This publication is based on information drawn from a wide range of sources including, in particular, the national reports submitted to the nineteenth session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in August 2002. The efforts of the authors of these reports are gratefully acknowledged. The financial support provided by the European Commission, through the EC-FAO Partnership Programme (Project GCP/INT/173/EC), to the preparation of these reports in South and Southeast Asia is also acknowledged with thanks.
Thanks are also due to the many people who contributed to an FAO e-mail exercise to identify the most significant developments in the forestry sector in Asia and the Pacific in 2002. This initiative identified many important national developments for inclusion in the publication. The many colleagues in the region who were contacted to provide information on specific issues are also thanked for their assistance.
Particular thanks are due to colleagues in the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific - Thomas Enters, Miyuki Ishikawa and Philip McKenzie - who reviewed the draft and provided many helpful comments for improving it, and Simmathiri Appanah for contributing the section on Education, research and information systems.
