Regional Programmes: Asia-Pacific
Addressing forest and trade issues in the Asia-Pacific
From the dramatic gorges of China to the tiny islands of New Caledonia, WWF works to save forests in Asia and the Pacific. These forests are some of the most valuable - and threatened - in the world.
Reflecting WWF's global three-tiered approach to forests, the Asia Pacific Forest Programme acts to establish and manage protected areas, restore degraded landscapes, and reduce threats from unsustainable industry and agriculture practices.A Programme that works
WWF has had great success in establishing new protected areas in the region: for example, in 2004 alone, Indonesia created 1.3 million hectares of new protected areas.
Reaching out across landscapes in Asia and the Pacific
WWF's forest restoration initiatives in Asia and the Pacific in 2004 reached crucial landscapes across the region, including China's Upper Yangtze, the Annamite Range moist forests in Indochina, the forests of Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia, and the dry forests in New Caledonia.
Expanding trade management efforts
Asia is now at the forefront of WWF's efforts to promote better forest management through working with the forest industry. WWF's Global Forest and Trade Network is represented in six countries in the region, and in 2005, the Asia Pacific Forest Programme will launch a major new resource for the responsible production and sourcing of forests products - the China Forest and Trade Network.
WWF also works with palm oil companies in Indonesia and Malaysia through the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil to promote better management practices that will halt the conversion of natural forests into plantations for oil palms.
