Asia-Pacific roadmap for innovative technologies in the forest sector

Abstract

Innovative technologies – from digital technologies, biological technologies, processing technologies and new wood-based products, to social innovations and innovative finance mechanisms – have the potential to revolutionize forest management and to make critical contributions to sustainable development along forest value chains. Innovation will be key in the coming decades, to meet an increasing demand for wood and forest products and services while halting and reversing deforestation, in line with the commitment taken at COP26 in Glasgow by the international community. However, innovative technologies uptake has been slow and uneven in the Asia-Pacific region and divides remain between political commitments and the required investments, in education, capacity building and infrastructure development, required to make them happen on the ground. To address these issues, FAO and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), lead center of the CGIAR research programme on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) have developed a roadmap for the uptake and scaling up of innovative technologies in the forest sector in Asia and the Pacific, building upon state-of-the-art knowledge, and extensive consultation of key regional stakeholders. This publication explores possible ways and suggests concrete recommendations for policy- and decision-makers to support the dissemination and adoption of innovative technologies’ dissemination and adoption in Asia and the Pacific and to overcome current barriers.