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Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade (RAFT)BACKGROUNDThe tropical forests in Asia are among the biologically richest in the world. In Borneo, for example, a mere 1.5 forested acres frequently have more tree species than does all of North America. However, forests are lost or degraded at an alarming rate. Every month for the past five years, Indonesia has lost an average area of forest equal to 115,000 American football fields. Illegal logging, poorly planned conversion of natural forests and oil palm are the main drivers of deforestation in the region. This destructive forest exploitation comes with high environmental and economic costs for both the rural poor and national economies, and undermines good governance and the social fabric of communities. The Asia-Pacific region is home to half the world’s population, with growing demands for timber, wildlife products and other forest resources. The region is the world’s largest producer and consumer of tropical timber. What happens in Asia-Pacific tropical timber markets shapes the rest of the global market. TRANSFORMING THE TROPICAL TIMBER TRADERecognizing the importance of sustainable management of Asia’s forest resources, USAID recently partnered with The Nature Conservancy, a non-profit environmental organization, to protect Asia’s unique forest biodiversity. The new partnership, the Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade (RAFT) program, brings together a catalytic group of NGOs, governments and the private sector to transform the tropical timber trade. RAFT builds on the successes of the Global Development Alliance, a USAID-sponsored program in Indonesia, and applies lessons learned on a regional scale. RAFT works with forest producers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Papua New Guinea. Additionally, RAFT works in other countries such as China, Japan, Singapore, members of the European Union, and the U.S. to address procurement and investment policies that promote the legal timber trade. APPROACHThrough the RAFT initiative, The Nature Conservancy and USAID's Environmental Cooperation-Asia (ECO-Asia) protect forests in Asia by transforming the market for tropical timber to achieve sustainability. RAFT focuses on promoting responsible timber trade and the sustainable management of forest resources and biodiversity. The initiative aims to improve forest management practices, promote timber trade from certified legal sources, reduce forest-related conflict, and strengthen regional cooperation on forest management and trade. Increase regional timber trade from legal sources Improve sustainability of forest management on the ground Strengthened regional cooperation on forest management and trade IMPLEMENTING PARTNERSThe Nature Conservancy will be the lead a consortium of public and private organizations and NGOs including: World Conservation Union (IUCN), Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), Tropical Forest Trust (TFT), Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF), Regional Community Forestry Training Center (RECOFTC), ASEAN, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), ScanCom, DLH, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Xerox. CONTACTDr. Apichai Thirathon FURTHER READING
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