mountain Institute recognized for preservation of sacred sites in Himalayas
Congratulations are also due to The Mountain Institute (TMI), a Mountain Partnership member, for being awarded a US$ 10,000 grant from Tourism Cares to further promote sustainable, community-based cultural preservation initiatives in the Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park. The Sagarmatha is Nepal’s oldest and most visited national park: it became an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 for its unique natural, cultural and landscape characteristics. TMI’s Sacred Sites Trail Project seeks to engage the indigenous population of Sherpas and promote sustainable preservation of the historical, cultural and natural sites of the Khumbu region, including Sagarmatha. The Tourism Cares grant will aid the TMI project in creating a new circular trail to encourage tourists to visit less known sacred sites and villages. Click here for more information on TMI's Sacred Sites Trail Project. Go to the Funding Support section for information on Tourism Cares.
To read more about sacred mountains around the world, go to the Mountain Research and Development (MRD) issue, ‘Religion and Sacredness in Mountains: A Historical Perspective (November 2006).
Women craftworkers in Morocco and Turkey
Artisanal home workers are possibly the most isolated and vulnerable in the informal sector. The majority are women without qualifications and with limited or no access to credit. In the Middle East and North Africa, for example, it is estimated that there are more than 4 million women working at home supporting their families. Within the framework of the Euromediterraneen (Euromed) Partnership financed by the European Union (EU), PlaNet Finance Morocco has set up a programme to promote the craftmaking and business potential of poor rural women in Morocco and Turkey. ‘This project has a vision of sustainable development, where the tools of microcredit and savings are introduced to allow these women to develop by themselves and to move ahead into the future by means of calm, responsible decisions.’ states Fatim-Zahra Benharbet, General Secretary of PlaNet Finance Morocco. The project provides the women with training in areas such as rights and responsibilites, hygiene and health, as well as building networks. As Benharbet states, ‘We support the work of women working in crafts in one region by encouraging them to collaborate with women from other regions, building a network at the regional, national and finally international level’. Read more by visiting the PlaNet Finance Web site and the Web site of the Women Artisans Network.
Risking Death to Give Life in Panama's Tropical Forests
Infant and maternal mortality for indigenous groups tends to be far higher than in the general population of their countries. Deeply rooted cultural traditions and belief systems -- as well as physical and social isolation -- may complicate the delivery of quality obstetric and neonatal care. In many countries throughout Latin America, Mountain Partnership member, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is working to improve reproductive health and make motherhood safer. As part of an overall strategy to fight extreme poverty, UNFPA and the Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in cooperation with the Government of Panama, is set to invest US$ 800,000 over the next four years to improve maternal health services among the Ngöbe and Buglé populations, the two predominant indigenous groups in the remote mountains of Western Panama. UNFPA is coordinating efforts among the Government, the Asociation of Ngöbe Buglé Women (ASMUNG), IFAD and the private sector. ‘We are also providing equipment and family planning commodities for rural clinics, as well as training of health personnel,’ said Laura Flores, UNFPA’s Assistant Representative in Panama. The organization hopes to raise additional funds from coffee growers and other private sector sources to further improve maternal health services in indigenous communities. Read the story here.
Rwandans flock to 'Hillywood' films
Nyagatare is a rural and dusty town in the east of Rwanda. But in April this year it played host to the bright lights of Rwandan film talent. As the sun drops behind one of Rwanda's iconic hills, a giant, inflatable screen staggers into the air. This is ‘Hillywood’, Rwanda's very own travelling film festival. Hillywood is a film festival on a shoe-string. Out of next to nothing, a small group of Rwandan filmmakers toured seven provinces of Rwanda screening films every evening under the stars. There is only one cinema in Rwanda and it is in the capital, Kigali. So the filmmakers hopped on a couple of buses and took the cinema to the people. It is a rare treat for people in the countryside to see films on the big screen. ‘Most Rwandans don't even have access to television or any medium of the mass media,’ says Eric Kabera, the festival's organizer. More importantly these are homemade films. Rwanda has welcomed numerous foreign productions companies over the years. But Rwandan film culture itself has failed to take root. At Hillywood the films are made by Rwandan directors and producers, filmed in Rwanda and in the local language, Kinyarwanda. It was international productions about the 1994 Rwandan genocide, such as Hotel Rwanda, which really put Rwanda back on the map for the rest of the world. That is what also inspired budding young Rwandan filmmakers to try film-making themselves. In fact many of the Rwandan filmmakers at the festival started out working with foreign productions. But when HBO's trolleys and cranes disappeared, so did the money. And filmmakers here now struggle to get their stories told. Kennedy Mazimpaka, an actor who has worked on foreign productions strongly believes that Rwanda is up to the challenge. ‘We're not going to keep on lagging behind because we had a genocide,’ he says. ‘We need to go forward. Right now we need anything that can develop Rwanda. So why not a film industry?’. Source: Abby d'Arcy Hughes BBC News, Kigali.
Recovering lakes in the Peruvian Andes
Four mountain lakes in the Peruvian Andes are being saved from severe environmental threats and deterioration. This is thanks to the strong advocacy efforts of The Recovery of the Circuit of Four Lakes Partnership -- composed of indigenous peoples, NGOs and local communities -- which attracted a recent grant from the Rotary Foundation. The Partnership was founded by the indigenous NGO Yachay Wasi (based in New York City and in Cuzco, Peru), in order to assess and stop the growing chemical contamination of four Andean mountain lakes in Peru -- Acopia, Pampamarca, Asnacocha, and Pomacanchi. Growing contamination in recent years has posed serious environmental and health risks to the indigenous communities (with an estimated total population of 25,518), who live by and rely on the lake waters for their livelihoods. The Partnership’s project is both environmental and educational. It aims to clear and clean the lakes and their banks of rubbish and waste and to prevent further chemical contamination from modern detergents and pharmaceutical discards, to repair and protect biological diversity, as well as to educate and assist the communities in preventing future contamination. This will include building septic tanks and laundry facilities in some villages. The first phase of the recovery started in March 2007 and is being implemented mostly by local indigenous workers under the leadership of Yachay Wasi. For further details and to view photographs, go here.
Making Mont Blanc part of UNESCO’s World Heritage
Mont Blanc – the highest peak in Western Europe -- is of great cultural value and considered by many the birthplace and symbol of modern mountaineering. However, unlike other significant mountain ranges, Mont Blanc still does not enjoy any internationally recognized protection status. The Mont Blanc massif has been put forward as a potential World Heritage Site in recent years, with negotiations conducted in conjunction with international experts, such as UNESCO and the IUCN. Now, Mountain Partnership member, ProMONT-BLANC has launched an information campaign to help re-inforce the case for Mont Blanc’s inclusion on the List. Read the ProMONT-BLANC paper on the unique distinctive characteristics of the mountain and why the massif deserves a place in the UNESCO World Heritage List. For more information about ProMONT-BLANC, visit the Web site.
Funding support
African Women's Development Fund
The African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) is an Africa-wide grantmaking and fundraising initiative for African women. It funds local, national, sub-regional and regional organizations working towards women's empowerment. In addition to awarding grants, the AWDF also attempts to strengthen the organizational capacities of its grantees. The AWDF supports work in five thematic areas: women's human rights, political participation, peace building, health, reproductive rights and HIV/AIDS, and economic empowerment. Grants are awarded in three cycles each year and applications can be sent in at any time. For more information on how to apply, visit the AWDF Web site.
Tourism Cares’ Worldwide Grant Program 2007
Deadlines: 1 June and 1 October
Tourism Cares is a US-based philanthropic organization that aims to protect and enhance travel and cultural experiences through grants for historic sites, student scholarships for tourisms’ future workforce, and volunteers for the preservation and restoration of tourism-related sites. Its Worldwide Grant Program distributes charitable grants to tourism-related non-profit organizations worldwide for capital improvements or programs. Primary consideration is given to projects and programs that serve to protect, restore, or conserve sites of exceptional cultural, historic, or natural significance, or to educate local host communities and the travelling public about conservation and preservation of such sites. The 2007 Worldwide Grant Program goals for grantmaking call for a balanced distribution to US and non-US recipients. Based on merit and availability of funds, grants up to US$ 100,000 will be considered. For further information, visit the Tourism Cares Web site.
Call for concept notes: Action research on 'Value chains and the rural poor in disadvantaged regions' (IDRC)
Deadline: 29 June 2007
Researchers, civil society and entrepreneurs are invited to submit applications for four action research projects under the theme of ‘Value chains and the rural poor in disadvantaged regions’. The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) stipulates that the research must be located in a disadvantaged region in one of the following priority regions: the Sahel Belt of West Africa, the Nile Basin, South Asia, the Mekong Delta, or the Philippines. Read more here.
The 2007 Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program
Deadline: 3 May 2007
The Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program has announced its 2007 competition which awards eight US$ 80,000 scholarships to PhD students throughout the Americas to conduct research critical to conserving the national parks of the region. The Program is a collaboration between Canon, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the US National Park Service. Research projects in the biological, physical, social and cultural sciences are eligible, as well as projects in technology innovation in support of conservation science. Applications must be received by 3 May 2007. For application procedures, visit the Web site.
Alcoa Foundation Conservation and Sustainability Fellowship
Deadline: 31 May 2007
Mountain Partnership member, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), is one of the partners of The Alcoa Foundation Conservation and Sustainability Fellowship Programme -- a scheme designed to provide qualified mid-career NGO conservation and sustainable development practitioners with a non-degree opportunity to conduct six to twelve months of research with mentoring from IUCN experts. The third round of the Fellowship is open, with applications being accepted until 31 May 2007. Potential applicants are encouraged to submit high-quality proposals for applied research in the following areas key to IUCN’s work: the implications of biodiversity of alternative new forms of energy; review and synthesis of corporate biodiversity; management and reporting systems (including indicators); biomimicry -- the use of biological systems to help design new approaches to sustainability; the contribution of the cultural and spiritual values of indigenous peoples to protected area objectives; detailed case study of one or more biodiversity compensation schemes; and the implications for conservation of major demographic trends, including ageing, urbanization, and population movements. Preference is given to projects that are designed and carried out in countries where Alcoa has operations. For further information on requirements and application procedures, visit the Alcoa Foundation Web site.
2007 Banff Mountain Writing Program, 26 October - 17 November 2007
Deadline:18 May, 2007
This residency writing program is offered by Mountain Partnership member, Mountain Culture at the Banff Centre. It allows six participating writers to delve into a writing project (essay, memoir, biography, feature article, or book project) in the areas of mountain culture, mountain environment, mountain life, adventure, climbing, and/or mountain history. Within the spectacular setting of Banff National Park (Alberta, Canada), the residency offers participants the time, privacy, and editorial resources to focus on their proposed pieces. Writers participating in the 2007 Banff Mountain Writing Program -- running from 26 October-17 November this year -- will have the opportunity to interact with other mountain writers and editors in group discussions and individual consultations, as well as with invited guest speakers and artists from other fields. The Banff Centre is situated amid the Rocky Mountains in Canada's first national park -- an ideal location for a residency that explores the mountain experience. The deadline for applications is 18 May 2007. To find out more about application procedures, visit the dedicated Web site.
The Stockholm Challenge Awards
Deadline: August 31 2007
The Stockholm Challenge has been a well established global networking program for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) entrepreneurs for over ten years and it continues to be a leader in demonstrating how information technology can improve living conditions and increase economic growth in all parts of the world. One of the main features of the Stockholm Challenge are the annual Stockholm Challenge Awards which recognizes the most innovative information and communication technology (ICT) projects for development that demonstrate clear benefits to people and their communities, wide impact and sustainable business models. Last year African Conservation Foundation (ACF), Mountain Partnership member, won the ‘Environment’ category of the prestigious Stockholm Challenge Award. For information on entry criteria and application procedures for this year’s Stockholm Challenge Awards, go to the Web site
Past Events
International Conference "Women of the Mountains" (Orem, Utah, 8-10 March 2007)
Mountain development is impossible without mountain women. This was the clear message of last month’s ‘Women of the Mountains’ Conference, organized by Mountain Partnership member, Utah State University (formerly Utah Valley State College) and Utah-Russia Institute. The Conference built on the spirit of previous events related to gender, notably ‘Celebrating Mountain Women’ and ‘Bishkek Global Mountain Summit’ (both in 2002), both of which highlighted gender inequalities and underlined the international community’s commitment to pursue gender equality as a prerequisite for meaningful mountain development. This recent Conference reiterated this goal and also served to strengthen ties between mountain communities of the Rocky Mountain States of North America with global mountain villages, and to place emphasis on practical steps needed to ensure an improvement of women’s status in mountain communities around the world.
In his address to the Conference, Douglas McGuire (Coordinator, Mountain Partnership Secretariat), stressed the importance of education in achieving gender parity, in line with Milennium Development Goal #3, and the need for working in partnership to achieve results. He used this occasion to announce that a preliminary concept note had been drafted by Mountain Partnership members -- specifically under the guidance of Michaela Zucca from the Centre for Alpine Ecology (CEA) -- to develop an educational programme on gender equality and sustainable development that could be integrated into the curricula of mountain schools. The Mountain Partnership needs several partners to take this idea forward and develop it into a common future programme -- one that is based on concrete outputs from this Conference and could possibly lead to the launch of a global campaign to include a gender perspective in the curricula of mountain schools. The concept will be shared shortly with members.
The final outcome of the Conference was ‘The Orem Declaration of Mountain Women’. It promotes the Mountain Partnership as a mechanism to strengthen existing and forge new alliances for concrete action for gender equity in mountains and encourages the development of a networking and communication system, to include such key partners as Mountain Forum, to promote dialogue and further outreach. Amongst its recommendations, the Declaration underlines the need for collaboration with Brigham Young University (USA) in the collection and compilation of data on women in mountainous areas through further development of the ‘WomenStats’ database, which will allow for improved analysis and understanding of the condition of women in mountains around the world and the development of interventions tailored to their specific needs.
International Women’s Day (global, 8 March 2007) – a climate change dimension
Around the world International Women’s Day was marked with events focused on ending violence against women and girls and recognizing the contributions of females to human well-being and environmental protection. Mountain Partnership member, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), used the occasion of International Women’s Day to announce that for the first time, it would be incorporating gender equality into the battle against climate change. IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefevre pointed out that, when swift environmental changes and natural disasters come along, it is the women who are poor and landless yet responsible for the food production, health and safety of their families and communities who are the most vulnerable. The IUCN also recognized 23 women for their outstanding efforts to combat global warming. One of the honorees, German engineer and sociologist Ulrike Roehr, said that ‘for all policies and mechanisms aiming at climate change mitigation, addressing equity is a precondition for their successful implementation.’ For more information, visit the IUCN Web site.
Future Events
Side Event:‘Climate change and sustainable development in high altitude and remote areas’,15th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-15) (UN Headquarters, New York, 9 May 2007)
A special side event, ‘Climate change and sustainable development in high altitude and remote areas’ will take place during the forthcoming 15th Session of the United Nation Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-15). The event is being organized by Mountain Partnership members, the Government of Italy and the Ev-K²-CNR Committee, in collaboration with other members such as the Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention (UNEP-Vienna ISCC) and the European Academy of Bolzano (EURAC), as well as the ‘Friends of the Mountains’ Group of the Italian Parliament. The side event will focus on the links between science, sustainable development and cooperation, highlight specific project examples from the European Alps, the Carpathians and the Himalayas, and discuss the role of the private sector in achieving sustainable mountain development. It will also make available documentation on the work of Mountain Partnership member, the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), which is working at the interface between climate change and mountains. MRI conducts a scientific programme that detects signals of global environmental change in mountain environments, defines the consequences of global environmental change for mountain regions as well as lowland systems dependent on mountain resources, and informs sustainable land, water, and resource management for mountain regions at local to regional scales.
To find out more about the CSD-15 side event, ‘Climate change and sustainable development in high altitude and remote areas’, please contact Pier Carlo Sandei (EURAC) at: piercarlo.sandei@eurac.edu.
Further reading: 'Changing climate and melting mountains' by M Ismail Khan
The Launching Workshop of ‘A Global Change Research Network in African Mountains’
(Kampala, Uganda, 23-25 July 2007)
This workshop organized by Mountain Partnership member, Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), will bring together researchers, site managers (e.g. Biosphere Reserve managers) and stakeholders, and representatives of funding agencies to outline global change research projects, in line with the GLOCHAMORE Research Strategy, that might be implemented in and across sub-Saharan African mountain ranges. The aim of the workshop is to move from the generalities of a Research Strategy to the details of real projects by real people in real places, especially as those involve scientists and local mountain communities in the assessment of adaptations to global change. It will feature both presentations and discussions on such topics as climate and cryosphere, land use change, governance, water systems, ecosystem function, mountain economies, hazards, and integration (i.e. how is it possible to link current knowledge of African mountains to create a holistic perspective? What new research is needed?). The workshop will also include poster sessions in which participants can highlight recent research and programmes. For further information, go to the MRI Web site.
For more information on future mountain-related events around the world, browse the Mountain Calendar, managed by the Mountain Forum.
Publications of Members
FAO. ‘Mountains and the Law - emerging trends’
Mountain law is still in its infancy. Most countries have not yet adopted mountain-specific laws, preferring to focus on the protection and development of mountains through existing sectoral legislation. However, a few countries such as Algeria, Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Russian Federation (Republic of North Ossetia-Alania), Switzerland and Ukraine, have already enacted legal instruments dealing specifically with mountains, and other countries, such as Romania, are in the process of developing similar legislation. These converging efforts seem to signal an emerging trend towards a progressive increase in mountain law-making in years to come. This updated version of ‘Mountains and the Law - emerging trends’, first published by FAO to coincide with the International Year of Mountains in 2002, looks at the steady development of mountain legislation. The first part broadly describes the main elements of mountain-specific legal texts, first in the international sphere, then at the domestic level. The second part contains six short case studies from countries where legislation on mountains has been passed or proposed. Read more.
UNESCO, 2007. ‘Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage’
The Greater Blue Mountains of Australia, the Golden Mountains of Altai, the Huascarán National Park in Peru and Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania. These are some of the world’s natural and cultural sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List threatened by the effects of climate change. This new publication, ‘Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage’ is intended to raise awareness and mobilize support for heritage preservation, and is divided into chapters that deal with glaciers, marine biodiversity, terrestrial biodiversity, archaeological sites, and historic cities and settlements. Read ‘Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage’ here.
IUCN (2007). ‘Pay – establishing payments for watershed services’
Can water markets be part of solving the world water crisis? IUCN marked World Water Day ( 22 March 2007) this year by launching ‘Pay – establishing payments for watershed services’, a handbook that provides practical solutions and case study examples on payment schemes for watershed services. It explains how, with the right ingredients, good design and effective agreements, markets and incentives can help maintain or restore water resources to benefit all parties -- businesses, authorities and water stakeholders. As a concrete example, Vittel, a bottler of natural mineral water in France spends on average US$ 24.5 million to compensate farmers to reduce the use of fertilizer. This would reduce the perceived risk of contaminating the groundwater the bottler depends on. In Costa Rica, individual water users in the city of Heridia pay an intermediary through their water bill for investments in protecting the forests on which the cities’ water supplies depend. Read ‘Pay’ here.
Mountain Forum (2007). 'Managing Mountain Diversity for Better Lives'
The latest issue of the Mountain Forum Bulletin is now available online. The issue focusses on the theme of mountain diversity management and includes feature articles and case studies from Africa (Morocco, Eritrea), Asia and the Pacific (Philippines, Afghanistan), Europe (Italy) and Latin America (Venezuela). The issue also includes news on Mountain Forum’s activities across the regions. Download the Bulletin here and send any feedback or future contributions to the Mountain Forum Bulletin team at: bulletin@mtnforum.org
Web site and resources
ProYungas
Mountain Partnership member, ProYungas (or ‘Fundación ProYungas para el Desarrollo y la Conservación de las Selvas Subtropicales de Montaña) is a non-profit organization that coordinates and implements activities relating to the conservation and sustainable development of the ecoregion of the Argentinian Yungas (tropical valleys in the Andean region) and its subtropical mountain forests. The organization has recently redesigned and expanded the content of its Web site to include news stories of its activities and a wealth of resources such as publications, maps and links to the Web sites of its partners at the local, national and regional level. Visit the ProYungas Web site (in Spanish only).
UNESCO invites development stakeholders to share training resources on the Web
UNESCO has launched an open platform on the internet -- the Open Training Platform -- to make available training and capacity-building programmes and resources. These are developed by a variety of stakeholders worldwide in a wide range of subjects, including literacy, computers, business, environment, and community development. The objective of this Platform is to provide trainers and learners with resources, and a space where they can share training content. Most of the programmes have open licenses, such as Creative Commons, which make them accessible for non-commercial purposes (i.e. teaching, learning and research). The platform has been designed to include material from many partners involved in development, notably UN agencies, governments and NGOs, especially those involved in the Open Education Resource movement and UNESCO invites all stakeholders to share their training and capacity-building resources on this platform. ‘Today, ICTs provide new opportunities for the acquisition of knowledge and skills learning,’ explained the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura.
Content is also organized to serve communities: civil servants, members of civil society, cultural actors, decision-makers, development and social workers, educators, environment specialists, farmers, health specialists, librarians, archivists and information specialists, media professionals, scientists, and trainers. Designed to be user-friendly, the Platform also features user ratings of the training programmes it features. Go to the Open Training Platform.
Calls for poster and presentations
Request for information on forest monitoring by local communities
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is undertaking a global review on the monitoring of forest management and conservation by local communities. The review will include what has been achieved so far, discuss the extent to which local monitoring in forest ecosystems is or has contributed to “good” forest management, and provide recommendations on future steps. The study also aims to identify obstacles to implementation. As part of CIFOR’s research, it is asking those involved in the design and implementation of projects, tools, and practical approaches on monitoring forest management outcomes, natural resource control, and/or periodic assessment of the resource base involving local communities, to contribute to this review by providing any relevant references you may have (e.g. publications, project reports). Please send your contributions to Mr. Bayuni Shantiko a: b.shantiko@cgiar.org.