Letter from the DG

In 2018, CIFOR crossed two major milestones: we began it by looking back on 25 years of research to impact and ended it looking forward to a bold new merger with World Agroforestry (ICRAF).

For over a quarter of a century, CIFOR has raised the profile of tropical forests and of people who depend on them in the global arena. Our scientists have, among many other achievements, helped uncover direct and indirect causes of deforestation, reveal the critical role of tropical forests in rural livelihoods, and demonstrate how forests and trees can mitigate climate change and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

CIFOR has influenced policies and practice at international, national and subnational levels,  and also on a range of topics that include biodiversity and Brazil nuts, wetlands and climate change, peat fires and oil palm, and forests foods and wild meat. This year, Ethiopia issued a new law recognizing the rights of local communities in forest management and restoration – based in part on our long-term engagement – and both the Green Climate Fund and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change took note of CIFOR’s recommendations on gender equality and social inclusion in climate change policy.

Global comparative research has always been a cornerstone of CIFOR’s work. From one of our first projects analyzing how communities use non-forest timber products, to the Poverty Environment Network’s innovative methodology, our teams in Africa, Asia and Latin America have worked to systematically uncover patterns in forest landscapes across the tropics. Today, CIFOR’s Global Comparative Studies – GCS REDD+ and GCS Tenure – continue to deliver results. A new book, Transforming REDD+: Lessons and new directions took a deep dive into 10 years of research on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), and we assessed the impact of our research on tenure reform in Indonesia, Peru and Uganda.

Peatlands and mangroves were a major focus of our work in 2018, as we ramped up efforts to protect these fragile ecosystems. CIFOR hosted the inaugural Tropical Peatlands Exchange and, in partnership with the Indonesian Forestry and Environmental Research Development and Innovation Agency (FOERDIA), launched the interim secretariat of the International Tropical Peatlands Center.

The landscape approach is overarching in our research and engagement, exemplified in our current multi-disciplinary projects looking at the connections between agriculture and forestry policies in West Africa, water and forestry in East Africa, and health, food security and nutrition across the tropics.

Borne out of the first Forest Day in 2007, the momentum inspired by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is now at full steam. This energy transforms each new event into a hive of creativity, as policy makers, indigenous groups, private companies and a growing youth movement share exciting new solutions to the increasingly urgent challenges we now face.

None of CIFOR’s achievements would be possible without the dedication of our support staff in administration, human resources, finance and operations, at our headquarters and our hubs in Cameroon, Kenya and Peru. We have been privileged to know many of them for years – some from CIFOR’s earliest days.

Looking ahead to 2019, CIFOR and ICRAF are joining forces to accelerate impact in forestry and agroforestry research, policy and development. I look forward to the new opportunities that will arise, to new partnerships, and to strengthened collaboration with existing partners.

Robert Nasi
Director General