| European
Tropical Forest Research Network |
Forestry
research network for sub-saharan Africa launched
Workshop:
management of trees for farmland rehabilitation and development
American
regional training workshop
Availability of tree seeds on the Internet
Forestry compendium global module
Afforestation/soil cultivation research
Giving value to natural resources: a new framework
for managers
Heart of the matter: Agarwood use and trade and cites
implementation for Aquilaria malaccensis
Report on the international Rattan workshop
Forest ecosystem research in Europe
New FPEG website:ODI's forest policy and environment
group puts research papers online
Update on teak 2000
FORESTRY RESEARCH NETWORK FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA LAUNCHED
The Forestry Research Network for sub-Saharan Africa, FORNESSA, was formally inaugurated in Accra, Ghana on 7 July 2000, after a long period of preparatory work and sustained effort by FAO, IUFRO and national research institutions in Africa.
25 participants, representing sub-regional forestry research networks (AFORNET, AFREA, CORAF-Forêt, and SADC-FSTCU-Forestry Research Committee) and a number of international forestry research networks, organizations/institutions and partners (CIFOR, ETFRN, FAO, IUFRO, AAS, IPGRI, CIRAD-Forêt, and EC) attended the inauguration.
In its current form, FORNESSA is a federation of forestry research institutions from 41 sub-Saharan African countries, members of the following three sub-regional forestry research networks:
The meeting defined goal, objectives and major activities for FORNESSA and made important practical recommendations for an efficient coordination of FORNESSA programme of activities.
The goal of FORNESSA is to strengthen forestry research in sub-Saharan Africa for greater impact on management and conservation of forests and tree resources for sustainable development.
FORNESSA's major objectives are:
FORNESSA main activities:
The meeting finally recommended that the FORNESSA structure include a Steering Committee, with a Chairperson, a Secretary, 2-4 members from the component sub-regional networks, and representatives from partner organizations such as FAO, IUFRO, ETFRN and forestry-related CGIAR Centers. The meeting also recommended
that: (1) Paul Konuche, Director of Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), serve as FORNESSA interim Chairman; (2) Atse M. Yapi, IUFRO-SPDC Deputy Coordinator for Africa, as the interim Secretary; and (3) the FORNESSA Secretariat be located at the IUFRO-SPDC DCA Office in Accra at the FAO Regional Office for Africa. Regional and international networks, organizations and institutions present at the meeting shared in the FORNESSA goal, objectives and activities; and pledged their support to nurturing FORNESSA into maturity.
Dr. Paul Konuche (Chairman)
Director
Kenyan Forestry Research Institute
PO Box 20412 Nairobi, KENYA
Tel: +254 154 32841, Fax: +254 154 32844
Email: kefri@arcc.or.ke
Dr Atse M Yapi (Secretary)
Deputy Coordinator for Africa
IUFRO-SPDC
PO Box 1628 Accra, GHANA
Tel: +233 21 7010930 Ext. 3195
Fax: +233 21 7010934/44
Email: Atse.Yapi@fao.org
WORKSHOP:
MANAGEMENT OF TREES FOR FARMLAND REHABILITATION AND DEVELOPMENT
(KHARTOUM AND CENTRAL REGION, SUDAN, 27 OCTOBER - 4 NOVEMBER 2000; POST-WORKSHOP
TOUR 4-7 NOVEMBER)
The organisers of this workshop are the Tropical Silviculture Unit (TSU) at University of Helsinki, Finland, leading Sudanese institutions, as well as the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA, Wageningen), the International Foundation for Science (IFS, Stockholm), and DFID Forestry Research Programme, in collaboration with other international organisations. The first part of the workshop will be held in Khartoum, and the second part consists of visits to field sites in the Central Region. A separate post-workshop tour to Jebel Marra is also offered from 4-7 November 2000.
Following introductions by international and Sudanese keynote speakers, the workshop will discuss and compare the various agroforestry and forestry options available for dryland rehabilitation. It will also highlight the ongoing practical field work and research on natural and planted trees in agricultural and forestry production systems in the Sudan. The workshop is aimed for persons already working on tropical drylands within the framework of forest management, farmland rehabilitation, agricultural or forestry extension, or related research. Participants are invited to prepare abstracts or full papers on their ongoing work for distribution during the workshop; accepted abstracts will also be published in the proceedings.
Additional information is available from the University of Helsinki/Tropical Silviculture Unit website at:
http://honeybee.helsinki.fi/tropic and all further inquiries should be addressed to:
Professor Olavi Luukkanen
Tropical Silviculture Unit
PO Box 28
FI-00014 University of Helsinki,
Finland
Tel: +358-9-19158643
Fax: +358-9-19158646
Email: Olavi.Luukkanen@helsinki.fi
AMERICAN REGIONAL TRAINING WORKSHOP
To improve the sustainable management and conservation of biodiversity through appropriate use of forest genetic resources, IPGRI (International Plant Genetic Resources Institute), with economic and technical support from the Danida Forest Seed Centre (DFSC), began developing the project, "Effective conservation, use of intermediate and recalcitrant seeds of tropical forests" in 1995. The project has been executed with the participation of various countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
The objective of the project is to define appropriate methods for drying and storing recalcitrant and intermediate seeds of priority forest species in the tropics. Up to the present more than 30 species have been worked on worldwide.
As part of the second phase of this project, a training workshop on 'Protocols for evaluating recalcitrant seeds' was held at the Tree Seed Bank of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Education Center), 15-19 May 2000. The training was given by Dorthe Joeker and Sigrid Diklev of DFSC with contributions from Dr Erick N. Ericksen of the University of Copenhagen and Jack Vozzo of the US Forest Service. Participants in the workshop included technicians from: EMBRAPA, Brazil; CONIF, Colombia; ESNACIFOR, Honduras; BASFOR, Bolivia; and technicians and students from CATIE, Costa Rica. We are grateful to IPGRI and its representative, Dr Eshan Dulloo for his participation and for the support of the Tree Seed Bank at CATIE in holding this event.
Similar workshops have been held in Africa and Asia.
For further information about the results, request the project newsletter from:
DFSC
Krogerupvej 21
DK-3050 Humlebaek
Denmark
Email: dfsc@dfsc.dk
AVAILABILITY OF TREE SEEDS ON THE INTERNET
Since 1992, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Education Center (CATIE), through the project on tree seeds (PROSEFOR) and with the support of DANIDA, has been helping the six countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic to ensure adequate supplies of seeds of priority tree species with material of high genetic and physiological quality.
Today the countries can draw on more than 300 officially registered sources of tree seeds with active technical management and on seedbanks operating with greater efficiency to provide better service to their users.
In 1998 PROSEFOR and the CATIE Seedbank initiated the development of a database which contains detailed information on each forestry and agroforestry species available and the data of the companies which distribute them. This database, which was developed using Visual Fox, one of the most powerful and versatile languages, offers the producers and users of tree seeds an easier and more powerful tool that can serve as a means to commercialise seeds, exchange information and consult.
The database functions in the following way: a) it is possible to obtain information on the existence of seeds of a particular species using either the common name or the scientific name of the species; or (b) if the species desired is unknown ,it is possible to carry out an advanced search indicating site conditions and the uses for which a species is to be planted (timber, forage, ornamental, etc.) The database is also able to access other databases of tree seeds.
Currently, the database contains information from more than 10 seedbanks and companies supplying tree seeds, and data on more than 100 species, which are updated directly by the users on the Internet.
We invite you, as a producer and distributor of tree seeds to benefit from this service. Visit the database at the following address: Http://www.catie.ac.cr/proyectos/prosefor/base/semillas.htm.
If you are interested in incorporating information on the seeds that your company distributes, contact us at: wvasquez@catie.ac.cr; bsf@catie.ac.cr and we will assign you a user ID and password.
FORESTRY COMPENDIUM GLOBAL MODULE
A unique guide to the characteristics and silviculture of tree species. The Forestry Compendium concept includes species data sheets (prepared by experts worldwide), pictures, maps, bibliographies, abstracts, a glossary and user notepads. In addition, there is an interactive guide to species selection based on site characteristics, management objectives and end products. The species selection guide is of particular interest to those involved in the choice of species to be included in trials undertaken during planning of forestry plantations and other land-use systems involving woody species.
The Global Module of the Forestry Compendium contains information on over 1200 tree and shrub species of interest for plantation forestry and/or regeneration (e.g. in natural forest) and multipurpose species for agroforestry. Comprehensive worldwide coverage - includes tropical/subtropical species (~2/3 content) and temperate/boreal species (~1/3 content). Besides expanding the number of species covered in Module 1 of the Compendium, the Global Module also contains updated data for the bibliographic database, FAO statistics on land use and forest products and the World Bank demographic data for countries, and data on pests and diseases.
The Forestry Compendium acts as a key information resource:
Download a demo!
A guided tour demonstrating the features of the Forestry Compendium can be downloaded from http://tree.cabweb.org/efctext.htm
PRICES:
US $100 to institutions
in Developing or Recently Developed Countries (http://Compendium/fcdev.htm)
and to individuals, content contributors, authors, and students anywhere.
US $600 to institutions
in developed countries; and all corporate organizations worldwide.
There is a lower
rate for some countries - contact CABI to see if your country qualifies.
The prices stated
above are for stand-alone usage. Local area networking surcharges are available
on application.
Postage by airmail
or courier is included in the price.
Forestry Compendium Global Module can be ordered from either of the following CABI Publishing addresses:
CABI Publishing
CAB International,
Wallingford,
Oxon, OX10 8DE, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1491 832111,
Fax: +44 1491 829292
Email: publishing@cabi.org
Internet: http://www.cabi.org
CABI Publishing
CAB International
10 East 40th Street, Suite 3203
New York, NY 10016, USA
Tel: +1 212 481 7018
Toll free: +1 800 528 4841
Fax: +1 212 686 7993
Email: cabi-nao@cabi.org
Internet: http://www.cabi.org
AFFORESTATION/SOIL CULTIVATION RESEARCH
The "VH Mulcher" is a hydraulic powered (low rpm, high torque) excavator cultivating attachment or "giant roto-tiller for forest applications".It has been proven successful in greatly assisting early rapid growth in Canadian conditions and is very robust. Eight year Survival and Growth research (available on request) was completed by the British Columbia, Canada, Ministry of Forests over a native nonimproved Pinus contorta plantation in a central interior location. We are seeking additional co-operators willing to establish research in Tropical and Subtropical regions and share costs. Description of the machine and methods can be found at http://www.vhmulcher.com or by contacting:
Tim C Van Horlick
West-Northwest Forestry Ltd
370 Armour Place
Kamloops, B.C.
Canada, V2H 1L2
Tel: +1 250 578 6966
Fax: +1 250 5786967
Email: Tim@vhmulcher.com
GIVING VALUE TO NATURAL RESOURCES: A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGERS
How best can the value of natural resources be decided? Both market and non-market approaches are currently in use. Yet few assess the relative values of different uses of natural resources. Research by the School of Public Policy at the University of Birmingham has devised a 'decision framework', tested in India and Ghana, to facilitate natural resource decision-making and management in areas where demands for natural resources may come into conflict between 'urban' and 'rural' uses.
For further information, please contact:
Fiona Nunan
International Development Department
School of Public Policy
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 121 414 7257
Fax: +44 121 414 4989
Email:
f.s.nunan@bham.ac.uk
Source: ID21 News
Issue No. 42
HEART OF THE MATTER: AGARWOOD USE AND TRADE AND CITES IMPLEMENTATION FOR AQUILARIA MALACCENSIS
Angela Barden, Noorainie Awang Anak, Teresa Mulliken and Michael Song
Agarwood is just one of the many names for the resinous, fragrant and highly valuable heartwood produced by Aquilaria malaccensis and other species of the Indomalesian tree genus Aquilaria. Agarwood has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years in, for example, Ayurvedic, Tibetan and traditional East Asian medicine. Use of agarwood for the production of perfume and incense (often used in association with certain religious practices) has an equally long history. Agarwood chips can sell for several hundred to several thousand US dollars per kilogramme. Indonesia and Malaysia supply the largest quantities of agarwood in international trade, with other countries such as Vietnam also exporting significant amounts.
Unfortunately, with demand for agarwood for these and other uses remaining strong today, there is concern that wild populations of Aquilaria malaccensis and other Aquilaria species are being over-harvested. Eight species are currently considered threatened according to IUCN Red List Categories, exploitation specifically highlighted as a threat for six of these. Conservation concerns prompted the listing of A. malaccensis in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1995.
This report analyses the implementation of the CITES listing and reviews available information on the wider trade in agarwood. Available data on international trade volumes (approximately 700 t reported in 1997) are provided, harvest and trade controls in key range countries documented, and actions proposed to address issues such as over-exploitation and illegal trade. A need for better information on the biology and status of those Aquilaria spp. in trade and the flow of benefits resulting from exploitation of these species is highlighted, as are more effective harvest and trade controls. The report calls for the convening of a stakeholders' workshop to facilitate cooperation in further examining these issues and identifying actions necessary to secure the future of this important biological, economic and cultural resource.
The report and executive summary are available in both PDF and printed formats. The PDF versions can be downloaded from http://www.traffic.org/news/agarwood. To order a printed copy, please contact your nearest TRAFFIC office or TRAFFIC International.
TRAFFIC International
219c Huntingdon Road
Cambridge CB3 0DL
United Kingdom
Email: traffic@trafficint.org
Http://www.traffic.org
TRAFFIC is a joint programme of IUCN-The World Conservation Union and WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature. It aims to help ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.
REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL RATTAN WORKSHOP
1 - 3 February 2000
Limbe Botanic Garden, Cameroon
by Brendan Jaff, Workshop Facilitator
Introduction
Rattans are climbing palms found in the lowland tropical forests of the Old World. The flexible stems are used for the manufacture of baskets, furniture, and other woven products. The international rattan trade is currently worth some US$6.5 million per annum. Although the majority of this trade is concentrated in SE Asia, the rattans of Africa are also an important forest resource and play an important role in indigenous subsistence strategies.
Until very recently, very little was known about the rattans of Africa. Despite this, and with the growing focus on such high value non-timber forest products, rattans have recently been identified by many governments and bilateral development agencies, as a high priority resource with the potential to contribute to the conservation of forests of west and Central Africa through sustainable development. However, this development has been constrained by the lack of basic knowledge on taxonomy, ecology and the utilisation of these species. Recent attempts by workers across Africa to address this basic shortfall in information has resulted in the initial background information surrounding the biological and social aspects of the rattan sector in Africa now available.
The primary objectives of this international seminar were to:
Bring together the current experts concerned with rattan research and development in Africa; Present and disseminate the current state of the knowledge of the rattan sector in key areas on the continent;
Make recommendations and draw up an appropriate strategy by which rattans can meaningfully contribute to the sustainable development of the forests of West and Central Africa.
The workshop, which was held at the Limbe Botanic Garden, Cameroon; from the 1st-3rd February 2000, brought together a total of 29 participants from throughout the forest regions of Africa, including representatives from Cameroon, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Zambia.
Workshop Procedure
The workshop started with Dr. Nouhou Ndam the conservator of the Limbe Botanic Garden welcoming all participants to the Botanic Garden. He briefly presented the history of the Garden and its role in the conservation of the biodiversity of Mount Cameroon and the Central and West Africa as a whole. He also thanked the African Rattan Research Programme for having chosen the Limbe Botanic Garden as the venue for such an important workshop; and invited other institutions and programmes to also use the facilities of the Garden.
Following Dr. Ndam, Mr. Terry Sunderland the Principal Investigator of the African Rattan Research Programme also welcomed all participants. He briefly presented the progress of the Programme, the rationale and the way forward for the rattan sector in Africa and itís potential to contribute to conservation and development. Following Mr Terry Sunderland, Mr Brendan Jaff, the facilitator of the workshop presented the workshop objectives, Programme, accompanying working schedule and logistical information.
Following the opening of the workshop a series of papers were presented. The papers were based on the following themes:
Biology, Ecology and Cultivation
Social, marketing
and Management
Summary of recommendations on rattan research and development
The following 7 key recommendations on African Rattan Research and Development were formulated:
1. The African Rattan Research Programme with the collaboration of other research programmes, projects and institutions should create a formal African Rattan Network in order to facilitate exchange of experiences, ensure meaningful collaborative research, avoid duplication of research, thereby contributing to the sustainable use of African Rattan.
2. Review the legal aspects governing Non-Timber Forest Forest Products including Rattans; key aspects include: resource tenure, ownership, harvesting licenses and quotas. The review should consider possibilities of involving NGOs and the local communities via its institutions in the implementation of the law.
3. Disseminate existing information on African rattan via the production of various publications for the use of different target groups; including researchers, local communities and policy makers.
4. Taking into account existing information, conduct complementary and collaborative research on the Biology, Ecology, Cultivation, Social, Marketing and Management of African rattan. Collaborative regional research programmes should be encouraged so as to generate rich and comparative information.
5. Support the development/transfer of appropriate technology for the harvesting, processing and transformation of African rattans, aimed at increasing the quality of finished products, adding value and reducing the cost of production; this calls for meaningful collaboration between government, the private sector and researchers.
6. Support the establishment of an appropriate funding mechanism aimed at encouraging rattan research and development related initiatives at community level; including the creation of nurseries, plantation establishment, harvesters union creation, marketing co-operatives amongst others.
7. Improve the Marketing Strategy of African rattans with the involvement of all stakeholders based on existing information and taking into account the Asian experience
Field Trip
On the third day of the workshop, participantsvisited the recently established rattan silvicultural trial plot located in Mabeta Moliwe. The rattan has been planted in an obsolete old rubber plantation. Mr. Nkefor Joseph of the Limbe Botanic Garden explained the plot establishment and maintenance techniques. This initiative is jointly supported by the African Rattan Research Programme, Limbe Botanic Garden and the Cameroon Development Corporation.
FOREST ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH IN EUROPE
The database of the European Forest Ecosystem Network (EFERN) has recently been fully revised and updated.
The database gives an overview on the different aspects of forest ecosystem research carried out in 38 European countries including research at universities, federal forest research institutes, and other research organisations.
The database has been developed in the frame of the EU-funded concerted action EFERN S6. It is free and shall remain free as common property of the scientific community.
Check out this most comprehensive information resource concerning research units, scientists, and research projects in Europe and discover a useful tool for your work.
http://efern.boku.ac.at/ecosys/database.search
We kindly ask you and all relevant persons in your Research Unit to submit ongoing projects related to forest ecosystem research at your institute to the EFERN database. All that is requested for the database is: title of project, keywords, contact person and (if existing) link to the project homepage. All data-entry and data-updating easily can be done over the web:
http://ifff.boku.ac.at/efern/dataentry.html
The value of this database is dependent on the involvement of people dealing with forest ecosystem research all over Europe. You are welcome to benefit from this communication tool by using it and by contributing to the EFERN database.
Dr. Roland Berger
EFERN Co-ordination
Institute for Forest Entomology, Pathology & Protection
University for Agricultural Sciences, Vienna
Hasenauerstrasse 38
1190, Vienna
Tel: +43-1-3686352-0
Fax: +43-1-3686352-97
Email: rberger@ento.boku.ac.at
http://IFFF.boku.ac.at/efern
NEW FPEG WEBSITE : ODI'S FOREST POLICY AND ENVIRONMENT GROUP PUTS RESEARCH PAPERS ONLINE
We would like to draw your attention to the Overseas Development Institute's (ODI) Forest Policy and Environment Group's (FPEG) new website at: www.odifpeg.org.uk. The site contains a wealth of information on forestry-related issues, and includes the latest research papers by FPEG Research Fellows, as well as a searchable database of all of FPEG's Rural Development Forestry Network (RDFN) papers, which are published in English, French and Spanish.
The site is still expanding, and will soon provide access to much of the ODI library's collection of forestry grey literature. Together, the RDFN papers and the grey literature archive contain a wealth of information on the social and economic aspects of forestry in the last 15 years. The materials chart the development of people-oriented forestry from both the donor and the host country perspectives, combining project-level experience and policy-level insights in all regions of the world (but with a clear focus on developing countries).
The website also has an extensive links section, with descriptions of many of the Internet's most important forestry websites, and an Online Noticeboard. The information available on this site is likely to be of interest to a wide range of people interested in forestry issues or working in the forestry or rural development fields.
AVINA Foundation has agreed to support the development of a TEAK 2000 association in Central America.
AVINA sees itself as investing in leadership for sustainable development, mostly in Latin America. It places particular emphasis on the following general areas: business, communications, educational, grassroots and institutional leadership. In addition, leadership for nature conservation is supported by the foundation.
AVINA places equal importance on the developmental and environmental aspects of sustainable development. Its support for TEAK 2000 will ensure the development of a growers' association in Central America, with a small secretariat in Panama. Work to put this in place will begin in October 2000.
A grower association is also being established in Ecuador and another in Thailand. There is strong interest amongst the private sector for another association in Ghana.
At the same time the International Federation of Tropical Hardwood Growers' Associations is being established to guide and support the work of these and any other regional associations that are formed.
The Federation will be responsible for drawing up best practice guidelines and developing a mechanism to ensure their application amongst grower associations worldwide. It will be responsible for bringing together growers and interested investors. The international office will also provide the necessary support to the regional associations and establish the necessary links between these and international donor and other organisations.
It is hoped to convene a meeting of international growers and investors, possibly early in the new year.
For further information, please contact:
Raymond M. Keogh
International Co-ordinator, TEAK 2000
27 Loreto Grange
Bray
County Wicklow
Ireland
Tel. + 353-1-2864697
Fax. + 353-1-2861188
Email: rmkeogh@teak2000.iol.ie