The meeting was opened by Mr. Ameur Horchani, Secretary of State for the Minister of Agriculture responsible for water and fish resources, who welcomed the participants, thanked FAO for its unceasing assistance to countries in their efforts to promote agriculture and rural development in general, and emphasised the role of forestry in socio-economic development and the necessity of involving all partners (population, private sector, NGOs) in the management and development of the forestry sector.
Mr. Amouri, FAO Sub-regional Representative for North Africa, on behalf of the Director General of FAO, thanked the Government of Tunisia, and the Minister of Agriculture in particular, for its contribution to the organization of the workshop, and the African Development Bank, which is a major collaborator in the study. He stressed the importance of FOSA as a planning tool and for the implementation of forestry policies at the national and regional levels, and emphasised the essential role of the FOSA National Focal Points in ensuring the effort's success.
Ms. Susan Braatz, the Coordinator of FOSA, introduced FOSA. The presentation focused on the following points: what is FOSA, why it has been initiated, who the partners are, what is involved in the implementation of FOSA, and how the African countries may be involved in the study. She outlined the activities of FOSA, the final products and the mechanisms established to ensure the co-ordination and technical and operational support of FOSA.
The national participants presented a report on the status of the forestry sector and the principal constraints affecting the development of the sector in their countries.
a) Country report of Morocco: Mr. Bendahmane Mohamed
This report presented the current situation of the forestry sector, in particular its ecological, economic and social importance. It also highlighted the contribution of the different economic driving forces behind forestry development, the constraints affecting its development and the factors that can promote the sustainable development of national forest resources.
b) Country report of Egypt: Ms Enanyat Abdul Aziz and Mr. Megahed Mabrouk Megahed
The report on Egypt outlined the efforts undertaken by the government in afforestation, in particular in the newly developed agricultural zones for the protection of infrastructure and irrigation canals and for the production of wood for local use. Emphasis has been put on the use of treated wastewater for the irrigation of plantations in the desert zones.
c) Country report of Libya: Mr. Adel Said
The report on Libya reviewed the principal forestry activities in the country, including the production of forest seedlings, reforestation and complementary projects (protection of plantations, efforts to combat sand encroachment, forest mapping, marketing of forest products).
d) Country report of Tunisia: M. Gader Ghazi
The Tunisian report focused on the country's new orientation that attempts to integrate people who live in or near the forest in the management and development of forests and the results obtained from studies and projects already carried out, including the inventory of forest and rangeland resources; strategic studies on woodfuels, industrial wood and non-wood forest products; SIFOP's project in developing a forestry planning and information system (SIPF). Pilot efforts in integrated development and the implementation plan of the AFIC were also discussed. Finally, the principal problems of the forestry sector in Tunisia were outlined.
e) Country report of Sudan: Mme Amira Awad M. Salih
The management of the forestry sector in Sudan is based on the 1988 Forestry Strategy. This strategy consists of: the intensification of efforts to develop village woodlots; the establishment of windbreaks; the promotion of agroforestry; the management of natural forests; the development of the national forest inventory; and the valorisation of non-wood forest products, in particular gum arabic destined for export.
f) Country report of Mauritania: M. Mohamed Lemine Ould Hmeida
The report of Mauritania focused on the forestry activities related to efforts to combat desertification, in particular efforts to control sand encroachment and the establishment of plantations along the Senegal River.
g) Country report of Algeria
The report for Algeria, which was sent to the meeting, presented the status of Algerian forests and the forestry sector and the measures planned to reduce the effects of forest resource degradation.
The presentation of the national reports was followed by discussions focused mainly on innovative projects in the management and development of the forestry sector.
The sub-regional context was presented in a working document entitled: "The forestry sector in North Africa: a critical analysis of the situation and future prospects to the year 2020". This document placed the forestry sector in a political and socio-economic context, indicated the principal problems linked to the development of forestry in the sub-region and outlined the trends in the sector to the year 2020. The consultant proposed solutions and alternative approaches to promote sustainable forest development. These proposals concerned all aspects of the sector, including political, social, environmental, institutional and technical.
The presentation of this document gave way to a discussion on the necessity of taking into consideration the differences between the various countries' political, socio-economic, ecological and institutional features.
Three organizations, working in cooperation with countries in the sub-region in fields related to the forestry sector, participated in the sub-regional planning meeting for FOSA.
a) The Plan Bleu: Ms. Sidhoum Hayeth
The representative of the Plan Bleu began by giving an overview of the activities of the organization, in particular its prospective (or outlook) studies on water resources, the environment, tourism and energy for the countries of the Mediterranean Basin. She also emphasised the activities carried out in the forestry sector and stressed the importance of regional cooperation in the implementation of FOSA.
b) OADA (Arab Organization for Agricultural Development): Mr. El Houssien Ballis
In his presentation, the representative of OADA emphasised the activities undertaken by the organization in the field of agricultural development and environmental conservation in the Arab countries, citing many studies, projects carried out or facilitated by OADA. He also stressed the necessity of co-ordination between FOSA and OADA efforts.
c) Silva Mediterranea: Mr. Mohamed Skouri
The consultant to the FAO-supported statutory body or committee, Silva Mediterranea, explained the objectives and history of the body, whose principal mission is to assist countries of the Mediterranean Basin develop and conserve their forest heritage. He also took note of the ways in which the committee works and the difficulties encountered in carrying out its mission.
A series of thematic papers will be prepared for FOSA by organizations and experts to give an overall view of the situation, trends and future prospects in important areas of forestry development in the African region. A list of 23 major themes were reviewed to ensure that the major issues facing the North African sub-region were adequately covered by the list, and to identify any gaps. The relationship between the thematic studies and the country outlook studies was discussed. Coordination with sub-regional organizations, as OADA, the Plan Bleu, and Silva Mediterranea is indispensable. A number of studies have already been carried out on the proposed themes.
The participants of the meeting had a field trip to the area of Cap Bon, where they visited tree nurseries and experimental plantations.
During this session, many points were presented and discussed by the participants, including the contents of the country outlook paper, the calendar of activities of the national focal points, and the means to implement and co-ordinate the study at national and regional levels.
The participants made a number of proposals to facilitate the achievement of the objectives of FOSA. These proposals and recommendations are included in part III of this report.