Presenter: Robin Barr

This timely presentation intends to provide an overview of the multitude of environmental issues surrounding the exploitation of native, old growth forests, especially in the tropics, and offers consideration of a variety of more responsible methods in the use of one of the most precious and diminishing set of resources. Natural resource management, within the context of social science, involves working within industry to ensure that the raw materials in their supply chains are obtained from responsibly managed sources.  In order to make such responsibility an integral part of their process, educated companies explicitly identify and, by various measures, respect a community’s traditional rights within the context of the forest concessions and/or license areas obtained by such companies.  Via the use of the principles of risk management and other tools, companies can address ethical and environmental risks in their supply chains and the diverse stakeholders can come to agreement on just, equitable natural resource management priorities.

A multimedia, electronic presentation, using digital videos and slides will support the discussion by offering examples of the work the presenter is engaged with in various parts of the world.  This will include a discursive set of case studies on various community forest projects in the presenters experience, specifically included is a large plantation in Indonesia, a country that is home to some of the world’s most significant tropical rain forests. Another specific illustrative case is that of a successful palm oil project where the transnational giant, the Nestle Company, of Switzerland, is committed to protecting rain forests from harm.

The session welcomes an interactive discussion throughout the length of presentation.