Activity Name: Reduced Impact Harvesting

Country of Implementation: Indonesia
Implementing Institutions:    USDA Forest Service/Tropical Forest Foundation
Host Country Counterpart Institutions:  Indonesia Ministry of Forestry and Estate Crops

	Estimated Expenditure by Fiscal Year of Implementation
Fiscal Year	1998
Amount	$200,000

Operating Unit: Funding: ANE/SEA                     Managing: G/ENV/DAA                     Objective Number:  498-015 1998 SEA-05

Brief Activity Description:  This project received funding from SEAEI in order to maintain and promote healthy forests through reduced-impact harvesting techniques in Indonesia.  By reducing the damage done to forests during the logging process, the forests may be able to withstand future forest fires.   The USDA Forest Service is implementing this activity through the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF).  The TFF is an NGO partner that was chosen because of its years of experience promoting reduced-impact harvesting techniques in the Brazilian Amazon.  Implementation progress is the following:

·           TFF has hired a coordinator to establish and direct training within Indonesia.  He will also be responsible for linking with other Asian countries and the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission

·           Significant steps have been taken in establishing the project through meetings with relevant stakeholders such as government officials, concessionaires, NGOs (e.g. Lembaga Ecolabelling Institute), international donors and research institutions.  These meetings have resulted in two Memorandums of Understanding. The first MOU with the Indonesian Association of Concessionaires (APHI), states that the association will provide office space and assist the coordination of training and demonstration of reduced impact harvesting. The second MOU with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) defines a collaboration for the training of concessionaires in East Kalimantan.  

·           A review of existing training materials is underway in order to assess applicability to the Asian context.  Further training modules will be developed.  In the next year linkages with forest training institutions, concessionaires and NGOs will be strengthened. For example, they are now planning to carry out a regional workshop on taking stock of reduced-impact harvesting techniques to date and ways to promote wide-scale implementation.

·           A working relationship with one concessionaire (Alas Kusuma) is beginning to be formed.

The project was delayed in starting due to the difficulty in finding an appropriate candidate for a coordinator to be based in Indonesia. Also, the Executive Director of TFF mentions that the political uncertainty in Indonesia also delayed start-up.  With the employment of the coordinator, activities will be progressing and a plan of work has been approved.