APPENDIX E
8thWorld Forestry Congress
"Forests for People"
JAKARTA DECLARATION
- Indonesia was the generous host to the Eighth
World
Forestry
Congress
held
in
Jakarta from
16
to
28
October
1978.
The
Congress
drew
participants
from
104
countries
and territories and 17 international organizations.
- The
Congress reaffirmed
the
formal
declaration
of
the
Seventh
World
Forestry
Congress,
which
had
as
its
theme
''The
forest
and
socio-economic
development.''
The
Eighth Congress,
with
the
theme
''Forests
for
People"
examined
in
depth
how
forestry
might best
serve
human
beings,
individually
and
collectively.
In
consequence,
the
Congress declared
that
the
world's
forests
must
be
maintained,
on
a
sustainable
basis,
for
the use and enjoyment of all people.
- The
forest
is
a
resource
already
under
pressure
from
billions
of
people,
striving
to lift their standards of living. Since the last Congress, hundreds of
millions
more
people are
having
to
depend
on
an
ever-decreasing
area
of
forest.
This
situation
places
on governments
and
on
their
forest
administrations
an
even
greater
responsibility
than
ever before
to
arrest
degradation
and
to
manage
every
hectare
of
forest
to
best
advantage
and in
the
best
interest
of
all
people.
The
Congress recognized that
this
was
a
major challenge to the forestry profession, and to all those in any way
concerned
with
forestry activities.
- The Congress was not dismayed at this challenge. It recognized that the
world's
forests were
still
vast
in
extent,
that
they
represented
a
renewable
resource,
that
their
bio-mass
was
by
far
the
largest
of
all
vegetation
types,
that
the
potential
for
sustained growth
and
production
and
for
expansion
was
still
immense.
The
Congress,
however,
and with a grave sense of urgency, stressed to all governments that
time
is
running
out
and that unless effective measures are taken immediately forests will be
unable
to,
make
the future contribution to mankind of which they could be capable.
Furthermore,
and
because of
the
close
and
direct
link
between
quality
and
quantity
of
water
on
the
one
hand
and the extent and state of the forest resource on the other, the Congress recommended
that every
effort
should
be
made
in
order
to
prevent
water
becoming
so
scarce
as
to
affect biological production adversely.
- Being
acutely
aware
that
the
human
population
is
still
increasing
by
70
million
people every year, the Congress paid particular attention to the role which
forests
can
play
in improving the conditions for agricultural and livestock production, for
instance
through shelterbelts, regulation of waterflow, erosion control, as well as a
source
of supplementary animal fodder in dry periods. The Congress urged an
ever
greater
effort
to use
forests
for
these
indirect
means
of
ensuring
and
increasing
food
production.
Moreover,
foresters
should
look
beyond
their
forest
reserves
to
areas
where
the
planting
of
trees
can
be
of
major
benefit
to
people
and
to
agriculture
other
than
for
the
direct harvesting of timber.
- By
reason
of
the
gravity
of
world
food
shortages,
indirect
means
are
not
enough.
In
many countries, an enlarged concept of multiple-use forestry is required, one
which
encompasses the
more
direct
production
of
food
from
forests
and
forest
trees,
as
well
as
from
wild fauna. The Congress also called attention to the fact that in recent
decades,
floods, droughts,
and
the
spread
of
deserts
have
increased.
This
trend
will
continue
unless proper land management, including reforestation, is undertaken by
governments
with
urgency.
The
droughts
and
accelerated
desertification
in
Asia,
Africa,
and
Latin
America
-
and
the
extremely
destructive
floods
in
Asia
-
have
caused
loss
of
lives
and
misery
to
millions.
In
recent
years,
however,
there
have
been
many
examples
of
successful
techniques
in
agroforestry
which
governments
can
use
to
halt
these
destructive
trends.
The
Congress
urged
an
increase
in
applied
research
in
this
field
in
order
to
enable
governments
to
deal
with
such
problems
effectively.
- As forests and forest trees are an essential element for
maintaining
the
environmental stability
necessary
for
the
continuous
production
of
food
by
rural
communities,
and meet
some
of
their
most
basic
needs,
the
Congress
affirmed
that
it
should
be
the concern
of
all
in
the
forestry profession
that
forestry
make
its
full
contribution
to the development of rural communities, particularly of the rural poor of
the
developing world.
A
commitment
to
rural
development
on
the
part
of
foresters
will
be
of
no
avail unless
there
is
a
firm
commitment
on
the
part
of
governments.
Such
commitment
must include
action
to
reduce
inequalities
in
the
countryside,
notably
in
the
distribution of land and in access to social and support services. It means
encouraging
self-reliance,
mutual
aid
and
cooperation.
It
means
recognizing
people
as
the
motive
force
of
development,
not
simply
as
the
passive
object
of
development.
- Foresters must have the responsibility of managing forest lands
and
the
natural resources
existing
thereon.
Forestry
administrations
must
have
the
rank,
political backing, and effectiveness to discharge adequately such responsibilities
to
the
best advantage of the people.
- One
of
the
most
important
changes
since
the
previous
Congress
has
been
the
energy crisis and its many implications for forestry
and
forest
industries.
The
Congress
was
particularly concerned
with
the
''poor
man's
energy
crisis,''
the
growing
firewood
shortage
brought
about
by
population
pressure,
dwindling
forests,
and
the
increased
cost
of
alternative
means
of
cooking
and
heating.
This
situation
has
reduced
even
further
the
already
intolerably
low
living
conditions
of
some
1
500
million
of
the
rural
poor.
Furthermore,
the
burning
of
plant
residues
and
animal
dung
has
seriously
affected
soil
fertility
and
hence
food
production.
The
Congress
urged
all
governments
in
countries
with
a
major
requirement
for
fuelwood,
and
not
well
endowed
with
forest
resources,
to
give
the
highest
priority
to
its
production
in
appropriate
locations,
with
full
participation
of
local
people
and
suitably
integrated
with
agriculture.
- The
Congress
called
for
better
utilization
of
the
forest
resource
by
seeking
and
practising
more
efficient
harvesting
and
processing
techniques.
International
organizations
as
well
as
developed
countries
should
spare
no
effort
to
help
developing
countries
possessing
substantial
forest
resources
properly
to
inventory
and
manage
them
on
a
sustainable
basis.
- Increased oil prices had also had an effect on forest industries
and
the
people directly dependent
on
them.
Often
energy
costs
can
be
reduced
and
energy
can
be
saved by more efficient plant design and plant operation, and therefore the
Congress
urged
all forest industries to take steps towards this end with due
consideration
of
a
greater use of wood residues, whether industrial or from the forests themselves.
- The energy crisis has a further and potentially far-reaching
implication
for
forestry -
the
possibility
for
forests
to
become
an
important
source
of
high
grade
as
well
as low
grade
energy.
Because
of
the
interdependence
of
liquid
and
gaseous
fuels
and chemicals,
forests
offer
an
equally
exciting
opportunity
for
providing
the
synthetic organic
materials
so
indispensable
to modern
society
and
which
are
now
produced
from fossil
fuels.
The
Congress
brought
to
the
attention
of
governments
and
international technical
and
financing
organizations
this
important
new
role
which
forests
may
be asked to play, urging the early intensification of the necessary
programmes
of
research and development.
- The introduction of forest management and protection have usually
led
to
welcome increases in productivity of the land, both forest and farm land. But,
unfortunately, this
has
often
not
been
true
of
the
world's
tropical
forests
-
and
more
than
half
of the
world's
forests
are
in
the
tropics.
Large
areas
of
these
forests,
all
located
in developing countries, have suffered significant deterioration in quality
and
reduction in
size.
The
greatly
expanded
rate
of
removals
over
recent
years
has
concentrated
on prime species, often for unprocessed export, and this selective
exploitation
has left a poorer quality forest, badly damaged. But even more
important,
and
largely
unrecognized,
is
the
serious
human
and
ecological
problem
of
shifting
cultivation
in
the
tropics.
It
is
responsible
for
large-scale
degradation
of
both
forests
and
crop
lands.
Therefore,
the
Congress
emphasized
the
importance
of
restoring
productivity
to
present
deforested
areas,
also
for
the
sake
of
the
hunter-gatherer
living
entirely
off
the
tropical
rain
forest.
- Because of this situation, the Congress stressed the
need
for
comprehensive
forest land management, industries to be reorganized and new technologies
to
be
adopted
in order to use more effectively smaller logs and a wider range of
species.
It
also urged
developing
countries
to
undertake
further
processing
and
to
produce
a
wide
range of products for both domestic consumption and export. The
utilization
of
the
forest resource must be aimed at enhancing the
welfare
particularly
of
the
communities
living or working in the forest and,
more
generally,
of
all
the
people
of
the
country possessing such a resource. The
implementation
of
this
must
be
based
on
an
adequate inventory and monitoring of changes in
tropical
forest
cover.
- The
Congress
urged
that
forest
services
should
assume
a
leading
role
in
evaluating proposals for the establishment of both small and large-scale
forest
industries, according to the size of the market and the resource available, as
well
as
the managerial and technical capability of the
country.
Whereas
large-scale
forest
industries are necessarily capital intensive, forestry is generally labour
intensive,
as
often is smaller-scale industry. Although
mechanization
of
some
activities
may
be
desirable,
the
important
role
which
forests
can
play
in
providing
employment
suggests
that
in
some
circumstances
the
labour
intensive
role
of
forestry
should
be
deliberately
preserved,
at
least
in
the
short
term.
More
modern
and
sophisticated
technologies
might
be
warranted
in
future
if
the
utilization
of
the
forest
resource
brings
about
real
development.
- The Congress strongly emphasized the important role
which
forest
products
other
than timber play in the life of rural communities depending on the
forests.
These
products play a vital role in providing employment opportunities and
increasing
the
living standard of rural people, raising the number of people supported by
forests.
The Congress therefore recommended that forest services and
international
organizations should work for the conservation, promotion
and
rational
utilization
of
such
products.
- The Congress urged governments to
take
appropriate
corrective
action,
including
changes to the social and economic structures wherever needed, with respect
to
unsatisfactory health, safety, status and remuneration conditions of forest
workers.
There
was
an urgent need for a more highly trained work-force, and the Congress stressed
that governments should devote more resources to the initial and
continuing
training
of workers, technicians and professionals in
both
forestry
and
forest
industries.
- The
Congress
supported
the
view
that
forestry
should
offer
equal
employment
opportunities to men and women, and that steps should be
taken
to
increase
the
proportion
of women employed.
- Recognizing
that
forests
have
an
important
bearing
on
many
aspects
of
the
quality
of life,
the
Congress
stressed
that
foresters
have
a
responsibility
to
give
a
positive lead
in
regard
to environmental
impacts
and
choices
between
different
uses
and different mixtures of uses.
- Stressing also the important role of
forests
and
trees
for
recreation
and
tourism, the Congress insisted that the cultural, social and economic
needs
of
people actually living in and near the forests be always considered in
using
forests
for recreation or promoting tourism, and that use should not lead to
forest
site deterioration.
- Recongizing that it is important to
mankind's
future
to
preserve
representative
areas of all major forests as gene pools,
scientific
benchmarks,
habitats
for
wildlife, and as examples of man's cultural heritage, the Congress urged
all
governments
to preserve as part of normal balanced land-use, adequate areas of
every
type
of
forest and give them full and permanent legal protection as National Parks
or
other Protected Areas. Efforts should be intensified to search out
species
of
potential benefit to mankind and to develop their use.
- Research will play an essential role in
achieving
the
goals
of
the
Congress
and
the objectives stated herein. A sound scientific and technical
foundation
is
required for the wise use of all forest resources. The
Congress
recommended
that
research
should
be
encouraged
and
strengthened
for
the
benefit
of
people
of
the
world
who
depend
on
trees
and
forests
for
their
economic
and
social
well-being.
- The Congress drew attention to the necessity for the increasing
needs
in
scientific, technological and managerial information to be met efficiently.
Existing
forestry information and documentation services should
be
supported,
and
their
further
development encouraged. The activities of international, local and specialized
information services should be coordinated.
- The Congress noted with concern
that,
if
present
trends
continue
and
potential
demands materialize, there is the prospect of a serious gap between the
world's
needs
for industrial and other wood products and the capacity of the world's
forests
to
supply these and other essential goods and services. This gap can only be
avoided
if
the shrinkage of the forest area is halted, if natural forests are
properly
managed,
if harvesting is more complete and more efficient, if there is
subsequent
full
and prudent use of all products harvested, if large areas of successful
plantations
are created and intensively managed, and, finally, if the return from
forest
utilization reaches the communities owning, living, or
working
in
the
forests.
The
Congress
called on all foresters to reaffirm their total
commitment
to
resource
conservation,
resource renewal and resource expansion.
- In order
to
strengthen
the
role
of
forests
for
people,
especially
the
poorest
sectors of the population, the Congress finally emphasized
the
importance
of:
- - the
contribution
of
forests
(without
detriment
to
their
continued
existence
for future generations) to the economic development of the least
favoured
regions;
- - the development of international cooperation in the fields of
inventory
compilation and forest resource management and
conservation,
particularly
in
developing
countries;
- - intensification of forest productivity
within
the
framework
of
integrated
land management;
- - the creation of jobs in rural areas.
- Those governments which have not yet proclaimed an official forest
policy
are
urged to do so, including the relevant principles of this Congress declaration
as
keystones of their manifesto.
(signed)
Soedjarwo
President
8th World Forestry
Congress
Jakarta,
28
October
1978
