ASB Partnership

How ASB works: Local collaboration, global partnerships

ASB science is grounded in local reality. ASB's benchmark sites play a key role in developing partnerships with local institutions because they provide a focus for sustained involvement and interaction. Local, national and international ASB partners include:

• national and international agricutural research institutes
• non-governmental organizations
• universities
• farmers' groups
• private enterprises
• policy makers
• community organizations
• donors

ASB is the only global partnership devoted entirely to research on the tropical forest margins.

In 2005, ASB's impacts were recognized with the CGIAR Science Award for Outstanding Partnership. The evolving nature of ASB partnership, have encouraged us to develop a more strategic approach to partnerships:

• An innovative strategic stakeholder analysis to clarify which stakeholder groups are essential to include in consultations to ensure the legitimacy, salience and effectiveness of ASB's activities.
• A functional typology of partners to understand and better manage the expansion of the partnership.
• Strategic maps of ASB's impact pathways completed in 2004 have suggested key links in ASB's partnerships along specific impact pathways.

ASB has grown from about 50 partner institutions in 2000 to over 90 in 2006. Currently, a break-down of ASB partners by the scope of their activities is as follows:

• 7 partners in West and Central Africa
• 18 partners in the Amazon
• 27 partners in Southeast Asia
• 44 international and global partners.
• From the above, 12 partners are members of ASB's Global Steering Group (GSG) and 16 have provided ASB with donor support. In addition to the latter group, ASB has received sponsorship from other donors. See other ASB sponsors.