Explore community of practice (CoP) workshop

Background

As a regional research network, Explore is committed to delivering multidisciplinary, transboundary research that equips policymakers and decision-makers with the knowledge to advance forest landscape governance in Southeast Asia. A key part of this effort is fostering a Community of Practice (CoP) that promotes knowledge sharing and cross-learning among practitioners with a shared interest in forest landscape governance research and policy.

The Explore secretariat at RECOFTC currently manages a virtual CoP hosted by the Global Landscapes Forum. The Explore CoP workshop will revisit the CoP structure and formally establish and strengthen its objectives, activities and functionality to enhance group learning and collaboration. 

Moving forward, the Explore CoP core group will primarily comprise Principal Investigators (PIs) and co-PIs from the seven Explore-supported research teams receiving Research Implementation Grants (2023–2025) and successive implementation grants.

The Explore secretariat will support core group members in sharing knowledge and research findings, extending their regional networks, developing joint activities and learning from each other. Explore CoP activities may include reflective workshops and meetings with PIs and Co-PIs, joint publications and online events to share and discuss research findings and other activities as agreed upon by the core CoP members.

Objectives of the workshop

The workshop aims to officially launch the Explore CoP and initiate the necessary processes to organize the CoP’s activities. 

The specific objectives include: 

• defining the structure, scope and mechanisms of the CoP as agreed upon by its core members
• facilitating discussion and planning of subsequent member-led knowledge-sharing activities 

These will form the foundation of a self-managed and sustained group dedicated to forest landscape governance research and policy in Southeast Asia for the long term. 

Target participants

The workshop’s target participants include PIs, Co-PIs and nominated researchers from the seven research teams and members of the Explore secretariat from RECOFTC and CIFOR-ICRAF. Participants should demonstrate their willingness to learn, share their experiences and actively contribute their knowledge and skills.

Expected outcomes

By the end of this CoP workshop, participants are expected to:

• understand the concept, general principles and approaches of a CoP
• learn from experiences and organizational structures of similar networks in the region 
• develop a shared understanding of the Explore CoP, its members and their respective roles
• collectively set goals and establish a vision for the Explore CoP 
• discuss and create preliminary activity plans for the CoP
• exchange knowledge about progress in their research projects and identify opportunities for future collaboration 

In the upcoming period, the Explore programme will focus on developing a shared understanding of the CoP among members, fostering motivation and ownership while facilitating group discussions to organize learning activities that promote active engagement and practical applications.