Duty to the public interest
Forestry in the African Sahel
Endangered trees databook
Tropical trees: An identification atlas
The purpose of forests: follies of development. The speeches and writings of Jack Westoby, compiled by A.J. Leslie. Oxford and New York, Basil Blackwell Ltd. 1987. 343 pp. Price: UK£35.
I have been an admirer of Jack Westoby for more years than I care to admit. So ever since I heard that Alf Leslie was putting together a book of Jack's speeches and writings I have been looking forward to its appearance in the expectation that it would be something out of the ordinary. I was not disappointed.
The purpose of forests: follies of development is a voyage of discovery through one of the most original and keenest intellects to have entered the international forestry scene this century. Jack Westoby can, by turn, charm, convince, irritate, shock, even enrage us with his opinions, diagnoses and prescriptions for putting the world of forestry to rights. But however radical he may sometimes appear, one can sense throughout the book his unquestionable integrity and sincerity, his fundamental commitment to helping people - above all the poor, the landless and the disinherited - and his search for how forests should best be used to serve this objective. The extract from the Final Declaration of the Seventh World Forestry Congress in Buenos Aires, which he quotes in a speech to a Melbourne audience in 1974, clearly has the Westoby stamp: "Forestry is concerned not with trees, but with how trees can serve people."
The voyage of discovery begins with the frequently quoted paper, "The role of forest industries in the attack on economic underdevelopment" written for FAO's The State of Food and Agriculture in 1962. Here, the potential role that forest industries and trade could play in building up the economies of developing countries is examined within the perspective of the greatly expanding world consumption of forest products and the tightening supply situation, especially in the industrialized regions. While the arguments reflected much of the conventional wisdom of that time, they were set out in such a cogent and forceful way that the paper had a remarkable impact on forest policy in many parts of the world at the time and even to this day.
Westoby himself, usually a step or two ahead of the rest of the field, moved on from there, learning from sometimes bitter experience and always ready to pass on the fruits of that experience to others. He often speaks with missionary zeal, admonishing his audience for the mistakes of the past but always directing them to a brighter tomorrow: "No generation of foresters has faced a situation so full of excitement, adventure and challenge as that which faces us today", he tells the Ninth Commonwealth Forestry Conference in India in 1968.
Not a forester by training, Jack Westoby could still truthfully say to a Canberra audience in 1974: "of all the non-foresters in the world, I am probably the one with the widest and most intimate knowledge of foresters" What he observes in us is sometimes far from flattering and what he expects from us is often beyond the powers of mere mortals: foresters' "first duty is not to their employer, but to the public interest", he writes in a paper for the 1985 World Forestry Congress in Mexico City.
Leslie has grouped the 16 chapters of the book into three parts to underline the evolution of Westoby's thinking. The first, "The Promise", covers the period 1962 to 1969; the second, "Rethinking", from 1968 to 1974; and the third, "New Directions", from 1975 to 1985. It would be misleading to say that Westoby becomes increasingly disillusioned with the slow, even nonexistent pace of forestry development; exasperated would be nearer the mark, and this exasperation shows up in the increasingly radical solutions he prescribes and the caustic attacks on what he sees as the conservatism of the forestry "establishment". Nevertheless, he admits in his lecture at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1985 that "my purpose (is) not to convince you, but to tempt you to examine the hypothesis yourselves, and to examine it in depth".
The range of topics related to forestry and development that Westoby has tackled over the years is impressive. To select only a few: the responsibilities of the industrialized countries toward the developing, the need for a profound global shift in the division of labour in the forest industries; professionalism as applied to forestry; the role of the forestry educator; the international cross-fertilization of research and experience; the paucity of women foresters; the intimate relationship between agriculture and forestry; the overriding importance of political will and efficient social organization (as demonstrated in China) in achieving forestry objectives.
At what audiences is this book directed? It will serve in the first place as an ideal, if unconventional, textbook wherever international forestry is part of a school of forestry's curriculum. It will open new vistas, not only to students, but also to their teachers; it will make them stop and think just what forestry should be about, especially as it concerns the developing world, and how foresters should be facing up to society's changing needs and priorities. At the same time, it has a powerful message for all policy-makers and their advisers who are concerned with the forest and forest industry sector, not necessarily because they will feel able to accept all the philosophies or solutions that Westoby offers, but again because it will make them stop and think, and perhaps arrive at their decisions on the basis of a broader social perspective. Furthermore, this book is likely to have an impact outside the confines of the forestry sector on anyone working or concerned with the massive problems of socioeconomic development, who will find valuable case-studies from the forestry sector. Last but not least, individual foresters will benefit from and be stimulated by reading this book.
A few niggles: the title of the book does not satisfactorily convey its contents. Somehow, Follies of development conveys too negative an impression of what is, overall, a message of strong belief in the future of forestry. Secondly, the essence of Westoby the original thinker and the various messages he conveys would have come across more sharply in a rather shorter book. Leslie's concern not to tamper with the original texts is understandable, but the result is, especially in the first part of the book, to burden the reader with excessive details as, for example, on trends in forest product production and trade. Thirdly, one sometimes finds oneself thinking, "Westoby foresaw such and such a development, but what actually happened?". A chapter by Leslie to round off the book would have been interesting and instructive as a counterweight to his excellent foreword.
These are small points that hardly detract from the value of the book as a whole. International forestry has been fortunate to have adopted - or to have been adopted by - someone with the depth of vision, the intellect, and not least the remarkable power to communicate the written and spoken word, as Jack Westoby. May he long continue to shake us out of our conventional ruts!
T. Peck
Senior Forestry Economist, FAO, Geneva
THE BAOBAB (ADANSONIA DIGITATA) one of the most useful trees in the Sahel
Three important books about trees
Trees and shrubs of the Sahel: their characteristics and uses. (Arbres et arbustes du Sahel: leurs caractéristiques et leurs utilisations). H.-J. von Maydell. Rossdorf, TZ-Verlagsgesellschaft 1986. Paperback. 525 pp. Format: 15 x 21 cm. Price: DM 56 (+ postage).
This is the revised English version of a book that was first published in 1983 in French. A French updated version is also now available (at the same price).
This book fills a gap in the forestry literature for the African Sahel countries and the author and the publisher are to be congratulated. It not only contains a large amount of valuable information on 114 species of trees and bushes of the Sahel, but is also profusely illustrated with striking colour photographs of the species showing the tree or shrub as a whole as well as details of leaves, flowers, fruits, bark, etc., sometimes with as many as six pictures for each species described.
The book is the result of nearly ten years' work by the author with GTZ. From projects in the Sahelian countries, mainly in Senegal and Burkina Faso, he has collected information on the vernacular names of the species in a number of languages; the species' geographical distribution and demands on climate and soil; the methods of regeneration and treatment; their utilization for fuelwood, charcoal and saw-timber; the use of their leaves, flowers and fruits for food and fodder; and the use of various parts of the trees and bushes for medical purposes, for dyeing, etc. The value of the species for soil protection and improvement as well as their use for shelterbelts and as living fences is also studied. All this information is given in the first chapters of the book in which the usefulness of each species in various respects is illustrated by easily readable tables.
The main part of the book, more than 300 pages, is taken up by descriptions of the species in alphabetical order, together with colour illustrations. Of particular value especially to the forester working with local people in community forestry programmes, is the list of uses for each species.
As an example, take the case of the entry for Combretum glutinosum (p. 235):
"Uses: the wood is yellow, hard, heavy (900 kg per m3) and relatively resistant. Used in hut construction, for tools; makes excellent fuelwood and charcoal. Plantations should be tried. Bark, leaf and root extracts produce a yellow dye which is commonly used. Ashes for fixing indigo-blue colouring. In times of dearth browsed by livestock.A species with particularly many applications in local medicine. The bark is used to treat influenza and rheumatism, for wound dressing. Roots: as anthelmintic, for coughs, gonorrhoea and gastric disorders. Leaves: for malaria, bleeding, haematoma, biliary diseases, headache, sores, rheumatism and colic, for wound-dressing and as a diuretic. Young shoots and bark as an aphrodisiac. Fruit and seeds for syphilis and boils; seeds for sounds and in veterinary treatments. A tea from dried leaves ("rat") is commonly used in Senegal, the Gambia and other countries. From the tree's sap a drink is prepared for pregnant women. Baumer (1983) records that a stem of Combretum glutinosum is often used as a calendar in the villages, as an incision is made in it every year."
Until now this kind of information, so essential in working with indigenous tree species in a local setting, has been generally unavailable.
The book ends with a number of appendixes giving the scientific names, their synonyms and vernacular names in French and in a number of the native languages of West Africa (Bambara, Djerma, Gourmanché, Haussa, Moré, Peulh, Sérer, Tamachek and Wolof). The book also contains a French-German-English vocabulary of the terms used to describe the botanical details of the species. One appendix summarizes the environmental demands of each species and another gives an account of seed weights as well as colour photographs of the seeds of about two-thirds of the species. This last appendix is certainly a most useful complement to the pictures of the trees and fruits since seeds may often be found separated from the species, e.g. in the households of the people.
This is one of the most practical and useful books of its kind available, and it is recommended that every forester working in the Sahel have a personal copy that he can bring with him to the field when working in the bush or when talking to villagers.
J. Fries
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Databook on endangered tree and shrub species and provenances. FAO Forestry Paper No. 77. Rome, FAO. 1987. Paperback. 522 pp. Format: 15 x 21 cm.
At its Fifth Session in Rome in 1981, the FAO Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources included in its list of species in need of attention 81 species considered to be threatened with extinction or subject to severe, genetic depletion. These 81 species, endangered either at the species or provenance level, form the basis for the present book. Some of these were also described in FAO's 1981 Draft data book on endangered forest tree species and provenances elaborated in cooperation with IUFRO (International Union of Forestry Research Organizations) and UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).
The list of species included is by no means a complete list of endangered woody species, but represents a cross-section of those species which the Panel considered should be urgently included in genetic resource programmes. Many national lists exist on endangered flora and fauna, and these complement the present list of species of international socio-economic importance. Information from national lists is regularly collated and computerized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), which concentrates on recording information on species considered endangered, threatened and vulnerable, at the species, rather than at the intraspecific, level.
The main purpose of the present book is to draw the attention of decision-makers, scientists and international and national organizations to the conservation needs of the species included.
Information is given on distribution, ecology, biology; actual or potential uses; silviculture; genetic status; and remedial action under way or recommended to safeguard the genetic resources at species and provenance levels.
The book attempts to give as reliable an account as possible of each species, and over 40 scientists from more than 20 institutes worldwide have contributed to the data sheets.
Information for many species is, however, still far from complete and conservation action will thus have to be complemented by further basic studies on the species in question.
It is hoped that this book will lead to conservation action in both the species listed and in species identified at the national level; and, as the need emerges, to the description and conservation in and ex situ of additional species threatened with extinction or genetic depletion.
FAO DATABOOK conservation action is needed
Arbres des forêts denses d'Afrique centrale. J. Vivien & J.J. Faure. Paris, Agence de coopération culturelle et technique du Ministère des relations extérieures, de la cooperation et du développement. 1985. 565 pp.
The predominant characteristic in the descriptions of species given in this volume is accessibility. The criterion used for selection was that the tree trunk had to be able to attain a girth of 60 cm. This gave a list of 333 species found in Cameroon and other tropical African countries, arranged by families in alphabetical order.
Each species listed is accompanied by a description, under a fixed number of headings set out in the same order. The description gives the botanical name, i.e. the most recent scientific one; the local names, i.e. the names in the main vernacular languages used in the forest zone in Cameroon and other African countries; and the distribution of the species in Cameroon, with phytogeographic or ecological information on its distribution in tropical Africa.
A detailed description of the different parts of the tree follows: the base, which very often has a typical appearance and which the authors describe with the help of a photograph; the trunk, with height and girth; the crown where the branches and foliage are representative of the species; and the bark, whose external appearance and cross-section are both important for identification (the annex in fact includes a series of beautiful colour photographs of bark cross-sections showing the internal layers of the sapwood). This, the wood and the leaves are also described.
With regard to the leaves, the description indicates whether they are deciduous or evergreen, how they are arranged on the branch, whether they are simple or composite, and the shape. The description is usually completed by a drawing. The flowers are described only if they are large, clearly visible, or have a particular smell. The fruit is mentioned if the type is known (berry, drupe, pod, capsule, etc.), and the number, size, colour and special features of the seeds are given.
The productivity of the species, based on the results of various inventories carried out in Cameroon, is represented by two figures, the first showing the number of sterns per ha and the second the gross volume per ha. Mention is also made of the physical properties: density; when freshly-felled and when seasoned; hardness and veining. The known mechanical properties concern transverse and axial cohesion.
Finally, the main industrial, artisanal and other uses are indicated. The description is completed by a distribution map showing the zones where the species is known to exist. Alphabetical lists of the scientific names, known names and vernacular names are given in an annex.
In the introduction to this imposing work, the authors state that it was their aim to produce not a botanical manual but a book for everyone, whether foresters or the merely curious. They have certainly achieved their objective.
Fay Banoun
