Empowering local communities through capacity building and experience sharing of “Eyes on the Forest”

WWF-Malaysia, in collaboration with WWF-Indonesia, hosted a two-day workshop entitled Empowering local communities through capacity building and experience sharing of “Eyes on the Forest”from 14^th to 15^thApril 2015 at The Palace Hotel, Kota Kinabalu. The participants of the sessions consisted mainly of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and indigenous peoples.

The objectives of this workshop were to:

1. Share knowledge and experience on Eyes On the Forest (EoF) initiative and Relawan Pemantau Hutan Kalimantan (RPHK)as theclearinghouse for information on forest conservation in Riau, Sumatra and to serve as a tool for local, national, and international NGOs, companies, governments and any other stakeholders who are willing to take action to conserve forests and protect the rights of communities that depend on forests.

2. Provide information, support and training to local stakeholders, leading to enhanced confidence on both local authorities and communities in demanding forest law enforcement. The increase in the quantity, quality and credibility of forest sector information resulting from independent forest monitoring would help local populations to hold their governments accountable and to ensure their rights are respected.

3. Identify the needs and resources for launching such a similar initiative and to understand the potential dynamics of civil society organizations in Sabah.

EoF and RPHK at a glance

EoF is a coalition of three local environmental organisations in Riau, Sumatra and Indonesia: WWF Indonesia's Tesso Nilo Programme, Jikalahari ("Forest Rescue Network Riau") and Walhi Riau (Friends of the Earth Indonesia). It was launched in December 2004 to investigate the condition of the forests in Riau.

This coalition was established in response to massive forest loss as a result of the commercial action of two major pulp and paper companies: Asia Pulp & Paper (APP/Sinar Mas Group) and Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL / Raja Garuda Emas). These two companies produce 80% of Indonesia’s pulp and paper.

Relawan Pemantau Hutan Kalimantan (Volunteers to Monitor Kalimantan’s Forest) was established in 2013 as a replication of EoF’s initiave in Riau, consisting of NGOs such as Link-Ar Borneo, Yayasan Titian, Sampan, Kontak Borneo and WWF-Indonesia program West Kalimantan. Their first task was reviewing APP’s Forest Conservation Policy and the outcomes drew serious response from APP’s management.

EoF’s coalition and RPHK are established to reduce or delay deforestation in Riau (Sumatra in general) and West Kalimantan (Kalimantan in general) as a result of pulp and paper industry and the expansion of palm oil plantation.