Forest Trends

Since 1999, Forest Trends' Forest Policy, Trade, and Finance (FPTF) program has supported market transformations towards timber products and agricultural commodities sourced verifiably legalfrom forest areas, helping to support the the rule of law in forest-rich countries. We provide comprehensive views of how markets, trade, economic development, land and resource rights, and legality interact. FPTF has worked closely with the government of Vietnam and representatives from industry and NGOs to open dialogue on cross-border timber trade and resource tenure, and help integrate governance issues into Vietnam's FLEGT VPA process and REDD+ national processes. Our Vietnam program is known for its knowledge-building approach and ability to quickly identify when and why stakeholders engaged in policy deliberations are struggling to come to a common understanding - typically with no data, asymmetrical access to data, lack of evident-based insights from national and industry level, and land use and management practices, or the need to present data in an easily accessible manner. With our industry, government, and local NGO partners we are able to quickly turn around quality, policy-relevant information to inform timely policy dialogue with key stakeholders. Beginning the dialogue process at the research design phase enables buy-in for our findings, and has proven to be a low-cost, high-impact means of influencing policy formulation and enforcement as well as continued knowledge-sharing and ownership of policy impacts.