Center for International Forestry Research

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) an international research institution committed to conserving forests and improving the livelihoods of people in the tropics by helping farmers and communities gain from forest resources. It is based in Bogor, Indonesia.

CIFOR is one of the 15 specialized research centers – the "Future Harvest Centers" – of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

The challenge

Hundreds of millions of people rely on forests for their survival. Around the world, tropical forests yield everything from food and medicinal plants, to fibre and building materials.

Tropical forests are among the world's most diverse ecosystems, supporting millions of different species of animals and plants. Yet every year 130000 square kilometres are destroyed, an area the size of Greece.

One of the most urgent tasks facing humankind is how to save the forests, while ensuring they still provide timber, food and a living for those who depend on them.

This need and a call by the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro for more authoritative forestry knowledge led to the 1993 creation of CIFOR by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research-an association of governments and private foundations.

Research

CIFOR's three research programmes address the needs of the rural poor as well as environmental concerns:

*Environmental services and sustainable use of forests oversees research on biodiversity, carbon, fires, watershed functions, and the sustainable management and harvesting of forest products.
*Forest governance examines the process of making and implementing decisions about the management of forests by people and organizations beyond the scale of the individual household or small enterprise.
*Forests and livelihoods closely investigates how forest resources and their management, use and trade contribute to the livelihoods of the rural and urban poor.

Mission

CIFOR's mission is to contribute to the sustained well-being of people in developing countries, particularly in the tropics. It achieves this through collaborative, strategic and applied research and by promoting the transfer and adoption of appropriate new technologies and social systems for national development.

Objectives

*To improve the scientific basis that underpins balanced management of forests and forest lands
*To develop policies and technologies for sustainable use and management of forest goods and services
*To assist partner governments improve their capacity to research and support the optimal use of forests and forestlands

Contributions

Through collaborative research with its partners in over 40 countries, CIFOR has contributed significantly in:
*Shaping the global forest agenda · Influencing international policy dialogues, institutions and processes
*Informing the broader international forestry community
*Collaborating in research with governments, NGOs and universities
*Building research capacity in developing countries
*Encouraging forest policy reform
*Protecting existing forests and improving poor peoples' livelihoods
*Developing criteria and indicators for sustainable management of forests

Priority eco-regions

*Tropical moist forests in Southeast Asia such as those in Borneo
*Tropical moist forests in central-west Africa and the Congo Basin
*Tropical moist forests of the western Amazon
*Drier forests such as the Miombo woodlands of eastern-southern Africa
*Rainforest-dry forest continuum in southern India such as the Western Ghats
*Uplands of mainland Southeast Asia
*Mixed forest systems of Central America

CIFOR scientists conduct most of their work through a series of highly decentralized partnerships with key institutions and individuals in developing and industrialized nations. CIFOR is committed to building the capacities of developing country organizations and scientists by encouraging them to produce their own solutions to forest problems.

A centre without walls

CIFOR employs over 150 staff at its headquarters in Bogor, Indonesia and at its regional offices in Brazil, Cameroon and Zimbabwe. It works in over 30 countries worldwide and has links with more than 300 researchers in 50 international, regional and national organisations. Governed by an international board of trustees with 15 members from 12 countries, CIFOR receives contributions from over 50 governments and funding agencies.

Directors General

* Jeff Sayer (1993-2001)
* David Kaimowitz (2001-2006)
* Frances Seymour (2006-

Notable Staff

Four CIFOR scientists have received the Queen's Award for Forestry: John Turnbull (1988); Yemi Katerere (1993); Jerome Vanclay (1997) and Ravi Prabhu (2005).

External links

* [http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/ CIFOR Home]
* [http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/publications/ CIFOR Publications]