Forest Tenure in Asia: Status and Trends

This report is intended to provide an overview of forest tenure in Asia between 2002 and 2010, building on and updating previous regional tenure studies undertaken by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI; 2002, 2009), and RRI and the International Tropical Timber Organization (RRI/ITTO; 2009). It is supplemented by a set of country studies, which provide a more in-depth look at tenure statistics and trends in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Nepal and Vietnam. However, comprehensive information on the exact nature of forest tenure, supporting policies and regulatory frameworks, and the number of communities and households managing “their” forest estate in the region is scarce, sometimes contradictory, and changing continually. Statutory forest and forestland tenure categories vary between countries and available data remain inconsistent, as many countries do not compile data in a systematic or routine fashion.