The following sites may be relevant for anyone interested in sustainable forest management.
The Gaia Forest Archives provide an overview of relevant pages and also news on sustainable forest management at:http://forests.org/forests/susforest.html. This site has links to other relevant sites such as Good Wood Alliance ( http://www.goodwood.org/goodwood) which features a directory of suppliers of sustainably-harvested lumber, and information about programmes such as the Greenwood Furniture Project in Honduras, or the Forest Stewardship Council (http://antequera.antequera.com/FSC/)
The International Journal of Ecoforestry ( http://www.uidaho.edu/e-journal/ecoforestry/) features general information and reviews and is part of the Ecoforestry Institutes in the US and Canada which are educational, nonprofit, NGOs aiming at education and training, establishment of a demonstration forest and certification of forest products. Although the Ecoforestry Institute is mainly focussed on forestry in North America it provides relevant ideas on sustainable forest management which could also be applicable to tropical forests.
This northern focus is also present at the websites of the Canadian based Sustainable Forest Management Standards (http://www.sfms.com/welcome.htm) and Canada's Forest & Stewardship (http://www.sfms.com/canada.htm) but these pages also provide ideas for general sustainable forest management practices applicable to tropical regions.
Also based in Canada is the Sustainable Forest Management Research Network which was launched in 1995. The network links researchers, industry participants and other stakeholders from 45 organizations across Canada. Their website at http://nce.nserc.ca/news/sfmeng.htm/ gives background information on the network and its objectives.
Other websites focus more on tropical regions such as Guyana. The Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development, in Guyana, was initiated to demonstrate to the global community that tropical rain forests can provide sustainable economic, environmental and social benefits without destroying the biological diversity contained within it. Information on the Centre is provided by the International Development Research Centre in Canada and is reachable through http://www.idrc.ca/iwokrama/.
More information on Guyana in general can be found at http://www.lasalle.edu/~daniels/guyana/h2intro.htm The World Resource Publication 'Profit without plunder: reaping revenue from Guyana's tropical forests without destroying them', deals more specifically with the deterioration of natural resources in Guyana and is accessible through http://www.wri.org/wri/biodiv/guyana/index.html.
The ASEAN Institute of Forest Management (AIFM) established by ASEAN in cooperation with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) focusses mainly on Asia. Based in Kuala Lumpur the institute aims to become a centre of excellence in tropical rainforest management and to provide ASEAN member countries with the technology and expertise to upgrade their capabilities in sustainable forest management. More information at http://www.jaring.my/aifm/.
Another source of information on sustainable forest management is the ELDIS database. This internet linked database (http://www.ids.susx.ac.uk:80/eldis/) covers 5200 items. The database can be searched; it also has a browse option.
International organisations such as IUFRO, FAO, CIFOR and IPF also provide information on sustainable forest
management or related subjects.
IUFRO has established a taskforce on sustainable forest management which will prepare a state of knowledge
report, connecting the operational implementation of sustainability principles in natural forests and plantations
with research. The report will also identify areas where research has contributed to this implementation and
areas where significant knowledge gaps remain. Information on the Task Force's activities and terms of
reference is provided at http://iufro.boku.ac.at/iufro/taskforce/tfsfm/. A seminar will be organised by the Task Force in Australia, August 1998.
The FAO provides some relevant literature through the WAICENT server at http://www.fao.org/waicent which summarises the technical papers on sustainable forest management.The interactive FAO catalogue (at http://www.fao.org/catalog/interact/inter-e.htm) searches agricultural subjects including forestry.
The CIFOR website provides many relevant links and information on sustainable forest management http://www.cgiar.org/cifor.
Some information is provided through e-mail list servers such as the Forestry Policy Experts list server. One of CIFOR's objectives is to keep key opinion leaders in the area of forest policy informed about recent relevant CIFOR policy research results. The list forms part of CIFOR's project on the 'underlying causes of deforestation, forest degradation, and poverty in forested areas', but will also be used to share other CIFOR research results. The average mailing frequency is once every two months. For subscription contact David Kaimowitz (d.kaimowitz@cgnet.com).
The Intergovernmental Panel on Forests website ( http://www.un.org/pcsd/dsd/ipf.htm), based at the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development of the United Nations, contains all papers and minutes of the IPF meetings and other activities related to the Panel on Forests.
The International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR), based in the Netherlands, recently established the AROW database which provides easy access to agricultural research organizations around the world through internet. The database is accessible at http://www.cgiar.org/isnar/arow/arowintr.htm).
The Global Biodiversity Magazine is published quarterly by the Canadian Museum of Nature including topics such as sustainable agriculture and biodiversity. The autumn 1997 issue will be on Ecoforestry. The magazine is accessible through Internet in English at http://www.nature.ca/english/gbzine.htm and in French at: http://www.nature.ca/francais/biodive.htm.
LEUCNET is an informal network of scientists, extensionists and tree growers who share a common interest in improving the productivity and utility of leucaena. LEUCNET News the newsletter of the International Leucaena Research and Development Network can be seen at http://users.ox.ac.uk/ ~dops0024.