Speech by the Deputy Director of the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Dr Paul Konuche, welcoming participants to the Regional Workshop on the Formation of an African Forest Pest Network
It is my privilege and pleasure to extend to you a warm welcome to this Workshop. This is the second Workshop to be held in our Institute to look at the issues on forest pest management in this Region. The first workshop on management of conifer aphids was held in this same Conference Room in June 1991. We in KEFRI feel honoured to host the Workshop starting today.
Since 1940s, when our countries in the Eastern and Central Africa Region embarked on programmes of plantation development using fast growing exotic species, we have been experiencing the outbreak of foreign pests almost every decade. Such pests include:
· The cypress canker, which severely affected the high yielding Cupressus macrocarpa in 1950s;· Dothistroma pinii or needle blight of Pinus radiata, which arrived in the early 1960;
· The pine woolly aphid of late 1960s and pine needle aphid of late 1980s, both of which attack many species of tropical pines;
· The most devastating cypress aphid, Cinara cupressi which arrived during the mid-1980 and affects many species of cypress and indigenous cedars; and
· Leucaena psyllid, which arrived only two years ago.
Our countries have suffered huge economic losses as a result of these pests, especially the cypress aphid. We, therefore, consider the meeting, starting today, as being timely. We welcome the move to establish a network on the management of forest pests within the Eastern, Central and Southern African Region, as an effective strategy to reduce costs and avoid the duplication of effort.
We are glad that you were able to come and participate in this meeting on the establishment of an African Forest Pest Network. I am confident that our discussions this week will be fruitful and will be of benefit, not only to the countries within our Region, but also to the rest of Africa.
KEFRI has jointly organized this workshop with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Institute of Biological Control. I wish to thank these organizations for making it possible for us to meet. I also wish to thank all the participants who are with us today.
I wish you an enjoyable stay in KEFRI.
Thank you.
Speech by the Deputy Director of the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Dr Paul Konuche, welcoming the Honourable Minister for Research, Technical Training and Technology, Dr Zachary Onyonka to the Regional Workshop of the Formation of an African Forest Pest Network
Honourable Minister,
I wish to thank you for coming to grace this occasion.
Allow me to make some observations about the situation of forest pest management within the Eastern, Central and Southern African Region.
1. Many countries in this Region have invested significantly on the development of forest plantations with reliance on exotic species, with the objective of increasing the supply of wood products. Little has been done to use indigenous species for plantation development.2. Ecological conditions within the Region are generally similar so that when a pest lands in one country, it quickly spreads over the Region, resulting in serious economic losses and reduced productivity of our forests.
3. Within a period of about 50 years, the Region has experienced the outbreaks of six exotic pests, the most recent and devastating being the cypress aphid.
4. Constraints, including underfunding, shortage of well trained and experienced staff and lack of fora for exchange of scientific information, have weakened the ability of forestry and forestry research institutions to respond to pests outbreaks.
Because of the above, a regional approach to management of forest pests has recently been proposed. In a workshop held here in 1991, it was recommended that the countries in the region should establish a network to address the issues on the management of forest pests.
This workshop has, therefore, brought together the Directors, researchers and forest practitioners from forest institutions in the region to deliberate on the formation of a network on the management of forest pests. The main purpose of such a network is to enhance the protection of our valuable forests from damage by insects and diseases.
The workshop has been jointly organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Institute of Biological Control and KEFRI with financial support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Canadian International Development Agency.
With these remarks, I now request the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Research, Technical Training and Technology to also make some remarks and to welcome the Minister to address this gathering and to officially open this workshop.
Speech by the Honourable Minister for Research, Technical Training and Technology, Dr. Zachary Onyonka, on the occasion of the Official Opening of the workshop on the Formation of an African Forest Pest Network, 24th April 1995, at KEFRI Headquarters in Muguga at 10.00 am
Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Representatives of the International Institute of Biological Control (IIBC)
The Directors of Forestry in Africa
Forest Research Scientists
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Allow me to first welcome you all to our country. I would, particularly, like to extend a warm hand of friendship to our brothers and sisters from the Republic of South Africa and to congratulate them on their attainment of a seat among their African brothers and sisters. It is my hope that all of you will find your stay here pleasant and memorable despite the busy schedule ahead of you.
I am informed that the objective of this Workshop is to forge links between the institutions in this region. We are also here to work out modalities for sharing ideas, experiences as well as the limited resources available for the control of pests in agriculture and particularly in forestry. Fortunately for us a great deal of effort has gone into trying to establish working relations that will enable us to face problems at all times other than dealing with specific problems only.
Ladies and gentlemen, I do remember that some kind of networking has already taken place in the past. Such experiences include the fights against, cypress aphid, the pine woolly aphid and the recent leucaena psyllid.
The cypress aphid, now found throughout Eastern and Southern Africa and affecting both exotic and indigenous cypresses and cedar, continues to cause economic losses while creating an adverse environmental imbalance. I am, however, happy to note that this pest is being tackled through a programme sponsored by CIDA, under the auspices of the International Institute of Biological Control (IIBC). This programme, which covers eleven countries of Africa, has contributed to the formation of an informal network which is made up of key personnel in forestry management with a common objective of controlling the spread of the aphid while, at the same time, creating a sound forest management infrastructure.
In agroforestry, the Leucaena psyllid now threatens an important agroforestry tree species, Leucaena leucocephala, a tree that has come to be known as the manure tree. This problem is currently being addressed through a programme operated by FAO but which has very little coverage and urgently requires expansion to include more countries in Africa. Such an expansion is essential if we are to create the necessary impact against this menace.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is clear that a regional approach is already being followed with some degree of success. It is, also, clear that the existing networks have only been established on a temporary basis and may disband as soon as project funds run out or as soon as the particular problems disappear. Your presence here should ensure that existing networks are strengthened to survive beyond the present projects.
As you all know, environmentally the African Continent is not composed of separate exclusive islands. It is one land mass with a number of off-shore island states. This scenario forms a conducive medium for free flow of friendly and unfriendly insects, and pests and diseases. Such a situation calls for concern by all of us in the continent because whatever affects our neighbours, across the border today, will definitely affect us tomorrow. Therefore, any assistance or support given to our neighbours, today, is our best insurance against a similar problem for us tomorrow.
Ladies and gentlemen, problems affecting forestry are thus common to several countries and can be best approached regionally. African countries cannot afford to isolate themselves when tackling similar problems. The time to share resources and experiences on how to face our common problems is now rather than when the problem is in place. If we do not come together now, we are likely to pay a much higher price once we experience problems from pests or diseases.
The formation of a working system of networking is a logical step to be taken in our region. Such a system would provide the medium for interaction and sharing information, research findings and the available but limited resources. A formal network would make provision for information exchange, technology transfer, exchange of methods, quarantine legislation and early warning systems. However, the only workable modus operandi for such a system has to borrow a leaf from what happens in the area of politics. In other words it can only function efficiently through discussions and consultations between key personnel from the affected countries. Without such discussions we cannot create any networking.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am informed that this meeting marks the zenith of cumulative efforts of many people from this region and international organizations. I am told that these people share the common objective of fighting desertification and combating the decline in agroforestry in Africa. They also share a common goal of forestry pest management, embracing other insects, diseases and weed problems. With such a common bond amongst professionals I have no doubt that we shall create a viable network for this region.
Ladies and gentlemen, before I conclude, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the sponsors of this Workshop, namely, FAO and CIDA for their invaluable support. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the organizers of the event for making it a reality. Allow me, also, to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of you for availing yourselves to this Workshop.
Finally, it is our hope that by the end of the week, you will have come up with a draft Charter to be submitted to your respective countries for further consideration. We, also, hope that summaries of your recommendations will be availed to donors for study and consideration. For these reasons, you have a great task ahead of you. I wish you the very best in your deliberations.
With these remarks, it is my pleasure to declare this Workshop officially open.
Thank you.
Speech by Dr Ben Moody of the Canadian Forest Service, Monitor of the African Forest Pest Management Programme on behalf of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) send their regrets that they were unable to attend the network Workshop. However, I, as the monitor of the African Aphid Project have been asked to say something to the African Forest Pest Management Network workshop on behalf of CIDA. As CIDA has no expertise in forest entomology, the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) was contracted by CIDA to monitor the CIDA/IIBC African Aphid Project.
Although a CIDA representative is not present, I can assure you that CIDA have received good reports about the African Aphid Project. They are very pleased with the progress that has been made so far, in sampling, rearing, collecting and release of paranoids and training of African pest management personnel. This network workshop is partly funded by CIDA through the IIBC contract and CIDA is very supportive of the workshop.
I would like to assure you that CIDA regards the formation of a regional African Forest Pest Management Network as a very important step in the success of the African Aphid Project. After the establishment of a regional network, country or national networks are also of high profile and a means of obtaining funds for implementation of sustainable pest management systems.
In the Canadian Forest Service, additional funding is not granted to individual scientists but to scientists within a Network. Therefore, networking is becoming more and more important in any attempts to obtain funding for projects. If you are not a member of a network your chances of getting funding are low or nil, in many instances. For example, in the CFS, only networks were funded from money under the Green Plan Program (1992 - 96), a total of 22 CFS networks were funded under Integrated Forest Pest Management. As another example, I am a member of the Insect and Disease Study Group of the North American Forestry Commission comprising Canada, USA and Mexico. We meet annually and exchange reports on pest surveys, research, pest management, quarantine and technical exchanges. We also produce a proceedings and collaborate on joint publications; and recently a book on Forest Insects of Mexico was published.
A Pest Management Network will provide a good focal point for information exchange, joint activities, maintaining contact and providing a degree of country coordination. I hope this Workshop ends with something positive such as a draft Charter and the formation of a network.
I wish you success in your deliberations during the week ahead.
Speech By Dr. Garry Hill, Scientist in Charge, IIBC and Regional Representative for CAB International
IIBC's regional forest aphid biological control project sponsored by CIDA has as its primary aim the implementation of biological control of three aphid species in affected countries in eastern and southern Africa. A subsidiary but still very important aim is to strengthen the national forestry pest management programmes through workshops, technical collaboration,/and on-the job training. The scope of IIBC's forest pest management activities in the region has now broadened to encompass other pests such as the leucaena psyllid and the eucalyptus longhorn beetle. In all of these projects, as indeed with all of IIBC's projects in the region, the process of biological control implementation has to be carried out in close collaboration with the national programme.
The process of biological control implementation involves the development of procedures and processes which are more or less standard in every participating country in the region. Thus, each candidate agent must be correctly identified, have its host range determined, be reared successfully in culture, released into the field and finally effectively evaluated.
It was clear to us from the inception of this project that these activities could be best accomplished by developing linkages and coordination between countries. To this end, a full time coordinator, Ms. Gillian Allard, was appointed to the project. Gillian's brief was to coordinate the project activities within the region, and over the preceding three and a half years, she has succeeded in developing an informal network of forest pest management researchers.
Some examples of networking activities on this project have been the holding of a regional workshop on forest aphid biocontrol at which standardised procedures for the region are agreed upon; the holding of national training courses involving resource persons from neighbouring countries; the publication of a regional forest pest management newsletter; the hosting of national programme scientists in small groups at the IIBC research station in Kenya for intensive in-depth training and discussion with IIBC staff; and the secondment of a Kenyan forest entomologist, Mr. Eston Mutitu, to the IIBC programme.
One of the most striking and recent examples of this informal network in action has been the facilitation earlier this year, of the transfer of a parasitoid biological control agent of the eucalyptus longhorn beetle, along with expertise on its field release and assessment from South Africa to Zambia. There are several more examples of the inter-regional transfer of biological control agents which could be facilitated by a network.
This should leave you in no doubt that IIBC is a strong advocate of a forest pest management network in this region. We see considerable benefits to pooling regionally our information, our skills and our resources to develop an effective and responsive network capable of a rapid, coordinated and effective response to forest pests regionally, and to the benefit of all participating countries.
Speech by William M Ciesla, Forest Protection Officer, FAO, Rome on behalf of FAO
On behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ii is my pleasure to wish all of the participants in this Workshop on the Formation of an African Forest Pest Management Network, "karibu".
Why are we here?. Our mission is relatively straight forward although perhaps a bit complex. It is to develop a forest insect and disease network for Africa.
There is no doubt that insects and diseases are serious pests of Africa's forests, especially those which have been accidentally introduced into the continent in recent years. The first of what has become a wave of pest introductions was the pine woolly aphid, which appeared in Kenya and Zimbabwe during the 1960s. This was followed by the introduction of the pine needle aphid into several countries of eastern and southern Africa and the black pine aphid into South Africa. In 1986, the cypress aphid first appeared in Malawi and rapidly spread into several neighbouring countries causing widespread mortality of the region's extensive cypress plantings. In 1992, the leucaena psyllid, a destructive pest of leucaenas, an important agroforestry species, made its first appearance in Kenya and Tanzania. And, most recently, the European wood wasp was discovered infesting radiata pine in South Africa. Indigenous pests too are causing concern. Recent examples include a dieback of native cedar forests in the Kenya highlands which appears to be the result of a combination of abiotic factors, fungi and insects and a borer in mangroves.
There has been an expression of interest in the development of an African network on forest insects and diseases for several years. This interest was first expressed in the form of a resolution made by delegates from several African countries participating in a workshop on conifer aphids held here in this same meeting room at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute in Muguga in June 1991. During another workshop held in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in October 1994 which focused on the leucaena psyllid, there was considerable discussion on the desirability of such a network and what form it should take. This workshop ended with a strong statement of support for the development of an African network on forest insects and diseases by Mr F.M. Shao, Commissioner for Research and Training, Ministry of Agriculture, Tanzania who said, "Let me insist that if we want to contain the problem (forest insects and diseases) within the subregion and beyond, SUSTAINABILITY OF THE NETWORKS YOU HAVE ADOPTED IS MANDATORY."
Why is a network important? The reason is quite simple. People of similar interests or professions have a need to communicate. Regardless of the nature of the subject, there is a need to discuss common problems and their resolution, share experiences and inspire new ideas and approaches. The benefits of these activities include avoiding a duplication of effort, generate new ideas and approaches and extend scarce resources. The key benefit of networking is synergy; the additional energy produced when people work together as a team. With synergy, 2+2 does not necessarily equal 4, it may equal 5 or even 6.
This week, we will be discussing the organization and structure of an African network for insects and disease. Some of the topics to be addressed are:
The geographic scope of the network.
Which pests to emphasize.
How will the network be funded?
How will it be organized?
How can its sustainability be assured?
The organizers of this workshop have developed a programme to help guide these discussions. On behalf of FAO, I want to wish you a successful session.
