FAO forestry at 50
"The international forestry review of FAO's Division of Forestry and Forest products needed a title. It was felt that the title should express a policy. By going back to a language that once united scientific thinking, the Division has sought to enhance the basic concept that there must be united thought if the 'one world' is to consider its forests as 'one forest'for the use of all mankind. The rapid evolution of world economy and the very circumstances of our present lives demand such a policy.
"Forests were originally a huge reserve out of which each man could help himself to meet his own most immediate needs: fire and shelter. As villages and towns developed, the inhabitants had to go farther and farther afield to find the wood they needed. Economically the woodlands could no longer be considered the exclusive and unrestricted property of the individual. To take undue advantage of them was to deprive the community of an essential supply, not only exhausting a source of valuable raw material, but also depriving the tilled soil of an indispensable complement and a necessary protection....
"Every tree, every patch of forest has become the whole world's concern. Care of the forests then becomes the whole world's responsibility, at least to the extent of affording to governments and forest owners such assistance as may be needed in this often difficult task. For if forests are now to be considered as a world resource, either as a source of timber or as a general protection for agricultural lands, the world must manage them with all the forethought of a paterfamilias. At the very least, it should encourage careful management. Each generation which has enjoyed this great heritage should pass it on intact, if not improved, to the next one. This assistance, which may assume many forms, will have to be rendered by international organizations to those who act as stewards of these riches."
These words are drawn from the editorial of the first issue of Unasylva, published in July-August 1947. On the 50th anniversary of FAO, it is striking to reflect on the continued validity of that original message, even if additional considerations have become important over time. The quest for an appropriate balance between efficient use of the products and services of the world's forests and conservation of the resource base is still the mission of all those truly committed to enabling forestry to make the maximum potential contribution to sustainable development overall. If it is saddening to note how far we still are from reaching this goal, and alarming to consider the increasing pressures on the forests and even threats to their continued existence, the attention, concern and commitment of an increasingly wide community is heartening. The situation is dramatic, but it appears that the critical mass needed to resolve the challenges facing world forestry is now available. However, success hinges on the efficient use of every bit of available resources, both financial and human. Narrow interests must be put aside and conflicts resolved through a truly participatory process involving all parties concerned.
This issue of Unasylva commemorates 50 years of FAO's experience in and commitment to international forestry development. Notwithstanding this focus, the issue is essentially forward-looking. Articles written by senior officers of the Forestry Department consider key issues facing world forestry today, and challenges for the future. Lessons are also drawn from past experience. In this respect, the interview with René Fontaine, one of the original FAO foresters, is of particular interest, as are the short "reflections" of past members of the Forestry Department that are liberally sprinkled through the issue.
Complementing the articles written by FAO staff members, and highlighting the commitment of the Organization to a participatory approach, the issue also includes articles by other partners in the quest for sustainable forestry development. An article by the president of the International Forestry Students Association offers the perspective of the foresters of the future. The director of Greenpeace International presents a view from the community of non-governmental organizations. The chairman of the Swedish Forest Industries Association considers the role of private forest industry, and the head of the United Nations Development Programme shows the vision of another intergovernmental organization with a major role in international forestry development. The issue is completed by an extended World of Forestry section, containing reports and conclusions of the many important meetings held at FAO headquarters in conjunction with the March 1995 session of the Committee on Forestry; special attention is drawn to the complete text of the Rome Statement on Forestry, approved in a Ministerial Meeting on Forestry on 16-17 March.
The first Unasylva editorial concluded:
"The Division of Forestry and Forest Products can only hope that Unasylva will serve [the cause of international forestry development] by discussing the problems and helping to broadcast the increasingly complex information and knowledge required for a full utilization of the forest and its products".
Some 48 years later, Unasylva remains committed to furthering the cause of sustainable forest ecosystem management.
