| European
Tropical Forest Research Network |
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FORESTERS, FARMERS AND
BIODIVERSITY: NEW ISSUES FOR THE
FORESTRY CURRICULUM
Sustainable development implies not only
conserving biodiversity in protected areas, but
also recognising its value in farming systems,
particularly those of poor farmers in the
tropics. Research in the Philippines shows
increasing cultivation of a diverse range of
species including threatened native trees, yet
foresters promote only introduced species,
and are largely unaware of poor farmers'
knowledge and preferences. For sustainable
change in knowledge, attitudes and skills of
foresters, it is important to address ways in
which they are taught.
A project in the Visayas region, entitled
'Strengthening biodiversity capacity in the
forestry curriculum, Visayas, Philippines', was
funded by the Darwin Initiative, of the UK
Department for Environment, Transport and
the Regions to do this. Through collaboration
with the Visayas State College of Agriculture,
the process began with a wide-ranging
consultation among government foresters,
NGOs and educators. Curriculum change was
then based on experiential learning through
research, training, practical work in forest-edge communities, and supervising
dissertations on new topics. This 'learning-by-doing' approach has stimulated fundamental
changes of awareness and attitudes to
farmers' knowledge, and greatly increased
appreciation of the need for accurate
botanical information about the species used,
resulting in changed course content. The
approach has established the idea of
curriculum strengthening as a continuous
process, indicating sustainability in the
strengthening process.
The project culminated in a National
Workshop on Local Knowledge and
Biodiversity Conservation in Forestry Practice
and Education (19-23 October, 1998), a
stimulating forum at which project experience
was shared with participants from
universities, NGOs and government
institutions from the Philippines and Vietnam.
The workshop showed that there is a growing
awareness of the need both to include
participatory approaches to biodiversity in the
forestry curriculum, and of the value of
participatory tools for curriculum
development and teaching. Further
information and copies of the proceedings
(while stocks last) are available from:
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Dr Anna Lawrence
Centre for Natural Resources and
Development
Green College, University of Oxford
Woodstock Road
Oxford OX 2 6HG, United Kingdom
Email: AnnaL1@aol.com or
anna.lawrence@green.ox.ac.uk
ITTO FELLOWSHIPS
ITTO offers fellowships to promote human
resource development and institutional
strengthening in the forestry sectors of
member countries. The priority areas are:
Forest Industry; Economic Information and
Market Intelligence; and Reforestation and
Forest Management. Fellowship funds are
provided for the following activities: (1) study
tours to forests, mills and research
institutions; (2) participation in conferences,
workshops and training courses; (3)
postgraduate programs (partial tuition
grants), not including PhDs; (4) short-term
research; (5) technology transfer to producer
member countries; and (6) preparation of
technical documents.
Applications are required to conform to
ITTO's general objectives in respect of
sustainable forest management, utilisation
and trade and, in particular, the Year 2000
Objective. The average award is US$6,500
with a maximum of US$12,000. Only
nationals of ITTO member countries are
eligible to apply.
The Fellowship Selection Committee
appraises applications at the ITTO Council
Sessions in May and November each year.
Applicants are advised that fellowship
activities may not commence until at least
one month after the relevant Council Session.
The next deadline for applications is 24
March 2000.
Further details and application forms (in
English, French or Spanish) are available
from:
Dr Chisato Aoki
Fellowship Programme
ITTO
International Organizations Center
5th Floor, Pacifico-Yokohama
1-1-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku
Yokohama 220
Japan
Fax: +81 45 223 1111
Email: itto@mail.itto-unet.ocn.ne.jp
Source: Tropical Forest Update, Vol 9, No 3, 1999
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TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NEW
MILLENNIUM: RESEARCH TECHNIQUES
FOR CONSERVATION EXPEDITIONS IN
THE YEAR 2000
Rediscovering an Indonesian paradise flycatcher thought to have been extinct for over a century; working with spiritual healers in Southern Madagascar's spiny forest to compile a database of medicinal plants; producing an acoustic identification guide for amphibians in the Philippines and conducting the first ever survey on the ecology of wild tortoise species threatened by commercial timber extraction and the pet trade in the forests of peninsular Malaysia. All this and more was achieved by student expeditions supported by the BP Conservation Programme over the last year. Now, others can follow in their footsteps by participating in a series of field research techniques workshops.
Student scientists and conservationists planning overseas research expeditions are invited to join experts from Britain's world-class research centres for a series of one-day intensive workshops on Biological Survey Techniques for Conservation Expeditions in April 2000.
Topics to be covered include measuring biodiversity; surveying birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates; plant collecting; mapping and field surveys; wildlife sound recording; habitat assessment; marine & freshwater surveys and conservation education.
The twelve workshops will give participants the practical skills they need to gather valuable baseline data and make a contribution to biodiversity conservation world-wide. Guidance will be given on research priorities, project design and field techniques appropriate to the remote and challenging environments where many of these expeditions take place, particularly the tropics. A strong emphasis on host-country participation is encouraged to develop long-term international partnerships.
The workshops draw on the expertise of field scientists from conservation organisations including BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, and research institutes, The Natural History Museum, Oxford University Museum, Harrison Zoological Museum, Cambridge University, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the British Library National Sound Archive.
Organised by the BP Conservation Programme and the Expedition Advisory Centre at the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), the workshops are aimed at undergraduate teams, but all are welcome to attend. Workshops will take place in central London in late April 2000. Each workshop costs £25 for one workshop and £20 for each additional workshop. Student/team rate £15 and £10.
For further details of the year 2000
workshops email: eac@rgs.org
For more information please contact:
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Robin Mitchell, BP Conservation Programme,
BirdLife International,
Wellbrook Court
Girton Road
Cambridge CB3 ONA, UK
Tel: +44 1223 277 318
Email: bp-conservation-programme@birdlife.org.uk
Http://www.bp.com/conservation/
Anna McCormack Expedition Advisory
Centre
Royal Geographical Society, (with the
Institute of British Geographers)
1 Kensington Gore
London, SW7 2AR, UK
Tel: +44 171 591 3030
E-mail: eac@rgs.org
Http://www.rgs.org/eac
WEST AFRICA: FORESTRY
DEVELOPMENT IN DRY AREAS - REPORT
OF AN INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR
ORGANISED BY CORAF
The development of natural forests in dry areas in West Africa is being hampered by the lack of appropriate technology and the poor knowledge of the ecology, societies and economies. In November 1998, an international seminar was held in Ouagadougou to find solutions and recommend research and development activities.
Participants began by noting the fact that there was no unity between objectives for different development projects and research protocols and methods. They stressed that the laws, regulations and evaluation tools for fodder and woody resources were inappropriate. In conclusion, they commented on the failure to transfer research results to rural communities.
Given this situation, it was recommended
that a new approach be used to develop all
the natural forests in a country. This includes
negotiation and mediation of land use,
master plans for supply systems, strategies
for domestic energy use, rural markets for
firewood, and simplified technical plans. The
areas identified for research include
improving existing tools (by lowering costs,
for example) in order to implement
development projects and establishing
national and regional databases.
An Anthropological and Sociological Approach
Discussions then showed that the systems and species are little known, that biological and genetic diversity is not taken into account, and that data has not been properly gathered. In order to improve knowledge of forest ecology, it is important to characterise the forests, model the dynamics of the different ecosystems, simplify the system development methods, and study vegetative propagation and sexual reproduction processes. It was also proposed that new methods be designed to inventory and monitor ecosystems, and various forestry development activities carried.
Finally, the lack of knowledge of forest
societies and their economies had meant that
their interests, needs, and security, have not
been taken into account. The economic
benefits of sylvopastoral development are not
sufficiently clear. Sylvopastoral developments
have not been adapted by the populations
themselves because of the combination of all
these factors. Knowledge will improve if an
anthropological and sociological approach is
adopted (explanation of values, uses, etc) and
by discussing the various participatory
approaches before they are applied in the
field, by implementing a project on the
monetary value of standing trees, and by
considering the needs of beneficiary
populations.
For further information, please contact:
Isabelle Tiendrébéogo
CNRST
BP 7047
Ouagadougou 03
Burkina Faso
Fax: +226 31 50 03
Source: Coraf Action, No 11, April-June 1999
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OCTOBER 1999 COMMUNIQUÉ FROM THE
EUROPEAN FOUNDATION FOR THE
PRESERVATION OF AFRICAN
FORESTRESOURCES (IFIA)
The principal European industrial groups
which are members of IFIA are investors in
the forestry sector and wood industry in
central and west Africa. They joined together
in 1996 as a Dutch-registered organization
entitled:
"European Foundation for the Preservation
of African Forest Resources"
The Foundation members listed below
represent in Africa:
Conscious of their leading roles in:
Foundation members affirm their
readiness to act as leaders and proactive
partners in their respective African
political, economic and social
environments.
Following the Foundation meeting of
September 14th and 15th in Milan, Italy,
members have decided:
To request that the ATIBT* - with the support
of Foundation members' forest managers
and key consultants establishing forest
management plans in Africa -- define a
Practical Forest Management Plan as
standard, with specific focus on forest
inventories. This standard should serve as a
realistic and applicable common guideline,
technically and financially, feasible for the
various areas, regions and enterprises in the
sector. Foundation members are committing
themselves, after having reached an
agreement with African governments, to
promote and implement this plan.
To finalize, together with the IUCN* and the
CEFDHAC*, a professional code of
conduct, initiated by IFIA and at present
under negotiation among the different parties.
Once approved, this code of conduct will be
signed by the Foundation members, who are
bound to respect and to promote it throughout
the profession. Foundation members and the
IUCN will set up, over the coming months, a
monitoring and evaluating committee to verify
the application of this code of conduct by the
signatories.
To encourage international donors to continue
their technical and financial support in
completing the task of defining the Principles,
Criteria and Indicators for sustainable
management of natural tropical forest already
developed by the CIFOR* and the ATO* and
tested in five African countries. To establish
rapidly with all parties concerned, and make
available to companies desiring it, a Pan-African Certification System which is both
adapted to regional specifications and
internationally credible. The Foundation
Members will lend technical assistance to
make this Certification operational.
Foundation members confirm their
assistance and financial support of IFIA
and ATIBT.
These four decisions will be put into effect
immediately.
Milan, September 15, 1999
Members of the Foundation include the following industrial groups:
BTA (Congo-Brazza and Democratic Republic of the
Congo), CIB ( Republic of the Ivory Coast), DANZER
( R.I.C, Congo-Brazza, D.R.C.), DASSI (R.I.C,
Cameroon), FIP (R.I.C.), INPROBOIS (R.I.C.),
INTERWOOD (Gabon, Cameroon), LEROYGABON
(Gabon), PALLISCO (Cameroon), ROUGIER
(Cameroon, Gabon, Congo-Brazza), SBL (Gabon),
THANRY (R.I.C., Cameroon, Gabon, Central African
Republic), TIMBER INTERNATIONAL (Ghana,
Congo-Brazza), WIJMA (R.I.C., Ghana, Cameroon),
WONNEMANN (Congo-Brazza.).
For more information please contact the
management of each signatory firm, or:
J.J.Landrot, IFIA
6 Avenue Saint Mandé
75012 PARIS, France
Tel : +33 1 43 42 4200
Fax: +: 33 1 43 42 5522
Email: 106422.711@ compuserve.com
*ATIBT = Association Technique Internationale des
Bois Tropicaux; ATO = African Timber Organisation;
IUCN = International Union for the Conservation of
Nature; CIFOR = International Center for Forest
Research; CEFDHAC = Conference on Dense
Rainforest Ecosystem in Central Africa
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SEVENTEEN HUNDRED PLANT FILES
FOR PLANTGRO AND OTHER SYSTEMS
By Clive Hackett, Canberra, 1999
Email: chackett@dynamite.com.au
Http://www.ozemail.com.au/~chackett
Plantgro is a software package for predicting the growth of crops, forest trees, and other plants. It was first published in 1992 and by 1996 about 60 plant files were available. However, the files had largely been made from personal knowledge and this had become exhausted. I therefore created another method called INFER, which was based on the conditions which species are known to experience (Hackett 1996). From these observations it was possible to add to the original plant files but the process was too slow for general use.
During this period, FAO had been creating and marketing its plant database called ECOCROP1. This is a one-dimension database which covers 1700 useful plants. Among the database are environmental ratings which indicate the suitability of species for nominated environmental conditions.
These ratings were found to be loosely similar to Plantgro's system even though they did not deal with the elements of time and water-balance. It seemed therefore that by combining FAO's plant database with INFER's ability to make good estimates from useful pieces of data and adding Plantgro's two-dimensional qualities, 1700 Plantgro plant files could be made.
Initially there was some concern about likely errors but this fear slowly diminished, mainly because the INFER rules were generally working well. This encouraged me to invite Mr Graham Fry - a widely experienced software writer in Canberra - to see if he could put the three components together.
After considerable effort on Mr Fry's part, 1700 Plantgro plant files appeared, which seemed to be working well. As an initial check, 500 predictions were made. There were no crashes and deeper analyses indicated sensible results. This, however, did not to amount to a full independent test.
Fortunately, at this time a well-known organisation asked for a copy of Plantgro for use in the Middle East. Fifty plant files were required if possible, many for very little-known species. Plantgro 1700 was able to supply 39 files (e.g. Cedrus libani, Pistacia atlantica, and Quercus cerris) and when the clients tested them against the environments they were going to work in, we were delighted to be told that the results were very good.
Therefore, three factors have enabled us to create the 1700 plant files. These are FAO's ability to produce reasonably accurate one-dimensional plant data, INFER's capability to provide effective rules, and Plantgro's capacity for the creation of two-dimensional plant files which allow for time and water-balance estimates. The combination of these three factors has made it possible to produce 1700 plant files which seem to be reliable, useful and innovative.
What we want to do with these discoveries is not just to sell plant files but also to encourage imaginative thinking. For example, it is now possible to copy plant systems and monitor their behaviour over time, help with global warming problems, and encourage herbaria data to be more used for prediction purposes. Further, because Plantgro can deal with insects and plant diseases with the same software, true mixtures of organisms can be studied. In the past it was difficult to innovate because there were so few species to work with. Now there seem to be a large number, as the list below indicates:
Beverage 138 (e.g. leaves), Control 482 (e.g.
erosion), Energy 365 (e.g.charcoal), Fodder
365 (e.g. pasture), Food 644 (e.g. fruits),
Industrial 1032 (e.g. timber), Manure 181,
Spices 401, and Multiple Uses 1294. Lists of
the plants covered in the above sections are
available on application.
Plantgro plant files will not be sold without a
Plantgro Connections colleague testing the
file. Also, no file at present can be promised
to be highly accurate. For that reason, the
sale price will be about $US4 per file, with
reductions per file for block purchases. Very
large blocks of files cannot be provided. For
formal information about sales of Plantgro
and related files, please contact Mr Murray
Willmott (mwillmo@atrax.net.au).
There is a formal account of Plantgro in
Ecological Modelling 106 (1998) 233-246
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