PRCF has operations in a number of countries in Asia and globally. I had the opportunity to directly observe PRCF's support programme for community-based forest management (CBFM) in West Kalimantan, Indonesia and to collaborate with its Director on establishing support for CBFM in Papua New Guinea. In Indonesia, I found that PRCF had developed a comprehensive support model for CBFM that links biodiversity conservation and restoration with the development of community institutions, capacities and sustainable, land-based livelihoods. I was able to observe that PRCF had successfully secured long-term financing to support CBFM through payment for ecosystem services, and is set to grow this approach, aiming to reduce the role of intermediaries and increase the amount of resources flowing through to local communities. PRCF has built strong trust relationships and a solid reputation with the communities it works with, as well as government and non-government stakeholders from local to central levels. It has a growing cadre of highly committed staff and is set to grow its operations within Indonesia and globally. I found PRCF to be an impressive organization that other institutions are increasingly seeking to partner with.
Focused work that underlines long-term impact with building of local capacity and skills in-country. PRCF have been an extremely effective, small and lean organization that have been an excellent grantee in terms of the professional management of the grants we have awarded them, their impact and their relationships with local communities and local authorities in the countries in which they work.
BirdLife International Cambodia Programme has worked with PRCF for several years tying to improve the management of Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia. Via our role under the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund we have also provided a small grant to PRCF. PRCF are professional in the delivery of projects, innovative in their approaches and work closely and develop strong relationships with local civil society organisations.
We have collaborated with PRCF between 2005 and 2008 on several conservation projects PRCF was implementing in Kalimantan, Indonesia and Ba Be National Park in Vietnam. We found PRCF's work in conservation with indigenous peoples very innovative and empowering to grassroots communities. Their local partners valued highly the technical and scientific assistance which PRCF provided to them. I can attest that the indigenous peoples and their respective communities who have partnered with PRCF over the years have succeeded in implementing their conservation cum anti poverty projects partly because of PRCF's sustained help.