The recently released Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA 2000) was based on an intensive, five-year effort carried out by FAO in cooperation with national forestry agencies from nearly every country of the world, a large number of research centres and academic institutions, and a number of international, regional and non-governmental organizations. Within the framework of the FRA programme, a vast amount of information on the status and trends in forest area, natural forests, plantations, protected areas, sustainable forest management and other, related variables, was collected and analysed.
(see http://www.fao.org/forestry/fo/fra/index.jsp).
Forests are the single most important repository of terrestrial biological diversity. They help support a wide range of living organisms and the variation found within these, including trees, shrubs and a wealth of other species of plants and animals. The results of the FRA 2000 study on forest areas, change, composition and quality, are an important point of reference for work aimed at the conservation of forest biological diversity and the wise management of the genetic resources found in forest ecosystems. Of major relevance are also the global forest cover and ecological zone maps, which provide important baseline information, and which can further support priority setting in conservation and genetic management at regional and global levels.
The FRA 2000 study showed that the world’s forests, in the year 2000, covered some 3.9 billion hectares, providing approximately 0.6 ha of forest per capita. 47 percent of these forests were in the tropics, 33 percent in the boreal zone, 11 percent in the temperate zone and 9 percent in the sub-tropics. 95 percent were natural, 5 percent planted forests. Net deforestation at the global level was estimated at approximately -9.4 million hectares per year, and gross deforestation (loss of forest cover and conversion to other land uses), -14.6 million hectares. Most of the forest loss was in the tropics; it was attributed largely to the conversion of forests to permanent agriculture, pasture and shifting agriculture.
A note in this issue of Forest Genetic Resources briefly summarizes trends in forest plantation development from 1980 to 1990, based on the findings in FRA 2000. A short article reviews the complementary roles for conservation of protected areas, managed natural forests, plantations and breeding programmes, as reported in the FRA 2000 Final Report, published by FAO at the end of 2001.
Other contributions in FGR 29 report on action, programmes and projects vigorously pursued by colleagues in all regions of the world; these span from those related to in and ex situ conservation, species and provenance trials and research networking, to the use and application of biotechnologies in forestry. In regard to new documents of interest, the recently published FAO/IPGRI/DANIDA Forest Seed Centre guide to the in situ conservation of forest genetic resources is reported upon. This is the first in a series of three complementary booklets on genetic conservation which will be jointly published over the coming months by the three institutions. The booklets complement recent similar efforts by i.a. the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the DANIDA Forest Seed Centre, and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), also referred to in this issue of FGR.
Contributions from readers, not exceeding 2000 words, are welcome for future issues. The Secretariat maintains the right to edit material accepted for publication. Please address correspondence to:
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Forest Resources Development Service |
