Forest Foundation Philippines entered into a partnership with RECOFTC to advocate for participatory action research in forest landscape governance across the ASEAN region through the Explore Community of Practice.
Launched in October 2020, Explore is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida. The network is hosted by RECOFTC, in partnership with the CIFOR-ICRAF, in collaboration with universities, research institutes, governments, civil society organizations, local communities, and the private sector in Southeast Asia.
Explore is a research network and community of practice dedicated to expanding and applying knowledge on forest landscape governance in Southeast Asia. It is the only research network in the world focused on forest landscape governance. It takes a multi-disciplinary, participatory, inclusive multi-stakeholder approach to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on climate change and other international and national commitments. It emphasizes gender equality and social inclusion.
The partnership between Forest Foundation Philippines and RECOFTC will support governments in using high-quality research to improve policies and institutional frameworks for inclusive and sustainable development of forest landscapes in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. In addition, it will facilitate the sharing of learning and knowledge of Explore-supported projects in the Southeast Asian Region through the following initiatives:
- Research grant mechanism, where research teams from across Southeast Asia receive a grant to develop and implement a research proposal;
- Capacity development program provided to the grant recipients to support the development of their research proposal;
- Networking among and with other stakeholders, especially through a community of practice hosted by the Global Landscape Forum (GLFx); and
- Communication and knowledge management.
About Forest Foundation Philippines:
Established in 2002, under a bilateral agreement between the governments of the United States of America and the Philippines, the Forest Foundation Philippines is a nonprofit organization that provides grants to organizations that empower the people to protect and conserve the forests.
About RECOFTC:
RECOFTC is an international not-for-profit organization with a vision of local communities actively managing forests in Asia and the Pacific to ensure optimal social, economic, and environmental benefits.
