Asia-Pacific Forest Communicators NetworkWorkshop: Enhancing skills on forest communication in Asia and the Pacific25 February 2016, Pampanga, Philippines More than 40 communication managers and foresters working on forest communication from 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific region came together to enhance their communication skills at an interactive workshop organized by the Asia-Pacific Forest Communication Network (APFCN), with support from RECOFTC and FAO.
Through role play, participants learnt about the different kinds of communication approaches including participatory development communication, a technique which enables local communities to identify their own development needs and the specific actions that could help improve their livelihoods. Five presenters from four countries shared best practices, showcased their experiences, with topics including sharing research-based information on sunflower as organic fertilizer in Ifugao, Philippine rice terraces, and awareness tools to facilitate community learning processes in Jember, East Java, Indonesia. Maria de Cristofaro, FAO Forestry, Communications and Outreach Officer, led a section on building relations with the media. Some tips shared included how to make contact with media, to identify a story, to pitch, run a press conference, handle media requests and deal with television interviews. Kay Montgomery of the Africa Forest Communicators Network and Colin Morton of the UNECE-FAO European Forest Communicators Network also shared experiences in their own regions with the group. Kai Lintunen, Communication Manager for the Finnish Forest Association, presented the challenges and opportunities of communicating effectively about forestry in a fast changing world. The workshop brought together 10 previous network members with 30 new members, adding to the network’s reach. Participants presented ways to strengthen the network during 2016 to the Asia-Pacific Forest Commission (APFC) on the final day of Asia-Pacific Forestry Week, urging forest bodies to include strategic communication as a fundamental part of every forest programme and calling for communication capacity development to improve forest communication. Workshop: Working with local communities in forest landscapesUsing a participatory development communication approach 12-15 May 2015, Bangkok: Over thirty communication experts, natural resources managers and foresters from over ten countries in the Asia-Pacific region met to learn about participatory development communication approaches in working with local communities. Facilitated by FAO and The Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC), the capacity building workshop gave participants an overview of the participatory approach, which enables local communities to identify their own development needs and the specific actions that could help improve their livelihoods. Participants learned how to plan, implement, and monitor and evaluate a participatory development communication strategy and plan, as well as how to work with local media and identify suitable communication channels such as rural radio and theatre groups to ensure messages reach target audiences.
Workshop: Strengthening Forest Communications in the Asia Pacific
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17-19 September 2013, Hanoi: Twenty-six communication and forestry officers from both private and public sector organisations throughout the Asia-Pacific region gathered in Hanoi to discuss and identify regional opportunities for collaboration in forest communication issues and knowledge sharing. The meeting resulted in wide-ranging agreement on the need for a communication network and a working group was formed to define the details of how the network will be formed and operated. The working group reported on the development and activities of the communication network at the 25th session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) in New Zealand, in November 2013. 