RECOFTC - The Center for People and Forests

The Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC) envisions a future where the people of the Asia - Pacific region live equitably and sustainably, in and alongside thriving forests and healthy, resilient landscapes.

Since our founding in 1987, this vision has provided The Center with a clear direction in the arena of community forestry. In the late 1970s, a growing consensus developed that recognized government - controlled forestry as inadequate and governance of forests needed to be given to forest - dependent people. Our Mission therefore is To enhance capacities for stronger rights, improved governance and fairer benefits for local people in sustainable forest landscapes in the Asia- Pacific region

To achieve this mission, The Center embraces a philosophy that remains anchored in lessons learned from the 30 years of implementation: local people are the best managers and stewards of forests and their landscapes. Thus, we follow four Guiding Principles that allow us to realize the full potential of our organization’s vision and mission: Clear and strong rights are essential; Meaningful engagement between communities, the private sector and government is imperative; Good governance is the bedrock for the development and implementation of ‘community friendly’ national forest policies, programmes, and regulatory frameworks; and, A fair share of benefits for local people is needed to help reduce poverty and motivate active participation in forest governance and sustainable management.