The Constitution of FAO specifies i.a. that the Organization “… shall promote and, where appropriate, shall recommend national and international action with respect to the conservation of natural resources and the adoption of improved methods of agricultural production” (Article I/2(c)). Over the more than 40 years of existence of FAO, perceptions of global needs and priorities have greatly changed. The rapid developments in the field of conservation of ecosystems and genetic resources are reflected in dynamic changes of emphasis in the work of FAO, and in internal rearrangement and the creation of new statutory and auxiliary bodies to adequately direct the work.
Foresters are in a key position to help ensure the conservation and wise use of natural renewable resources. Forests and woodlands contain not only woody species, but a wealth of other species of plants and animals, of actual or potential socioeconomic value. Harmonizing sustainable utilization and conservation is a key to genetic conservation, in the long term. Utilization, however, implies manipulation of existing resources to satisfy today's needs; wise and sustainable use presupposes knowledge of the functioning and proper handling of species and the variation they contain, and thus it is dependent on research. In a study recently carried out within the framework of FAO's Committee on Forest Development in the Tropics, it was found that only 12% of overall forestry research spending was carried out in, or focused on, tropical species. Out of the US $1,032.3 million spent on donor-assisted forestry programmes in 1988, only a little more than 10% was devoted to research and training, and only 4.7% to research proper; 8% was allocated to programmes directly related to the conservation of tropical ecosystems. Since research is needed to increase the efficiency of forest conservation and utilization, and training is the only way to develop national skills, efforts must be made to increase these percentages.
High priority to these fields is given in the Tropical Forestry Action Plan (see Editorial of FGRI 15, 1987), and they are also receiving increasing attention in other fora, such as IUFRO's Special Programme for Developing Countries (see FGRI 12, 1983; and FGRI 15, 1987). Recent moves aim at strengthening FAO's capabilities through the creation, in 1990, of an additional post at FAO Headquarters on forestry research; and incorporating forestry research into the mandate of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
In spite of the positive developments and increased awareness at international and national levels of the importance of forestry in general, and forestry research and genetic resource conservation in particular, much remains to be done. Conservation must be considered an integral part of development, not a constraint to it. It is essential to drastically raise global awareness, at all levels, of the real issues at stake and to ensure that countries which are poor in financial resources but rich in natural ones, are not left alone to shoulder the burden that wise resource management may bring about.
Networking between national and international institutes and promotion of a free flow of information, know-how and genetic materials, is a cornerstone for achieving these aims. FGRI tries, in a modest way, to promote such action. Your contributions to this annual newsletter will help us improve our work: please write to us, informing us on problems, programmes and findings in the forest genetic resources field.
The address of the Secretariat is:
Chief, Forest Resources Development Branch
Forest Resources Division
FAO
Via delle Terme di Caracalla
I-00100 Rome, Italy
We look forward to hearing from you.
