The FAO Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission held its eighth session in Seoul, Republic of Korea, 1-8 May 1969. There were 42 delegates, advisers and observers from 13 Member Nations¹. In addition, representatives were present from the United Nations Development Programme, the Asian Development Bank and the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations. Mr. Soesilo H. Prakoso, Deputy Regional Representative, FAO, Bangkok, represented the Director-General of FAO.
(¹ Australia, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States of America.)
The newly appointed Director of the Forestry and Forest Industries Division of FAO, Dr. B.K. Steenberg, addressing the meeting, stressed that forest industries integrated with their sources of supply were suited to playing a major part at every stage in the progressive social and economic expansion of both developing and developed countries. He emphasized the considerable role of forestry in this new era and the need for adequate financing from governments if natural resources were to be optimally utilized.
The commission unanimously elected the following officers, the terms of office to expire at the beginning of the commission's ninth session: chairman, Young Jin Kim (Korea); vice-chairmen: Shin Kyu Hyun (Korea), Krit Samapuddhi (Thailand) and R.C. Soni (India). C.S. Cree (Australia) was appointed rapporteur for the session.
The commission's first task was to examine the state of forestry in the region. The main points which emerged in the discussion were:
1. the growth of forestry cooperatives in the northern countries of the region;
2. good progress with forest inventories;
3. insufficient efforts directed to watershed management;
4. serious problems posed by shifting cultivation;
5. inadequate control of timber theft, illegal felling and encroachment on forest reserves;
6. development of transport of wood chips by sea;
7. significant increase in log exports, in contrast to sawn timber exports;
8. increased, though still inadequate, attention being paid to conservation of wildlife and vegetation types.
Delegates provided information on events or developments subsequent to the submission of their written national progress reports. For instance, the delegate of New Zealand gave details of the recent Forest Development Conference in his country which was of general interest to the region. This Forest Development Conference marked the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the New Zealand Forest Service, which had seemed an appropriate time to review forest policy. Working parties, which included nongovernment members, had been set up to review and report on different aspects of forestry. The aim was to decide: what existing or potential markets for New Zealand forest products were available; how much of this requirement could they grow; and what were :industrial development needs.
The New Zealand representative suggested that the preparation of national forestry plans would be simplified for other countries if they examined the recently prepared New Zealand Forest Development Plan. A copy had been made available to FAO. Another delegate suggested that it would be of great value if national plans were made public, so that each country could assess for itself regional raw resources and markets.
Work of FAO
The commission learned. with interest that an FAO seminar on forestry education was being held in Africa in July 1969 and recommended that a similar seminar should be organized for the Asia-Pacific region to consider and review the problems and needs in forestry education and training. It suggested that the FAO Advisory Committee on Forestry Education could meet on the same occasion.
The commission also welcomed FAO'S intention to organize a World Consultation of Forestry Education in 1971 in Europe and noted that the World directory of forestry schools was soon to be updated and revised.
The commission supported the case which had been presented for the provision of training at grass roots level for forest workers. In the commission's view this must include some formal training at recognized schools in addition to on-the-job training. The point was appreciated that, without competent and well-trained operatives, forestry and forest industries could not become efficient activities. The commission commended the action of those member countries (notably India, with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme) which had already taken effective steps to establish training arrangements for forest workers.
Recognizing the growing public interest in the socioeconomic value of wildlife, unique vegetation and physiographic types, in conjunction or separately, the commission recommended that Member Governments give strong support to the conservation of such resources, especially vanishing species, including their habitat, and to the establishment of special protected areas, such as national parks.
The commission further requested Member Governments to take cognizance of the problem of smuggling protected animals, including rare species and their products, and urged them to do all in their power to control or abolish this traffic.
The commission acknowledged the considerable help and guidance to Member Governments provided by the original FAO study, Forest policy, law and administration, issued nearly 20 years ago. As a result of the changing social, economic and political conditions under which forestry had to operate today, the study now clearly needed revision. The commission accordingly welcomed the Organization's intention to revise the study, but recognized the complexity of the task. To ensure that all aspects of forestry under the varying conditions of the Asia-Pacific region would be taken into account, the commission agreed to FAO selecting a group of national correspondents to collaborate in the preparation of a revised outline of the study. The group of correspondents selected for the region should comprise individual experts working in their personal capacities and should not necessarily be nominees of forest services.
The commission considered the field programmes of FAO when reviewing the work of the Forestry and Forest Industries Division. It heard with interest further information provided about the types of multilateral and bilateral aid (U.S.$ 21.3 million) channelled through FAO by means of the United Nations Development Programme (Special Fund) ($10 million); World Food Programme ($10 million); and United Nations Development Programme (Technical Assistance) ($1.3 million). The commission noted the appropriate methods of applying for aid from each of the separate multilateral agencies.
The commission also heard statements on the various types of bilateral aid provided to countries in the region by Australia, Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States of America. It was clear that the possibilities of bilateral aid were many, and there were a large number of bilateral aid projects. The commission felt that FAO should be promptly advised of bilateral aid programmes and projects, so that these could be coordinated with UNDP and other multilateral aid projects, and duplication be avoided.
The commission also heard with interest the statement of the forestry specialist from the Asian Development Bank on the nature and scope of aid available to the countries of the region, particularly in the field of forest industries development, and noted the sectional report on forestry of the Asian agricultural survey conducted by the bank which was tabled; the Asian Development Bank considered that agricultural development in the region was a prerequisite to an industrial " take-off."
Future session
The date and place of the next session were left to be determined by the Director-General of FAO in consultation with the Chairman of APFC. The commission took note with gratitude of the invitations extended by the delegations of Malaysia and of the Philippines to act as host for the ninth session, which it requested should be held in 1972.
The commission suggested that following items be included on the agenda:
1. FAO'S Indicative World Plan for Agricultural Development;
2. logging and transport problems;
3. regional cooperation in forest industries development;
4. wildlife management;
5. use of mixed tropical hardwoods for pulping.
It proposed that some of these items should be discussed in depth by providing an opportunity for a symposium type of meeting in the course of the commission's session.
