HCVF training and capacity building in China
Jilin Province, 9 - 11 January 2008ProForest's Tim Rayden was in China at the beginning of the year to run a training programme on the use of the High Conservation Value framework in forest management.
The workshop was supported by WWF and the State Forest Administration, and consisted of an expert discussion panel. Aside from ProForest, the experts on board were Dr Zhu (WWF-China), Dr Wushe Cui (China SFA), Daniel Arancibia (FSC) & Thomas Barano (WWF-Indonesia).
The three day workshop began with a review of selected examples of the use of the HCV concept in north east and south east China, as well as experience from North and central America and Indonesia. An introductory training course was delivered by Tim for those staff who were new to the concept, and its application in China. Specific HCV case studies to draw out best practice recommendations for the use of an HCV approach in the Chinese context were also addressed in the programme.
After the workshop there was an opportunity to visit Hunchun District forest bureau in the North east, where forestry staff are investigating the benefits that application of the HCV concept may bring to their efforts to conserve the Amur tiger.
The outputs of the workshop discussions and the field trip are now being written up as a good practice guide for the use of the HCV framework in China. The results will soon be available from ProForest, WWF-GFTN and the High Conservation Value Resource Network website.