Demonstration project is one of the four pillars to pursue the APFNet’s mission, purpose and objectives. To better address the need in the Asia-Pacific region a workshop on Identifying Regional Forestry Cooperation Priorities for APFNet Projects 2013-2015 was held on 23rd October 2012, in Nanning, China.

The three day workshop which aims to explore ways to improve project design and joint implementation by identifying priorities for APFNet Projects of 2013-2015 brought 26 participants together, including experts in forest management and APFNet focal points from nine economies in the region. The participants were invited to share their perspectives regarding forest policies as well as the evolving trends in each economy and in the region as whole.

During the workshop, participants suggest that the focuses for further cooperation should be given to the following fields: policy issue, including policy formulation, international regulations and laws impact in trade, international processes negotiation; Trade issue, such as small enterprise development and market research; International collaboration and partnerships; and Study on other international hot topics (climate change, REDD+, FELGT, PES, CDM, FSC, certification etc). Discussions were carried out around the challenges faced by the Asia-Pacific region in regards to forestry and how to bring about greater cooperation both between economies and at the regional level as well.

APFNet has been supporting nine demonstration projects involving 21 economies in the Asia-Pacific region since 2009, and is now working on calls for projects of the coming years. The objectives of APFNet project are to meet the local demands in terms of forest management and to promote practical experience in the region to benefit more.