David Ganz

David Ganz

Executive Director - RECOFTC

Community Forestry: Foundations and Practice for Improving Lives and Landscapes

February 04, 2021 - 11:30 AM

 Countries around the world increasingly recognize the contribution community forestry makes to addressing climate change, protecting the world’s forest estate and building the foundations for inclusive and sustainable economic and social development. In fact, building resilient communities and forests through community forestry is today helping countries meet their commitments to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. But what is community forestry? What forms does it take? Why do we need to involve local communities in forest management? What makes community forestry successful? What are the constraints to realizing the potential of community forestry? This talk introduces the foundations of community forestry and how we can use it to foster sustainable livelihoods, improve food security, protect forest ecosystems and the biodiversity they harbor, and strengthen resilience to climate-driven disasters and other crises.  

Speaker Biography

David is Executive Director of RECOFTC. He joined RECOFTC in 2017 amid growing recognition that securing the land and resource rights of forest communities lays the essential foundation for peace, economic development, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. David is a strong advocate for community forestry in the Asia-Pacific region and for path-breaking private sector models that respect local rights and deliver lasting and tangible benefits for 450 million people who depend on forests to survive.

David joined RECOFTC from SERVIR-Mekong, a joint USAID NASA Initiative, where he was Chief of Party since 2014. Previously he was Chief of Party for Winrock International’s Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) Program, which strengthened the capacity of developing countries in Asia to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and forestry. David has served as a director with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and technical officer with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). David has a Ph.D. in environmental science, policy and management.

Event Video