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BOOKS

Final results of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000

This publication constitutes the principal report of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA 2000), the most comprehensive assessment since FAO first reported on forest resources 50 years ago. It provides the most complete picture possible of the current condition of the planet's resources through an appraisal of their state in the year 2000 and changes since the 1980s. The report is a key source of factual information on forests for use by national institutions and international fora such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention to Combat Desertification in seeking solutions to environmental concerns. It will be of interest to all readers seeking the most up-to-date information about the world's forests.

The backbone of FRA 2000 was the data and information provided by countries. Country information was verified and supplemented with studies and remote sensing analysis using the latest technology. Countries were then invited to review and comment on the outcome of the combined global analysis.

Part I presents the main findings on forest area and area change, the results of studies on wood volume and biomass, plantations and other key parameters studied in FRA 2000. Part II presents findings organized by geographic region and subregion. Part III describes the methodologies and processes underpinning the assessment and the mapping processes used to obtain the global maps of forest cover and ecological zones. Also described is the development of a comprehensive forestry information system (FORIS). Part IV summarizes the conclusions of the assessment, reviews the process and presents recommendations for future efforts. Finally, detailed appendices provide terms and definitions and comprehensive tables of the global statistics presented by country and region. More detailed data by country are posted in the country profiles on the FAO Forestry Web site (www.fao.org/forestry/fo/country/nav_world.jsp).

Two books on the timber sector

This report reviews developments in the global timber sector in 2000, with a focus on tropical timber. It contains data series on production and trade for the years 1996 to 2000, with particular attention to data from the last three years. In all global comparisons and ITTO summary totals 1999 is used as the base year, as this is the latest year for which reasonably reliable data for most countries were available at the time of preparation.

The first two chapters summarize production and consumption statistics and market development, trade and prices, respectively, for the primary tropical timber products. Current and projected economic conditions in many countries are also discussed. The third chapter describes trade in secondary processed wood products with a focus on tropical countries where these products have a greater role. The final chapter provides brief notes on relevant trends and developments in ITTO member countries not covered elsewhere. The appendices give data on total timber production volumes and trade volumes and values for all ITTO members.

Wood and wood products are among the most important of commodities being traded internationally and have a significant impact on countries' balance of trade. They are also at the heart of many debates on sustained use and protection of the environment.

This book provides a comprehensive view of the timber market chain from forest to consumer. It provides a historical perspective and general overview of the forest resource and detailed descriptions of the patterns of production, consumption and trade of wood products. It examines the major players in the international timber trade and the influence on the wood and wood products market of such features as costs, prices and exchange rates, tariff and non-tariff barriers, increasing globalization and regional integration, as well as environmental aspects of the industry.

The book will appeal to several audiences. It is a general reference for managers in the timber industry or trade. It provides an introduction to the timber industry's contribution to the world economy for those who require a broad understanding of the sector for their business activities, including bankers, financiers, investors and law professionals. Teachers and students will find it useful as a general overview of the forest and forest industries sector, and politicians, negotiators and other government officials will find in it valuable background material for developing policies for the sector and international trade.

Institutional economics applied to silviculture

This book addresses the economics of institutions, institutional change and transaction costs in the context of forestry. The theory of the new institutional economics is concerned with the evolution of institutions, property rights, transaction costs and uncertainty (a form of market failure). The authors contend that forestry serves as an excellent area for applying the theory because, in addition to producing commercial timber products, forests provide non-timber forest products and non-market amenities that often conflict with commercial logging activities. The response to this conflict has been the evolution of new regulations, particularly in regions where economies rely most heavily on harvests from primary forests. The forestry sector of one such region - British Columbia, Canada - is used to illustrate the concepts elucidated in this book, with a clear focus on silvicultural investment at the contractual level.

The study uses results from in-depth surveys to analyse the evolution of forestry institutions and public policy, with an emphasis on silvicultural investment as a means of addressing environmental concerns. Economists and policy-makers working in the forestry sector will be especially interested in the early chapters, which present a theoretical background to property rights, transaction costs and the new institutional economics. The later chapters address more applied topics in the silvicultural contracting sector (including a chapter on "How to hire and pay silvicultural workers") and may be of more interest to forest managers.

Are incentives for sustainable forest management sufficient?

This publication presents the results of a study on the extent to which communities in eastern and southern Africa have been provided with economic incentives to become involved in sustainable forest management. It reviews forest management regimes in 15 countries: Angola, Botswana, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somaliland, South Africa, the Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The study enquired whether forest management regimes in eastern and southern Africa have actually provided communities with sufficient economic benefits to make them willing, and able, to conserve and to use forest resources sustainably. It also investigated whether broader economic conditions in the region are supportive of community involvement in sustainable forest management and whether economic concerns are dealt with adequately in community-based approaches to forest management.

Key themes and issues, such as economic causes of forest degradation and loss, are presented in the first part of the report. The problem of undervaluation of forest resources in the region is also highlighted. Lessons learned on the links between community economic incentives and sustainable forest management are presented. The second section provides brief country reviews.

The publication is intended for government forest policy-makers at all levels, community-based forestry programme decision-makers and landscape planners, yet it clearly may be used to inform all stakeholders in sustainable forest management.

Fundamentals of forestry policy and economics in developing countries

Foresters working in forest management in the tropical world are increasingly coming to realize that the problems facing forestry development are not so much technical as economic and political. This book meets a very real need to assemble and review existing knowledge on the social, political and economic factors underlying the management of tropical forests. Each of these factors is examined in depth, with the use of practical examples.

The approach to these areas where many foresters feel out of their depth is informative and logical. After an introduction that sets out the stakes and the major constraints on forestry development, the book gives a systematic review of forest uses and the social aspects of forest management in developing countries. The stress is on people's expectations of forestry development and the role of local stakeholders in forestry decisions.

Public policies and their effectiveness are then analysed and discussed. Government interventions are set in the context of international debate. Areas covered include specific systems such as ecocertification, as well as efforts to reform forestry policies and to use negotiation techniques.

Special attention is given to economic analysis of the wood sector, considering the advantages and limitations in the case of the production and marketing of tropical woods. The dynamics of the informal sector are examined. Finally, choices regarding forestry investments are considered, through economic and financial analysis of forestry projects. In conclusion, the author analyses the development of past lines of action (to some extent raking up past polemics, which is not really helpful) and suggests paths to be followed in the future by the various parties involved in international aid. Many specific case studies, together with methodological notes, give life to the analyses.

Written for French-speaking foresters who work in the field and are involved directly in forestry management in developing countries, this book will be particularly valuable for forestry teachers. Many foresters from the North will also find it instructive as an introduction to the whole issue of the development of major forested areas, and also of help in grasping the still uncertain lines of forestry in the countries of the South - a forestry still in its infancy and groping for its future.

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