Training, Education & Facilitation
 
Supporting communities and local government agencies to jointly develop their own, tailored livelihood and conservation strategies
ICRAF-China is supporting training, education, and facilitation efforts seeking to train forest agency staff in new concepts and methods, establish environmental education programs for students and communities, and to build platforms for dialogue among stakeholders.
 
To train forest agency staff in new concepts and methods, ICRAF-China
  • Organized participation in international training sessions on nursery development and payment schemes for environmental services (Baoshan Forestry Bureau, Nujiang Forestry Bureau, SFA);
  • Supported local-level training workshops on forest rehabilitation and GIS capacity building for prefecture and township forestry bureaus (Yunnan University).
To establish environmental education programs for students and communities, ICRAF-China:
  • Established environmental education programs targeted at elementary and secondary schools and communities, as well as training for teachers in environmental education (CBIK, Yunnan Normal University);
  • Supported curriculum development on forest rehabilitation for the Yunnan Forestry Vocational College (YFVC, Nujiang Environmental Protection Bureau).
To build platforms for dialogue among stakeholders, ICRAF-China:
  • Supported household organization efforts to allow groups of households to conduct their own market surveys (Baoshan Forestry Bureau);
  • Established village discussion forums for exchanging technological and marketing information and experiences among farmers, communities, and government agencies (Baoshan Forestry Bureau);
  • Is assessing the potential of village- and township-level producer associations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local markets for forest products;
  • Regularly convened prefecture, provincial, and national decision-makers in policy workshops to exchange ideas and experiences.

  ¡°Buffering¡± the Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve
 
Buffer zones ¡ª the area surrounding nature reserves ¡ª have long been ignored or non-existent in China. After participating in a training session on a ¡°framework species¡± approach to buffer zone management in Thailand, staff from the Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve requested ICRAF-China support to apply this approach to restore degraded forest around the perimeter of the reserve. ICRAF-China is working with nature reserve staff to identify framework species, restore forest plots, and document the model¡¯s applicability for other nature reserves in Southwest China. ICRAF-China is also supporting efforts to bridge the gap in interests between nature reserve managers and neighboring communities through participatory efforts to improve agro-biodiversity in buffer zone farms.