This new section in the ETFRN News provides a space to present your opinion on any subject relevant to tropical forest research. You may also react to articles previously published in the ETFRN News, or present a topic which you think needs attention.
The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the ETFRN Steering Committee or the ETFRN Coordination Unit. Thus "the proposed role of ETFRN" in the note below is a suggestion by Dr Kuchelmeister, which has not yet been discussed in the Steering Committee. However, if you agree with Dr Küchelmeister that ETFRN should help establish a working group on urban forestry, please inform the Steering Committee through your national node or through the Coordination Unit. ETFRN aims to become a mainly demand-driven network, and this is an opportunity for you to express your demands!
The urban forestry research agenda - one missing link in setting research priorities relevant to tropical
forest research
By Guido Küchelmeister. TREE CITY Initiative Program Coordinator
When it comes to setting research priories for tropical forestry, the issue of urban forestry is conspicuously absent. The following notes highlight aspects of urban forestry research related issues relevant to setting research priorities in tropical forestry. The contention of this note is that in view of the fact that tropical countries are undergoing a transformation from rural to urban, and that urban forests are capable of mitigating some of the pressing problems associated with urbanization, there is an urgent need to bring the tropical forest research agenda up to date by including urban forestry as a top priority.
1. Urbanization and the Research and Development Agenda
The human habitat is urbanizing rapidly. Very soon half the population in developing countries will be
living in an urban environment. Already nearly 75% of the population of Latin America live in cities.
Worldwide, the urban population is growing two to three times faster than the rural population. In all
probability, this trend will be maintained over the coming decades. The greatest challenge is the current
"urbanization of poverty".
In resource-poor cities, and particularly their poor neighborhoods, the most threatening environmental
problems are usually those close to home. Already straining under the pressures of meeting their peoples'
needs for housing, jobs and basic services, cities must also address the environmental and social
consequences of rapid urbanization.
Although most of the world's population will soon be living in developing world cities, the environmental
problems most prominent in these cities - like air pollution and inadequate water supplies - have often
been conspicuously absent from the global environmental agenda, which has focused on ozone depletion,
climate change, and loss of biological diversity. Aware of this discontinuity between the "green" agenda
and the problems confronting cities, a number of researchers and development organizations over the past
few years have advocated a renewed focus on the "brown" agenda, i.e. the problems of pollution, poverty,
and environmental hazards in cities.
CONCLUSION 1: It is an accepted reality that the growth of the cities cannot be stopped. Research and development efforts have to focus on how to deal with urban issues, and especially on local needs of vulnerable groups. This is not an argument for less attention to global concerns, but for a recognition that urban and global concerns are intertwined and must both be addressed.
2. Definitions and scope of urban forestry
Before setting research priories, the term urban forestry needs some clarification. The task of defining
urban forestry is made difficult by a number of factors: beginning with the necessity of accepting urban
areas as forest and continuing with the need to understand the relationship of trees to other elements of
the urban environment.
Many agriculture initiatives include forestry in their overall definition of agriculture. Conversely, many
urban foresters use "urban greening" and "urban forestry" interchangeably. For the purpose of this note
urban forestry is defined as the planned, integrated and systematic approach to managing urban and
peri-urban forests for their contribution to the environmental, psychological, sociological, and economic
well-being of urban society. In even simpler terms, urban forestry is the management of urban vegetation
to meet local needs.
CONCLUSION 2: Whether the term urban forestry or urban greening is appropriate is secondary as long as urban greening research initiatives focus on all potential benefits of urban forests to meet local needs. The task of urban forestry research has to be to help ensure that urban trees and related vegetation are more compatible and functional in the urban environment.
3. Potential benefits of the urban forests : the promise
Urban forests improve the quality of urban life in many ways. Tangible benefits include fuelwood, food,
fodder, and building materials. Environmental and social benefits relate to public health, recreation, and
the well-being of the urban population. These benefits include reduction of air and noise pollution, climate
improvement, and landscape enhancement. Green areas can also provide habitats for wildlife, erosion
control, protection of watersheds for urban water supply, and productive uses or safe disposal of urban
wastes.
Well-designed urban green areas meeting local needs can contribute to the protection of wetlands and
other sensitive areas and minimize pressures on surrounding lands and natural resources like deforestation
and degradation of natural resources due to fuelwood collection in arid areas.
CONCLUSION 3: The increased interest in urban environmental problems will probably mean a considerable increase in green areas over the coming decades in developing countries, once the full potential of urban forest functions is more widely known.
4. Current Urban Forestry Research
Most current urban greening research activities for developing countries are initiated by the agricultural
community, which does not yet provide sufficient support for urban forestry. The research agendas of
international forestry research agencies, like CIFOR and ICRAF, still have an almost exclusively rural
focus.
One major reason why foresters neglect urban forestry is that most contacts for development assistance
in forestry are forest ministries, which are not responsible for development of urban and peri-urban areas.
Although the list of benefits obtained from tropical urban forests is long, the resources spent on urban
forestry research are relatively small. Multipurpose urban forestry research is in its infancy in developing
countries. There is a dearth of published quantitative information about the relationship of urban dwellers
(particularly the poor) in developing countries to urban green areas, on how they value, use or would like
to use these areas, and how urban forests influence health and well-being. The proper management of
urban forests implies an analysis of the social factors, and inventories of green sites. Urban agroforestry
research provides a framework that puts foresters in a position to make a significant contribution to
current efforts by agronomists to increase urban food production.
Urban forestry research in wealthier countries has mainly focused on urban forests for recreation and
environmental services. In the last two decades many new innovations have been generated in urban
forestry in industrialized countries, not all of which are appropriate and relevant for resource poor people.
On the other hand, there are locally developed practices in urban forestry (like multistorey gardens) that
provide a basis to build on.
CONCLUSION 4: There is an urgent need to bring the tropical forest research agenda up to date by putting in urban forestry as a top priority with regard to allocation of resources. Research has to be multi- and interdisciplinary with a focus on multiple resource management. In developing countries, the focus on urban forestry has to be to contribute to meeting immediate requirements for basic needs. Less essential, yet increasingly necessary, is urban green space for recreation.
5. Proposed Role of ETFRN
In view of the importance of urban forestry, a logical first step would be to establish a working group
under the umbrella of the ETFRN.
The main objective of this working group would be to improve the existing knowledge base for urban
greening. Initial activities of the Working Group could include: (i) identifying and listing European
research resources relevant to urban tropical forestry; (ii) reviewing the experience of urban tropical
forestry related research undertaken by the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, universities
and other collaborative arrangements; (iii) analyzing the ways in which research institutions set research
priorities, define clients, and transfer knowledge; and (iv) mobilizing resources to accomplish the above
objectives.
One potential partner for this working group would be the recently established Research on Urban Trees
in Europe (ROUTE) Network, which also promotes interaction with other relevant international networks.
Tree CITY Initiative *, which focuses on urban forests to meet local needs in developing countries, would
also accept an active role in this proposed working group.
6. Steps in setting research priorities in urban forestry research
REFERENCES
From the discussion above, the logical steps in setting research priorities for urban tropical forestry can
be summarized as follows:
Step 1: Promoting awareness and understanding of urban problems in tropical developing countries on
the part of urban greening related resource persons, as documented, articulated and prioritized by urban
initiatives.
Step 2: Identifying urgent and important areas of the urban greening research agenda which can assist in
mitigating these urban problems through a dialogue with community groups/landowners, municipal
planners, urban forestry professionals, the development industry and practitioners.
Step 3: Compiling the state of knowledge of all the potential functions of urban forests, and the challenges
of urban forest development.
Step 4: Identifying major gaps in urban forestry research and prioritizing an urban forestry research
program by means of national, regional and global panel discussions or workshops, with appropriate
inputs from end users/clients of research results.
Step 5: Exploring pilot research projects by means of collaborative efforts between community groups,
intermediate groups and representatives of informal settlements and researchers.
For further information please contact:
TREE CITY Office (Coordinator), Graf-Kirchberg-Strasse 26, 89257 Illertissen, Germany. Tel. +49 7303
43776 Fax: +49 7303 42114, E-mail:100441.3577 @compuserve.com
URL: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/G_Kuchelmeister
The editor would appreciate receiving comments from other readers on this. Do you agree or do you have other suggestions? Please let me know.