FPCD believes in resource owner participation, where skills and technology are transferred to them to manage their forest resources and supports the 5 National Goals of Papua New Guinea, which are:

integral human development,

equality and participation,

national sovereignty and self-reliance,

natural resources and environment,

and the preservation of PNG ways.

Thus, FPCD's Community Forestry Approach (CFA) ensures participation of forest resource owners, whereby skills and technology transfer could occur whilst building the resource owners' capacity to manage their forest resources to enhance their livelihoods and preserve their natural resources for their children and their children's children. The major steps to Community Forestry Approach include:

Awareness on Eco-Forestry
As part of promotion for good forest management practice in PNG, FPCD raises awareness on participatory eco-forestry at national, provincial and community level through various means including radio, newspapers, television, meetings, newsletters and brochures.

FPCD regards awareness as important for initial stage of project developments and following rules are considered important:

• avoid raising people's expectations during the awareness- never promise things that you won't do
• be fair
• be clear
• be honest
• have clear strategies for awareness on Eco-Forestry.

Awareness means to make known issues to people so that they can make informed decisions. Topics like what is Eco-forestry, what services does FPCD offer, and why FPCD supports Eco-forestry are covered in the awareness on eco-forestry. The community must be well informed of issues concerning the projects.

Landowner Commitment and Mobilisation for eco-forestry
Commitment of landowners is important. FPCD only responds to requests. The resource owners making the request are asked to formally apply by filling in an application form.

Identifying Landowners' needs
FPCD uses needs assessment questionnaires to gather information about the forest owning groups. However, whatever the method the survey should answer the questions:

• Awareness of eco-forestry as an option
• Understand meaning of eco-forestry
• Meet criteria for eco-forestry
• Join Madang Forest Resource Owners Association (MFROA)
• Complete forest management plan
• Decide to practice eco-forestry by milling eco-timber
• What is there?- To identify the resource base, existing infrastructure and existing land-use systems
• What is lacking?- To identify things that the people need in order to improve their livelihoods (e.g. skills, machinery and road access)
• What could be done?- Based on above findings proposals/recommendations are made on how to use the new and existing (if any) technologies to develop the availabe resources for betterment of people's quality of life.

This involves identification of assets, key technologies, social and economic investment mechanims, and analysis of policies and governance arrangements, and to make recommendations for improvement.

Data gathered above are used to develop profiles of the project sites (or villages). The profiles should include descriptions of location, climate, topography, vegetation, forest resources, soil, human population, clan systems, land tenure system, existing land use and calendar of events. This would provide a better understanding of the village, people's livelihoods, the natural resources, climatic and soil conditions, and social and political aspects, thus provide baseline information for project development.

Forest Management Training

Forest Produces Marketing and Utilization
Produce and sell eco-timber, utilization and replenishment of second grade timber.

Forest Certification
After marketing eco-timber the producers should start to shift towards acquiring forest certification, which is a necessary tool to manage the forest resources for maximum environmental, social and economic benefits.

FPCD has developed a group certification scheme called the "Indigenous Community Forestry (ICF) Group Scheme" to demonstrate and promote sustainable forest management and improved market for timber produced under FSC label. Currently, FPCD is working with the Madang Forest Resource Owners Association (MFROA) in Madang Province in managing their forest under the PNG FSC National Standards.

Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring is done to keep record of above activities to evalutate the performance of the program and provide recommendations for improvement. This requires assessing objectives against outcomes like training manuals, forest management operational guidelines, MFROA membership application forms and procedures, checklist for CBO qualify to operate independently, forest management planning format, survey questionnaires, and set of RRA/PRA tools and techniques developed for eco-forestry field work, and educational awareness brochures and other marketing tools. Standard monitoring and evaluation forms are yet being designed.

Exit Strategy
When project established under eco-forestry has been successful there is need for exit to allow resource owners to take full ownership and become self-reliant. There may be no need for a set timeframe for project ot phase out in a situation like that of Madang eco-forestry. People's capacity should be built first then exit depending on the indicators of success. Exit strategies should be developed clearly stating steps to wrap up before the projects phase out in a community or province. The strategies should take into account four main strategies for sustainability:

• Means to verify measurable outputs such as timber yard and timber processing unit, model projects such as forest management areas, demonstration houses and forest nurseries
• Commitment by parties- CBO and FPCD agree by way of signing an agreement that project is successful and should be independent of the parent organization.
• People's capacity- local people trained are now implementing the skills they gained such as running successful timber business, can do timber harvesting set-ups, and mill quality timber under PNGSC standards.
• Networking for success with government, banks, donor, NGOs and other agencies has been established.