Wood and
Non-wood Products Utilization Branch (FOPW)
Wood and
Non-wood Products Utilization Branch (FOPW)Since its inception in 1991, the programme for the development of non-wood forest products has grown and has achieved important results. Five expert consultations on NWFPs were held in Africa, Latin America and Asia and the proceedings of these meetings have been published.
The interregional expert consultation of Yogyakarta, in its recommendations, specifically requested FAO to:
At its 12th session, the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO) considered these recommendations and urged FAO to undertake the necessary follow-up action and to develop a centre of excellence in the area of non-wood forest products.
A new publication series, exclusively devoted to NWFPs, was begun in 1995. Eight numbers in the series have been issued (see under "Publications of interest").
Among the various activities carried out at the regional level, in close collaboration with the Regional Forestry Officers, support was provided to RAP for a meeting on rattan in the Philippines, and a study on tropical palms is under way; technical support has been given to a study on medicinal and aromatic plants in the Near East region; and a case-study undertaken on NWFPs in Chile.
Mr Chandrasekharan travelled to Nepal in April 1995 to participate in the first meeting of the Non Timber Forest Products (NFTPs) network of the Asia Network for Small Agricultural Biotechnologies (ANSAB). At the meeting, which was attended by some 25 members of the NTFP network, Mr Chandrasekharan gave a presentation on FAO's activities in the area of NWFPs and on the outcome of the Interregional Expert Consultation held in Indonesia in January 1995. He exchanged views with the participants with regard to the future role of NWFPs in supporting sustainable development and the steps to be taken in that regard. NGOs can play an effective role in promoting community participation in the management and utilization of non-wood forest resources.
Collaboration with other units in FAO has been undertaken on various aspects of NWFPs: participation in the ongoing process for the definition of criteria and indicators for the certification of NWFPs in the Brazilian Amazon; a study on the role of NWFPs for income generation and conservation in uplands was carried out in collaboration with the Forest Conservation, Research and Education Service; and guidelines for multipurpose forest management are being prepared in collaboration with the Forest Resources Development Service.
The heterogeneous nature of NWFPs and the multitude of their end-uses naturally calls for multidisciplinary involvement and coordinated efforts. FOPW has maintained contacts with a number of agencies dealing with specific aspects of NWFPs: UNIDO, ILO, UNESCO, UNEP, IFAD, IUCN, ITC, WWF, CIFOR, ICRAF, WRI, CS, IIED, ICIMOD, CATIE, UK/ODA-NRI, Royal Botanic Gardens-Kew, New York Botanical Garden, Commonwealth Science Council and the Oxford Forestry Institute.
Activities planned for the coming year include:
For more information, please contact
NWFP Officer,Forest
Harvesting, Trade and Marketing Branch (FOPH)Mr Lintu, Senior Forestry Officer (Marketing), attended the IUFRO World Congress in Tampere, Finland in August 1995, where he presented a paper on "Non-Wood forest products in sustainable utilization of forest resources - with particular reference to their marketing". The paper was presented during the session on "Environmental impacts in forest products marketing" at the IUFRO Forest Products Marketing Group.
Mr Lintu also attended the third UNIDO Workshop on Essential Oils and Aroma Chemicals, in October 1995 in Turkey, where he presented the programme on NWFPs of the Forestry Department of FAO. The workshop was organized by UNIDO together with the Medicinal Plants Research Centre, Anadolu University and the Government of Turkey.
As a joint effort of the Agroforestry, Community Forestry and Forest Products Marketing Programmes, a document on "Markets and marketing in agroforestry and community forestry" is being finalized and is expected to be published in early 1996.
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Leo Lintu,A previous discussion paper on international trade of NWFPs was expanded and completed and has been published in the Non-Wood Forest Products Series.
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Jim Bourke,Forest
Conservation, Research and Education Service (FORC)The Directory of Forestry Research Organizations, published by the service, contains information on research institutions working in forestry worldwide. Currently, the directory lists 55 national institutions that have mentioned NWFPs in their specialization areas. The directory is built on the information contained in a database maintained by the service, which allows regular data updating and retrieval.
The service hosts the secretariat of Silva Mediterranea, the FAO regional committee for forestry questions in the Mediterranean region. Silva Mediterranea was created as a non-governmental organization in 1922 and in 1948 it was incorporated into the newly established Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions of FAO, a statutory body that draws its membership from the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission as well as the European and Near East Forestry Commissions. The main tasks of Silva Mediterranea, currently composed of 25 countries and the European Community, are creating and coordinating forestry research networks. Work is harmonized with that of other relevant FAO activities, including the FAO Panel of Experts in Forest Genetic Resources, and network activities are closely coordinated with those of organizations such as IUFRO. Some activities of Silva Mediterranea focus on the conservation of biological diversity such as the research networks on forest genetic resources, and the development of the conceptual framework for the Mediterranean Forest Action Programme (MED-FAP). MED-FAP is a regional umbrella, under which National Forest Actions Plans can be elaborated and implemented in a coordinated way. Work on NWFPs in Silva Mediterranea includes research on stone pine (Pinus pinea), cork oak (Quercus suber) and on multipurpose species for Mediterranean arid zones.
For more information, please contact
Michel Malagnoux,Role of Acacia species in the rural economy of dry Africa and the Near East, FAO Conservation Guide No. 27 (in English and French), was published in 1995. A whole chapter of the book is devoted to the very important NWFPs obtained from Acacia species: forage, gum, tannins, fibre, medicines, foods and handicrafts.
A draft publication Income generation from non-wood forest products in upland conservation, to be issued in the FAO Conservation Guide Series in 1996, is being prepared. This document reviews the features and dynamics specific to mountain areas as they affect planning for upland programmes with NWFPs, examines experiences with NWFP enterprises and research in mountain areas, and outlines a strategy by which NWFP activities may be guided to serve the double objective of income generation and upland conservation.
For more information, please contact
El Hadj Sène,Forest
Resources Development Service (FORM)The work of the service in the field of conservation of forest genetic resources is of high interest for NWFPs. FORM has developed a worldwide database on forest genetic resources (FGR). The database holds information on forest genetic resources at national and at species level. Once fully implemented it will be used in both the regular and field programme activities on forest genetic resources and other aspects of the Forestry Department and in ad hoc activities such as the preparation of the State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources. Easy access to the systems from member countries will be secured. At country level, the following categories of information are covered: institutions dealing with FGR; main native and introduced forest tree species and their main end-uses; endangered species; information on protected areas; species included in in situ conservation activities; species conserved in ex situ stands; species stored for ex situ conservation purposes; information on forest tree improvement programmes; and information (at species level) on availability of reproductive materials from identified sources, selected stands and seed orchards.
The service has the overall coordination of the International Neem Network, created in 1993 with the aim of promoting research and development of this important species (see Non-Wood News 2).
Guidelines for multiple-purpose forest management are in preparation and will be published in 1996. The objective of the book is to provide forest management guiding practices that will improve the status of both timber and non-timber resources in forests. Special emphasis is given to tropical moist forests and to the management aspect of forest resources providing NWFPs. The guidelines analyse ways to integrate the management of selected forest resources providing NWFPs with traditional forest management practices focused on timber production, the compatibility of NWFP management with other forest management objectives, and the legal and institutional aspects related to managing forest resources, including NWFPs.
One main focus of the service in 1995 was work on the definition of Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management. In February 1995, FORM organized an Expert Consultation for the Harmonization of Criteria and Indicators, in Rome. The aim of the consultation was to support dialogue between ongoing international initiatives and to review ways and means of involving countries and ecological regions not forming part of current international initiatives. To meet this need, regional meetings have been organized in Latin America and Africa and are planned for the Near East.
For more information, please contact
Ms C. Palmberg,Forest
Policy and Institution Branch (FONP)The Community Forestry Unit (CFU) and the Forests, Trees and People Programme (FTPP) coordinated by CFU, play an active role in understanding the importance of NWFPs in the lives of people in different regions throughout the world, and in promoting NWFP development. A wide range of activities of this programme touch upon the roles of NWFPs and specific focus has been given to their food security and marketing.
Recent publications by CFU which are relevant to NWFPs are:
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Community Forestry Unit,Asia and
the PacificImportant NWFP activities are carried out by FAO regional projects. Among the most relevant are: FORSPA (Forest Research Support Programme for Asia and the Pacific), which carries out field research projects; FORTIP (Forest Tree Improvement Project) on breeding and improvement of NWFP tree species; APAN (Asia and the Pacific Agroforestry Network), which focuses on agroforestry with NWFP components; and SPFDP (South Pacific Forestry Development Programme).
FORSPA started in 1991 with funding from UNDP and a Trust Fund of the Asian Development Bank. The objective of the project is to improve forest research capabilities in the region. The countries involved are: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. INFO FORSPA is the quarterly newsletter of the project.
For more information, please contact
CTS Nair,FORTIP started in 1991 with funding from UNDP. Neem, bamboos and rattans are among the priority species for project intervention in the member countries of FORTIP in South and Southeast Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand). The project has begun evaluation of the genetic resources of these species in close cooperation with national institutions and other international projects.
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K. Vivekanandan,The Asia and the Pacific Agroforestry Network (APAN) was formally established in May 1991 with support from a Trust Fund from the Government of Japan. The APAN regional secretariat is hosted by the Agency for Forestry Research and Development in Bogor, Indonesia. APAN's activities concentrate on: agroforestry coordination mechanisms; information exchange; training; and innovative field activities. APAN Phase II (1993-97) also implements the agroforestry subcomponent of the UNDP-supported Farmer-centred Agricultural Resource Management (FARM) Programme. APAN has 11 member countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam.
The newsletter, APANews, is dedicated to the exchange of information on agroforestry in the Asia and the Pacific region with special reference to the countries participating in the network.
For more information and for the list of publications produced by APAN, please contact
APAN Secretariat,The South Pacific Forestry Development Project started in 1992 with UNDP funding. The work of the project covers a wide range of activities related to NWFPs: agroforestry, food security, traditional medicine, indigenous forest management, forest rehabilitation and species screening trials. A quarterly newsletter Pacific Islands Forests and Trees is published by the project.
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T. Hon Tat,Africa
A regional FAO Technical Cooperation Project "Quality control of gum arabic" was started in February 1995 at the request of various gum arabic-producing countries. Its objectives are to collect the necessary botanical and analytical data on gum arabic produced by different countries and traded in international markets, and to assist gum-producing countries in their efforts to improve the quality of their products so as to meet international specifications. Participating countries are: Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, the Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, the Sudan and Zimbabwe. Under the project, studies have been carried out on the botany, chemistry and production of gum arabic in all countries.
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E. Casadei,Latin America
and the CaribbeanThe publication Non-wood Forest products in Latin America and the Caribbean was issued at the end of 1995 by the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, located in Santiago, Chile.
The Regional Office has also funded a study on NWFPs in Chile that has looked into the uses, importance, harvesting techniques, commercialization and institutional aspects related to NWFPs.
FAO, with support from the Netherlands, executes a regional project in Latin America entitled "Support to the Pro tempore Secretariat of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty". The secretariat is currently based in Lima, Peru. Recent work of the Pro tempore Secretariat has covered some aspects related to NWFPs in the Amazon. A document entitled Regional policy and strategy proposals for sustainable development of phytogenetic resources of Amazon food and fruit crops has been published in Spanish and Portuguese. Another study Medicinal herbs of the Amazon jungle: facts and prospects recovers the Amazon's indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge of herbs and is a major contribution to the goal of establishing a regional policy on Amazon medicinal herbs and the industrialization of herbal products.
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ACT Pro tempore Secretariat,Near East
The FAO Regional Office for the Near East is carrying out three studies on medicinal and aromatic plants in Turkey, Pakistan and the Sudan. An expert consultation on NWFPs for the Near East region is planned for 1996.