In most countries of the humid and dry tropics, forests are being cleared or degraded at a rapid rate, mainly to satisfy the basic subsistence needs of poor rural communities. Despite this alarming situation, national and international funding for tropical forestry programmes have generally decreased in recent years. The Committee on Forest Development in the Tropics recognized this at its session held in Rome in October 1983. One of the main purposes of this FAO statutory body, composed of 45 member countries, is “to study and report on the international programmes in tropical forestry and on the concerted action which could be undertaken by governments and international organizations to ensure the development and rational utilization of tropical forests and related resources”. At this same session, the Committee also recognized the need to identify and describe areas of high priority, with the aim of providing the international donor community with a set of clearly defined development programmes, and recommended that FAO establish ad hoc groups to elaborate proposals for action programmes in the priority areas it had identified at the regional or global level.
Acting on these recommendations FAO, in collaboration with member countries, international organizations and representatives of the international donor community, has elaborated the TROPICAL FORESTRY ACTION PLAN, which consists of five action programmes, constituting an overall, conceptual framework for action. These priority areas are: (i) forestry in land use; (ii) forest-based industrial development; (iii) fuelwood and energy (iv) conservation of tropical forest ecosystems; and (v) institutions.
Activities in the field of forest genetic resources are included in programme (iv), in which priority areas have been identified as follows:
With due regard to local conditions and national priorities, it is thought that the main thrust of work in in situ conservation will initially concentrate on the following tasks:
the collection of basic information on natural distribution, genetic diversity and variation patterns of species in need of conservation and development;
studies and implementation of programmes on the integration and compatibility of conservation of genetic resources and protected area management;
studies on the extent to which existing protected areas do or could play a role in the conservation of plant genetic resources and on the establishment of additional areas to fulfil the needs;
involvement of local populations in the conservation and wise utilization of plant resources.
The Tropical Forestry Action Plan is also expected to reinforce existing training activities and to increase the awareness among local populations, the public at large, technicians and decision-makers of the value of natural resource conservation and of its compatibility with the wise use of the resource.
In the present issue of FGRI, the article on in situ conservation in Peru relates closely to the Tropical Forestry Action Plan; similar articles on Cameroon and Malaysia were published in FGRI No. 14.
To help facilitate search and introduction of new plant materials in your country, the present issue of FGRI includes, further, a summary of the various announcements of seed availability made in short notes and articles published in this issue.
Lastly, we would like to remind readers that short notes of general interest in the field of forest genetic resources and conservation; and manuscripts of up to 3000 words, are always welcome.
| Please address correspondence to: | The Chief Forest Resources Development Branch Forestry Department FAO (Via delle Terme di Caracalla) I - 00100 Rome, Italy |
