The Madang Forest Resource Owners Association (MFROA) is an association of forest resource owners who has been working towards the development of forest-based enterprises on principles that are environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable, since its formation in 2001 with the assistance of the FPCD who has been assisting it since 1997.MFROA is based in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.

FPCD and MFROA have established their partnership along building the capacity of MFROA around sound forest management principles under the auspices of the PNG FSC National Forest Management Standards with the eventual goal of producing FSC certified timber. MFROA members have already started exporting "Ecotimber" to new Zealand under a special arrangement with Greenpeace of New Zealand and the business arm of MFROA called METCORP. Since 2001, over 50 cubic meters had been exported which earned the community over PNG Kina 100,000.

FPCD had been helping to build the capacity of MFROA members since 1998 mainly through training and timber export. One of the major milestones undertaken by MFROA members was the development of the MFROA Strategic Plan in 2003 that helped set the foundation for the development of MFROA.

MFROA's Vision:

"To see the resources of Madang being owned and controlled by the customary landowners who have the skills, capacity and the knowledge to manage their foerst resources for an improved quality of life in the local community now and in the future."

MFROA Mission:
"The MFROA will work to ensure that members' forests are properly managed, and that business development will be economically viable, environmentally acceptable and socially beneficial, through appropriate training and community empowerment."

Path to Impact:

MFROA has had another strategic planning in 2006 and has further enabled MFROA to be established and to achieve its mission and vision. MFROA mobilises resource owners and provide avenues for forest management, 1st Aid and other trainings, addressing community and gender issues.

Thus MFROA encourages its members to be knowledgeable with what they are doing so that they can manage and develop their forests properly. Their sucess could then be used as a model for the rest of PNG. Their sucess would portray the image that local resource owners can manage their forest and fully benefit from it. Their future generation would not be deprived of the social, economic and evironmental benefits that is achieved from sustainably managing their forest resources.