During the meeting five keynote papers were presented.
Mr Adnan Al Fares talked about the state of agriculture, forestry and environment in the Near East by putting the emphazise on the status and trends in forestry and on recent initiatives within the forestry sector (e.g. Convention to Combat Desertification, Convention on Biological Diversity, eleventh World Forestry Congress). In addition, he gave an overview on recent developments related to the utilization of NWFP in the Near East.
Finally, Mr Al Fares explained the expected objectives and outcomes of the meeting, which was organized as a follow-up to the International Expert Meeting on "Medicinal, Culinary and Aromatic Plants in the Near East", held in Cairo in May 1997.1
The objectives of this meeting were threefold:
1. Inform participants on new developments in the region on NWFP and discuss and exchange experiences among actors involved in NWFP in the region;
2. Review the status of implementation of the recommendations from the Cairo Meeting;
3. Discuss a draft framework for a regional project on NWFP development in the Near East and seek inputs and consensus from the participants.
Ms Laura Russo from the Forest Products Division (FOPW) at FAO Headquarters started her presentation by defining NWFP as "goods of biological origin, other than wood, as well as services, derived from forests and allied land uses"2. The mission of the FAO NWFP Programme is to improve the sustainable utilization of NWFP in order to contribute to the wise management of the world's forests, to conserve their biodiversity, and to improve food security for rural people. Furthermore, she presented the main activities of the FAO NWFP Programme such as
• gathering, analysis and dissemination of information;
• appraisal of NWFP socio-economic contribution to rural development;
• networking; and
• the provision of technical assistance to member countries.
Mr Awouda from Sudan talked about the Gum Arabic Project and the problems related to the ownership of natural resources.
Gum arabic is mainly produced from Acacia senegal. It is used in the manufacture of many products such as food, beverages and medicines and contributes to integrated rural development by providing supplementary income to the rural population. At the same time, it is highly important for agriculture as it retains the soil while enriching it with nitrogen.
The Gum Arabic Project aims at restoring the gum belt to stop desert encroachment and increasing the gum production. FAO participated in the implementation of the project and assisted in the specification of the quality of the gum as well as in the marketing of the product.
Mr Awouda concluded that NWFP are excellent alternatives to wood products. The utilization of NWFP in general and gum arabic in particular contributes to the preservation of forests and prevents the desertification process.
Mr Michel Khouzami, forestry consultant from Lebanon, talked about participatory and integrated forest management in the Near East countries.
He explained that only a few countries (e.g. Turkey, Cyprus and Iran) have already started to apply the concept of participatory and integrated forest resource management in the Near East.
In almost all countries of the region, the existing conflicts relate to two main constraints: a) the lack of attention to the process of involving all stakeholders; and b) the needs of local communities that conflict with the objectives of forest management policy.
In order to improve participatory and integrated forest resource management, Mr Khouzami proposed three general principles that should be applicable to the majority of forest management conflicts in countries of the Near East:
1. Focus on underlying interests, which correspond to people's fundamental needs and concerns;
2. Involve all affected stakeholders in a fair and respectful process;
3. Integrate all forest resources in a sustainable and multi-functual way.
In this regard, Mr Khouzami presented a framework consisting of nine components, which contribute to resolution of existing conflicts:
• Systematic assessment of all available information related to the existing conflict (e.g. Who are the affected stakeholders? What are their underlying interests?);
• Involvement of all affected stakeholders;
• Building of trust among all stakeholders;
• Consideration of factors located outside the forest area, which might be beyond the control of forest management staff;
• Identification of financial resources to pay for conflict resolution;
• Provision of benefits to local people such as offering employment or integrated rural development;
• Implementation of arrangements agreed upon by the different stakeholders;
• Education, awareness raising and public relations regarding the value of forests;
• Involvement of Non-governmental organization (NGO's) in conflict resolution.
Finally, Mr Khouzami suggested to carry out a survey of definitions on NWFP in all countries to identify what is considered as NWFP in the Near East. An accepted definition would be essential for the collection of statistical data on NWFP.
Mr R. Baalbaki from the American University of Beirut (AUB), Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, talked about the resources and the potential of NWFP in the Near East.
He pointed out that in developing countries many forest products such as animal feed, traditional medicines, oils, fruits and nuts are not directly related to timber production and utilization. The idea that wood products are more valuable than NWFP is not always correct and needs further examination taking the country specific conditions into consideration. In fact, one way of conserving forest trees and developing the use of NWFP is to demonstrate the value of such products.
According to Mr Baalbaki, NWFP can be classified in two main categories, namely extractive and non-extractive activities. Extractive NWFP ("forest goods") include fruits, nuts, silk, resin, exudates, fibres, wildlife, medicinal plants and herbs as well as processed products such as turpentine and essential oils. Non-extractive NWFP ("forest services" or "functions") include research on biological resources, eco-tourism and environmental influences. In Lebanon, information on NWFP is available about medicinal plants, eco-tourism, genetic resources and natural toxins used as pesticides.
Mr Baalbaki concluded that more information needs to be collected, in order to assess the current economic returns, commerce, and service benefits obtained from NWFP. Based on this information, the feasibility of the commercial production of NWFP (e.g. through the establishment of plantations) should be evaluated.
In addition to the keynote presentations, the participating country representatives briefed the meeting about the passed and current status of NWFP in their respective countries. The following presentations were held:
1. Cultivation of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants in Cyprus;
2. Promotion and Development of NWFP in Iran;
3. NWFP in Jordan;
4. Forest Situation and Rural Development in Lebanon;
5. National Report on the State of the NWFP in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia;
6. Country Report on NWFP in Sudan;
7. NWFP in Syria;
8. NWFP in Tunisia;
9. Promotion and Development of NWFP in Turkey.
The presentations emphazised the long experience of the local population in the utilization and management of NWFP in the Near East. Pastoral nomads used to manage the rangelands not only for livestock production, but also for the exploitation of NWFP such as medicinal plants, dyeing material, gums and bushmeat. In addition, they used to gather wild plants as a constant source of food.
In some countries (e.g. Sudan, Tunisia), studies were undertaken in order to identify the most important NWFP. These studies stressed on the social and economical aspects of NWFP at different levels as well as on the factors that affect the exploitation and valorization of NWFP. The results of the analysis lead to the identification of NWFP that have an important social and economical interest and which could play an important role in the development of the forestry sector.
The recreational and environmental roles of the forests were presented as important NWFP in several countries, mainly where extractive activities are not highly developed.
Community participation was mentioned as one of the key issues for sustainable forest management. In some countries, forest user rights have already been handed over to local communities. The increase in responsibility in managing their own resources combined with the economic importance of forest products for these communities contributed to the preservation of natural resources by the communities itself.
Observers from international organizations briefed the participants on their activities and perspectives related to the development of NWFP in the Near East.
Mr Paulo van Breugel, International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), presented a paper on IPGRI's activities related to NWFP, such as the selection of genetic resources of priority species and the development of strategies regarding the development and conservation of NWFP. In addition, Mr van Breugel explained IPGRI's mandate, priorities and main activities in Central West Asia and North Africa, such as strengthening national programmes, contributing to international collaboration, improving strategies and technologies for conservation and providing an international information service.
Mr Yorgos Moussoris, WWF Mediterranean Programme, explained the main objectives and activities of the WWF project "Towards a Network for the Sustainable Use of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) in the Mediterranean Region". The project targets the conservation of important forest areas in the Mediterranean and the promotion of rural community economic development by the sustainable production and management of NTFP. Currently, seven pilot studies are carried out in Tunisia, Portugal, Morocco, Lebanon, Sardinia, Spain and Greece, which aim at increasing the technical knowledge and improving marketing of major NTFP such as cork, honey, carob and argan fruits.3
Mr Jose L. de Pedro, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), North Africa Sub-Regional Development Center (NA-SRDC) presented a paper on the sustainable production of NWFP and the efforts of the SRDC for North Africa. He briefed the meeting about problems and challenges facing the NWFP in North Africa, the actions to foster production of edible NWFP and the experiences of ECA NA-SRDC on NWFP. Mr de Pedro concluded that action is required on three priority areas: data and information updating on resources, quality standards, and market opportunities.
The last session of the meeting was dedicated to the discussion of a draft framework for a regional project on NWFP development in the Near East.
Mr Sven Walter from the Forest Products Division (FOPW) at FAO Headquarters presented the results of a questionnaire, which has been distributed to country representatives at the beginning of the meeting. The questionnaire aimed at identifying major national issues, which are of relevance for a national or regional project on NWFP by taking into consideration country specific knowledge and needs. Major issues identified are a) the identification of promising NWFP; b) improved sustainable harvesting; c) improved marketing; and d) capacity building.
Finally, a one field trip day was organized to introduce the participants to the rich Lebanese flora, with a particular stress on the aromatic and medicinal plants.
1 The proceedings of the Cairo meeting are available on the FAO Web site at www.fao.org/docrep/X5402e/X5402e00.htm.
2 The FAO definition on NWFP has been changed after the workshop. According to the new definition, "NWFP consist of goods of biological origin other than wood, derived from forests, other wooded lands and trees outside forests".
3 Further information on the project is available on the FAO Web site at www.fao.org/docrep/x5593e/x5593e00.htm.