World directory of and lands research institutions
Non-timber forest products in the Asian context
FAO forest harvesting case-studies
Directory of and lands research institutions. 1995. K.V. Waser and B.S. Hutchinson. Office of Arid Lands Studies, University of Arizona/Desertification Control- Programme Activity Centre, UNEP/FAO. Rome, FAO.
This fourth edition of the world Directory of arid lands research institutions is particularly timely. It will support cooperation between dryland research institutions, especially in relation to the implementation of the International Convention to Combat Desertification in countries suffering from drought and desertification, particularly in Africa.
The Convention on Desertification stresses the role of scientific and technical cooperation in the implementation of national plans to combat desertification and for drylands development. Nations that are parties to the convention engage themselves to "facilitate and strengthen the functioning of the global network of institutions and facilities for the collection, analysis and exchange of information...". They also commit themselves to "exchange and make fully and promptly available information from all publicly available sources relevant to combating deforestation and mitigating the effects of drought".
Arid lands research institutions
The directory should help secure the implementation of the above commitments by facilitating contacts and, eventually, cooperation among concerned institutions. It contains more than 250 entries and is therefore an up-to-date tool for technical and scientific cooperation. The directory will contribute to the transfer of knowledge and technology between the developed and developing regions and will support technical cooperation among developing countries. Individual researchers, specialized institutions in research as well as in development and educational organizations will find the directory useful in furthering cooperation, increasing knowledge of human resources, institutional capabilities and depositories of information in the area of dryland resources conservation and development as well as related research activities.
Previous editions of the directory were published by the Office of Arid Lands Studies of the University of Arizona. This edition is produced in collaboration with FAO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Society and non-timber forest products in tropical Asia. 1995. J. Fox, ed. East-West Center Occasional Papers, Environment Series No. 19. Honolulu, Hawaii, East-West Center.
It would be difficult to overstate the importance of non-timber forest products for the Asia and the Pacific region. These products commonly contribute to meeting food and other basic needs, are a source of input into the agricultural system, help households control exposure to risk of various kinds and often constitute an integral part of the habitat and of the social and cultural structure of those living within that environment. Very large numbers of households also generate some of their income from selling non-timber forest products.
A better understanding of the magnitude and nature of the role of NTFPs is therefore central to making decisions about forest management that adequately reflect society's demands on the forest resource. This volume brings together eight papers that report on work that does address these issues.
The papers were prepared for a panel at the 17th Pacific Science Congress which was held in Honolulu, Hawaii in May-June 1991. The panel focused on the collection, utilization and marketing of non-timber forest products in tropical Asia, how patterns change through space and time and the role of local institutions and government policies in managing these products.
The papers are grouped into two sections. The first deals with collecting, processing and marketing: variation and change. The second covers local institutions and government policies: methods of managing (or mismanaging) non-timber forest products. The collection is compiled and introduced by Jefferson Fox, a fellow in the Program on Environment at the East-West Center and program area coordinator of Renewable Resources Management.
Collectively, these papers bring Asian perspectives on NTFPs into clearer focus. They offer details gained from case-studies and anchor local-level realities learned through years of fieldwork with theoretical concerns.
The Forest Harvesting and Transport Branch of the FAO Forestry Department produces a series of case-studies to assist developing countries in promoting harvesting systems, techniques and methods designed to enhance productivity, reduce waste of resources and make forest operations more environmentally acceptable. Emphasis in selecting techniques for inclusion in the case-study series has been placed on systems that favour local people's participation, increase employment and income opportunities and thus contribute to self-reliance and development of local communities in rural areas.
Uso de bueyes en operaciones de aprovechamiento forestal en áreas rurales de Costa Rica. 1995. FAO Forest Harvesting Case-Study No. 3, Rome, FAO.
The principal objective of this study is to present a broad view of the use of oxen in forest operations in rural Costa Rica. The study demonstrates very clearly the advantages animal traction can present in rural areas in developing countries, including low investment cost, low environmental impact and the labour-intensive nature of their use.
The information presented in the study permits the intended reader (extension agents, educators and timber extraction decision-makers) to understand current practice and its limitations, and the potential for improvement, not only in Costa Rica but in Central America overall.
Uso de bueyes en operaciones de aprovechamiento forestal en áreas rurales de Costa Rica
Use of the construction crane for wood extraction on mountainous terrain. 1995. FAO Forest Harvesting Case-Study No. 4. Rome, FAO.
This report documents a study on the use of construction cranes for wood extraction in mountainous terrain in Austria, providing information on the advantages and limitations of this type of low-impact harvesting system. The aim of the study is to focus the attention of forest harvesting specialists on the possibility of using building cranes for forest operations in areas with good road development standards and where special silvicultural prescriptions need to be applied, for example safeguarding advanced forest regeneration, or extracting single tree stems in selective cuts in old growth forests. The study provides indicative figures on productivity and costs and offers suggestions for the possible use of building cranes in combination with wood processors.
Elephants in logging operations in Sri Lanka. 1995. FAO Forest Harvesting Case-Study No. 5. Rome, FAO.
This study covers various aspects of the use of the Asian elephant (in this case Elephas maximum) in logging operations in Sri Lanka. Starting with a general analysis of the basic advantages and disadvantages of the use of elephants, the study then considers elephant use in skidding, sorting, etc. as well as the physical and economic requirements for the use of elephants in forest operations, An annex considers the clinical biology and care of the elephant.
Impacto ambiental de las prácticas de cosecha forestal y construcción de caminos en bosques nativos siempreverdes de le X Región do Chile. 1995. FAO Forest Harvesting Case-Study No 6, Rome. FAO.
This study documents the forestry operations that make up harvesting, transport and road construction in evergreen forests in the X region of Chile (which extends for some 230 km between 39° and 42°30' South latitude, between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountain chain) and evaluates their environmental impacts.
Based on existing literature and observations in the field, the study makes recommendations for the improvement of harvesting and reduction of waste; as well as reduction of negative environmental impacts on natural resources, soil and water. The study also includes suggestions for the adoption of appropriate technologies that favour the participation of local populations. These suggestions are consistent with the principles espoused in the FAO Model Code of Forest Harvesting Practice (see Box on page 20).
