Imbalances between requirements for and availability of wood resources already occur in many arid and semi-arid regions of the world world. To help alleviate these imbalances, interest is being directed toward itensified forestry programs to grow multipurpose tree species at the rural community level. Tree species of the genus Prosopis show promise for this purpose.
To furnish a reference point for conservation and plantation programs of arid-zone arboreal species, a preliminaty survey of such species (including Prosopis spp.) was recommended by the FAO Panel of Experts on Forest Resources (FAO 1977), and carried out as Phase I of the FAO/IBPGR Project on Genetic Resources of Arid and Semi-Arid Zone Arboreal Species for the Improvement of Rural Living (FAO 1980). In consultation with researchers and foresters in interested countries, priority species for further action were selected in this Phase. The present handbook attempts to clarify the nomenclature of the Latin American Species included in the FAO/IBPGR project.
A number of species which are not included in the present Phase II of the FAO/IBPGR Project (1981–83) could become important in the future. Therefore, in the interest of completeness, all the major native Prosopis tree species in Latin America are covered in this handbook.
