Overview
This project is aimed at learning how to efficiently restore forests to meet critical needs of rural Solomon Islanders, accelerating and channelling forest development to support livelihoods. The LIFER project also aims to support positive leadership in forest governance to secure remaining forests and those restored.
The consultative committee, chaired by the Permanent Secretary of Forestry and including officials from Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs, the National Council of Women, other ministries, Church and civic leaders, and the private sector will be an important forum in which to debate and collaborate for sustainable forestry.
LIFER addresses the urgent need for forest restoration to rebuild livelihoods in the Solomon Islands and it is a first step to develop enabling forest management technologies, so that as opportunities arise, local people and forest authorities have options to restore forests as they see fit.
The project will cultivate social capital to enable those directly dependent upon forests to influence their use and management and will generate some of the scientific and social building blocks for the top-down reform that is needed.
Expected project outcomes
- Identifying effective routes to forest restoration, including methods to broaden participation in forest resource decision-making and management
- Building capacity in forest restoration of SI smallholders, especially women; forest-dependent communities; NGOs, and the public sector
- Building skills in forest restoration, advocacy, project management, and market research of participating organisations in the Solomon Islands
- Gaining skills in practical forest restoration methods that improve short- and long-term returns from regenerating forests.
