Building the foundations for collaborative forest landscape governance in Southeast Asia

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Principal investigators and co-principal investigators from Explore-supported research with CIFOR-ICRAF, RECOFTC and Sida colleagues at the RECOFTC office in Bangkok, Thailand.

From 20 to 22 November 2024, Explore convened researchers from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam at a community of practice (CoP) workshop in Bangkok. The workshop encouraged group learning and knowledge sharing to ensure purposeful discussions and agreement on actionable outcomes.

Participants included principal investigators and co-principal investigators leading seven Explore-supported multi-disciplinary research teams focused on forest landscape governance. For many, this was their first time connecting in person after securing funding for their research from Explore since 2022.

The event was an opportunity to refine the structure of the Explore CoP. It was decided that moving forward, the Explore CoP core group will primarily comprise PIs and co-PIs from the seven Explore-supported research teams receiving Research Implementation Grants (2023–2027) and successive implementation grants.

Agreement on updated CoP structure

Figure 2 Hao (Hope) Zhuang (far right), Explore's programme manager at RECOFTC, pictured with panellists after the panel discussion on agroforestry. — *Hao (Hope) Zhuang (far right), Explore's programme manager at RECOFTC, pictured with panellists after the panel discussion on agroforestry.*

The Explore team has proposed a tiered structure. The principal investigators and co-principal investigators will act as the core members (tier 1). Tier 2 will include around 130 researchers affiliated with Explore-supported research. Broader stakeholders who are working to enhance forest landscape governance will be placed in tier 3.

PIs and co-PIs were invited to join as core members, co-develop a framework, establish communication channels and organize regular interactions to support outreach and knowledge sharing.

Together with RECOFTC and CIFOR-ICRAF resource persons, participants worked to develop a draft governance framework outlining roles, responsibilities and structures to guide the CoP’s operations. Clear follow-up actions were agreed upon, including scheduling thematic meetings and establishing communication tools to support CoP activities.

Presentations, panels and collaborative spaces

*Sophie R Lewis (standing, far right), senior policy outreach and gender inclusion coordinator at RECOFTC, moderates a panel on gender integration and environmental justice.*

In panels facilitated by CIFOR-ICRAF and RECOFTC, participants focused on key research priorities like agroforestry, gender integration and environmental justice, and watershed landscape governance and resource dependence.

Updates from ongoing projects were also shared. Researchers highlighted innovative tools and methodologies – such as participatory mapping, gender-responsive frameworks and nexus-based governance models – being implemented in their projects.

Teams working on shared research areas compared methodologies, shared best practices and discussed strategies to address common challenges. Country-specific policy insights were shared and opportunities for collaboration explored.

*Ani Septiani Adiwinata (far left), senior national scientist at CIFOR-ICRAF, with panellists from the panel on landscape governance/resource dependence.*

Additionally, small group workshops offered hands-on sessions where participants could co-create approaches and deepen understanding of topics such as policy outreach, co-branding, attribution and gender-responsive research design.

Further sharing and exploring synergies

*Peter Cutter (pictured second from left), unit director for programme coordination and technical services at RECOFTC, engages with research team members from Indonesia and Timor-Leste.*

A marketplace session provided an informal space where research teams could showcase their work, present ongoing activities and discuss areas for collaboration. As an open forum for exploring synergies across projects and with RECOFTC’s broader initiatives, it allowed teams to gain visibility for their work and identify overlapping interests.

Through sessions that collectively promoted cross-project and cross-country learning, research teams were able to exchange ideas and integrate insights into their own work. Daily reflections gave everyone the space to process key insights and discuss challenges and opportunities.

Principal investigator Rose Jane J Peras (far right, the Philippines) and co-principal investigators Ratha Kea (Cambodia), Christine Wulandari (Indonesia) and Surin Onprom (Thailand) point to their respectives countries on the poster they were presenting.

“This was the first time many of us met in person, and the opportunity to exchange ideas directly was invaluable,” says Rose Jane J Peras, principal investigator with the University of the Philippines Los Baños. “We have been collaborating remotely, but being in the same room brought a new level of trust and understanding to our work.”

The Explore CoP is managed by the Explore secretariat through a virtual platform hosted by the Agroecology TPP Community of Practice (earlier Global Landscapes Forum).

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About Explore

Explore is a research network and community of practice dedicated to expanding and applying knowledge on forest landscape governance in Southeast Asia. The network is funded by the government of Sweden. It is hosted by RECOFTC, in partnership with the CIFOR-ICRAF, in collaboration with universities, research institutes, governments, civil society organizations, local communities and the private sector in Southeast Asia.

For more information about Explore, contact explore.secretariat@recoftc.org.

To become a member of Explore, visit recoftc.com/projects/explore/about-explore.

RECOFTC’s work is made possible with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Government of Sweden.