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Putrajaya, Malaysia
15-17 April 2003
The major objective of the conference is to provide an international forum for expertise from academia and private and public sectors to exchange information regarding policies, strategies, criteria and indicators, management, trends in research, local participation and successes in the sustainable development of ecotourism in a globalized environment.
For further information, please contact:
Dr Abdullah Mohd, Conference Chair, Faculty of Forestry,
Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Fax: +60 3
89432514;
e-mail: [email protected]
;
www.econ.upm.edu.my
Vienna, Austria
28-30 April 2003
The Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) is a high-level political initiative for the cooperation of 40 European countries and the European Community. It addresses common opportunities and threats related to forests and forestry and promotes sustainable management of forests in Europe. Launched in 1990, it is the political platform for the dialogue on European forest issues.
Key issues of this Living Forest Summit will be biological diversity in Europe, climate change in the context of sustainable forest management, economic conditions for activities in the forest sector, as well as cultural aspects.
Simultaneous interpretation of the deliberations will be provided in English, French, German and Russian.
For more information, please contact:
Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in
Europe (MCPFE), Liaison Unit Vienna, Marxergasse 2, A-1030 Vienna,
Austria.
Fax: +43 1 710770213;
e-mail: [email protected]
;
www.mcpfe.org/index.html
Salvador, Brazil
20-24 May 2003
The Mangrove 2003 Conference will seek to promote the necessary link between the generation of knowledge and environmental management, in order to enhance local participation in solutions for socio-environmental problems.
For more information, please contact:
Conference Secretary, Universidade Federal de Bahia,
Instituto de Geociências-Instituto de Biologia, Núcleo de Estudos Ambientais,
Campus Universitário de Ondina, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil CEP 40170-290.
Fax:
+55 71 3324085;
e-mail: [email protected] ;
www.mangrove2003.ufba.br
Namche Bazaar, Khumbu, Nepal
24-26 May 2003
Presentations and workshops will cover a range of topics; however, special attention will be given to the role of parks in mountain ecotourism. Advantage should be taken of the expert opinion of the local people in assessing the accomplishments of Sagarmatha National Park, comparing this park with others around the world. The organizers' intention is to generate results that will be useful both to Sagarmatha stakeholders and to stakeholders in other remote tourism destinations.
For more information, please contact:
Dr Seth Sicroff, Director, Bridges: Projects in Rational
Tourism Development, 219 W.
Spencer Street #3, Ithaca, New York 14850,
USA.
E-mail: [email protected] ;
www.bridges-prtd.com
Bonn, Germany
26-30 May 2003
This event will be held to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and will be organized in collaboration with Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Foundation for International Development (DSE) and Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ).
The conference will examine the role of forests in supporting rural livelihoods in developing countries and the maintenance of biodiversity. Its key objectives are to survey current knowledge and identify policy lessons and a future research strategy.
For more information, please contact:
Secretariat for the Bonn Conference on Rural Livelihoods, Forests and
Biodiversity, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), PO Box 6596
JKPWB, Jakarta 10065, Indonesia.
Fax: 251 622 100;
e-mail: [email protected] ;
www.cifor.cgiar.org/livelihoodconference.asp
Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada
9-11 June 2003
The goal of this meeting, which is being sponsored by The Great Lakes Forest Alliance (GLFA), is to provide a broad forum to discuss critically emerging forest resource issues in the Great Lakes Region. GLFA is a forum to foster and facilitate cooperative efforts that enhance management and sustainable use of the public and private forest lands in Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario and Wisconsin.
For more information, please contact:
Wendy Hinrichs Sanders, 7231 N. Rehor
Road, Hayward,
Wisconsin 54843, USA.
Fax: +1 715 6342006; e-mail: [email protected]
www.lsfa.org
Durban, South Africa
8-17 September 2003
The IUCN World Parks Congress meets every ten years. As the major global forum for protected areas, it offers a unique opportunity to take stock of protected areas; provide an honest appraisal of progress and setbacks; and chart the course for protected areas over the next decade and beyond. Some of the themes for this year include:
• Building the Global System: Arctic, Biosphere
Reserves, Cave and Karst Protection, Grassland Protected Areas, Transboundary
Protected Areas
• Understand and Prepare for Global Change
• Improving
the Effectiveness of Protected Area Management
• Equity and People: Category
V Protected Areas, Local Communities and Protected Areas, Non-material Values of
Protected Areas
• Developing the Capacity to Manage: Information Management, Tourism and Protected Areas, Training and Protected Areas, Sustainable Financing of Protected Areas
For more information, please contact:
Kristin Lauhn-Jensen, World Parks Congress Officer, IUCN
- World Conservation Union Headquarters, rue Mauverney 28, Gland 1196,
Switzerland.
Fax: +41 22 9990002;
e-mail: [email protected]
;
www.iucn.org/themes/wcpa/
Québec City, Canada
21 to 28 September 2003
The XII World Forestry Congress is being organized and hosted by Canada, with technical assistance from FAO, and will be held in Québec City, Canada from 21 to 28 September 2003. The congress will serve as a forum to exchange views and experience, discuss forestry issues and formulate broad regional or global recommendations. The congress provides the forestry sector with the opportunity to produce a periodical overview of the state of forests and forestry, discern trends, adapt policies and raise awareness with decision-makers, the public and all parties concerned.
The congress is not an intergovernmental meeting and has no formal constituencies or country delegations. As the main global forum on forests and forestry, the congress brings together the world forestry community, and all geographic regions have a shared interest in its preparations. The role of the congress is advisory, not executive. Implementation of its recommendations is incumbent upon those to whom they are addressed - governments, international organizations, scientific bodies and forest owners. These recommendations will be sent to the next FAO Conference, which could resolve to endorse the Declaration of the Congress.
Discussions at the XII World Forestry Congress will focus on individuals, communities and forests under the theme "Forests, Source of Life".
For more information, please contact:
Jean-Louis Kérouac, ing.f., M.Sc., Secrétaire-général,
Congrès forestier mondial 2003, World Forestry Congress, 800, Place d'Youville,
18th Floor, Québec, Québec G1R 3P4, Canada.
Fax: +1 418 6949922;
e-mail: [email protected] ; or The
Secretariat, XII World Forestry Congress, Forestry Department, FAO, Viale delle
Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.
Fax: +39 0657052151;
e-mail: [email protected]; www.cfn2003.org/
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The following two abstracts are from voluntary papers on NWFPs which have been submitted by FAO's Non-Wood Forest Products Programme to the XII World Forestry Congress. The full papers will be available from the NWFP home page: www.fao.org/forestry/FOP/FOPW/NWFP/new/nwfp.htmTowards improved classification of non-wood forest products through existing international product classification schemes. The purpose of the paper is to contribute towards improving the identification, classification and visibility of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) in international trade statistics by making proposals for amendments to existing international product classification schemes and for their implementation by countries. Internationally agreed upon product classification codes for major NWFPs and their use by the relevant agencies of countries trading in these products is an essential prerequisite to achieve more accurate international trade statistics on NWFPs and to assess their economic contribution. A phased approach is suggested by addressing first those NWFPs which are traded internationally and by focusing on the most widely used product classification system: the Harmonized System (HS) of the World Customs Organization (WCO). The HS is harmonized with other existing major international and national product classification systems and, by adopting multidigit coding, is adequately flexible for incorporating the reporting on NWFPs and therefore capable of being adjusted to the contexts within which different organizational units operate and to the specific situation of individual countries. FAO and the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) have initiated actions leading to the development of a proposal for amending HS codes for bamboo and rattan products, through an international expert meeting held in Rome in December 2002. Bamboo and rattan are the flagships of NWFPs, and it is hoped that the lessons learned on the elaboration and implementation of HS trade codes on bamboo and rattan can be expanded to other major groups of NWFPs, such as medicinal plants, forest-gathered wild vegetables, wild mushrooms, fruits and nuts. Opportunities and challenges of non-wood forest products certification.Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) such as medicinal plants, nuts or bushmeat are used by hundreds of millions of people for subsistence purposes and for the provision of income. The international trade in NWFPs involves high potentials and risks. In this regard, a discussion is emerging on the opportunities and challenges of certification as a tool to promote the sustainable use of natural resources, including NWFPs. Certification schemes relevant to NWFPs include forest management, social, organic and product quality certification. These schemes focus, at different degrees, on social, economic, ecological and/or product quality issues. Key requirements for the certification of NWFPs include the establishment of a limited and monitored permitting system, the development of clear tenure rights, limited access to harvesting sites, the development of niche markets and the implementation of quality control measures. Information on NWFP certification is still insufficient in order to assess properly the usefulness and effectiveness of certification as a tool to promote the sustainable use of NWFPs. The available literature indicates opportunities, constraints and unclear issues, which require further in-depth analysis, in order to provide sound information on the pros and cons of NWFP certification. |
NWFP SIDE EVENT AT WORLD FORESTRY CONGRESSThe Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), FAO and the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) will be cohosting a non-wood forest products "side event" - Strengthening Global Partnerships to Advance Sustainable Development of Non-Wood Forest Products - at the World Forestry Congress in Québec, Canada, in September 2003. By joining forces, CIFOR, FAO and IUFRO will be able to reach a very large proportion of the researchers and practitioners who have an interest in NWFPs. It will be an excellent opportunity to contribute to an improved understanding and focus in the area of NWFPs. Suggestions for discussion topics were received following an announcement of this NWFP side event. Three major themes emerged from these suggestions, as were the subthemes that have been listed. This list of subthemes is not exhaustive and more may be added through the process. To meet their goals, CIFOR, FAO and IUFRO are initiating an Internet-based electronic consultation to explore the issues, take stock of lessons learned, identify critical gaps in the knowledge base, and identify research, development and policy needs. They envision this phase working in a similar way to a round-table discussion or a working group. It is hoped that the major issues will be elaborated through this Internet-based dialogue. The hosts realize that some people may not have access to the Internet and they hope that colleagues who do will make a special effort to include these people in the discussions. The only way this phase of the process will work is for people to volunteer to lead, and/or be part of, a discussion around one or more of the following (non-exhaustive) main themes. 1. Commercialization: a reality check • Constraints to sustainable commercialization 2. Linking NWFP management with livelihood development • Resource inventory/monitoring 3. Institutional and policy dimensions • National and international levels Participating may mean proposing new, and expanding on already identified, subthemes, responding to requests for input, providing comments, identifying critical issues, gaps in knowledge and all those other items listed. At the end of this phase, participants will have prepared a draft statement on the "state of the knowledge" regarding each theme. These will be shared through our community of peers to make sure they address the major issues, and that important issues have not been left out. As the e-consultation proceeds, people can participate further and contribute/assist with the preparation of case studies and/or state of knowledge reports on key topics as identified during the consultation phase (following a standardized format still to be elaborated). The complete action plan can be found on the NWFP
home page of the FAO Web site For more information, please contact: Dr Jim Chamberlain, Non-Timber Forest Products Research Technologist, US Forest Service, Southern Research Station Coordinator, IUFRO Research Group 5.11 (Non-wood Forest Products) 1650 Ramble Road, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA. Fax: +1 540 2311383; |
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World Forestry Congress and indigenous peopleThe overarching theme of the 2003 meeting is "Forests, Source of Life" and for the first time in history of the World Forestry Congress, indigenous people will be visible and will have an active role. As a member of the organizing committee to the XII World Forestry Congress (XII WFC), the National Aboriginal Forestry Association (NAFA) of Canada wants to ensure the meaningful participation of indigenous people in a number of different ways. Three of the main activities that have been organized are the Indigenous Peoples' Forest Forum, the Indigenous Peoples' Forest Pavilion and a call for papers on indigenous people's forest issues. Indigenous Peoples' Forest ForumNAFA is hosting and organizing an Indigenous Peoples' Forest Forum as an official side event. Approximately 200 indigenous people from around the world will take part in this two-day preparatory and strategy gathering. This side event is intended for indigenous community members, leaders, scholars and entrepreneurs in preparation for the XII World Forestry Congress. The objectives include: • full, effective and informed participation of indigenous people in
the XII World Forestry Congress; Sponsorships are being sought to enable the optimum participation of indigenous people at the XII World Forestry Congress and at the Indigenous Peoples' Forest Forum. Further details on eligibility for travel subsidies will be announced on the NAFA Web site as arrangements are made. Indigenous Peoples' Forest PavilionThe Indigenous Peoples' Forest Pavilion will showcase diverse, innovative and leading indigenous people's sustainable forest management initiatives at the XII World Forestry Congress. The pavilion will be designed to advance indigenous people's interests and approaches, highlight achievements and identify outstanding issues and concerns. There will be approximately 30 initiatives selected from around the world to be a part of the pavilion for the duration of the congress. The pavilion will showcase approaches to sustainable forest management that: a) include elements of Indigenous governance systems and traditional land use practices; b) address unique Indigenous forest management objectives or cultural values; and c) enhance traditional rights to harvest. Subjects covered will include non-timber forest products and non-timber values. Call for papers for an indigenous people's forest publication NAFA will prepare a special indigenous people's publication on forest issues that includes research papers, case studies and concept papers. This publication will showcase indigenous people's knowledge and ability to engage in sustainable use and integrated management of their forests. To have a far-reaching and long-lasting impact, the release of this special publication will coincide with the gathering of the international forestry community at the XII WFC. For more information on these three initiatives, please contact: National Aboriginal Forestry Association (NAFA), 875 Bank Street,
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 3W4, Canada. |
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Side event on Resources, Trade and Market Structure for Bamboo and RattanQuébec, Canada An International Workshop will be held by the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) as a side event of the XII World Forestry Congress. For more information please contact: Maxim Lobovikov, Program Manager, International Network for Bamboo and
Rattan (INBAR), Beijing 100101-80, People's Republic of China. |
Mauritius
26 September-1 October 2003
This international Summit on Medicinal Plants will be a forum for scientists, researchers and policy-makers to meet and discuss the key areas of conservation of medicinal plants, health care and ethnomedicine, etc. The main theme of the conference, which is being hosted by Century Foundation, is "Recent trends in phytomedicine and other alternative therapies for human welfare". The conference will draw attention to the vital importance of medicinal plants and other therapies in health care.
For registration and further information on the conference, please visit: www.cenfound.org/global/global.html ; or contact:
Dr V. Sivaram, President, Global Summit on Medicinal
Plants, Department of Botany, Post-Graduate Centre, Bangalore University, Kolar
563101, India.
Fax: +91 80 5244592;
e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]; or Dr
Anita Menon, Organizing secretary, Global Summit on Medicinal Plants, Century
Foundation, # 35, 3rd Cross, Vignannagar, Malleshpalya, Bangalore 560075, India.
Fax: +91 80 5244592;
e-mail: [email protected] ;[email protected]
Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA
2-3 October 2003
The symposium will include three concurrent tracks with presentations including:
• A new look at traditional approaches
• The forest
and the community
• Innovative approaches (including non-timber forest products)
For more information, please contact:
Ms Susan Moore, North Carolina State University,
Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.
E-mail: [email protected] ;
www.ncsu.edu/feop/symposium/
Bhopal, India
2-4 October 2003
This congress is the first of its kind and is an attempt towards the eradication of poverty and enriching the Green Health Campaign through the proper utilization of a US$62 billion market, and introducing one of the most ancient and rich traditional systems of medicine to national and international communities.
According to the organizers' market analysis and development, India's share of the global herbal market of about US$62 billion is only $1 billion; with $28 billion in the European Union, $10.8 billion in Asia, $9.8 billion in Japan, $6.9 billion in North America, $2.4 billion in the rest of Europe and $4.1 billion in other countries. The World Bank predicts that the global sale of botanical medicines will reach $3 trillion by 2050. The organizers hope that this conference will set a new agenda for the green earth movement.
The congress is being organized by People For Animals (Jeev-Jantu Kalyan Sangathan) Bhopal (M.P.), International Gayatri Pariwar, Bhopal, Oriental Institute of Science and Technology and Thakral College of Technology, Bhopal, and Sanjeevani Mahila Sangh, Bhopal. Sponsors of the congress are the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, New Delhi.
For more information, please contact:
The Secretary General, World Congress on Export
Potential of Medicinal Plants and Primary Health Care for Tribal Development,
"Vasundhara Bhavan",
E-4, Patel Nagar, Raisen Road, Bhopal 462 021,
India.
E-mail: [email protected]
;
www.gaytripariwar.org or www.niist.com
Roeterseiland, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
22-23 October 2003
The start of the twenty-first century has been marked by a multitude of forest-related international agreements and initiatives. Notwithstanding these efforts, deforestation continues unabated at the cost of 500 million people who depend on forests for their livelihoods. At the same time, tropical forest management is being reshaped through the emergence of new actors and partnerships. The role of the nation state has eroded, while that of the private sector and civil society is on the increase. Of particular interest is the potential of new global-local multistakeholder partnerships, which have received an impulse through globalization and localization (i.e. decentralization, democratization, devolution of power and political autonomy for indigenous people).
It has become clear that forest management in the exclusive hands of a single entity, whether government, private, non-governmental organization or local community, has proved to be inadequate, and that fora for stakeholder negotiations, alliances and joint actions are increasingly needed and emerging. Thus, tropical forest protection and management are increasingly the product of negotiations and joint actions between players at the global and local levels.
The question now arises as to whether and under what conditions the new alliances and partnerships will be able to curb the destruction and degradation of tropical forests. Will new strategic alliances be able to put sustainable forest management - understood as deliberate efforts to maintain the forests' ecological values, production services and their role as source of livelihood for the rural poor - into effect?
The congress will focus on the effects of global-local partnerships and agreements related to climate change and the international trade in forest products, these being two topical aspects of globalization with a potential impact on forest management and forest-related livelihoods. The first encompasses processes around the certification of timber and non-timber forest products, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and strategies to combat illegal logging. The second centres on developments around the Kyoto Protocol, such as the Clean Development Mechanism, Joint Implementation and the CO2 emissions trade. The objectives of the congress are:
• to bring together current knowledge on and experience
with international partnerships and their effects on tropical forest
conservation, management and poverty alleviation;
• to identify "lessons
learned" and conditions for successful and effective multiscale
partnerships;
• to discuss opportunities and bottlenecks in relation to
multiscale partnerships for the livelihoods of forest-dwelling people and
communities at the forest fringe, including potential exclusion of stakeholders
under the new management arrangements;
• to define recommendations for policy and research on tropical forest management in a globalizing environment.
The two-day congress programme will include plenary sessions, regional and thematic workshops and a poster session. Keynote speakers and experienced scientists will be invited to make presentations at the plenary sessions. Proposals can be submitted for: a) Plenary sessions; b) Symposia and workshop sessions; c) Paper presentations; and d) Poster presentations.
The congress is being organized by: Amsterdam Institute for Global Issues and Development Studies (AGIDS); Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation (CEDLA); Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM); Amsterdam Institute for International Development (AIID); and Tropenbos International (TBI).
The schedule for participation is:
• Registration: 1 July 2003
• Papers due: 1 September 2003
Registration information will be available on the Web sites (http://gp.fmg.uva.nl/agids) and (www.tropenbos.org). Preregistering (at www.tropenbos.org ) will ensure that you receive regular updates by e-mail as the event draws closer.
For more information, please contact:
Dr Mirjam A.F. Ros-Tonen, Amsterdam Research Institute
for Global Issues and Development Studies (AGIDS), University of
Amsterdam.
E-mail: [email protected]
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
10-15 November 2003
Aquilaria trees producing agarwood, one of the world's rarest and most valuable natural products, are in danger of extinction. Worldwide deposits in natural forests, currently the only source of this valuable resinous wood, used for incense, perfume and medicine, are running out; yet demand continues to rise.
The Rainforest Project Foundation (TRP), a Netherlands-based organization, has been working for more than seven years to find a way to reverse this trend by devising methods of producing agarwood in a sustainable way. Using donations and European Commission funds they have succeeded in establishing plantation-based agarwood in Viet Nam and developing technologies to accelerate resin development in Aquilaria trees. TRP believes its approach provides a viable alternative to the present destructive harvesting and a methodology to save Aquilaria species for future generations.
TRP, in association with the National University of Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang University and the University of Minnesota, has decided to organize the First International Agarwood Conference with a view to sharing their experiences with others involved in the production, processing, marketing and trade of this highly prized natural product known in the ancient literature as "Wood of the Gods".
The meeting will include presentations by leading international research scientists and business people from Asia, the Near East, Europe and the United States, as well as a two-day field trip. This trip will be to the Mekong delta, the location of an ongoing agarwood development project implemented by TRP and its local and international counterparts. Site visits will be organized to a TRP nursery, local farmer-managed project plantations and agarwood inducement experiments. An informal workshop will follow in order to exchange ideas and formulate future directions for agarwood production, processing and marketing.
The Wood of the Gods Conference will cover four main topics:
• Ecology and cultivation of Aquilaria: botany,
geography and ecology of Aquilaria genus, propagation and management of
Aquilaria trees
• Sustainable production technology: agarwood formation
mechanisms, artificial inducement of resin, chemistry of agarwood
•
Conservation and legal status: protection of natural Aquilaria stands and legal
framework, community participation in sustainable agarwood production
•
Product development and sales: markets for agarwood products, price trends, marketing strategy - extraction technology and value-added product development.
English will be the official language of the symposium but interpreters In Japanese, Arabic and Vietnamese will be on hand to assist delegates from those regions.
For more information, please contact:
The Rainforest Project Netherlands (TRP), Damrak 68 III
B. Centrum, 1012 LM Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Fax: +31 20
6240588;
e-mail: [email protected]; or
The Rainforest
Project Viet Nam, TRP 71 Lam Son, Tan Binh Dist, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
Fax: +84 8 8487223;
e-mail: [email protected] ;
www.agarwood.org.vn/index.htm
[Please see under Products and Markets for more information on Agarwood.]
Orlando, Florida, USA
27 June 27-2 July 2004
Subtitled "Working Together for Sustainable Land-use Systems", this event will be of global significance and the results will help shape future agroforestry research, education and development.
For more information, please contact:
Mandy Padgett, Conference Coordinator, Office of
Conferences and Institutes, University of Florida, PO Box 110750, Mowry Road
Building 639, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0750, USA.
Fax: +1 352
3929734;
e-mail: [email protected] ;
www.missouri.edu/~afta/Whats_New/Events_Cal.html
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"The scientist is not a
person who gives the right answers, Claude Levi-Strauss |