On March 8, 2024, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) of South Africa released a draft National Biodiversity Economy Strategy (NBES) for public comment. The consultation period was initially set for two weeks but later extended to April 5, 2024.
Key Messages and Recommendations Developed by the CSO Forum on Social Forestry
The members, participating organizations, and representatives of civil society organizations and community-based organizations, Indigenous People’s networks, and membership organizations of the Civil Society Organizations Forum on Social Forestry in ASEAN, or CSO Forum, have come together for our 9th Annual Meeting from 18-20 September 2022.
Our vision is for “Empowered and resilient Indigenous Peoples/ ethics groups and local communities in forested landscapes in ASEAN with secured equal rights and well-being through an institutionalized CSO platform working towards recognition and promotion of indigenous/ethnic groups knowledge and local wisdom, tenure and access rights, community economy and livelihood, international and regional standards and safeguards, and inclusive governance mechanisms.”
The meeting acknowledged that while several gains are observed at the regional and national levels, perennial challenges remain. Some of the prominent issues listed include Community Economy and Livelihoods; Tenure and Access Rights; International and Regional Standards and Safeguards; and Governance Mechanisms.
Accordingly, the Forum call on governments, regional and international platforms, and institutions working on Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Sustainable Development to solve these issues.
These messages and recommendations are expected to be delivered at the side event “Amplifying IPLC Voices and the Security of Territories of Life and Customary Tenure towards meaningful Climate Action” at COP27. As a member organization of the Forum, PanNature participated in the discussion and contributed to these recommendations. Ms. Nguyen Hai Van*, a representative of PanNature, will be present at the COP27 side event to present the recommendations.
* Ms. Nguyen Hai Van also works at Wyss Academy of Nature, University of Bern; and the Institute of Geography and Sustainability, University of Lausanne. Van’s participation at COP27 is funded by Wyss Academy for Nature.
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