The idea that economic growth and environmental conservation can and should be compatible has been captured in the phrase "sustainable development", introduced into the public debate with the World Conservation Strategy in 1980 and popularized in 1987 in the World Commission on Environment and Development's report, Our common future. The report, issued by the Brundtland Commission, defines sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".
Many other groups and individuals have come up with their own definitions of sustainable development. Some of these are on a global scale like that of the Brundtland Commission, while others are more restricted definitions of what sustainable development means with respect to a more limited sector of natural resource management and use - energy, agriculture, forestry, etc. A paper prepared for the United States Department of the Environment by British economist John Prezzey lists an array of definitions culled from two dozen sources, and even this is certainly not exhaustive.
The attention dedicated to the concept is in itself encouraging as it implies an underlying belief that we can attend to the development needs of the world's people, now and in the future, as well as to the quality of their environment. Ultimately, it focuses on the goal of sustainable livelihood for all people at all times. However, many of the definitions of sustainable development for specific subsectors - for example, sustainable fisheries development; sustainable forestry development - give the impression of an attempt to "maintain" the resource base as an end in itself and not as a means to the ultimate goal of improving, on a sustainable basis, the living standard of humankind. This is an important distinction because, almost without exception, economic development requires using up energy and raw materials and, in turn, creating waste which the planet must absorb. That is to say, "green growth", at least on a universal level, is not possible. Sustainable development necessarily involves change and a series of trade-offs and compromises.
This concept is well-stated by Robert Repetto of the World Resources Institute: "Sustainable development [does not] demand the preservation of the current stock of natural resources or any particular mix of human, physical and natural assets. As development proceeds, the composition of the underlying asset base changes."
In the forestry sector, this concept is particularly valid. As stated by FAO Forest Resources Division Director J.P. Lanly in a recent paper presented to the International Tropical Timber Organization: "It must be accepted from the start that utilization of a given forest ecosystem implies some change in its structure and composition, and that sustainability cannot mean the identical reproduction of the ecosystem in its original state. The same applies to the conservation of the genetic diversity of a given forest...." Lanly goes on to affirm that forestry activities must be designed and implemented so as to maintain the level of conservation contemplated in the objectives of management.
As we approach the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June, this issue of Unasylva examines a number of aspects of forestry activities as related to sustainability. J.S. Maini, Canada's Assistant Deputy Minister, Forest Environment, sets out a philosophical framework for environmentally sustainable forestry development and argues strongly that foresters must become more directly involved in the international dialogue on resource conservation and use. D.P. Dykstra and R. Heinrich examine progress in the development of harvesting practices that simultaneously promote the sustainability of both wood and non-wood goods and services in tropical forests. R.H. Kemp considers the challenge of conserving genetic resources in the management of tropical forests and concludes that one key factor will be a greater diversity of management methods. Articles by M. Kiernan et al. and J. Ocaña-Vidal examine more than a dozen promising pilot efforts in sustainable natural forest management in seven countries of Latin America, while S.T. Mok presents an analysis of current practices and the present and future potential of sustainable forest management in Malaysia. D.D. Gow considers the link between poverty and environmental degradation and stresses the importance of considering the social impacts of forestry development efforts. Finally, in an interview, P.J. Mahler, Special Adviser to the Director-General and Assistant Director-General for Environment and Sustainable Development, FAO, places the special issues facing forestry against a background of UNCED and the world focus on the need to harmonize the environment and sustainable development in an intersectoral, interdisciplinary approach.
