Report of the Twenty-first Session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission

RAP Publication: 2006/09
FO:APFC/2006/REP

Dehradun, India
17-21 April 2006

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Bangkok, 2006

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PREVIOUS SESSIONS OF THE COMMISSION

First session	Bangkok, Thailand	9-17 October 1950
Second session	Singapore/Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1-13 December 1952
Third session	Tokyo, Japan	9-21 April 1955
Fourth session	Bandung, Indonesia	8-12 June 1957
Fifth session	New Delhi, India	12-18 February 1960
Sixth session	Hong Kong	12-17 September 1962
Seventh session	Rotorua, New Zealand	22 September-2 October 1964
Eighth session	Seoul, Korea (Rep. of)	1-8 May 1969
Ninth session	Canberra, Australia	20-28 September 1973
Tenth session	Kathmandu, Nepal	6-10 June 1977
Eleventh session	Suva, Fiji	6-10 April 1981
Twelfth session	Bangkok, Thailand	19-23 March 1984
Thirteenth session	Beijing, China	30 March-3 April 1987
Fourteenth session	Manila, Philippines	12-16 March 1990
Fifteenth session	Colombo, Sri Lanka	9-13 August 1993
Sixteenth session	Yangon, Myanmar	15-20 January 1996
Seventeenth session	Yogyakarta, Indonesia	23-27 February 1998
Eighteenth session	Noosaville, Queensland, Australia	15-19 May 2000
Nineteenth session	Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	26-30 August 2002
Twentieth session	Nadi, Fiji	19-23 April 2004

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

For additional copies of this publication, please write to: Senior Forestry Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Maliwan Mansion, Phra Athit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT

The copyright of this publication is vested in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, by any method or process, without written permission from the copyright holder. Applications for such permission with a statement of the purpose and the extent of reproduction desired should be made through and addressed to the Senior Forestry Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Maliwan Mansion, Phra Athit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand.

© FAO 2006

Abstract

This publication reports the proceedings of the APFC session held in Dehradun, India from 17 to 21 April 2006. Representatives from 29 member countries and 3 United Nations organizations participated in the session, along with observers and representatives from 3 non-member countries and 25 regional and international intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. Kiribati and Tuvalu were welcomed as new members.
The Commission considered progress towards sustainable forest management in the region and noted the positive trend of forest plantation expansion, but expressed concern over continuing loss of natural forests. Delegates cited several common threats to the region's forests including illegal and uncontrolled logging, invasive species, forest fires and competition from alternative land uses. The Commission noted that countries were sometimes constrained in dealing effectively with these issues by insufficient budgetary resources, weak institutional capacities and inadequate political will.
The Commission held an in-session seminar on payments for environmental services and a pre-session workshop on forests and poverty reduction. The Commission also presented and discussed key issues such as financing sustainable forest management, the role of regional organizations in advancing action on issues raised in global dialogues on sustainable forest management, and implementation of codes of practice for forest management. The document lists a summary of the recommendations made by the Commission session, as well as regional issues identified by the Commission for the attention of the FAO Committee on Forestry.