Sustaining an Abundance of Forest Ecosystems Initiative

The Sustaining an Abundance of Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Initiative, a collaborative effort between the Korea Forest Service and UNEP, aims to conserve and restore vulnerable forest ecosystems with high biodiversity value in Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam. Over the period of 2023-2030, the Initiative will engage local communities and governments to implement community-led forest protection and restoration activities. Additionally, it will establish restoration monitoring frameworks and enhance national and local capacity to track the health of forest ecosystems. Furthermore, the Initiative will support the development of community-led restoration businesses and attract private investments to promote sustainable livelihoods aligned with healthy and resilient forest ecosystems.

About the Initiative

With a primary focus on safeguarding vulnerable forest ecosystems and endangered tree species, the Initiative places considerable emphasis on community-led forest restoration endeavors and conservation efforts aimed at protecting indigenous and endangered trees. At its core, the overarching objective of SAFE is to substantially contribute to the realization of a net expansion in the extent of healthy, resilient, and sustainably managed natural and productive forested landscapes. To expedite local conservation endeavors and revitalize vulnerable forest ecosystems rich in biodiversity, SAFE endeavors to operationalize three pivotal outputs:

Objectives and approaches

Output 1 is dedicated to pioneering scalable and innovative community-led forest restoration and conservation initiatives, with a specific focus on a blend of native tree species listed in the IUCN Red List and economically viable tree species. Tailored to the national priorities and programs of participating countries, this output aims to restore a total of 150 hectares of forest. This endeavor entails leveraging map-based community forest management planning to pinpoint priority restoration areas, identify critical habitats harboring threatened tree species, and explore potential livelihood activities. By enhancing the planning process and involving communities in the implementation of conservation and restoration activities, the Initiative aims to cultivate a sense of stewardship and foster a robust commitment to the long-term sustainability of forest ecosystems. The adoption of participatory methodologies across all stages of restoration and conservation implementation, from planning to monitoring and evaluation, will facilitate the promotion of key aspects of good governance, including transparency, accountability, and equity.

Output 2 of the initiative aims to enhance the ability of both local and national stakeholders to monitor forest ecosystem health and track changes in ecosystem services during and after restoration efforts. Local monitoring will be integrated with national strategies to help achieve national goals and targets. A participatory and integrative restoration monitoring framework to be applied at the selected restoration sites will be developed. This framework will capture changes in forest condition and the multiple benefits of ecosystem restoration, including biodiversity and socio-economic values. The implementation phase will involve testing the framework at project sites, compiling baseline data, and developing a robust system for data management and linkage to national systems. Stakeholders will prepare detailed monitoring reports, outlining the framework applied, results achieved, and lessons learned.

Capacity building is a crucial element of the Initiative. A tailored training plan will be developed for stakeholders at various levels, covering forest ecosystems, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and data collection methods. This training will equip stakeholders to implement the monitoring framework effectively.

The overarching objective of output 3 is to bolster local livelihoods conducive to the conservation and restoration of forest ecosystems. This will be achieved through the capacity building of 600 community-led and MSMEs restoration businesses and the facilitation of private investments in these ventures. To realize this goal, a scalable and replicable hybrid business incubation program will be developed. This program will offer comprehensive business capacity building, mentoring, and technical support tailored to the specific needs of entrepreneurs with forest restoration solutions. The Incubation Program is designed to fortify the local entrepreneur ecosystem, foster awareness, and foster collaborations to facilitate the success of these entrepreneurs. Specifically, the program aims to:

• Develop financially viable and environmentally sustainable business plans for the implementation or expansion of sustainable restoration enterprises.
• Enhance the capacities of entrepreneurs and local partners to address challenges encountered in forest restoration enterprises, including issues related to access to finance and markets.
• Facilitate engagement with market actors and financial intermediaries to create opportunities for sustainable growth and development within the forest restoration sector.

The SAFE Initiative aspires to serve as a trailblazing model for forest conservation and restoration, integrating community engagement, innovative methodologies, and strategic partnerships. By addressing the distinct nuances of each participating country and underscoring the imperative of biodiversity conservation, the project aspires to create a lasting impact, ensuring the sustainable management of Asian forest ecosystems.

Partners

Under this Initiative, interventions are implemented by the UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in partnership with Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Bridge for Billions. 

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