The vast continent of Asia contains an astonishing diversity of landscapes and distinct ethnic groups—as well as wildly divergent threats to its forests, people, and wildlife. Asia’s abundance of plant and animal species, as well as its wealth of indigenous knowledge, hangs in the balance.
The world’s third largest tropical forest, after the Amazon and Congo rainforests, is in the archipelago of Indonesia. But forests here have been cleared at an alarming rate to make way for paper pulp and oil palm plantations. And every fall, fires set to clear forests for agricultural expansion rage, threatening not only precious forests and wildlife, but the communities in the region.
The Rainforest Alliance works across many commodities in Asia, from forestry to tea and coffee production. Despite centuries-old challenges in some countries, we’ve achieved substantive gains in livelihoods and the health of forests and biodiversity.
on certified farms vs. noncertified farms*
In Tamil Nadu, India, a study of 300 farmworkers on seven Rainforest Alliance Certified tea estates and one noncertified estate found a significantly higher percentage of workers on certified estates had contracts and annual paid leave, sick leave, and maternity leave. Read the report
*Source: 2013. Assessing the poverty impact of sustainability standards: Indian tea. Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, London.
on FSC certified forests in Kalimantan*
In Kalimantan, Indonesia, FSC® certification significantly reduced deforestation by five percentage points and air pollution by 31 percent, compared to the rates of control villages in noncertified logging concessions. Read the report
*Source: 2015. Social and Environmental Impacts of Forest Management Certification in Indonesia. PLoS ONE
The Rainforest Alliance works with farm and forest communities across Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, Myanmar, and China. While training and certification cannot solve entrenched poverty or systemic inequities, they are powerful tools for widespread, incremental improvement to the health of ecosystems and communities.
We help local farmers embrace climate-smart growing techniques designed to adapt to and prepare for common climate threats—from unpredictable weather patterns to outbreaks of crop pests and disease.
Tea industry expert Harki Sidhu explains the realities of Assam’s struggling tea estates.
We're training coffee farmers in the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park buffer zone to help them conserve biodiversity and improve their livelihoods.
Our field trainer shows tea farmers that reducing herbicide use can protect forests, soil, and water.
Over the summer of 2015, the Rainforest Alliance researched palm oil financing in Indonesia in order to better understand the financing needs of smallholder palm oil producers and to identify opportunities for supporting these producers in accessing short term and long term financing.
Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms use methods that protect the health of farmers, their livelihoods, their land and the surrounding waterways. Through our training and certification programs, we are promoting farming techniques designed to protect the land for future generations.
Through the pictures below, take a glimpse into the daily life of India's tea estates.
Photo credit: Charlie Watson
The Rainforest Alliance currently works...... Continue Reading
In early 2013, a group of cinnamon farmers in Kerinci, Indonesia became the first in the world to earn Rainforest Alliance certification. Located on the island of Sumatra, Kerinci is an important center for global cinnamon production as well as the home of Indonesia’s highest volcano and one of the few remaining pockets of habitat for the critically endangered Sumatran tiger.
Photo credit: Donald Bason
Like bamboo, cinnamon is an inherently...... Continue Reading
Loc Bac State Operating Company (SOC) manages 34,851 ha of broadleaf and conifer forest. They currently operate 25 year re-entry rotational harvesting on an area of 4,704 ha (an average of 134 ha yr-1). Current harvest levels and practices are heavy regulated by government decisions and quotas. The Loc Bac SOC is part of a […]
This feasibility study, for small holder farmers undertaking tree planting activities, assesses the opportunities and barriers to implementation of FSC-certification and/or a forest carbon project in Vietnam’s Quang Tri province. The study was carried out in close cooperation with WWF and SNV Netherlands.
Rattan Cultivation and Management in Hillside Farms and Forest Preserve Buffer Zones of Kerinci-Seblat National Park, Indonesia The tropical forests of Southeast Asia are one of the most diverse and endangered biomes on earth. Kerinci-Seblat National Park in central Sumatra, Indonesia encompasses a wide range of plant communities and provides habitat for many rare and […]... Continue Reading