Message from the Director General

2009 was a pivotal year for CIFOR and the world’s forests. At CIFOR we laid the foundations for a new generation of forest research and worked to inform policy arenas and practitioner communities with the results of research already in hand.

We dedicated considerable energy this year to building global comparative research agendas for each of our 6 research themes. For example, we embarked on the Global Comparative Study on REDD, which will generate rigorous answers to the question, ‘What works?’ being asked by the more than 40 governments and 100 pilot project proponents currently initiating REDD+ activities. Preparing for this ambitious 4 year research effort has involved developing the methods,  recruiting partners and selecting REDD project sites in the first 6 countries.

Through our publications and convening role, CIFOR has been able to inform the policy debate regarding forests and climate change at national and global levels. At the UNFCCC COP15 in Copenhagen, we launched ‘Realising REDD+: National strategy and policy options’, the third book in a seminal series that, along with dozens of CIFOR papers and articles on REDD+, is now considered by many partners and stakeholders to be essential reading.

Forest Day 3, held in Copenhagen alongside COP15 in cooperation with the Government of Denmark and members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, was attended by more than 1500 participants, including 250 UNFCCC negotiators. 

While the international focus on climate change has raised the profile of 2 of our 6 research themes – the role of forests in mitigation and adaptation – CIFOR’s strength continues to be the breadth of our research, both scientifically and geographically. Indeed, it is the interconnectedness across all our areas of research that enables CIFOR to make contributions towards addressing a wide variety of challenges. Exemplifying the diversity and impact of our work are the stories in this Annual Report. The case studies here, which range from strengthening the position of forest communities in Guatemala and informing plantation policy in Indonesia to influencing certification guidelines for small-scale timber producers, show how CIFOR’s research is valued – and used – by a wide range of actors at local, national and international levels.

Despite the competing demands on staff time, CIFOR scientists have maintained their scientific research productivity, and continue to publish in more than 20 top-ranked journals. 2009 saw the production of several edited volumes, embracing such topics as rights-based approaches to conservation (in collaboration with IUCN), forest tenure reform, and decentralisation. With partners in the African Forests of Observatory project, CIFOR also produced the ‘2008 State of the Forest’ report for the Congo Basin. A particularly gratifying part of our outreach efforts were capacity-building activities for developing country journalists who have limited access to training opportunities and resources. This included 4 media workshops held alongside major events where we had a strong presence, including the World Congress of Agroforestry in Nairobi and the World Forestry Congress in Buenos Aires. 

Supporting this level of output is the fact that CIFOR is growing. In 2009, we recruited 23 staff members, the largest number of new recruits in 11 years. This brings our total to nearly 100 scientists and associates working on issues critical to the future of forests in Asia, Africa and Latin America. This injection of new people, with fresh ideas and fresh energy, both at our headquarters in Indonesia and at offices elsewhere, makes for an exciting time to be at CIFOR. 

The year also saw several transitions on the senior management team, as some of our good people were plucked away to lead newly created institutions. To ensure a stream of ‘home-grown’ talent, in 2009 CIFOR inaugurated a high-potential staff development programme, with a first cohort of 6 nationally and regionally recruited staff. 

Looking back on the hard work of 2009, with the parallel achievements of leveraging our existing strengths and laying the groundwork for the future, I am confident that CIFOR is poised to make an even greater contribution to advancing human well-being, environmental conservation and equity through high-quality research focused on impact.