The Center for International Forest Research (CIFOR)

The Center for International Forest Research (CIFOR) is an international research and global knowledge institution committed to conserving forests and improving the livelihoods of people in the tropics. CIFOR employs over 150 staff at its headquarters in Bogor, Indonesia, and at its regional offices in Brazil, Cameroon and Zimbabwe. It works in over 30 countries worldwide and has links with more than 300 researchers in 50 international, regional and national organisations. CIFOR's mission is to contribute to the sustained well-being of people in developing countries, particularly in the tropics. It achieves this through collaborative, strategic and applied research and by promoting the transfer and adoption of appropriate new technologies and social systems for national development.

SwedBio currently supports the project " Changing the health worker's paradigm - riches from the forests", from July 2007 to February 2009.

The overall goal of the project is to improve health delivery systems in forested landscapes through a better consideration of the roles of forest biodiversity in human health.

The project's outputs will be:
1) A synthesis of knowledge regarding forests and health inter-relationships, tailored to the information needs of different stakeholders.

2) Health workers being better able to take into account the special role of forest biodiversity in human health.

3) Civil society organisations being better able to articulate their needs to key stakeholders and in important forums.

4) Forest Professionals with enhanced ability to be able to meet the information and engagement needs of the health delivery systems.

5) Key policy stakeholders better appraised and equipped to set the health and forestry agenda.

Project activities include:
(1) Synthesis of knowledge. A state-of-the-art synthesis by experts will be published in a book in 2007. In addition, an overall global synthesis will be prepared, as well as four regional syntheses (Amazon, Central Africa, Southern Africa and South-East Asia).

(2) Capacity building fora. A series of four fora ( Brazil, Cameroon, Zambia and Indonesia) will be held for health workers, civil society organisations and forestry professionals.

(3) Key stakeholder meetings. A series of three fora in Sweden, in Rome and in Washington will be conducted that bring together key stakeholders (donor agencies, humanitarian NGOs, conservation NGOs, university teachers) who are important in setting agendas for forests and health. The aim is to build understanding of the forests and health issues, so that better decisions are made with regards investments in, and policies for, forests and health.

CIFOR will take the lead on organisation and implementation but will involve partners in various activities. These include e.g. the WHO, FAO, and People and Plants International Ministry of Health, and the Network of Popular Medicine Practitioners in Brazil, Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World), District and National Health Officials in Danau Sentarum and Malinau, Kalimantan, Indonesia, the South East Asian NTFP Exchange Programme in the Philippines, Zambian Forestry Department and Traders and Healers Associations in South Africa.