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The European Tropical Forest Research Network (ETFRN) Newsletter
Number 4
Code: NL94021
Size of Files:
Text: 62K
Graphics: No Associated Graphics Files
The European Tropical Forest Research Network (ETFRN)
has been established in October 1991 in order to provide
information and services to support research on tropical humid
and dry forests. This includes all research areas related to
the tropical forest environment.
The aim of ETFRN is to increase the cooperation and concertation
of research institutions, governments and industry of European
and Tropical countries through well-targeted information
management.
ETFRN organizes and participates in workshops and seminars. It
supports the users in exploiting existing funding sources and in
establishing research cooperations. It will use and support the
development of a Global Tropical Forestry Research Information
System.
Contents:
Organizations - Institutions 3
Research Cooperations 8
News 10
Publications 18
Vacancy Announcements 23
Impressum
The ETFRN-Newsletter is a quarterly publication of the
European Tropical Forest Research Network; free copies can
be obtained from:
European Tropical Forest Research Network (ETFRN)
c/o Arbeitsgemeinschaft Tropische und Subtropische
Agrarforschung (ATSAF) e.V.
Hans-Böckler-Str. 5
5300 Bonn 3
Tel.: +49-228-4001 313
Fax: +49-228-4001 311
Editor: H. Freiberg
Editorial Coordination and Design: M. Reule
Editorial Assistant: A. Claßen
*****************************************
Organizations-Institutions
Programmes
The World Rainforest Movement
The World Rainforest Movement (WRM) is an international
network of citizen's groups campaigning to defend the
rainforests. It is based in the Third World Network (TWN) and
Asia Pacific Peoples Environment Network in Penang,
Malaysia. The movement includes rainforest and ecological
groups in forest countries such as Brazil, India, Malaysia,
Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as groups in
Europe, North America, Japan and Australia.
The WRM runs a special programme to chart the forest
peoples' response to the tropical forest crisis, based on
securing the rights of those who live in and directly from the
forests to directly control their lands and destinies.
This programme has four main goals:
1. to help create an effective global network of forest peoples.
2. to help prepare a charter of forest peo-ples' demands.
3. to document real and practical examples of community-
based, sustainable forest management.
4. to counter top-down planning and official solutions to the
deforestation crisis, which deny local people a decisive
voice about resource use in their areas.
For a copy of the "Charter of the Indigenous-Tribal Peoples of
the Tropical Forests" and for more information about how you
can support their work you can write to :
World Rainforest Movement
Forest Peoples Programme
8 Chapel Row
Chadlington, OX7 3NA
England, U.K.
Tel: +44-60-87 66 91
Fax: +44-60-87 67 43
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The Brazilian Agroforestry Network REBRAF
Established in 1988, the Brazilian Agroforestry Network
(REBRAF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization,
dedicated to promote agroforestry as a landuse alternative.
REBRAF's priorities are:
Agroforestry Training:
The planning and delivery of short-duration agroforestry
training courses for small producers and extension agents, at
the community level, constitutes REBRAF's main activity.
The first grassroot training course was carried out in Septem-
ber 1991. Since then, REBRAF delivers an average of one
course every month, training approximately 30 small farmers
and 10 professionals in each course. During these courses,
most of the time is spent in the field.
Colaborating institutions include the German Technical,
Economic and Social Cooperation Service (SACTES), the
Brazilian Network for Alternative Agriculture (Rede-PTA), the
Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, rural Labor Unions, Universities,
and several local grassroot organizations.
Agroforestry Development:
Convinced that the effective implementation of agroforestry
requires the participation of rural communities, REBRAF
decided to act as a bridge between funding agencies and
those communities.
Given the immense area of Brazil and its wide range of
environmental and social conditions, REBRAF can play a
crucial role in identifying appropriate projects and assisting in
their design and implementation.
During the last three-and-a-half years (January 1989 - June
1992), REBRAF has assisted two community-based projects
with agroforestry components: one in Ouro Preto do Oeste
(Rondônia) and one in Paragominas (Pará). Initially supported
by the Canadian Embassy, both projects have been upscaled:
the one in Rondônia is now under the leadership of IPHAE, a
local NGO, and the one in Pará has financial support from the
Ford Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund. The two projects
involve training activities, the establishment of small nurseries
and demonstration plots, diversification and intensification of
agricultural and tree crops, and direct marketing of farm prod-
ucts.
REBRAF has also provided short-term assistance to a number
of other development projects in the Amazon, related to
processing and marketing of forest products, recuperation of
degraded soils, and viability of extractive reserves.
As result of the training courses, REBRAF supports programs
for sustainable development, such as the ones in the Lower
Tocantins in Pará, and Cocais in Maranhao.
Documentation and Information:
The dissemination of appropriate technical information is a
crucial task in promoting agroforestry initiatives and public
awareness. To accomplish this task REBRAF operates a
network of people engaged in agroforestry throughout Brazil,
and publishes a technical newsletter quarterly, which is
distributed to approximately 1,000 readers.
REBRAF is expanding its Documentation and Information Unit,
including the production and publication of illustrated booklets
with appropriate information for small producers, based on the
knowledge acquired during the courses and other selective
sources of information.
For further information please contact:
REBRAF
Rua visconde de Pirajá
111/713 Ipanema
22410-001 Rio de Janeiro
Brasil
Tel: +55 21-5 21-78 96
Fax: +55 21-5 21-15 93
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Amazon Cooperation Treaty - ACT
The Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACT) was signed on July 3,
1978 by Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru,
Suriname and Venezuela, in order to "carry out efforts and joint
actions to promote the harmonious development of their
respec-tive Amazonian territories so that these joint actions
will produce equitable, mutually advantageous results, as well
as the preservation of the environment and the conservation
and rational use of those territories' natural resources". This
basic objective embodies the concept that is now known as
'sustainable development'.
The first stage of Treaty endeavors (1978-1990) produced
essentially a consolidation of political will and a growing
process of definitions and commitments regarding what to do
and how to proceed in regard to development and conserva-
tion of the Amazon region, considered as a unit of shared
responsibility and harmonized occupation by the eight coun-
tries.
Beginning in 1990, the countries took measures to translate
their commitments, in an effective and far-reaching manner,
into practical action through programs and projects to be
implemented at the regional level under the coordination of the
Treaty Secretariat, which was reinforced by the regulations
approved in the Fourth Amazon Cooperation Council (May
1990). Finally, 52 programs and nearly 200 projects were
approved, mainly in the areas of environment, science and
technology, indigenous affairs, health, transport, tourism and
information. These programs and projects now constitute a
mandate for the work to be done in these coming years. The
top-priority projects have to do with processes for adoption of
regional policies and strategies and with the corresponding
national policies and strategies in substantial areas, and effec-
tive, ongoing application thereof.
For implementation, the Treaty established several mechan-
isms:
1. Meetings of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, as a decision-
making body that establishes the basic guidelines for
common policy and evaluates the overall progress made in
this process.
2. The Amazon Cooperation Council, comprising top-level
diplomatic representatives to oversee compliance with the
Treaty's objectives and purposes and with decisions made
by the Meeting of Ministers.
3. The Secretariat of the Treaty, hosted on a pro tempore
basis by the country in whose territory the next meeting of
the Council is to be held, responsible for implementing the
activities stipulated by the Treaty and those ordered by the
Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers and by the Amazon
Cooperation Council.
4. Special Commissions, as an operational level geared
towards studying and promoting activities regarding
specific problems or issues, of which there are currently
six: environment, science and technology, indigenous
people affairs, health, transport, infrastructure and com-
munications, and tourism.
The programs and projects are to be implemented through
specific cooperation networks for each case, comprising public
and private institutions selected by each country's sovereign
decisions. The Secretariat of the Treaty and the Executive
Secretariats of the Special Commissions coordinate and
support activity implementation on a general basis, contribut-
ing to the coordination and direction that is handled, in each
case, by an institution in a given country. Over one hundred
public and private institutions in the eight Amazonian countries
are involved in and committed to specific actions under ACT
projects.
The International Community is reacting in accordance with the
great priority that proper management of the Amazon region
holds for the entire world. As of 1990, several organizations
have been providing technical and financial support for various
operations and projects, and discussions are under way with
other organizations and countries that have shown interest in
supporting the Treaty.
For further information please contact:
Tratado de Cooperación Amazonica
Secretaria Pro Tempore
Av. Amazonas 1188
5to. Piso
Quito
Ecuador
Tel: +5 93-2-54 04 55
Fax: +5 93-2-56 58 09
************************************
CIRAD-Forêt
A 40-year-old French Organization in charge of tropical forestry
and wood sci-ence, the CTFT (Centre Technique Forestier
Tropical), recently changed its name and is now called CIRAD-
Forêt. But job and people remain the same.
This new name better shows how a closer relationship is now
possible, within CIRAD, between foresters and agronomists,
and no doubt this new situation will benefit to those who
cooperate with CIRAD.
Research Areas
CIRAD-Forêt carries out problem-oriented research in the
following areas:
Forest Management
* Natural forest management, in humid Tropics. The question
is: Which silviculture is possible to improve the commercial
value of the natural forests, keep their biodiversity and
contribute to their regeneration? A research network has
been progressively created in the past 15 years in Côte
d'Ivoire, Brazil, Central African Republic, French Guyana,
Indonesia, Gabon.
* Forest survey and mapping, using remote sensing combined
with ground checking. Specific survey technologies have
been developed, according to the various situations and
purposes. The statistical design and biometrics change in
lowland or mountainous forest, in evergreen or in dry Sahel-
ian forest.
* Planted forest. How to establish new tree stands on waste
areas, how to produce timber, poles or fuelwood? Research
is currently done, for example on Teak and Obeche for tim-
ber production, on Eucalyptus for pulpwood and fuelwood,
on Acacia for several purposes, etc.
Biodiversity and Genetic Variability -
Genetic Resources and Tree Improvement
* Genetic resources. Collection in the natural areas of distribu-
tion, evaluation of forest genetic resources, storage in cold
room, study of biochemical diversity markers, multilocation
comparative trials. More than 600 different species, 1500
provenances, 9000 seedlots are kept in the cold rooms and
distributed for research purpose within the frame of CIRAD-
Forêt cooperation.
* Tree improvement. Selection, breeding, vegetative propaga-
tion, manual pollinating and hybridization for some species,
for instance in Congo, result in an increased productivity in
planted forests - and in new problems for the researchers
(clonal silviculture, clonal interaction).
* Root symbioses. A common ORSTOM - CIRAD-Forêt lab on
"Biologie des symbi-oses forestières tropicales" (BSFT)
makes research on the trees (Acacia, Casuarina, Eucalyptus)
and their associated symbionts (Rhizobium, Frankia, Mycorr-
hiza). The symbioses are also studied through a number of
field experimentations. BSFT is conducting research on four
main areas:
- symbioses establishment,
- biochemical and molecular study of the Casuarina-Frankia
symbiosis,
- improvement of the host plant productivity (in vitro culture,
genetic, transfor-mation),
- ecophysiology of nitrogen-fixing symbioses.
Agroforestry and Soils Conservation
* This research programme studies what is the need for trees
in agricultural systems, and what is the right answer,
according to each particular situation (land tenure condi-
tions, expected benefit or production).
* Socio-economics, forestry laws, wood marketing.
Wood Technology
* Question-answer service to the timber industry. CIRAD-Forêt
has been collecting for a long time information on wood
properties (anatomical, physical, mechanical, etc.), on their
preservation and process requirements.
* Relationship between growth conditions and wood prop-
erties.
* Wood energy, charcoal production.
Other Activities
In addition to these four research programmes, there are at
CIRAD-Forêt headquarters a Library (50 000 references), a
Biometrics Unit (research unit and service to the researchers),
an Operation Bureau in charge of managing extra-core budget
contracts, a Training Service in close relation to Universities,
and a Publication Service.
CIRAD-Forêt publishes a quarterly journal created in 1947
whose name is "Bois et Forêts des Tropiques". It is distributed
in many tropical countries, and sent to universities, wood
industry managers, and forest administrations. It is written in
French, with a full page summary in English for the main
articles, and with French and English captions under illustra-
tions.
Where CIRAD-Forêt Works
Over 150 researchers and technicians work in CIRAD-Forêt.
Half of them are on duty overseas, in French speaking coun-
tries of Africa and the Indian Ocean, in South-East Asia
(Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore), and in America
(French Guyana).
Complementary to the long term assignments, CIRAD-Forêt is
also requested for short term consultancies.
The long established cooperation between CIRAD-Forêt and
tropical countries works as an informal but effective interna-
tional network in forestry research which sometimes got good
results and also really contributes to an international friend-
ship between tropical forestry scientists.
For further information please contact:
François Grison
CIRAD-Forêt
Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle 45 bis
94736 Nogent-sur-Marne cedex
Tel: +33-1-43 94 43 00
Fax: +33-1-43 94 43 29
*************************************
Research Cooperation
EARTHWATCH: Call for Research Proposals
Earthwatch is a charitable organisation and one of the world's
largest sources of non-governmental funding for field research.
It was founded in Boston, USA in 1971 and opened its European
office, Earthwatch Europe, in Oxford in 1990 in order to
strengthen links with the research community at research
institutions throughout Europe and the developing countries.
Earthwatch invites proposals for field research in its 1994/95
programme. Grants of £5,000 - £50,000 are available for field
research in Earth, Life and Human Sciences.
The Centre for Field Research encourages proposals to conduct
both basic and applied research. Earthwatch will provide funds
and volunteers, in whole or in part, to mobilize approved
projects. Proposals are welcome from scholars of any nation.
Post-doctoral research is preferred. Preliminary proposals of
1 - 3 pages are suggested including research objectives, field
dates, need for volunteers and estimated budget.
Project proposals must include field work requiring the
assistance of 2 - 3 week teams of volunteer asssistants from
Earthwatch.
Full proposals should be submitted twelve months before the
project start date.
Approved projects are added to the Earthwatch programme six
times per year. Preliminary proposals for the 1994 field season
must be submitted by March 14th 1993.
Research Priorities for 1994 - 1995:
Multidisciplinary Research
* Studies that contribute to the development of more accurate
models of climate change and its impacts on humankind and
the biosphere.
* Studies that serve to ground truth data collected via
geographic information systems and remote-sensing.
* Research in environmental archaeology concerned with human
adaptation to changed environments in prehistoric and historic
times and with the role of human kind in altering local
environments.
* Investigations of the relationship between resource
availability and distribution, human demographic patterns,
migration, and environmental problems.
* Research that explores the potential of alternative energy
sources, sustainable land and water use, and alternative
agricultural systems.
* Research that integrates ecology and socio-economics.
* Studies that measure the economic values of non-consumptive
uses of natural areas (eg. recreation) or that identify new
or traditional sustainable uses of resources in threatened
eco-systems (eg. ethnobotany).
* Studies of the influence of developed lands on adjacent
natural communities.
* Studies that identify important linkages between the abiotic
and biotic components of natural and managed eco-systems.
* Studies that identify biotic or abiotic indicators of habitat
disturbance, declining biological diversity, or environmental
contamination.
* Studies that contribute to successful restoration of degraded
eco-systems.
Life Science Research
* Research that elucidates factors important to the persistence
of rare species and the recovery of threatened species.
* Studies of the behaviour and ecology of species that threaten
the integrity of natural eco-systems (eg. introduced species,
pests, etc.).
* Comprehensive botanical surveys that advance our knowledge of
plant taxonomy, ecology, and evolution.
* Floral and faunal inventories that, by documenting an area's
biological diversity, demonstrate both the value and optimal
approach to habitat conservation.
* Biological inventories that serve as baseline studies for
monitoring the impacts of climate change, pollution, and land
use patterns.
Humanities and Social Science Research
* Studies that probe questions about global food security.
* Studies that investigate women's health status in its social
and economic context.
* Research aimed at conserving and understanding our cultural
heritage including rock art, architecture, ethnomusicology,
folklore, and textiles.
* Research which investigates the relationship between rural
livelihoods and the management of the natural resource base.
* Research which looks at poverty alleviation in the context of
environmental change.
* Studies which investigate the social, economic and cultural
values held by local communities for different aspects of
their environment (eg. forests).
Physical Science Research
* Investigations that focus on the transfer of chemicals, mass
and energy within and between the atmospheric, geologic,
marine, and hydrologic reservoirs of the whole-earth system.
For additional information on application procedures, eligibility
or submission dead-lines, please contact
Louise Henson
(Science Projects Negotiator)
Earthwatch Europe
Belsyre Court
57 Woodstock Road
Oxford OX2 6HU
United Kingdom
Tel: +44-8 65-31 16 00
Fax: +44-8 65-31 13 83
*************************************
News
On 26th November 1992 the 2nd Board Meeting of ETFRN took
place in Brussels at the premises of the Directorate General XII
of the Commission of the European Communities. The main
results of this meeting were:
ETFRN/AGREP
Also in future, AGREP should be supported by all ETFRN
National Nodes, as far as tropical forestry research is con-
cerned. Currently the discussion on technical questions of
data-collection and data-processing within ETFRN and AGREP
are being dis- cussed. A first meeting was held in Paris on
14th December.
ETFRN's Relation to Tropical Institutes
ETFRN's geographical field of activity and the corresponding
institutes will remain limited to the dry and humid Tropics,
although this is no dogma. The flow of information to and from
tropical countries should be developed in three steps:
1. The European research institutions inform their employees
in the Tropics on tasks and aims of ETFRN; the National
Nodes will set up a list of all persons/ institutions in
tropical regions who are interested in ETFRN, and transmit
this list to the Coordination Unit (C.U.) in order to send the
ETFRN Newsletter to them.
2. The C.U. will establish a list of contacts between European
institutions and institutions/projects in tropical regions.
3. The Network should invite those tropical forest research
institutions mentioned in step 2 to participate in the
Network through an active exchange of information
between research institutions of the Tropics and ETFRN.
Selection and Establishment of National Nodes
The choice of National Nodes is the task of the respective
countries, depending on their decision . The C.U. will present
first information on ETFRN at half-day meetings with interested
representatives of national tropical forest research institutions.
One official Node per country is desirable. However, it is
possible that on a national scale more than one Node is
required. In this case the Board has to be informed and will
decide and confirm the Nodes officially.
ETFRN Task Forces - Procedure
The procedure of the implementation of Task Forces is
described in detail in an information leaflet which can be
obtained from the C.U. or from the National Nodes.
In general, every Node and each of the Board members of
ETFRN has the possibility to propose Task Forces. Further
criteria for Task Forces are:
- they should be of interest to the EEC,
- have a concrete objective and a clear written concept of 2 -
5 pages, presented by the initiator of the TF,
- have concrete expected results,
- should indicate the expected time frame and duration,
- preliminary budget and suggestions for funding should be
made.
For further information please contact the Head of the ETFRN
Coordination Unit.
*
ETFRN Task Forces
Task Force "Sustainable Management of Tropical Forests"
An exploratory meeting on this Task Force took place in
Brussels from 8th to 9th December 1992, where the current
state of knowledge on sustainable management of tropical
forests and eco-labelling has been collected and described.
29 European representatives from tropical-forest-research
institutions, consultings, NGOs and the timber industry partici-
pated in the meeting. A smaller group of seven participants
met directly after the exploratory meeting, and elaborated a
first concept for a possible study on how this problem should
be dealt with.
At a meeting in Bonn on 15th January the final proposal for
this study is to be worked out, and should be presented as
Task Force at the 2nd General Assembly of ETFRN.
For further information please contact
Dr. Thomas Wollersen
CEC DG XII B-4
200, rue de la Loi
B-1049 Bruxelles
Tel: +32-2-2 95 09 27
Fax: +32-2-2 96 62 52
*
Task Force "International Forest Research- Programme Amazo-
nia/French Guyana
(PIRFAG)"
Several European countries are already involved in tropical
forestry research in Latin America. For a better regional effi-
ciency and coherence, it would be useful to enhance the
concertation between all these forestry research programmes.
Strengthening these research programmes appears as a
necessity, as well as an opportunity to prepare a common
research programme in which all the European countries
involved in forestry research in Amazonia will join their effort.
During a meeting of representatives from European tropical-
forest-research institutions, on 1st to 2nd February, in Brus-
sels, this proposal is to be discussed and precised.
Further information on the Task Force PIRFAG can be obtained
from:
Jean-Pierre Troy
ECOFOR
Coordinateur du PIRFAG
15 Avenue du Maine
F-75015 Paris
Tel: +33-1-45 49 88 36
Tel: +33-1-45 49 88 37 (secrét.)
Fax: +33-1-45 49 88 39
*
ETFRN-Node Meetings
Within the Network the following meetings are planned at
ETFRN Nodes:
08.02.93 Dept. of Forest Ecology, Tropical Silviculture,
University of Helsinki, Finland;
01.03.93 Prof. Dr. G. Glatzel, Universität für Bodenkultur, `
Peter-Jordan-Str. 82, A 1190 Vienna, Austria; Fax: +43-
1-47 97 896
22.03.93 UK Tropical Forest Forum, United Kingdom.
For addresses of National Nodes of ETFRN see last page!
*
Kleinhans Fellowship: Research in Tropical Non-Timber Forest
Products
The Kleinhans Fellowship is administered by the Rainforest
Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conserva-
tion of tropical forest. This fellowship is part of the Rainforest
Alliance's program to develop ecologically and socially sound
alternatives to the economic practices that cause tropical
forest destruction.
The purpose of this award is to promote research into practical
means of managing and utilizing tropical forest resources with-
out destroying the integrity of the forest ecosystem. The
research should lead to the development of a product or
marketing technique that can provide incomes for families or small
groups living in or near tropical forest areas.
The ideal results of the research would be an economically
viable strategy that encourages sustainable resource extrac-
tion from tropical forests. This small-scale extraction could
supply food, fuel, fodder, fiber, medicinals or other products
for which there is (or could be developed) a domestic and/or
foreign market. Research concerning products that encourage
the reforestation of denuded areas would also be eligible. The
strategy might make use of several products grown or
extracted in sequence and be part of an income-producing
addition to subsistence activities. The research could build on
the knowledge of native forest inhabitants and should prove
useful to those same people.
At the end of the project, a thoroughly documented paper
suitable for publication is expected.
Research involving any tropical forest type, wet or dry,
anywhere in the world, is eligible. Anyone with a master's
degree in forestry, ecology, environmental science or appropri-
ate related fields may apply; doctoral candidates or post-
doctoral researchers preferred. Applicants may substitute
relevant experience for degrees. The fellowship provides a
grant of US$ 15,000 per year, for two years.
The applications will be judged on the merits of the proposal
and on the qualifications of the candidate. Can the research be
carried out as proposed? Does the investigator appear to have
the necessary skills and experience to bring the research to a
fruitful conclusion? Is the proposal practical and does it have
commercial potential? Will it help provide a livelihood for
tropical forest inhabitants, without causing the destruction of
the forest? If it is site-specific, can the methodology be
adapted by people in other countries? Is it new and entrepre-
neurial? Will it be useful to someone with no business experi-
ence and with little or no venture capital? Judging will be done
by a panel of forestry products experts and tropical
conservationists.
There is no official application form. Proposals must be in
English and should not exceed five typed pages in length.
Additional pages should be used for an abstract, a review of
the relevant literature, an approximate budget, references, fig-
ures, appendices, a copy of the candidate's curriculum vitae or
resume, and at least two letters of recommendation. If poss-
ible, please send three copies of the entire application.
The fellowship will begin in September 1993. Completed
applications, including all letters of reference, must be
received at the Rainforest Alliance office by 5:00 p.m., Febru-
ary 1, 1993. Applications should be sent to:
Rainforest Alliance,
Kleinhans Fellowship
270 Lafayette Street
Suite 512
New York
N.Y. 10012
USA
*
Seminar on Promoting a Trade in Sustainably Produced Timber
The Scottish Hardwood Charter has the pleasure to announce
a seminar which will be held in Brussels from 18 - 19 March,
1993 for discussing the practical actions that can be imple-
mented by the timber trade and industry to promote
sustainable forest management, in particular in the Tropics.
The seminar is sponsored by the Commission of the European
Communities and the Swiss Government. It is primarily
targeted towards senior company executives of the timber
sector and governmental officials in Europe.
The subjects to be discussed include:
- sustainable management at the level of the forest con-
cession;
- voluntary certification and environmental labelling for timber
products;
- the market in Europe for 'green' timber products;
- European Eco-Labelling for timber products;
- the subject of promoting a trade in sus-tainably produced
timber;
- the projects implemented in Europe for introducing a
label/certificate on timber products and the potential for
coordinating these initiatives at the European level; and
- partnerships between industry, governments and environ-
mental organisations for promoting a rapid transition
towards sustainable forestry, in view of attaining ITTO's year
2000 target.
The speakers will include senior executives of the timber trade
and woodworking industries, representatives of environmental
organisations, governmental officials and representatives of
the Commission of the European Communities.
Invitations and additional information on this seminar can be
obtained from:
Mr. Jean-Pierre Kiekens
Managing Director
Environmental Strategies Europe
Chaussée de Wavre, 1517-P
1160 Bruxelles
Belgique
Tel: +32-2-6 75 36 68
Fax: +32-2-6 75 37 05
*
The State of Tropical Forests
Forest resource appraisals on a global basis are a part of
FAO's mandate. The present assessment for the reference year
1990 was launched in March 1989 to provide reliable and
globally consistent information on the current state of the
tropical forest cover and recent trends of deforestation and
forest degradation.
The assessment is being carried out in two complementary
phases: (I) compilation of existing national survey data brought
to the reference year 1990 through an adjustment function; and
(II) monitoring of tropical forest cover and its changes using
remote sensing in a global sample survey framework. Statisti-
cal data are compiled at sub-national and national level and
maintained in a databank called Forest Resources Information
System (FORIS). The man-forest interaction is being analyzed
using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and modelling
techniques. The system includes several important layers of
information such as vegetation types, eco-floristic zones and
population distribution at sub-national level. The Project is
being implemented through cooperative efforts with many
international and national institutions. Workshops are import-
ant means to disseminate the Project methodology and
findings.
This report presents an overview of preliminary results from
phase (I) for 12 geographic sub-regions and six ecological
zones. At 1990 forest area at a global tropical level is esti-
mated at about 1.7 billion ha (approx. 36 % of the land area).
Total population is 2.46 billion inhabitants with an average
density of 51 inh./km2. The largest extent of forest is in Latin
America (840 million ha: 31 % of land area). Among the
ecological zones, the tropical rainforests constitute the biggest
portion with 38 % (655 million ha) and 14% (252 million ha)
respectively, the rest being 10 % (178 million ha) in the high/-
montane zone.
Deforestation during 1981-1990 is observed to be 16.9 million
ha annually at a global level (annual rate of change: -0.9%). In
Latin America the rate is -0.9% (equalling an area of 8.3 million
ha), -1.2% (3.6 million ha) in Asia and -0.8% (5.0 million ha) in
Africa. Higher rates than the average are found in the moist
and hill/montane zones and, from geographical point of view,
in Central America & Mexico, Continental South East Asia and
West Africa. Annually 7.3 million hectares of forests are
deforested in the moist forest zone, 4.9 million ha in the
tropical rainforest zone and around 2 million ha each in the dry
and hill/montane zone.
The reported plantation area in the Tropics is 43.9 million ha
(2.5 % of the total forest area) with a distribution of 8.6 million
ha in Latin America, 32.2 million ha in Asia and 3.0 million ha
in Africa. The net plantation area is estimated at 30.7 million ha
(70 % of the reported area). Annually planted area is reported
to be 2.6 million ha and the estimated net area 1.8 million ha.
A survey on protected areas (IUCN categories I-V) in the
tropics was conducted in cooperation with the World Conser-
vation Monitoring Centre. Protected areas which may not be
completely forested are estimated to cover 266 million ha
constituting 5.4 % of the land area. Forest management for
wood production has been found to be limited to very few cou-
ntries covering an area of approx. 60 million ha (3.5% of total
forest area). Little progress seems to have been made in this
respect in the past decade.
Another important finding of the Project lies in the fact that
very few countries have reliable forest resources data on a
nationwide basis.
(from FAO "Third Interim Report on the State of Tropical
Forests", June 1992)
*
Forest Resource of the Temperate Zones
The Forest Resource Assessment 1990, initiated by the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) and the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has now published
"The Forest Resources of the Temperate Zones, General Forest
Resource Information". It contains two parts covering the basic
forest resource data and the files of the 36 countries participat-
ing in the assessment by making their data available based on
the detailed enquiry sent to all countries of the UN/ECE
region.
The publication responds to the growing public interest in the
situation of the tem-perate zone forests as well as to the needs
of policy-makers, managers, researchers and others con-
cerned with forestry, the forest products sector, ecology and
sustainable development of natural resources.
The assessment on the forest resources of the temperate
zones had been carried out in the framework of the activities
of the Joint FAO/ECE Working Party on Forest Economics and
Statistics, a subsidiary body of the FAO European Forestry
Commission and the UN-ECE Timber Committee. It is part of
the Global Forest Resource Assessment which also covers the
tropical zones.
The assessment covers the member countries of the ECE
region (Europe, the former USSR and North America) and
three other industrialized temperate-zone countries (Australia,
Japan and New Zealand). Forests and other wooded land in
this region comprise over half of the world's total and is
estimated at 2.06 billion (thousand million) hectares.
39 % of the temperate zone are forests and other wooded land.
Of the remaining area, 1.82 billion ha or 34 % are estimated to
be agricultural land, 27 % (1.45 billion ha) falling into other
categories.
Out of the total area classified as forest and other wooded
land, 46 % is located in the countries of the former USSR and
36% in North America. Europe's share is about 9 %.
The share of forest and other wooded land of individual
countries varies considerably between regions, ranging from
68 % and 60 % in Japan and the Nordic countries respectively
to less than 20 % in Australia and New Zealand and less than
10 % in some countries of north-western Europe.
Of a total growing stock of 112 billion m3 o.b. (with bark) in
exploitable temperate zones forests, 75.5 billion or almost
exactly 2/3 are coniferous and 36.5 billion or 1/3 are are
broadleaved. Fellings in these regions in 1990 totalled 1.86
billion m3 with bark, of which 40 % in North America. In almost
all countries the fellings were reported to be below the net
annual increment. In the temperate-zone forests area, standing
volume and annual increment have grown compared with the
results from the assessment carried out in 1980 and previous
ones.
The continuing expansion of the temperate forest resource
potential is one of the main findings of the present Assess-
ment.
Readers of this study will find the wide range of basic forest
resource data on land use classification, types of forest,
species groups, ownership and management status, standing
volume and growing stock, woody biomass, annual increment
and much more. The country by country presentation in Part
II of the publication gives indepth and specific information on
the individual national forest resources.
Volume II of the Assessment with the title "Benefits and
Functions of the Forest" is being prepared. It will complete the
picture of the present day forest resource of temperate zones,
their potential for multiple use and sustainable development.
Further information on the UN-ECE/FAO Forest Resource
Assessment 1990 (Temperate Zones) may be obtained from:
ECE/FAO Agriculture and Timber Division
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10 (Switzerland)
(from the Press Release ECE/TIMBER/8, 19.10.92)
*
Symposium: Degraded Lands and Secondary Forests in Amazonia
The International Institute of Tropical Forestry (USDA Forest
Service) and the Centro de Pesquisa Agroflorestal da Amazo-
nia (EMBRAPA/CPATU) are organizing a 5-day symposium
/workshop on the management and rehabilitation of degraded
lands and secondary forests in Amazonia. This event will be
held in Santarém, Pará (Brazil) during April 18 - 22, 1993, and
will have three principal aims:
1. To facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience
relevant to the management of altered forest lands in the
Amazon region;
2. To assess the current state-of-knowledge in the fields of
forest ecosystem rehabilitation and secondary forest
management and to identify priority research areas;
3. To identify regional and international institutional capabil-
ities and commitments to research and development in
these fields and to provide opportunities for networking
among research institutions, development agencies, and
non-governmental organizations.
The symposium/workshop will include invited papers and
poster presentations and discussions relevant to the long-term
utilization and management of altered Amazonian landscapes.
Technical sessions will focus on biophysical and socio-eco-
nomic aspects of shifting cultivation systems, secondary forest
management, and the rehabilitation of degraded pastures,
minelands and derelict lands associated with hydroelectric
facilities. The program will include a one-day field visit to
selected secondary forest management at the Belterra Experi-
mental Station and agroforestry research sites adjacent to the
Tapajós National Forest.
This event is open to researchers in the biophysical and social
sciences, land managers, representatives of local, regional,
national and international agencies and non-governmental
organizations, universities, and institutions concerned with the
sustainable utilitzation of Amazonia's altered forest ecosys-
tems and degraded agricultural landscapes. The official lan-
guages for this event will be Portuguese and Spanish.
For further information please contact:
Dr. John A. Parrotta
c/o Dr. Peter L. Weaver
International Institute of Tropical Forestry
USDA Forest Service
Box 25000
Rio Piedras
PR 00928-2500
USA
Fax: +1-8 09-7 66 63 02
*
Foundation of the European Forest Institute (EFI)
The European Forest Institute - EFI (we reported about in our
Newsletter No. 3/1992) has now officially been founded. Dr.
Risto Päivinen, the Dean of the Forestry Faculty of the Univer-
sity of Joensuu, will function as Acting Director of EFI until the
official Director will be appointed.
From 1 January 1993, EFI's address is as follows:
European Forest Institute
Torikatu 4
80100 Joensuu
Finland
Tel: +3 58-73-12 43 95
Fax: +3 58-73-12 43 93
************************************
Publications
Sustainable Land Use Systems and Human Living Conditions
in the Amazon Region
H. Jaenicke, P. Flynn (eds.). 1992. Sustainable Land Use
Systems and Human Living Conditions in the Amazon Region,
Proceedings of a meeting in Bonn, Germany, 1 - 2 November,
1991. 102 pp. ISBN 92-826-5098-7.
This report is the outcome of a meeting held in Bonn on 1st
and 2nd November 1991; it was a workshop organized under
the auspices of the European Tropical Forest Research
Network (ETFRN).
It contains submitted papers and the results of two days
intensive discussions amongst a group of scientists from
different European countries and from Brazil, coming from
different disciplines and involved in research in the Amazon
region. Four major issues of importance are covered: ecologi-
cal potential, human living conditions, soil fertility and aquatic
systems in the Amazon region.
The Proceedings of the workshop can be obtained from the
ETFRN Coordination Unit
c/o ATSAF e.V.
Hans-Böckler-Str. 5
W-5300 Bonn 3
Germany
Tel: +49-2 28-40 01-3 20
Fax: +49-2 28-40 01-3 11
*
ITTO and the Future
St. Bass, D. Poore, B. Romijn, ITTO (eds.). 1992. ITTO and the
Future in relation to Sustainable Development. AIDEnviron-
ment, Netherlands, IIED, U.K.
The main purpose of this study is to assess possible future
international mecha-nisms related to (tropical) forests with em-
phasis on the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA)
and Organisation (ITTO). The ITTA and ITTO are the focus of
this study, because the ITTA will terminate on 31st March 1994,
and discussions are current on a possible follow-up.
In the absence of any formal critical review of the performance
of ITTO, the study has relied heavily on existing documents,
supplemented and reinforced by soliciting the opinions of
many people who have been closely associated with the
development of the Agreement and the Organization. The high
response rate to requests for submissions in a very short
period (70 per cent) indicates the significance of the issues
connected to ITTO.
Chapter 1 analyses the history of the ITTA and the internal
evolution of ITTO since 1983. It includes a brief description of
ITTO structures and mechanisms.
Chapter 2 considers the changes that have taken place during
the life of ITTO in the international context within which it has
worked: the condition of the forest; attitudes to the forest; the
evolving timber trade context; the significance for ITTO of
other international agreements and initiatives, especially the
Tropical Forest Action Programme (TFAP) and the various out-
comes of UNCED - notably Agenda 21 and Forest Principles.
Chapter 3 analyses the extent to which ITTO's past goals,
performance and achievements have or have not contributed
to sustainable development as defined at UNCED and in other
recent international fora.
Chapter 4 examines the extent to which ITTO's present
mandate, structure, financing, resources of money and
manpower, and modes of operation have helped or hindered
its pursuit of sustainable development within its field of
competence.
Chapter 5 presents the various possible future options which
have arisen from the preceeding analysis.
These are:
1. Allow ITTA to lapse.
2. Continue with the unamended Agreement, either: (a) with
no changes in operational mechanisms; or (b) with such
changes as can be carried out without amending the text
of the Agreement.
3. Modify the Agreement and operational mechanisms. There
any many alternatives within this option; these are mainly
characterized by the relative breadth of mandate.
*
Faidherbia Albida
R.J. Vandenbeldt (ed.). 1992. Faidherbia albida in the West
African semi-arid tropics: proceedings of a workshop, 22-26
April 1991, Niamey, Niger. Patancheru, A.P. 502 324, India:
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropi-
cs; and Nairobi, Kenya: International Centre for Research in
Agroforestry. 212 pp. ISBN 92-9066-220-4.
This workshop brought together scientists and development
workers, primarily those working in the West Africa region, to:
- review past and present research findings on Faidherbia
albida;
- discuss development issues and "lessons learned" from past
and present;
- list research priorities for the future;
- promote collaboration between research and development
programs.
These proceedings summarize the state of knowledge on the
species and provide a comprehensive list of ongoing research.
Papers are divided into sessions on: botany and distribution,
uses, genetics, provenance trials, and vegetative propagation,
site effects, silviculture, and rhizosphere, and development
issues. Recommendations from Working Groups for future
research and multidisciplinary linkages are included.
*
Resource Management in Developing Countries
A.S. Belward and C.R. Valenzuela (eds.). 1991. Remote
Sensing and Geographical Information Systems for Resource
Management in Developing Countries. Kluwer Academic
Publishers. 506 pp.
ISBN 0-7923-1268-6.
Remote sensing and geographical information systems are
being increasingly used in the management of the earth's
resources. Indeed in many cases these technologies represent
the only realistic way in which to gather and process data
concerning our environment. This book for the first time
combines a review of the theory and applications of both these
key technologies. The applications, mainly concerned with the
management of renewable resources in developing countries,
cover subjects such as agricultural production forecasting,
hydrology and operational rainfall estimation, alongside major
global environmental issues such as monitoring tropical
deforestation. However, many of the concepts introduced in
these case studies equally apply to resource management and
environmental monitoring in regions other than the developing
world. Combined with an extensive and up-to-date bibliography
this makes the book valuable to graduate and post-graduate
students, and governmental and non-governmental planners
and environmental scientists alike.
*
Self-Teaching Materials in Basic Statistics for Foresters
A package of self-teaching materials in basic statistics for
foresters ForStat, prepared for the SPDC by the Applied Statis-
tics Research Unit of the University of Kent, UK, has been
tested successfully and is now ready for distribution.
Over 1000 pages of materials are divided into 6 modules
ranging from an introduction to statistics to sampling to
relationships between variables and linear regression. Each
module is self-contained with exercises and self-evaluation
procedures.
The package, which costs US$ 100 plus shipping charges, can
be obtained from:
SPDC/IUFRO
Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8
A-1131 Vienna/Austria
Fax: +43-1-8 77 01 51
*
Wise Management of Tropical Forests 1992
F.R. Miller and K.L. Adam (eds.). 1992. Wise Management of
Tropical Forests 1992, Proceedings of the Oxford Conference
on Tropical Forests 1992. Oxford Forestry Institute. 288 pp.
ISBN 0-85074-125-4
The work comprises the proceedings of the Oxford Conference
on Tropical Forests which was held in Oxford from 30 March
to 1 April 1992. The proceedings include 16 papers of invited
speakers and 7 voluntary papers as well as the conclusions
and recommendations of the various workshop groups.
One of the major outcomes of the conference was the under-
standing that there is no simple solution to the problem of
tropical deforestation, the whole environment, the political and
social environment has to change for the tropical forest prob-
lem to be adequately addressed. There won't be any rapid
changes. There are certain factors that are outside the forestry
sector and control of foresters. Firstly, there has to be agricul-
tural intensification in the tropics, there are simply too many
people for any other option to work. Secondly, there has to be
employment creation and wealth generation, because the
conditions under which the people of most tropical countries
live should not be tolerated in the twenty-first century. Forests
should be amongst the resources mobilised to create employ-
ment and generate wealth, and this can reduce the need for
land to be cleared to expand agriculture.
Forest institutions and forest departments need to change. In
particular they are going to have to learn to work in partner-
ship and not dictate to forest peoples how those people
should live.
Forest departments must shift their focus away from timber.
There are many other products that are so much more import-
ant. In changing, though, they must not re-invent wheels; there
is a considerable body of existing knowledge which must be
mobilised and applied. There is need for more research, but
also a great need to apply very much better the knowledge
that already exists.
Foresters in general should have a much broader vision than
they have tended to have in the past, but should not attain this
at the expense of the loss of focus on their technical expertise.
*
Integrated Land Use Management for Tropical Agriculture
Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on
Integrated Land Use Management for Tropical Agriculture.
Department of Primary Industries Queensland. 1992. ISSN
0728-067-X
The papers included in these Proceedings were submitted by
participants or prepared by invitation for the Second Interna-
tional Symposium on Integrated Land Use Management for
Tropical Agriculture, held in Queensland, Australia, from 15 to
25 September 1992.
The symposium was aimed at senior managers, particularly
those involved in developing strategies for sustainable
agricultural production, land management policy formulation
and the implementation of land use programs. While technical
solutions may still be required to overcome land use problems,
this symposium was essentially not about the latest research
but about the implications of that research and its application
in land management. It also incorporated the added dimen-
sions of politics, economics, environmental concerns and
social/cultural needs.
The proceedings are structured as follows:
- Setting the perspective - an introduction to the objectives of
the symposium and the goals of the Land Use Managers
Network
- Submitted papers - presentation and discussion of submitted
papers by participants
- Production or protection. The issues - a panel discussion
following presentation of four invited papers by representa-
tives of the World Wide Fund for Nature, National Parks and
Wildlife Service, the mining industry and experienced graing-
rower/graziers on the need for different perspectives on land
use
- Case studies - invited papers on four major land use
programs from Brazil, Indonesia, India and Ethiopia
- Planning and managing - presentations on a range of
methods available to collect and evaluate data for land use
planning, and to gain acceptance for programs from every-
one from government to the community
- Field tour - a two-day field tour of south-east Queensland to
see at first hand, some aspects of land use management and
the ways that the associated problems has been dealt with.
The final part contains all significant outcomes of the dis-
cussions at the workshop and any recommendations of the
plenary session.
(from the foreword)
*
Changing Tropical Forests
H.K. Steen, R.P. Tucker (eds.). 1992. Changing Tropical
Forests, Historical Perspectives on Today's Challenges in Cen-
tral and South America. Proceedings of a Conference. Forest
History Society/IUFRO.
303 pp. ISBN 0-8223-1236-0
The International Union of Forestry Research Organizations
(IUFRO) formed a Forest History Group in 1961. In 1981 the
Forest History Group formed a tropical subgroup, which
sponsored its first conference in Canberra, Australia, in 1988.
This tropical conference in San José was the second, quickly
followed by the third in Honolulu, and plans are evolving for a
fourth in Africa. These four conferences will make both the
tropical regions and the Southern Hemisphere an active part
of the IUFRO Forest History Group.
The twenty-three papers included in these proceedings range
in scope and geography from broad overviews to detailed
accounts of specific sites. Some investigators reported on
forest conditions, others on grasslands, and still others on the
people and institutions that caused change. All in fact dealt
with change - change through time and change brought about
by different causes. Ecosystems are not static but are chang-
ing through natural forces or through human intervention. This
conference and its predecessor in Australia and its successors
in Hawaii and Africa look at these changes.
***********************************
Vacancy Announcements
University of Oxford Coordinator for the Continuing Education
Programme in Forestry
The Institute requires a progressive natural resource manager,
preferably with developing country experience, to coordinate
and contribute to its programme of continuing education in
short, non-degree courses. The appointee will need a flair for
organization and social interaction, and an understanding of
issues concerning professional forestry. He or she is likely to
have a postgraduate qualification with specialization in some
aspects of forest science or management, and will be required
to contribute to the Institute's other activities. The post is full-
time and initially for three years; opportunities for overseas
travel are likely to arise.
The successful applicant will be required to be in position by
April 1993.
Research Officer: Salary scale RSII £18,576 - £24,736 pa
The University is an Equal Opportunities Employer.
Applications, together with a C.V. and the name and addresses
of three referees, should be sent to the
Head of Administration
Dept. of Plant Sciences
South Parks Road
UK-Oxford OX1 3RB
***************************************
The following organizations act as National Nodes to the
EUROPEAN TROPICAL FOREST RESEARCH NETWORK:
Belgium:
* CIS/BIO, p.a. Science Policy Office, Wetenschapsstraat 8, B-
1040 Brussels. Tel: +32-2-2 38 34 11,
Fax: +32-2-2 30 59 12, contact: M. Desmeth
Denmark:
* NFNA, Danish State Forestry, Tree Improvement Station,
Krogerupvej 21, DK-3050 Humleback. Tel: +45-49-19 02 14,
Fax: +45-49-16 00 16, contact: L. Graudal
France:
* CIRAD-Forêt, 45 bis, Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, F-94736
Nogent/Marne cedex, Tel: +33-1-43 94 43 62,
Fax: +33-1-43 94 43 29, contact: F. Grison
Germany:
* ETFRN Coordination Unit: c/o ATSAF, Hans-Böckler-Str.5, D-
W-5300 Bonn 3. Tel: +49-2 28-40 01-3 13,
Fax: +49-2 28-40 01-3 11, contact: H. Freiberg
* Theodor-Boveri-Institut, Biozentrum der Universität, Lehrstu-
hl für Zoologie III, Am Hubland, W-8700 Würzburg.
Tel: +49-9 31-8 88 43 51, Fax: +49-9 31-1 78 49, contact: K.
Linsenmair
Greece:
* Directorate of Forest Resource Development, Section of
Forest Research, Ippokratous St. 3, GR-10164 Athens.
Tel: +30-1-3 62 12 90, Fax: +30-1-3 60 71 38, contact: N.
Efstathiadis
Ireland:
* IDI Ltd., Head of Forestry Division, Wilton Park House, Wilton
Place, IRL-Dublin 2. Tel: +3 53-1-68 75 55,
Fax: +3 53-1-60 17 33, contact: R. Keogh
Italy:
* Laboratorio di Botanica, Agraria e Forestale, Dipartimento di
Biologia Vegetale, Università di Firenze,
Piassale delle Cascine 28, I-50144 Firenze. Tel: +39-55-36 57
98, Fax: +39-55-36 01 37, contact: C. Lenzi-Grillini
Netherlands:
* Tropenbos, P.O. Box 2 32, NL-6700 AE Wageningen. Tel:
+31-83 70-2 62 62, Fax: +31-83 70-2 30 24,
contact: E. Lammerts van Bueren
Portugal:
* Tropical Forestry Center, Tapada da Ajuda, P-1300 Lisbon.
Tel: +3 51-13 97 32 06, Fax: +3 51-13 97 31 63,
contact: R.M. de A. Sardinha
Spain:
* CICYT, Calle Rosario Pino 14-16, E-28020 Madrid. Tel: +34-
1-5 77 00 98, Fax: +34-1-5 71 57 81,
contact: J. A. Muñoz Delgado
United Kingdom:
* UK Tropical Forest Forum, c/o Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
Richmond, UK-Surrey TW9 3AE. Tel: +44-81-3 32 62 99, Fax:
+44-81-3 32 62 94, contact: J. Thornback
* Natural Resources Institute, Central Avenue, Chatham
Maritime, UK-Kent ME4 4TB. Tel: +44-6 34-88 00 88,
Fax: +44-6 34-88 00 66, contact: I. Hunter
International Organisations:
* Commission of the European Communities, (DG XII/G-4),
Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Brussel. Tel: +32-2-2 95 09 27,
Fax: +32-2-2 96 62 52, contact: T. Wollersen
* CTA, Postbus 380, NL-6700 AJ Wageningen. Tel: +31-83 80-
6 04 00, Fax: +31-83 80-3 10 52, contact: T.M. Narain
* IUFRO SPDC, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, A-1131 Wien. Tel:
+43-1-8 77 01 51, Fax: +43-1-8 77 93 55,
contact: L. F. Riley
other:
* University of Helsinki, Dept. of Forest Ecology, Tropical
Silviculture, Viikin koetila 20, SF-00014 University of
Helsinki. Tel: +3 58-0-7 08 56 43, Fax: +3 58-0-7 08 56 46,
contact: J. Kuusipalo
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