SUMMARY
At its second session in 1974, the Committee requested
that the agenda of Regional Forestry Commission sessions
include as a standing item "Matters to be referred to the
attention of the Committee on Forestry", and that the
corresponding section of the report of each session be
submitted to the subsequent session of the Committee. This
note summarizes the main points of interest to COFO made by
such regional commissions, as well as other FAO statutory
bodies in forestry, at meetings held since the previous
session of COFO in 1995.
MATTERS FROM REGIONAL FORESTRY COMMISSIONS
FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE COMMITTEE
African Forestry and Wildlife Commission
1. The African Forestry and Wildlife Commission met for
its tenth session in Sanbonani, South Africa, from 27
November to 1 December 1995. Its main recommendations were:
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State of forestry and wildlife in the
region
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that member countries and FAO intensify their
efforts towards the assessment of forest resources
in the region to foster sustainable forest
management;
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that member countries, in cooperation with FAO
and other international organizations, give special
training to foresters on natural resource and
environmental accounting and on socio-economic and
financial management, as a means of upgrading
forestry in national agendas;
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that member countries advance decentralization
processes, but in a judicious way, so as to avoid
the abuse of forest resources and that FAO develop
and share information on the roles of the various
stakeholders in order to assist countries in
developing strategies for the decentralization of
forestry programmes;
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that member countries increase efforts in
well-planned, targeted, formal training and that
FAO assist in the coordination of
professional-level education and in forestry
research networking in the region;
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that member countries establish and strengthen
self-funding mechanisms for the sustainable
management of forest resources in the region and
that FAO take the lead in the development of a
strategy on funding options;
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that FAO and African countries intensify efforts
to develop greater African input into international
issues.
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Progress towards sustainable forestry
development in the context of UNCED follow-up
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that FAO and other partners explore all possible
means to heighten African participation in the
Inter-governmental Panel on Forests.
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Criteria and indicators for sustainable
forest management for Africa
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that, in order to allow further study of the
report of the expert meeting on criteria and
indicators for sustainable forest management in
dry-zone Africa, it be reproduced and sent to
countries for discussion, improvement and/or
further adaptation at national level and that FAO
and UNEP continue monitoring and supporting the
process.
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Investment in forestry in Africa
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that FAO, in partnership, where appropriate,
with other international organizations:
- assist countries in capacity building in
matters related to mobilization of funds and
creation of conditions which enhance
attractiveness of forestry for funding;
- keep member countries briefed on the
forestry priorities, policies and mechanisms of
donors and multilateral funding agencies,
including through publication of information on
this subject;
- take advantage of its ongoing
decentralisation to better assist African
countries in mobilizing funding, preferably in
cooperation with regional institutions such as
the African Development Bank;
- seek to influence the opinion of key
international decision-makers in the donor
community in favour of forestry in Africa.
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Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission
2. The Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission held its
sixteenth session in Yangon, Myanmar, from 15 to 20 January
1996. Its main recommendations were:
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Follow-up to UNCED's agreements on
forestry
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that FAO establish an ad hoc working group to
strengthen the Commission's work in developing
environmentally-sound harvesting techniques,
including the possibility of the development of a
regional code of practice for forest harvesting for
Asia-Pacific. The code could be based on, and be
complementary to, existing logging codes such as
the South Pacific sub-regional code and various
national codes.
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Preparations for an international expert
consultation on management of protected areas and
rural development
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that FAO give priority to the following aspects
of protected area management: (i) strengthening and
nurturing indigenous knowledge of natural resource
management, (ii) improving rural infrastructure,
(iii) recognition of traditional local rights, (iv)
management of ecotourism in a way that is
ecologically sustainable and culturally acceptable,
(v) countering the threats to natural ecosystems
from introduced pests, predators and such other
exotic influences, and (vi) promoting inter-country
collaboration, especially to deal with
transboundary aspects of protected area management.
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Strengthening the role of Regional Forestry
Commissions (RFCs)
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that the Commission's members themselves take
responsibility for ensuring that its activities
were sufficiently important and interesting to
attract all its member countries. Activities of
such broad appeal could include analysis and
exchange of experiences on successful projects in
member countries;
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that the following potential approaches for
improving its work be pursued: (i) development of
substantive intersessional programmes and, where
appropriate, new funding arrangements to support
such programmes; (ii) greater exchange of
information with other RFCs; (iii) interaction with
other FAO committees and commissions in the region
with responsibility for the closely-linked sector
of agriculture; (iv) designation of national focal
points to facilitate contacts on Commission
business; (v) clear advance planning for all
Commission activities; (vi) promoting the use of
new technologies such as e-mail systems to
facilitate communication and information-sharing
among members; and (vii) exchange of expertise
among member countries of the Commission;
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that at each session additional opportunities be
created for participants to inform others of key
developments, perhaps through presentations outside
regular session hours.
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Proposal for a forestry sector outlook study
for the Asia-Pacific region
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the Commission recommended its implementation
and recognized the appropriateness of the proposal
in the context of current endeavours to strengthen
RFCs and its own desire for greater focus on
regional issues. It also recognized that the
impressive growth of the forestry sector in the
Asia-Pacific region, together with the importance
assigned to forestry on the international scene,
made execution of the study an important aid to
decision-making on national, regional and global
issues.
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Latin American and Caribbean Forestry
Commission
3. The nineteenth session of the Latin American and
Caribbean Forestry Commission was held in Panama City,
Panama, from 17 to 21 June 1996. Its main recommendations
were:
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Strengthening the role of Regional Forestry
Commissions (RFCs)
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stating that new opportunities were arising in
the region from socio-economic and environmental
globalization and were leading to the formation of
important sub-regional groups such as those of
Central America, the Southern Cone, the Caribbean
and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty and that these
were sometimes initiating significant environmental
and forestry actions and could thus contribute
towards bolstering the work of the Commissions,
that these groups be given ample opportunity in
subsequent LACFC sessions to voice their overriding
concerns so that regional forestry development
programmes and actions could be jointly agreed and
coordinated;
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that governments, while recognizing that
forestry development involved a wide range of
social and institutional groups, encourage their
participation in its discussions for subsequent
channelling through governmental representations;
and that, to encourage such participation, the
provisional agenda of its sessions be drawn up
together with the groups invited to attend, and
that apposite technical and policy aspects be
included.
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that the FAO Regional Office should be able to
establish, at affordable cost, an intra-regional
forestry information system that would facilitate
participation in planned intersessional activities
in accordance with its mandate, and in order to
energize its work, subregional work mechanisms be
established as an integral part of the Commission's
structure, not only to deal more closely with
specific topics related to sustainable forest
development but also to raise the level of
cooperation, coordination and information between
countries and to facilitate the participation of
the region in other regional or global bodies; and
that subregional mechanisms be formally established
for the purpose of effective LACFC intersessional
activity through the Central America and Mexico,
Caribbean, Amazon and Southern Cone groups.
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that, aware that for various reasons some
Members States had not attended the nineteenth
session, the topics and activities listed in
paragraph 32 of its report be submitted at the
earliest opportunity to all the Member States.
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In-session seminar: Funding forest
development
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that FAO examine the successful internal
financial mechanisms used in some countries of the
region and elsewhere for the forestry sector, and
disseminate its findings;
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that FAO support regional and subregional
studies and initiatives on the public and private
funding of forestry development;
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that FAO organize a regional seminar or
subregional seminars to examine the issue more
closely, given its importance and relevance.
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Follow-up to the recommendations of the
eighteenth session of the Commission
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that, being informed that because of budgetary
restrictions it had not been possible to convene a
regional meeting on forestry policy and legislation
and the strengthening of strategic and operational
planning systems, the appropriation of funds for
this activity be considered in the budget for the
1998-99 biennium;
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that, in compliance with recommendation 3 of its
eighteenth session, FAO had signed an NFAP support
project with the Government of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands, for which funds would be released when
a Regional Forestry Officer had taken up office to
coordinate project activities and support the
strengthening of NFAPs at country level, FAO
expedite matters in response to countries'
expressed needs so that the project could be
initiated.
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Forestry activities in the region
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that these priorities be included in the
Organization's Regular and Field Programme
activities and underlined the fundamental role that
FAO should play in identifying and providing
technical, policy and institutional instruments so
that the region's forest resources could be
appropriately developed for the benefit of society;
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noting that continuing budgetary limitations
were one of the main obstacles preventing FAO from
giving countries proper support, action be taken
through Representatives in Rome to seek a budgetary
increment in support of the Forestry Department's
activities in the region;
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that, being aware of the opportunities for
cooperation that existed in the region on the basis
of national capacities and welcoming the offers
made by Brazil, Chile, Cuba and Mexico, in addition
to other countries that would subsequently be in a
similar position, FAO provide appropriate
mechanisms through its TCDC Programme to further
the collaborative process and that actions be taken
to reinforce the forestry sector and demonstrate
the importance of forest resources as an instrument
for national development and regional and
subregional integration;
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that delegates, for their part, do all they
could to have their respective governments accord
the forestry sector its rightful status; that FAO
pursue a similar course of action with governments
and continue to look into ways of cutting the costs
of TCP projects by resorting more to TCDC. This
would increase the number of projects without
adding to the budget. FAO and the countries should
together seek alternatives for the formulation and
negotiation of projects, to be financed from
external sources, so as to improve and expand the
field programme and have it correspond to
countries' needs
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European Forestry Commission
4. The twenty-eighth session of the European Forestry
Commission was held jointly with the fifty-fourth session of
the ECE Timber Committee in Geneva (Switzerland) from 23 to
27 September 1996. The joint session's main conclusions
were:
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Special topic: status of women in
forestry
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that FAO consider this issue in the preparation
of the new Programme of Work and Budget for
1998-1999. The organizers of the eleventh World
Forestry Congress were also asked to give the issue
proper attention.
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Strengthening the role of Regional Forestry
Commissions (RFCs)
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endorsed the proposals submitted by FAO and
stressed the importance of identifying regional
specificities and carrying out activities in the
areas identified. A major role for RFCs, identified
by several delegations, was to articulate the
regional viewpoint and present it to global bodies,
such as COFO. The importance of a programme of
intersessional activities (as was the case for the
European Forestry Commission and the North American
Forest Commission) was mentioned.
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Main findings and implications of the study
"European Timber Trends and Prospects: into the
21st Century" (ETTS V)
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that FAO arrange an expert meeting on global and
regional outlook studies, as follow-up to the
study.
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Near East Forestry Commission
5. The Near East Forestry Commission held its twelfth
session in Cairo, Egypt, from 21 to 24 October 1996. Its
main recommendations were:
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Criteria and indicators for sustainable
forest management for the Near East
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that training be given in the implementation of
criteria and indicators for sustainable forest
management in the Near East, such training to be
designed for foresters at different levels,
including medium-level personnel in charge of
technical activities of forest management;
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that, in order to ensure follow-up to the
implementation of these criteria and indicators in
the region, each country should name a national
coordinator who would be responsible for follow-up
activities, so as to ensure rapid elaboration and
subsequent implementation;
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as part of follow-up activities, interested
countries should organize regional seminars to
study the progress achieved in each country on the
implementation of criteria and indicators, as well
as to share experiences so as to eventually achieve
a common set of criteria and indicators for the
region or sub-regions. Countries together,
preferably organized in regional or sub-regional
groups, should join efforts in order to attract
international support and funding which would
enable each one to implement these criteria and
indicators at the national and forest management
unit level, and that FAO assist member countries in
obtaining international funding for these purposes.
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Strengthening the role of Regional Forestry
Commissions (RFCs)
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that, in reviewing possible hindrances to
participation, including funding problems which
were handicaps for many countries in the region,
funding participation at sessions of NEFC be sought
through donors, donor agencies and suitable ongoing
FAO projects;
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that, in future, the agenda be prepared by the
Bureau of the Commission, in consultation with
member countries and FAO.
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Follow-up to the recommendations addressed to
FAO by the eleventh session of the Commission
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noting that follow-up action to the
recommendations of its last session had been
limited due to lack of funding and the absence of
the Regional Forestry Officer, they be brought
forward to the next session.
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FAO forestry activities in the region
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a)
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Review of 1992-93/1994-95 activities and
Programme of Work for 1996-97
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that action be taken to seek a budgetary
increment in support of the Forestry Department's
activities in the region through the relevant FAO
governing bodies.
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b)
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Forestry field operations in the region
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that FAO and countries work closely together to
formulate and negotiate projects, to be financed
from external sources, so as to improve and expand
the field programme and have it correspond to
countries' needs, including support for applied
forestry research, development and management of
protected areas, and forest fire management
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North American Forest Commission
6. The North American Forest Commission held its
eighteenth session in Asheville (North Carolina), United
States of America, from 18 to 22 November 1996. Its main
recommendations were:
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NAFC regional report for SOFO ' 97
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that, while expressing its concern that urban
populations lacked an understanding of the
complexity of forest conservation issues, member
countries continue efforts to disseminate
information on priority issues and activities.
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FAO forestry activities of interest to the
region
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that, while commending the report on FAO
activities of relevance to the region but pointing
out that many of these activities were not broadly
known in the region, information on FAO activities
be widely disseminated in the region.
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Strengthening the role of Regional Forestry
Commissions (RFCs)
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that FAO assist in developing a global forest
strategy to help RFCs plan their work in a
harmonized and coordinated context, thereby
contributing to the achievement of common
objectives;
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that FAO assign a Regional Forestry Officer to
assist NAFC to carry out these initiatives. A
position description will be submitted to FAO for
consideration;
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that, in keeping with FAO goals to strengthen
regional forestry commissions, FAO provide funding
to support study group operations.
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MATTERS OF INTEREST TO COFO FROM OTHER FAO
STATUTORY BODIES IN FORESTRY
Advisory Committee on Pulp and Paper
7. The Advisory Committee on Pulp and Paper held its
thirty-seventh session in Marrakech (Morocco) on 24 and 25
April 1996.
8. The Committee approved the continuation of the Global
Fibre Supply Study, which will analyze fibre supply and, to
a lesser extent, demand to forest industries until 2010,
considering fibres from natural and man-made forests, from
recycling and from industrial residues. It agreed to expand
its activities to other forest industries sectors, and to
enlarge its membership while respecting the balance between
developing and developed countries experts, and between
producers and consumers of forest products. Members of the
Committee encouraged FAO to report on achievements and
ongoing activities in sustainable forest management
world-wide and on the related timber certification.
Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources
9. The ninth session of the FAO Panel of Experts on
Forest Gene Resources was held in Rome from 3 to 5 October
1996. The Panel recommended that:
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the increased demands for support to global
action in the forest genetic resources field, the
expansion in the scope of forest genetic resources
activities, and their specific nature requiring
specialized technical and scientific knowledge, be
adequately acknowledged and fully reflected in the
work programme of FAO;
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FAO continue to provide strong international
leadership and a point of reference for the world
community in the field of forest genetic resources,
in which the competence of the Organization was
commonly recognized;
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the collegial relations, mutual esteem and
widespread goodwill which existed in the generally
closely-knit forest genetic resources community be
fostered and drawn upon for the benefit of
sustainable forestry development, worldwide;
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FAO, supported by the global forest genetic
resources community, help ensure that technically
and scientifically solid information on genetic
aspects be made available to fora in which
decisions were made on criteria and indicators for
sustainable forest management and on variables to
be assessed in national, regional and global
resource surveys;
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FAO assist countries, as appropriate, to develop
or further strengthen national strategies and
action plans for the conservation, development and
sustainable use of forest genetic resources and to
integrate such action plans into overall land use
planning, thus ensuring their complementarity with
national agricultural, forestry and environmental
development strategies;
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FAO, in collaboration with its international
partners, and with the help of Members of the
present Panel, help raise awareness in member
countries of the need to ensure the presence at the
fourth International Technical Conference on Plant
Genetic Resources of country delegations covering,
or aware of, forest genetic resource considerations
and priorities, and aware of the contributions that
the forestry sector can, and should, make to
overall development of nations in the field covered
by the Conference;
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following the fourth International Technical
Conference on Plant Genetic Resources, FAO help
convene workshops to discuss tropical and
sub-tropical forest genetic resources programmes
and priorities, on the same lines as those held, or
planned to be held, in 1995 for boreal and
temperate zones and for European forest genetic
resources;
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support continue to be given in the future, in a
balanced manner, to forest genetic resources
activities in the humid tropics, the dry tropics
and the sub-tropics, and that exchange of
information and genetic materials among and between
these zones, as applicable, be vigorously promoted;
the Panel, further, stressed the need to continue
to give due attention to areas marginal to plant
growth in all ecological regions, with special
reference to agricultural wastelands and cold
deserts;
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FAO help support networking and twinning among
and between developed and developing country
institutions, thus actively furthering the sharing
and transfer of experiences, technologies and
know-how;
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activities within the framework of the
International Neem Network be continued;
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FAO take steps to coordinate and catalyze action
in the conservation and sustainable use of mahogany
species, initially focusing attention on species of
neotropical genera of the Meliaceae. Activities
should, in subsequent phases of the work, be
expanded to cover also the Asia-Pacific and the
African regions.
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Advisory Committee on Forestry Education
10. The Advisory Committee on Forestry Education (ACFE)
held its eighteenth session in Santiago (Chile) from 11 to
14 November 1996. The meeting was attended by 40
participants, of whom 29 were from developing countries. The
session focused on curriculum revision and continuing
education. Five work groups proposed recommendations which
were approved in plenary:
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Consequences of changing institutional and
funding arrangements for universities, colleges and
forestry departments
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FAO should encourage the development of strong
forestry organisations in each country, which can
define the content and quality of forestry
education at the professional level;
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Implications of developments in information
technology for the nature and delivery of forestry
education
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FAO should act as a focal point in establishing
necessary links for multi-media teaching at a
distance and its networking on international scale.
FAO should include in its web-site a Bulletin Board
for forestry education and, if necessary, provide a
list server and a web server;
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Role of continuing education
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FAO and the Committee, together with others,
should seek to identify the training needs, and
likely developments, in relation to continuing
education;
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Effective incorporation into curricula of the
social functions of forestry
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the Comittee recommended that there be made
available within the curricula the opportunities
for social training on practical projects and
students be exposed to interactions with the public
representing the full spectrum of stakeholders in
foresty;
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Technical-level learning and its
development
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FAO and the Committee should include this item
on the agenda of the next meeting.
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International Poplar Commission
11. The twentieth session of the International Poplar
Commission (IPC), the thirty-eighth session of its Executive
Committee and meetings of its five working parties were held
in Budapest (Hungary) from 1 to 4 October 1996. One new
country, South Africa, was admitted to IPC, bringing the
number of member countries to 36. About 200 participants
from 30 countries attended the meetings, two of which were
held conjointly with all working parties.
12. The first meeting of the predecessor of IPC was held
in France in 1947 and participants accordingly discussed
proposals to mark the fiftieth anniversary of this event at
the World Forestry Congress in Turkey in October 1997.
13. The importance of fast-growing, intensively-managed
plantations, especially of poplars and willows, in the
supply of industrial raw material was stressed as a means of
reducing pressures on natural forests, as was the role of
poplar and willow plantations in providing a source of
carbon-neutral biomass energy.
14. Participants drew attention to the dangers of
transferring pests and diseases with the international
exchange of poplar or willow germplasm. The preparation of
guidelines for the safe transfer of germplasm of the
Salicaceae, as one of the technical guidelines series for
the safe movement of germplasm (prepared by IPGRI and FAO)
was recommended.
15. The need to maintain budgets for national long-term
breeding and conservation programmes was emphasized.
Participants noted with satisfaction the activities of FAO
as Secretariat of IPC to support studies to monitor the
status of Populus euphratica and to develop strategies for
its conservation throughout its range; FAO was urged to
encourage active conservation programmes and the development
of a project to support the conservation of this and other
endangered species. Recommendations were also made to raise
the awareness of member countries to the value of ex situ
collections and to the problems of their maintenance.
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