This publication is the result of a collaborative effort by many individuals and organizations, dedicated to the improvement in service delivery of forestry institutions in the region.
The consultation and publication work was undertaken within the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) framework, and organized under the overall supervision of Patrick Durst and Chris Brown, who coordinated the initiative.
Thanks are due to the excellent work, dedication and patience of the case study authors: Zhang Lei (China), R.C. Sharma (Chhattisgarh, India), H. Norini (FRIM, Malaysia), Keshav Raj Kanel and Dhruba Prasad Archaya (Nepal), Colin O’Loughlin (New Zealand), Renato A. Rueda (Philippines), Barney Chan (Sarawak, Malaysia), Doug MacCleery (United States) and Tan Quang Nguyen (Viet Nam).
Particular thanks are due to C.T.S. Nair, who contributed an overview analysis and was also heavily involved in initial reviews of papers and the expert consultation, and to Regan Suzuki, Pernille Hansen and Jeremy Broadhead who collaborated in drafting the overview chapter.
Appreciation is due to the staff of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippines, especially Marcial Amaro Jr., Romeo T. Acosta and Mayumi Ma. Quintos for their gracious and excellent organization of the expert consultation meeting.
The consultation process was enlightened by valuable analytical insights into case studies and overall regional trends provided by Neil Byron, Juan Pulhin, Per Rudebjer, Laslo Pancel, Lu De, Dechen Dorji, Xie Chen, Ram Prasad, Tang Hon Tat, Hideki Miyakawa, Ernesto Guiang, Manuel de Silva, Mario Nunes, Philip McKenzie and Oliver Agoncillo, as well as many of the other people mentioned already.
The editors also acknowledge the many other FAO colleagues who contributed at various stages of the process.
Sincere thanks are due to the USDA Forest Service and the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for financial support to the initiative.
Case studies presented in this publication have been edited to substantially shorten many of the original reports submitted by the case study authors. The editors apologize for any errors or omissions introduced during this process.
