The regional ”Workshop on Advancing the Application of Assisted Natural Regeneration for Effective, Low-Cost Forest Restoration” was organized from 19-22 May 2009, in Bohol, the Philippines, as a concluding activity of the three-year FAO-supported project aimed at promoting ANR in the Philippines. Both the project and the workshop were implemented in collaboration with the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Bagong Pagasa Foundation. Key objectives of the workshop were to: enhance awareness and understanding of the basic principles, opportunities and challenges of implementing ANR in Asia and the Pacific; exchange information and lessons learnt from the three-year FAO-supported project in the Philippines; identify key policy, technical, social, financial, and capacity requirements for successful ANR implementation and up-scaling; identify and discuss the potential for involving the private sector and establishing public-private partnerships for successful natural forest restoration and rehabilitation; and exchange knowledge and experience related to forest restoration efforts in Asia and the Pacific, with a view toward fostering regional cooperation and up-scaling of efforts. Over 70 participants, representing government, civil society, private sector, academe and development partners involved in ANR and similar practices in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region, attended the workshop.