forest resources assessment - université libre de bruxelles · forest resources assessment ......

No. 36 Spring/Summer 2002

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NEWS

Forest Resources AssessmentForest Resources Assessment

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ETFRN and EC News 1

List of Articles 3

Organisations - Programmes 5

Research CooperationSought 68

Internet Features 71

Funding/Opportunities 73

Other News 75

Publications 83

Past Issues of ETFRN News 92

International CalendarEnclosed

Editorial

ETFRN News 36/02

Dear readers,

Many thanks are due to our guest editor for this issue, Giovanni Preto. He was involved in the FAOForest Resource Assessment 2000, and this experience has not deterred him from offering to guestedit an ETFRN News issue on ‘Forest Resources Assessment: Issues and Perspectives’ . In hisoverview article (p.5) he presents the objectives for this issue. He also highlights the challenges inforest resources assessment. These are definitely not limited to finding and applying the newestinventory techniques.

Many of the unanswered questions relate to the actual use of the assessment information in forestmanagement and policy development. This is a recurring theme in most development-oriented research:how does one bridge the gaps between research, policy and practice; and how can research resultsbe communicated in such a way that they contribute to sustainable development? One example of anattempt to bridge some of these gaps was the ETFRN workshop on participatory monitor ing andevaluation of biodiversity (p.2 and p. 75). The workshop explored the potential of participatoryassessment, monitoring and evaluation of biodiversity (PAMEB) for reconciling local and nat ionalinformation needs in biodiversity management. One of the conclusions was that ‘The process ofnegotiating, observing and analysing indicators may bring about more change than the data gathereditself, and in particular can enhance benefit-sharing, as well as be more sustainable than externally ledprocesses. However to achieve this, changes in education, training of scientists, and institutionalnetworking are needed.’

This leads to the thought that in forest resources assessment research, probably as much attentionshould be paid to the process, and to who should be involved, and at what stage, as to the developmentand use of new techniques. The new techniques discussed in this issue do present excitingopportunities. Visualising land use change through satellite images and aerial photographs can be apowerful tool to generate discussion on the use and management of forest and land resources. Hasanyone been involved in using GIS in participatory assessments of forest resources?

Hoping you will enjoy reading this issue; please remember that ETFRN CU always welcomes comments,and contributions for future issues. Please note the themes and deadlines for the next two issues onthe back cover.

Willemine BrinkmanETFRN Coordinator

PS Please note that we have included a list of past issues on the last page, following a suggestion byone of the participants in the ETFRN Steering Committee.

ETFRN Coordination Unitc/o Tropenbos InternationalPO Box 232, 6700 AE WageningenThe NetherlandsTel: +31 317 495516 Fax: +31 317 495521Email: [email protected]://www.etfrn.org/etfrn

Editor: Willemine BrinkmanGuest Editor for this issue: Giovanni PretoEditorial assistance: Jacqui McGrath

Cover illustration: Measuring the biomass of

conifers, Cape Verde

Photograph by: Ch. Errath 1987

Source: FAO Mediabase http://www1.fao.org/media_user/_home.html

Organisations - Institutions - ProgrammesList of Articles

3

Page

Challenges in Forest Resources Assessments (Preto) 5

Forest Resources Assessment :Issues & Perspectives (Singh, A) 8

Information Needs Assessment (Lund) 11

Exploring Community Priorities in Tropical Forest Landscapes (Sheil) 15

Experiences in the elaboration, implementation and follow-up of forest management plans in natural tropical forests using computers, computer software and other technological packages: a Case Study on Borneo (Castaneda & Palmberg-Lerche) 17

Emerging Technologies for forest resources appraisals + landuse planning (Singh, KD) 19

Application of remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems for the monitoring and protection of a Special Protected Area in Greece. (Meliadis &Tsiontis) 22

Weather independent Tropical Forest monitoring in Indonesia (Schut & Vrielink) 24

Optimisation applied to Management of Natural Forests (Fernandes da Silva et al.) 26

Tropical Forest Inventory in the Costa De Jalisco Region Mexico: Methodology and Preliminary results (Hernández, Gallegos & Pelz) 27

Inventory techniques in French Guiana to elaborate and apply multi-functional forest management plans (Brunaux. Demenois & Ingrassia) 29

A new National Inventory for Australia’s Forests (Norman & Vanclay) 32

Methodology for Assessment of Growing Stock of Forests in India (Rawat & Saxena) 34

Assessment of Tree resource Outside the forest (Kleinn & Morales) 38

Mapping Human Induced threat to a Sanctuary in Southern India (Aravind et al.) 41

Forest Inventory and Sustainable Forest Management on the hillsides of the

Organisations - Institutions - ProgrammesList of Articles

ETFRN News 36/024

Dominican Republic (Henning) 43

Tropical Deforestation + Carbon release in S.E Bangladesh usingRemote Sensing + Field Inventory (Rahman et al.) 45

Forest Inventory + land cover mapping in Zambia at the provincial forestry action programme ii (Vesa & Wamunyima) 47

Perspectives for sustainable management of mangrove eco-systems in Cameroon (Din & Ngollo) 48

Development of a protocol for eco-efficient wood harvesting on sensitive sites(ECOWOOD) (Owende, McDonnell & Ward) 51

The Challenges of Bamboo Forest Management in India (Lakshmana) 53

Mangrove research at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (Dahdouh-Guebas & Koedam ) 55

Forest Surveys Using Non-specialist Volunteers (Turner & Cadbury) 59

Survey + Monitoring of Dracaena cinnabari Balf (Petroncini) 61

The Home Gardens of Soqotra (Ceccolini) 63

Global Forest Information Service (GFIS) (Nöbauer) 65

Organisation - Institutions - Programmes

ETFRN News 36/02 5

Chal lenges in Forest ResourceAssessment

By Giovanni Preto

The Spring/Summer 2002 ETFRN-NEWSfocusses on “Forest resources assessment:issues and perspectives” and covers thetechnical aspects of inventory and monitoringtechniques, particularly in developingcountries. While planning this issue of theETFRN-NEWS, our main objective was toprovide an overview of the current stage ofdevelopment o f forest resourcesassessment techniques. This overview hastwo main purposes. First, it is aimed atevaluating the effectiveness of forestresource inventories in achieving expectedresults and required statistical outputs;second, it aims to develop sound appraisalsof the manifold functions and values(ecological, economic, social) of tropicalforest ecosystems in view of theirsustainable use. Moreover, the intendedobjective of the NEWS is to provide updatedinformation on the use of the informationacqui red through forest resourceassessments in attaining a sustainable useof forest resources; and on the drawbacksand successes of scientific inventorying andmonitoring activities of natural resources.

These objectives have been accomplishedonly to some extent. Most of the contributionshave only given partial account of theprob lems faced in p lann ing andimplementing local, nation-wide, regional,and global surveys of forest resources (in thebroadest sense); of the response of theacquired information to the surveyingobjectives; and of the actual use made of theinformation for the practical implementationof forest resource management plans atvarious levels. Many of the contributionssubmitted are based on local experiences oron specific techniques applied in particularcontexts. As such they can only marginally

contribute to an objective evaluation of therelevance and applicability of differentsurveying procedures for good forestecosystem management in other socio-economic and environmental conditions; andtheir contribution to the evaluation of theviability of the applied inventoryingtechniques under different circumstances islimited.

In spite of the significant number of articlesand technical notes on specific inventorytechniques and of the widespread circulationof information on experience gained in land-cover surveying and mapping, or in forestresource assessments, little is knownregarding the impact of the inventory activitiesin promoting susta inable use of forestecosystems. It appears that forest resourceassessment is only marginally linked toforest ecosystem management, and thatevaluation of forest resources is an end initself and not a prerequisite for propermanagement of these resources. Whileforest users and managers want research tobe more relevant and applied and requiregreater knowledge about others' experiencesand decision-making processes, forestryresearch - particularly that related toevaluation and monitoring forest andenvironmental resources – is becomingmore and more sectional and fragmented,and is increasingly less related to theobjective of devising an approach tosustainable use and sound ecological,economic, and ethnologic balance of naturalresources.

Notwithstanding the progress made ininterdisciplinary research processes, mostanalyses of forest and natural resources arestill highly site specific, thematically partial,sectora l ly compartmental ised, andcomposed of fragmented information. Thislack of clear interaction and co-ordination,and of well-defined, and practical target-oriented objectives results in naturalresources assessment and monitoring


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becoming more and more disconnected fromreal-life practices of natural resourcem anagement and use, as well as be ingunresponsive to the actual needs andrequirements of pursuing an environmentallysustainable livelihood.

In the last twenty years many newtechnologies have been introduced andapplied in forest resource assessment andmonitoring. Computers, databases andprograms have shown an exponential growthand are steadily becoming more powerfuland cheaper. Data capture devices permitthe easy recording of data in permanent andtemporary plots. Other remote sensingtechniques are currently used in animalpopulation studies, to record and monitorenvironmental parameters such as streamflows, temperatures, daily changes in treediameters, etc. Space borne remote sensingis now widely and successfully used in manylarge area inventories and imagery dataprocessing has made extremely rapidprogress. By means of Global PositioningSystem (GPS) the location of sample areasand relevant terrain features has becomemore and more accurate and easily recordedand digitised. Geographical InformationSystems (GIS) have been widelyimplemented for land and human resourceinventories and have become operational forforest inventory and monitoring applicationsin most temperate and tropical countries. Atthe same time Digital Elevation Models(DEM) have contributed to a betterunderstanding of forest characteristics inrelation to other environmental features. Evenin t ree measurements substant ia limprovements have been achieved with theintroduction of laser devices for measuringtimber volumes, and with permanent plots,both terrestrial and aerial, for monitoringforest changes and growth.

The task of assisting developing countries incompiling, analysing and exchanging forestresource data and in developing a

continuous system of inventorying andmonitoring the land-use and land-coverchanges, at national and international level,is enormous. Besides adequate financialsupport networking users, scientists, andinstitutions in order to achieve a broadercontribution to the global forest resourceassessment program is urgently needed.There is also a need to raise awareness andinform people as objectively as possible onthe state and change of forest resources,us ing all available media and forms ofeducation and extension.

Wider co-operation among researchinstitutions and national and internationalorganisations is also required for tackling thefollowing inventory problems:

• The compatibility and possibility ofintegrating various inventories on aspatial, temporal and institutional level;

• The realisation of international co-operation towards unifying globalmonitoring programs of all naturalresources and the environment;

• The transfer of information andtechnology from industrialis ed countriesto developing countries;

• The integration of various fields ofresearch in order to attain sustainableyield and overcome the current imbalancein the distribution of wealth.

Technological advances , matched withscientific progress in bio-ecology, geo-s t a t i s t i c a l s a m p l i n g p r o c e d u r e s ,mathematical modelling, and informationtechnology, play an essential role inspeeding up data collection and inameliorating information quality andreliability, but the availability and disposabilityof this new knowledge remain limited andonly a few highly specialised institutions arein the position to make full use of them.Training facilities and programs , teachingand up-grading courses, technical andknowledge extension tools for implementing


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new inventory and monitoring techniques arelimited. Moreover, the flow of scientificinformation, particularly from the advancedcountries to the lesser developed ones andto the field operators, is lacking. Linkingresearchers, practitioners, and usersthrough networks plays an important role insharing experiences, in returning researchfindings to the research sites andparticipants, in improving communicationamong research institutions and in fosteringthe globalisation of knowledge. Transferringknowledge on inventory techniques andconcepts will not only promote scientific workand collaboration and create new channelsfor fostering sound management of forestresources, but will also contribute to theemergence of new research topics and toshaping new fields of knowledge.

Regrettably, the inventory infrastructure ofmost forestry organizations and services isobsolete relative to current informationscience/technology and/or societalinformation requirements about forestecosystems. This organisational handicap,m a t c h e d w i t h t h e i n c r e a s i n gscientif ic/technological gap betweenadvanced industrialised countries and theSouth and the “top-down” approach incarrying out regional, national, and globalinventories, is hampering the acquisition ofcomprehensive information on forestecosystems and the possibility of soundresource management. Informationalintegration needs to be addressed andknowledge on innovative statistics relevant tomulti-resource and ecosystem-orientedforest inventory must be spread andappropriate computerized knowledge-systems must be developed to provide easilyused and understandable interfaces for fieldforesters and resource managers.

It is commonly agreed that forestry researchand natural resources inventory programmesshould be based on the needs of forestusers/stakeholders and policy makers, and

that they should provide basic knowledge onnatural resources and detailed informationon ecological, economic, socia l andoperational parameters for sustainability.However, in most cases these statementsare wishful thinking and there are only a fewsigns that forest managers and scientists,locally and globally, have started to lookbeyond the trees forming the forests and areno longer regarding the forests as “largetracts of land covered by trees”, instead ofconsidering them as a complex ecosystem1,as dynamic, totally integrated synergisticsystem complexes, of which mankind is apart and integral expression.

In the past, forests have been considered aninexhaustible source of goods - particularlywood-, and forest resources have beenconsidered as “properties or materials” to befound in the woodlands. The increasingawareness that forest resource use is boundto ecological factors and to the capability ofthe forest ecosystems to generate, withoutdeteriorating, an ecological surplus uponwhich all life depends”2 should lead toabandoning the traditional reactive andpassive way of using natural resources. Withdeeper knowledge of the dynamics andinteractions taking place in the forestecosystems, we should improve our capacityto influence the process of generatingecological surpluses and, at the same time,to maintain and renew forest ecosystems.

The problem is how to build up aninterdisciplinary approach in assessingnatural resources and environment, how tobreak with the traditional methods of singlyinventorying natural resources and how tointegrate inventory information witheconomic, social and political data in order toidentify alternatives to the current approach inthe use of the biosphere. Modern inventoriesshould not be limited to simply recording withever greater accuracy the global level o fdecay produced by consumer society, butthey should also propose alternatives and


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solutions, eliminating the barriers betweenthe information gathered through monitoringsystems and its use. They must anticipatethe demand for in format ion thataccompanies economic development,analyse the intrinsic contradictions in man’srelationship with nature under the currentsystem of production and point out possiblealternatives. The challenge for forestresource assessments is to l inktechnological and scientific achievementswith management practices and toreorganise and formalise the existingscattered knowledge into consistentoperational scientific reference-points.

Overworked expressions, like stakeholders,s u s t a i n a b l e u s e / d e v e l o p m e n t ,policy/decision makers, etc., often hide ashortage of analysis of the real objectives offorest resource assessments and of thepeople and target groups that should benefitfrom the research results. Forest resourceassessment is an integral part of the forestmanagement process, which is essentially aknowledge and action system. As aknowledge system, forest inventories mustensure that comprehensive information onforest ecosystems is obtained andpresented to the users by using the mostappropriate scientific instruments andtechnical tools. However, the conventionalview of forestry as a professional activityneeds to change and more attention shouldbe given to traditional local understanding ofthe role of forest in the communities’livelihood and to the wide variety ofconditions under which forest resources aremanaged. A closer link among forestryresearch institutions, field operators, andlocal communities is required in order toimp lement env i ronmenta l l y soundmanagement practices, while institutionaladjustments in the formal professionalorganizations and in the structure of theforest administrations is required to makefull use of both the scientific advance inresource assessment techniques and the

traditional knowledge of forestry users.

Giovanni PretoItalian National Node – European TropicalForest Research Network (INN-ETFRN)Instituto Sperimentale per la Selvicoltura,Via delle Cascine 1, 50144, Firenze,FlorenceTel:+39 055 360061 Fax: +39 055 362034Email: [email protected]://www.cesit.unifi.it/amazon/

1. According to the definition of Sukachev “from a siviculture point of viewany area of forest must be regarded as a specific natural unit, where allvegetation, fauna and micro-organisms, soil and atmosphere exist in astate of close interpersonal relationship and interaction” (Sukachev V. & N.Dylis: Fundamentals of Forest Biogeocoenology. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh& London 1964).

2. The term ecological surplus provides a better understanding of theholistic nature of ecosystems and mans integral part therein. “Ecologicalsurplus depends both on the inherent capacity of the different componentsto generate a surplus and our capacity to influence the process”. AlstonR.M., Wikstrom, J.H., 1989: Ecological Surplus: defining the conceptProceedings of the Global Natural Resource Monitoring andAssessments: Preparing for the 1st Century. G. Lund & G. Preto (eds),American Society of Remote Sensing, Bethesda, USA.

Forest Resources Assessment: Issues &Perspectives

by Dr. Ashbindu Singh

IssuesThere are numerous studies and reports onforest area and forest loss. However, thereare significant differences in results due todifferent methodologies, perspectives anddefinition of forests. Furthermore, due to alack of regular monitoring systems it hasbeen a challenge to assess the status andtrends of actual forest cover in manycountries. Despite the apparent accuracy ofthe quoted figures for the area under forestsand the annual rate of deforestation, there isa large uncertainty regarding the exactmagnitude of the problem. A detailed reviewof the problems associated wi thassessment of deforestation is available invarious Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO) Forestry Papers (1982, 1996, 2001),UNEP (2001) and WRI (2000). According to


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these reports, the assessment of globaldeforestation within a country is complicateddue to several reasons:

• There is no globally accepted definition offorest or deforestation. Some definitionsinclude only primary forest whereasothers include all forests (primary ordisturbed, and closed or open).

• Assessing deforestation requires aminimum of two consistent observationsover time. In many countries or regions,even one observation is lacking due toweak capacity in forest inventory.

• Rain forests located in inaccessibleterrain are costly to survey. Perpetualclouds in the equatorial zone preventacquisition of cloud free imagery aerialphotographs. Radar imagery, due to thecloud penetrating capabilities, holds apromise, but offers less information.

• Sometimes, ineffective methodologiesare employed and figures are reported fora country without giving the associatederror.

• Even in countries with a tradition of forestinventory, techniques used have notalways been very appropriate formonitoring changes and do not provide astatistically sound comparison ofestimates on two dates.

• Sometimes areas reported as "forest"based upon remote sensing studies maynot be considered "forests" by others - i.e.orchards, oil palm plantations, etc.

For the assessment of global forestresources, FAO mainly depends upon theinformation furnished by the countries. FAOcompiles the statistics related to forestsfollowing a common system of classificationand definitions. Because of the differences inthe classification and definition the figurespublished by FAO sometimes do not tal lywith the figures reported by the individualcountries. Furthermore, areas, designatedas “forest lands” may not necessarily havetree cover.

For example, in India after regular monitoringof forest cover using satellite data, it wasdiscovered that although the designatedforest area in the country was about 23% ofthe geographical area, some kind of forestcover existed over 19% but real andmeaningful forest cover (i.e. closed canopyforest with density >40%) extended to onlyabout 11% of the area (FSI, 1997). The WorldResources Institute (WRI, 1997) in the report“The Last Frontier Forests” assessed thestate of the world’s remaining large intactnatural forest ecosystems using the existingglobal map of current forest cover and inputof experts around the world. The quality,accuracy and dates of these national andregional maps vary and annotation ofboundaries of forest areas by expertsseems to be a rather subjective. Some definitions of forests are cited here tohighlight the issue.

Definitions of ForestsForest Area: Forest includes natural forestsand forest plantations. The term is used torefer to land with a tree canopy cover of 10percent and area of more than 0-5 ha (FAO,2001).

Recorded Forest Area: All lands statutorilynotified as forest though they may notnecessarily bear tree cover. (FSI, 1997).Forest Cover: All lands with a tree canopydensity of more than 10 per cent, though theymay not be statutorily notified as forest. (FSI,1997).Closed Forests: is defined as all lands witha forest cover of trees with their crownsinterlocking and a canopy density of 40% orabove. The boundary of 40% coverage isconvenient because it can be estimated withease when the coverage of the trees is 40%the distance between two tree crownsequalling the mean radius of a tree crown(UNESCO 1973).

Frontier Forests: are the world’s remaininglarge intact natural forest ecosystems. (WRI,


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1997).Forest Land: Land at least 10% stocked byforest trees of any size, including land thatformerly had such tree cover and that will benaturally or artificially regenerated (USFS,1993).Forest Land: The data regarding Canada’sforest land are based on the Canada ForestInventory 1991 (revised 1994) (CFS, 2000).

In order to obtain geographical lycomprehensive and up to date informationthere have been several studies to mapforest cover using satellite data at theregional or continental scale. Unfortunately,remote sensing based studies are alsobased on varying classification systems andmethodologies, making the comparison ofthe results of numerous studies ratherdifficult.

PerspectivesIt is critical to reach an internationalconsensus on the definitions of forests to atleast facilitate the higher level of aggregation.It is not feasible to change the definitionscurrently employed in numerous forestinventories but it may be possible to developsome sort of objective translationmechanism. Remote sensing data shouldbe used to develop baseline information andanalysis change. A network of groundsample plots is needed for growth and yields tud ies and b iomass es t imat ion .Technological innovation can contribute tothe way forests are protected. The use ofsatellite imagery for regular monitoring andInternet for information disseminationprovides an effective tool for raisingawareness worldwide about the significanceof forests and intrinsic value of nature.

ReferencesCanadian Forest Service (1999), The State ofCanada’s Forests—1999-2000 Forests in theNew Millennium(http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/cfs/).

FAO. (1982)Tropical Forest ResourcesAssessment (United Nations Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO), Rome, .FAO. (1990) Forest Resources Assessment1990: Global Synthesis. FAO Forestry Paper114, 46 (United Nations Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO), Rome.1995).FAO. (2001)State of the World’s Forests 2001(United Nations Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO), Rome).

Forest Survey of India. (1987)The State ofForest Report (Ministry of Environment andForests, Dehra Dun, India,).

UNEP . (2001) An assessment of the status ofthe World’s Remaining Closed Forests,(United Nations Environment Programme,Nairobi,

UNESCO.(1973) International Classificationand Mapping of Vegetation, 23 (UnitedNations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO), Paris, France).

USFS, (1993). Forest Resources of the UnitedStates, 1992 (Forest Service of Department ofAgriculture of United States (USFS), FortCollins, Colorado)

WRI. (1997) The Last Frontier ForestsEcosystems and Economics on the Edge(The World Resources Institute (WRI),Washington D.C.).

WRI, (2000) Pilot Analysis of GlobalEcosystems: Forest Ecosystems, (The WorldResources Institute (WRI), Washington D.C.).

Dr. Ashbindu Singh, Regional CoordinatorUNEP Division of Early Warning andAssessment -North AmericaEROS Data CenterSioux Falls, South Dakota 57198Tel :1 605 594 6107/6117Fax: 1 605 594 6119E-mail:[email protected]://www.na.unep.net


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The Information Needs Assessment(INA)

By H. Gyde Lund

The information needs assessment oranalysis (INA) is the most important step indeveloping a forest resource inventory. If youare a large company or agency and have notperformed an INA since 1992, then youprobably need one now. The concept offorestry and the information required forsustainable forest management haschanged dramatically in the last ten yearsespecially since the United NationsConference on Env i ronment andDevelopment. In the past the main focus offorest inventory was for timber production.Now we need to be concerned aboutbiological diversity, carbon sequestration,and environmental protection as well. Thismeans we may have to collect moreinformation in our inventories.

A basic question is “what data should becollected?” The answer is simply answeredby the following equation:(What do you NEED to know) – (What youalready know) = Information you must gather.

There are certain key questions that must beanswered to help you decide what you trulyneed.

1. First and foremost “Why do you need aforest inventory?” Possible answers – theinventory is needed for national strategicplanning, you need to meet internationalcommitments, or your boss says so. Table1 lists typical information needs by variousdecision levels.

Many nations need a national level inventoryfor strategic planning and to meetinternational obligations especially thoseresulting from the United Nations

Confe rence on Env i ronment andDevelopment in 1992. Documents arisingfrom UNCED include Agenda 21, the ForestryPrinciples, the Conference on BiologicalDiversity, the Framework Convention onClimate Change, and the Convention onDesertification. If your last national inventorywas carried out before UNCED chances arethat you do need a new inventory, as thereare new information requirements as a resultof these agreements.

2. Who wants to know and when? Peoplerequiring the inventory may be thegovernment, NGOs, the public, industry oracademia. As to when, the answer is usuallyas soon as possible. How soon theinformation is actually required helps dictatethe method used to gather the data.

3. What do ‘they’ (those wanting theinformation) need to know? Start with therules, regulations, and laws that apply to yourorganization. Examine them for datarequirements. Next look at any internationalobligations you may have. In all probability“they” will want to know the amount,condition, production and location of the____ resources on ____ lands. (The blanksto be filled in later).

We do know that we have to manage ourforest resources on a sustainable basis.Since 1992, the concept of sustainable forestmanagement has changed. The old conceptwas essentially the use and management offorestland by producing more timber than isharvested. The new concept is thestewardship and use of forests and forestlandin a way and at a rate, that maintains theirbiodiversity, productivity, regenerationcapacity, vitality and their potential to ful fillnow and in the future, relevant ecological,economic and social functions, at local,regional, national, and global levels anddoes not cause damage to other ecosystems.

Tables 2 (P.13) and 3 (P.14 )list the types of


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areas and indicators to be monitored foragreements arising from UNCED. Figure 1(Pg 13 ) – Start with laws,regulations that govern your organization.Next identify criteria and indicators. Fromthese, determine the measurements orobservations to be made on variousparameters.

You should be able to trace any data elementyou collect or measure in the field back to arequired report or law. If such a link cannotbe made, there probably is no need to collectthat data.

4. How often will ‘they’ need theinformation? The answer to this questionhas a huge bearing on the inventoryinfrastructure one sets up and on theinventory design employed. Given therequirements for tracking change, one maywish to consider establishing a continuousforest inventory system using permanentsample plots.

5. What would happen if Ireland did nothave an inventory? / How good do theanswers have to be? The answers dependon what is the impact on the resources, whatis the impact on the decisions, and what isthe impact on the decision-maker if there isno inventory or if the data are weak.

6. The big question - How much are ‘they’willing to pay? In my opinion, those that arerequesting the information should pay for itbe it timber data, biological diversity, etc.What funds are likely to be available alsoimpacts the inventory design and how ‘good’the information will be.

7. Which lands shall you include?International agreements tend to promote theincrease of forest area. That implies that youwill need data on areas that currently do nothave trees but should have. Do you wish toinclude these current non-forested areas inyour assessment?

By answering the above questions you willbe well on your way to designing ameaningful and up-to-date forest inventory.

ReferencesAnonymous. 1992. Earth Summit Agenda 21The Uni ted Nations Programme of Actionfrom Rio. New York, NY: United Nations. 294p. Anonymous. 1993. Documents of the EarthSummit (Diskette). Rectors of the CostaRican Public Universities.

H. Gyde LundForest Information Services8221 Thornwood Ct.Manassas, VA 20110-4627, USATel: +1-703-368-7219; Fax: +1-703-257-1419

Exploring community priorities intropical forest landscapes.

By Douglas Sheil

The ChallengeThe academic approach to biological surveyshas generally been to match specificmethods to specific questions. However, themost obvious and urgent practical questionsremain too broad for such clear resolution.One such question encapsulates theessence of our study of marginalized Dayakcommunities in Kalimantan: "How can wefind out what we should know to make betterdecisions about tropical forest landscapes?" For many stakeholders, especial lycommercial enterprises, their motivationsare relatively clear and easily communicated,and decision makers can take note. But, forindigenous rural communities, their needsand perceptions remain veiled to mostoutsiders unless a specific effort is made touncover them. When the real impacts on theland come from external forces, as they oftendo, local communities and the environment


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Table 1. Typical Decision Level Characteristics

Level Characteristics and information needs

International Goal: To develop international programs or action plans to foster development, reversethe depletion of resources and degradation of the environment; foreign trade agreementsto shift surplus to meet demands; or cooperative agreements to control pests anddiseases or to address other catastrophic occurrences. Information sought includes thepresent state of the resources and the rate and pattern of change. Data are usuallycollected nationally and assembled by an international organization.

National Goal: To develop long-range Federal policies and programs for public and private land-administrating organizations within a given country. National assessments often providebasic and relevant data on renewable resources held by all types of owners within anation, appraising changes in supplies of resources and demands for them, the outlooksfor future, and possible alterations in these outlooks by changes in national program endpolicies. National assessments include descriptions of the present situation andestimated changes due to management, cultural influences, and natural or secondaryfactors. The data are usually assembled and compiled by a Federal agency or anassociation dealing with a specific resource product. The primary users of theinformation are the executive branch, Congress, and regulatory agencies. Privateindustries also use long-range estimates of production and trends to develop their ownstrategies.

Agency Goal: To develop an ovearall strategy for the management of resources within theagency's jurisdiction; define a policy; to express that policy as a set of regulations; andto carry out and execute the policy through agency's program. The information requiredusually reflects current values end or and rates of change. Inventories conducted atthis level may be considered as a prelude to the development of the resource.Inventories focus on the resource stock and the land's capability to produce on asustained yield basis. The inventory units used in planning are usually based uponpolitical or administrative boundaries. Broad management goals and objectives andfinancial plans for the organization are the eventual products

Region,Forest,District

Goal: To develop long-term direction for each management or administrative unit (e.g.Region, Forest, District) within an organization. The resources and their condition andpotential are described only in sufficient detail to direct the manager’s attention tospecific portions of the management unit for more intensive planning. Area, volume, andproduction estimates are usually tied to each unit. For timber planning, informationsought includes areas by land class, soil-vegetation types, estimates of growing stockwithin the classes, and accessibility. The product is a management plan.

Compartment andStand

Goal: To determine what, where, and when specific treatments are to take place. Decisions regarding timber sale locations and prescriptions for specific stands areexamples. Inventories to assist the decision maker often include maps of vegetationconditions by compartments and stands, description of vegetation and terrain withinthe units, and accessibility and relevant classification of the units with respect to the alternatives selected under the land use planning process. Data observed includevegetation factors, potential productivity, accessibility, and economic factors in orderto determine specific management actions to take place within the treatment unit. Thelocal resource manager usually conducts the inventories. The output is a functionalaction plan showing the treatment areas and indicating what is to be done when,where, and how. The plan is used for the day-to-day operations of the lowest levelfield office.

Table 2


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Areas to be monitored according to documents arising from UNCED (Anonymous 1992,1993).

Area Agenda 21 Forestryprinciples

Convention onBiodiversityconservation

Convention onclimate change

Convention onCertification

Low-lying coastal Yes Yes

Arid and semi-arid Yes Yes Yes

Suitable for reforestation Yes

Suitable for afforestation Yes Yes

Prone to naturaldisasters

Yes Yes

Liable to drought &desertification

Yes Yes

High urbanathmospheric pollution

Yes Yes

Fragile ecosystems Yes Yes

Forested Yes Yes Yes Yes

Figure 1

I n f o r m a t i o n n e e d s a s s e s s m e n t

Economic Si tuat ion

Area

Tree Species Tree Height

Vegetation Type Canopy Cover

IndicatorsForest Land

Social Situation

CriteriaSustainable Forestry

LawsInternational Agreements

National Reports

Figure 1 - Start with laws, regulations that govern your organisation. Next identify criteria and indicators. From these,determine the measurements or observations to be made on various parameters.


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Table 3

Indicators to be monitored according to documents arising from UNCED (Anonymous 1992,1993).

Area Agenda 21 Forestryprinciples

Convention onBiodiversityconservation

Convention onclimate change

Convention onCertification

Biomass Yes Yes

Climate Yes Yes

Ecosystems & Habitat Yes Yes

Emission sources andremovals

Yes Yes

Employment Yes

Energy Yes

Fodder Yes

Food Yes Yes

Fuel Yes

Land Cover Yes

Land degradation Yes Yes

Land Productivity Yes

Land use Yes Yes

Landscape Diversity Yes

Minerals Yes

Medicine Yes

Plants & animals Yes Yes Yes

Recreation Yes

Shelter Yes

Soils Yes

Water and water use Yes Yes

Wildlife Yes Yes

Woodstocks Yes

Note that many of the indicators involve observing things other than trees and nearly all require the measurement ofchange. This new direction means new information. To protect and create more natural biological diversity for example,one needs information not only on the trees but on other flora, fauna, soils, site, and habitat as well. These kind of thingsshould be built into new inventories. Once the information requirements are known, the next task is to break therequirements down into data to be measured (figure 1)


ETFRN News 36/0216

are often joint losers. The problem is thatpolicy and decision makers are poorlyguided on how to address the needs of localcommunities and biodiversity in landscapes.Field surveys are not an end in themselves.Understanding what matters is fundamental. What is needed are methods, that canreduce the understanding gap and provide acomprehensible summary of what matterslocally, determine what is important, towhom, by how much and why, and provide ameans to make these preferences moreapparent in the decision making process.CIFOR and a team of national andinternational partners have set about trying toaddress this.

The MethodsThe initial approach we have developed isdetailed in a new CIFOR publication (Sheil etal. in press), developed during a study ofseven communities in the forest-rich upperportion of the Malinau watershed. TheMalinau area (East Kalimantan, IndonesianBorneo) was, until recently, little knownbiologically though it was suspected that therugged forested landscape, next to the KayanMentarang National Park, would have a highconservation significance. A majoremphasis of CIFOR's Biodiversity researchin the areas has been to begin to documentthis biological wealth and its local relevance.

Our methods emphasise quantitativeapproaches, but not exclusively. A village-based survey collected a wide range ofqualitative and quantitative information aboutthe needs, culture, institutions andaspirations of the communities, andexamined general perceptions of the loca llandscape. A parallel field survey assessedsample sites and recorded soil, vegetationand other site characteristics using both'scientific' and local approaches. These fieldmethods emphasized landscape-scalecharacterization through a large number ofsmall data-rich samples, and assessments

of community territories based on thesesamples. The data collected represents a‘baseline diagnostic' phase within a longer-term research strategy.

Our results clearly underline that localcommunities have complex dependenciesupon forest landscapes that need to berespected and understood. For Indonesia,this message requires a steady revolutionthat must impact all the institutions andprocesses related to forest management.

While our methods attempt to be systematic,results are not easily generalised. We needto evaluate the complexity while avoidingsimplification. We tried to develop a"one–off" systematic "diagnostic" method,and collected massive quantities of diversedata. Ultimately though, there will bedifficulties in assessing local views unlesswe see the process as iterative – at the veryleast we will need to check our conclusionswith the communities. The key point is todevelop a dialogue by learning to understandeach other. Our methods provide a step inthe right direction. One crucial area that involves a distinct set ofconcerns is intellectual property. There islittle doubt that the information provided bythe community could have commercialpotential, whether in the identification ofpharmaceutically active plants or areas withspecific resources. In our studies, we alsomade explicit that communities need not tellus anything they did not want to tell us. Wespecifically did not record detailed accountsof how plants were used, or how medicinesare prepared and administered.

What is the immediate value of such surveysto the community? These surveys take timeand involvement from local people. Despiteour own fears about possible communityimpatience, they have stayed enthusiasticand appear genuinely pleased that outsidersseek them out and discuss their views withthem. The more tangible benefits they


ETFRN News 36/02 17

perceive include the recognition of their useof the forest by us, as a third party, and mapsand documents that reflect this recognition.It was clear from their feedback that they alsorecognise benefits of openly discussingtopics that they have previously not givenmuch explicit attention, and in learning howto make their views apparent to outsiders likeourselves.

ConclusionsDecision makers require guidance on how todeal with the needs of local communitiesand biodiversity in landscapes. Ourpublished methods bring together one suiteof effective methods that can be used tosurvey tropical forest landscapes. Thetechniques provide conventional biophysicaldescriptions of the landscape and explicitlyrelate this information to local needs,preferences and value systems. Thesemethods can be used to makerecommendations on options about land useand policy, and to guide future research. Theapproach described provides a foundationfor deeper dialogue between scientists,policy makers and the forest communities.

AcknowledgementsThese activities were funded by theInternational Tropical Timber Organisation(ITTO) through the project ‘Forest, Scienceand Sustainability: The Bulungan ModelForest’ PD 12/97 Rev. 1 (F).

I am grateful to the people of Paya Seturan,Long Lake, Rian, Langap, Laban Nyarit, LongJalan, Lio Mutai and Gong Solok. And to mycolleagues at CIFOR, LIPI, FORDA, BIOMA,and Inhutani II.

Sheil, D. Puri, R.K., Basuki, I., van Heist, M.,Syaefuddin, Rukmiyati, Sardjono, M.A.,Samsoedin, I., Sidiyasa, K., Chrisandini,Permana, E., Angi, E.M., Gatzweiler, F., andWijaya, A. (2002) Exploring biologicaldiversity, environment and local people’sperspectives in forest landscapes. CIFOR

publication in press.

Link to cifor contact to get methods book ordownload from the internet. For moreinformation on the cifor methods contact:cifor web link. http://www.cgiar.org/cifor

CIFOR is supported by the ConsultativeGroup on International Agricultural Research(CGIAR) http://www.cgiar.org/

Douglas Sheil Center for International Forestry Research(CIFOR), P.O.Box 6596 JKPWB, Jakarta 10065, Indonesia.Telephone: +62 251 622622,Fax: +62 251 622100, Email: [email protected]

Experiences in the elaboration,implementation and follow-up of forestmanagement plans in natural tropicalforests using computers, computersoftware and other technologicalpackages: a Case Study on Borneo.

By Froylan Castaneda & Christel Palmberg-Lerche

This is a summary of a Paper based on thework of Michael Kleine, with contributionsfrom Evelyn Jugi, Yosep Ruslim, Robert C.Ong, Albert Radin, Bernd Hahn-Schilling andAlexander Hinrichs . August 2001. ForestManagement Working Papers, WorkingPaper 2, Forest Resources DevelopmentService, Forest Resources Division. FAO,Rome (unpublished).

This case s tudy summar ises theexperiences in the use of computers,computer software and other technologicalpackages in the planning, implementationand monitoring of forest management innatural tropical forests. The methods and


ETFRN News 36/0218

procedures presented here have been testedand are currently being used in three projectsin the Indonesian and Malaysian territorieson the Island of Borneo, Asia. The projectslocated in East Kalimantan, Sabah andSarawak are collaborative efforts betweenthe local forest authorities, the private sectorand the Deutsche Gesellschaft fürTechnische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), theGerman Agency for Technical Co-operation.They aim to develop management systemssuitable for the sustainable utilisation oftropical forests within the local socio-economic context.

The report is organised according to thebasic management concept for sustainabletropical forest management as pursued in allthree projects.

In the first section the reader is introduced tothe forests and forestry sectors of EastKalimantan, Sabah and Sarawak. Briefdescriptions are provided on the ecologicaland socio-economic environment, the currentcondition of the forest resources and theinstitutional framework under which forestmanagement takes place. This section alsooutlines the basic management conceptpursued in all three projects. This approachis characterised by distinct levels andphases of management ranging fromplanning, implementation and monitoring tocontrol. In order to better understand thefunction and use of the various computer-supported methods and procedures of forestmanagement, they have been organisedaccording to this structured managementconcept.

The second section presents three keycomponents of strategic planning in forestmanagement, i.e. forest zoning or land useplanning, forest inventory and yieldregulation. The various aspects of land usep lann ing are processed us ing acomprehensive process of data collection,compilation with computer software and

spatial representation with the help of GIStechnologies. The inventory data processingand yield regulation procedure make use ofspecially designed program packages. Theirapplications are explained in detail.

Operational planning at the compartmentlevel is the component within the forestmanagement system dealt with in the thirdsection. A computer-assisted method todesign improved topographic and treelocation maps is presented. These areimportant for reduced-impact harvestingoperations. In addition, this section alsocontains a description of a silviculturaldecision-support system that is based onsilvicultural diagnostic survey. This surveyapplies aerial photographs to pre-stratify theforest area followed by a more detailed fieldsurvey.

In the fourth section two monitoring andcontrol systems that are fundamental tosustainable forest management aredescribed. Both systems are complementaryand build on each other, in terms of dataprocurement and computer-supportedprocessing. The so-called compartmentregister provides the most detailedinformation on forest conditions, input andoutput at the lowest level of forestmanagement. A comprehensive cost andresource accounting system uses thedatabases generated at the compartmentlevel. Through a structured process theinformation is compiled and aggregatedallowing an overa ll financial analysis andprofit calculation for the entire FMU.

For further information please contact:Froylan Castaneda, Forestry Officer (TropicalForest Management)OrChristel Palmberg-Lerche, ChiefForest Resources Development ServiceForest Resources DivisionForestry Department FAOViale delle Terme di Caracalla


ETFRN News 36/02 19

I-00100 Rome (Italy)[email protected]

Emerging Technologies for ForestResources Appraisals and Land UsePlanning

By K. D. Singh

Introduction This paper presents a short account ofrecent technological developments such asGPS (geo-positioning systems), GIS(geographic information system) andModelling, which could be used withadvantage in national (forest as well asagroforest) inventories. These technologies,in no way, obviate the importance of goodfield work or good interpretation of images.Their contribution consists of reducing thecost and/or time of inventories andenhancing the analytical capacity,undoubtedly a contribution of greatimportance.

Geo-positioning systemsThe GPS is a satellite-based navigationsystem, which can be used for determiningthe coordinates (x-y-z) of any observationpoint. It is accurate within a few metres andenables one to map points, lines and areasquickly and easily. The accuracy depends onthe equipment, field conditions (in particular,canopy cover), as well as the procedureused. Combined with survey maps suchsystems could replace the traditional methodof locating field plots with maps, chain andcompass. An added benefit is thatoperations such as clearing paths andbypassing obstacles, are no longer required.In the past these operations significantlyadded to the cost of forest inventory. ThroughGPS, the plot location becomes near-foolproof, fast and in-expensive.

The trend is toward cheaper, more flexible

GPS. This generally means cellular phone-size equipment. Hand-held models allowone to collect and maintain spatial data forGIS use which is an ideal solution formapping and managing spatial data in manyapplications, including natural resourcemapping and environmental studies. Onemay also record customized attributes ofinformation. These field data can then beincorporated seamlessly into GIS.

Geographic information system The term GIS is currently used in two differentsenses. In the narrow sense, it refers tocomputer hardware and software forhandling geographic information. In thebroader sense, it includes all GIS equipmentand operations, including the hard andsoftware, input data, editing and storing,processing of data and reporting (see figure1 pg 20 )The value of GIS to deal with complexproblems such as land use andenvironmental p lanning, resourcesmanagement, integrated area development,etc., has been known for a long time.However, recent advances in computertechnology such as data base managementsystems (DBMS), computer- assisteddrafting and mapping (CAD/CAM) andmodelling techniques have made GIS a verypowerful and at the same time affordable tooleven at the individual level. Using a relativelyinexpensive PC, it is now possible to input,integrate and store information in the form ofdata as well as maps; analyse andmanipulate data and combine these withcomplex modelling algorithms and displayresults in the form of computer graphs, mapsor tables. Together with the word processingcapability of computers, the final report canbe produced directly.

Experience indicates that input data for GIShas to be very well prepared if cost and timeassociated with a GIS project is to beminimized. In fact, to get the best out of a GIS,a total planning is required, starting with


ETFRN News 36/0220

survey and analysis of user's outputrequirements, followed by input design,reliable and relevant data collection andmodelling.

Modelling

Models are an abstraction of reality in amathematical statistical language with a viewto study the interaction among variouscomponents or dynamic behaviour of theentity or the process of change underalternative assumptions. Models need notinclude all associated observations ormeasurements, but a subset of them whichare relevant to the problem. A good modelshould, in fact, exclude unrelated details andfocus on fundamental aspects of the realityunder study.

Because models are used in such a widevariety of contexts, it is difficult to define evenbroad types of usage without ambiguity. Onemajor division is between descriptive andnormative (or predictive models). The formeris concerned with some description of thereal world, such as a scale model, a map, aseries of equations, and some otheranalogue; the latter, an ideal type, is whatmight be expected to occur in the real worldunder certain conditions. Models have alsobeen classified as static (steady state) ordynamic according to their changing nature;deterministic and stochastic according todegree of probability associated with theirprediction; or holistic and reductionistaccording to the level of detail included in themodel.

In complex modelling work, a start is madewith establishment and testing of descriptivemodels to determine causal relationshipsbetween various variables. Once causalrelationships are known, it is possible todevelop a hypothesis, theory, or model ,which can predict outcomes given the sameor similar circumstances in another area.Well-established relationships can make forvery powerful normative models essential for

pro-active land management.

An example of modelling: formulation ofalternative wood-energy policiesThis section presents a model with theacronym APM (Area Production Model), whichwas originally developed by Nilsson and thepresent author for a World Bank investmentstudy in India back in the seventies. Sincethen it has undergone a long period ofimprovement (see Nilsson 2000). The modelsimulates possible developments of landuse and primary area production. It can beused in connection with production andconsumption studies at the level of civildistrict, commune or a development block todemonstrate impact of al ternat ivedevelopments in the future land use. Ifpossible, it should be run based on theexperience of the current and past land use.

The use of the model will be illustrated hereto analyse the impact of alternative policydecisions on fuelwood production andconsumption in a district of India viz. Adilabadin Andhra Pradesh. Four scenarios arepresented using the available forestresources and socio-economic data. Effortwas made to make the model as realistic aspossible. The alternative scenarios andunderlying assumptions are given in Table 1and results in Figure 2 Pg 21. in a graphicform.

The following conclusions could be drawnfrom the model study:

i) even in a district like Adilabad, with a forestcover of 40% today, a long term program isessential to balance the supply with thedemand. In the best case scenario, it willtake about 25 years to balance supply anddemand. ii) Both increasing production and controllingconsumption are necessary. This suggeststhe need for an integrated development


ETFRN News 36/0222

planning. iii) The program for forestplantations must be high yielding to achieveself-reliance in the shortest possible time.iv) The establishment and development ofplantations must be secured with peopleparticipation with control of grazing and illicitremovals.v) Adequate finance on a continuing andlong-term basis must be secured. This willcall for an effective, creditworthy and efficientmanagement environment.

ReferencesNilsson Nils-Erik 2000, The Area ProductionModel: Background and Design, (Extractedfrom a manuscript under preparation)

Singh K. D. 2001, Guidelines on NationalInventory of Village Forests, CIFOR, Bogor,Indonesia

For further information Please contact:K. D. Singh, Adjunct ProfessorUniversity of Massachusetts at Boston, USA. Email: [email protected]

Application of remote sensing andGeographic Information Systems forthe monitoring and protection of aSpecial Protected Area in Greece.

By Ioannis Meliadis, Alexandros Tsiontsis

During an E.E. project in Greece for SpecialProtected Areas, the techniques of remotesensing and Geographical InformationSystems (G.I.S.) have been used formonitoring and protection purposes. Theprimary objective for the Special ProtectedArea (SPA) was to reduce pressure onnatural habitats while supporting sustainabledevelopment. The success of such activitiesdepends to a large extent upon knowledge ofboth the ecological and socioeconomicenvironments.

The main objectives were to:• Develop image processing techniques

to identify land cover changes usingmulti-temporal satellite imagery

• Develop a G.I.S. data bank which will bethe baseline for the monitoring project

• Incorporate remote sensing and G.I.S.data for management and protection ofthe study area

• Identify the environmental parametersthat are critical for the area.

The study area was the Mountain Antichasia -Meteora found in the central part of Greece.The size is almost 826.127 ha and it belongsto the Mediterranean zone. The SPA includesa mosaic of different vegetation types of aSub-Mediterranean character. Most of thearea is covered by Quercetalia pubescentisand only a small part of the higher altitudesis covered by vegetation of the beech zone.The area has a poor economic development;the main sources of livelihoods areagriculture, animal husbandry and forestry.This zone has been characterised as anImportant Bird Area (IBA) according to the ECInstruction 79/409/EC and it is consideredvery important for the coherence of theSpecial Protection Network.

For the study area the following data sourceswere used:• Two LANDSAT TM images dated

28/7/1989 and 1999• Aerial photographs at a scale of1:20.000• Management plan maps at a scale of

1:20.000 • Topographic map at a scale of1:5.000.• Land Resource Map at a scale of

1:50.000.

For the analysis two multi-temporal imageswere used. The methodology adapted for thisstudy involved the classification of theLANDSAT data for both dates into land coverclasses. A supervised classification using allavailable bands was performed on a portionof a 30-m resolution TM image. With the

Organisations - Institutions - Programmes

ETFRN News 36/02 21

Table 1: Assumptions made in the model regarding future state of the district

Scenario Supply -side Assumptions Demand - side Assumptions

01 No change No change

02

-Improvement of wood production onagricultural land; and -Establishment of 100 000 ha of fuelwoodplantations No change

03 No change

-Reduction of population growth rate; and -Reduction of 2% per year of biomassdemand per capita

04

-Improvement of wood production onagricultural land; and

- Establishment of 100 000 ha of fuelwoodplantations

-Reduction of population growth rate; and -Reduction of 2% per year of biomassdemand per capita

Figure 2

-3.5

-3 .0

-2.5

-2.0

-1.5

-1.0

-0.5

0.0

1 9 9 3 1 9 9 7 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 5 2 0 0 9 2 0 1 3 2 0 1 7 2 0 2 1

Year

Figure 2 : Fuelwood def ici t (mi l l ion m3)

SCENARIO 04

SCENARIO 03

SCENARIO 02

SCENARIO 01

Emerging Technologies for Forest Resources Appraisals and Land Use Planning Figure 1 Overview of a GIS system

Tropical Forest Inventory in the Costa De Jalisco Region Mexico: Methodology and Preliminary ResultsFigure 1. Systematic sample showing sample and sub-sample with different radii and evaluated areas


ETFRN News 36/02 23

most recent TM data available, a map of landcover classes was produced. This mapcontains: Forests, Partially Forested Areas,Agricultural Lands, Rangelands, Shrublandsand Urban Areas. These six classes aresufficient to accurately capture biomass ofthe area and estimate the habitats for thewild fauna.

In order to obtain land use change data, thedigital image of 1989 was used. The photointerpretation of the aerial photos of 1987was used for the delineation of the land coverclasses which were used as reference in theclassification of the '89 LANDSAT image.The same digital processing procedure wasused for the older image. The changedetection analysis was conducted bysubtracting the two classified images anddeveloping a cross – tabulation operation.

Comparison between the images indicatedthat the areas occupied by forests, partiallyforested land and shrublands decreasedduring the ten year period, while theremaining classes showed an increase. Anew map was produced, indicating the areaswhere land cover had changed.

The new map was overlaid with G.I.S. layers.Showing the contour lines, point elevations,road and river networks, habitat, land use,soil, geology, land ownership, watersheds,game refuges, culture, and protected areas.New information was derived by theprocessing of the above layers, such as theaspects, slopes and the Digital ElevationModel.

The data bank of the G.I.S. was used forspatial research on the parameters that mostinfluence the area. For example, landownership layers and access weredetermined to evaluate the necessity ofconducting wild fauna surveys on non-publiclands which would require access permitsand authorization from individual landowners. Buffer zones around the protected

areas served as restriction zones for anyannoyance of the wild fauna. The "habi tatpolygons" were also used as an input for theimagery-based analysis of potential habitat.Individual positions of birds and expertdelineation of historic habitat polygonsserved as the primary sampling unit for thepurposes of habitat prediction. In thisanalysis, the temporal dynamics of wildfauna areas were evaluated as a function ofthe temporal change in vegetation spectralsignatures obtained from satellite imagery.Changes in vegetation communities arerelated to features of the landscape such asvegetation phenology and condition.

The main conclusions can be summarisedas follows:

a) Effective Monitoring requires techniquesthat have an acceptable cost and provideinformation at the required level of accuracy.b) Digital remote sensing data are veryflexible and show potential for monitoringprogramsc) The combined use of multi-date satelliteimagery and the digital ancillary data sets ofG.I.S. has proved a useful technique forproducing the baseline for monitoringprojects.d) Multiple G.I.S. layers can easily be used fora more detailed spatial analysis of theecosystems and isolation of environmentalparameters that influence the monitoringproject.

Proper use and monitoring of our land andenvironmental resources for quality of lifeand sustainable growth requires that timely,accurate data on land cover and land use beavailable continually. The complex questionsbeing addressed internationally require thatresearchers take advantage of newtechnologies including remote sensing,Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.) andEnvironmental Information ManagementSystems that may lead to simulation modelsfor land management decision-making


ETFRN News 36/0224

processes.

Dr. Ioannis MeliadisNAGREF – Forest Research InstituteLab of Remote Sensing & G.I.S.Vassilika, Thessaloniki570 06 [email protected]

Dr. Alexandros TsiontsisNAGREF – Forest Research InstituteLab of Forest SoilsVassilika, Thessaloniki570 06 [email protected]

Weather Independent Tropical ForestMonitoring in Indonesia

By Vincent Schut and Arjen Vrielink

This article demonstrates some of thecurrent possibilities of Remote Sensing (RS)techniques for weather independentmonitoring of tropical forests on differentscales, both temporal and spatial.

Traditional forest monitoring and inventorytechniques in the field suffer from threemajor problems: relatively small areas; noreplicability / timeliness; relatively high costs.In other words: it is really expensive to have afieldwork campaign for a large area every twomonths. Research has shown that satelliteand airborne RS techniques can overcomethes e problems. However, one majorconstraint of optical techniques is that theirobservations are hindered by cloud coverand haze and are limited to observations bydaylight.

Contrary to optical sys tems, radar ischaracterised by the possibility of unhinderedobservation during cloud cover, smoke(forest fires) or during the night. Thereforeradar is the ideal instrument for forestmonitoring, especially in the humid tropics.

An important parameter of radar systems isthe frequency band. The most commonbands are: C-band (5.3 GHz), L-band (1.2GHz) and P-band (440 MHz). C-band has arelatively high frequency for earth observationand is characterised by low penetration invegetation layers. At lower frequencies thepenetration is much stronger andconsequently also characteristics of theterrain underneath closed vegetation can bemade visible, eg (forest-) inundation, logs orbiomass.

There are many kinds of radar systems. Byaddition of extra antennas modern radarsystems can do a lot more than just imagingthe earth. The so called interferometric radarcan make three dimensional observations.Po lar imet r ic radar uses d i f fe rentpolarisations through which it can observeadditional structural characteristics of theterrain and vegetation.

SarVision is currently implementing severalmonitoring systems in Indonesia. In thisarticle, we focus is on two of these systems.First a nationwide optical monitoring systemis discussed: SPOT vegetation mapping.Second a regional radar monitoring systemis discussed: monitoring the MawasReserve.

SarVision has developed a new system forlarge scale weather independent forestmonitoring. Using SPOT Vegetation data, thissystem gives a fast overview of the remainingforest resources of a large area, in aresolution of 1 x 1 km. An algorithm has beendeveloped to aggregate the raw data into ac loud less , cont ras t -enhanced andclassifiable product. The resulting forest andforest change maps can be used forecological monitoring, (forestry) lawen fo rcement , fo res t f i re damageinvestigation, etc. They are ideal for amultisensor approach, po inting towardsdeforestation hotspots that can then beinvestigated in more detail using spaceborne


ETFRN News 36/02 25

or airborne radar, or other (future) sensors.

The system is applicable worldwide and isperfect for extensive and long term forestmonitoring. Due to the processing algorithmcloud and haze influences are effective lyeliminated. Patches of recent deforestationcan easily be found and then investigated byother sensors, e.g. MODIS (250 m.resolution), spaceborne radar or evenairborne radar for a very high resolutioninvestigation. Our straightforward andautomated processing algorithms and theguarantee of future availability of SPOTVegetation data ensure a previouslyunknown stability and accuracy in large scaleforest monitoring.

Large forest areas in Indonesia are undersevere threat because of illegal logging,poaching and increased susceptibility to firedue to recent forest degradation. One of theareas of major interest is a 273,000 ha areain Central Kalimantan, east of Palangkaraya:the Mawas reserve. This area still comprisessubstantial areas of pristine lowland forestand the largest remaining orang-utanpopulation (3,000 individuals). Under co-ordination of the government, localauthorities and the Balikpapan Orang-utanSurvival Foundation (BOS) a three-component program is executed. Thesecomponents are: (1) fast detection of illegallogging, encroachment or any otherthreatening conditions by remote sensingsatellites, (2) a flying team to collect evidenceand prosecute offenders, and (3) movinglocal population to buffer zones and providingthem income and training.

SarVision is setting up a monitoring systembased on spaceborne radar observation todeal with the first of the above mentionedcomponents. Of course, because of cloudcover, radar remote sensing plays a majorrole. The objective is to set up an operationalservice to be able to inform local teams asfast as possible. It is planned to do this at

least every two months, with a delay of lessthan one month.

Currently 25 m resolution ERS-2 (EuropeanRadar Satellite, C-band) data are used,a long with historical data (mainly ERS-1/2and JERS-1 (Japanese Earth ResourcesSatellite, L-band)). In the future the use o fENVISAT-ASAR (recently launched) andALOS-PALSAR (L-band system) is foreseen.L-band seems superior to C-band for forestmonitoring. Visibility of drainage andhydrology in these swamp forests are muchbetter than in C-band (or in optical sensorssuch as Landsat TM). It is therefore very likelythat L-band will contribute to refinedecological forest type mapping of this area.Within two years the service should becompletely operational. This monitoringconcept can then also be applied to othersimilar (forest) areas in the world.

Unti l now large scale weather independentRS monitoring is primarily discussed inrelation to research projects. However, theexamples above show that SarVision isalready operating RS monitoring systems inIndonesia. There are Plans to extend thecurrent monitoring areas to more forestareas in Indonesia and also to othercountries with tropical forests.

SarVision is currently working hard todevelop more advanced monitoringtechniques. The aim is to combineobservations from different sensors in onemonitoring system. Also high resolution (3D)airborne radar mapping systems are beingdeveloped for detailed monitoring such asindividual tree mapping.

For further information please contact:Vincent Schutemail: [email protected] VrielinkSarVision BVOudlaan 376708 RC Wageningen The Netherlands


ETFRN News 36/0226

Tel: +31 317 421526Fax: +31 317 428880E: [email protected]: www.sarvision.com

Optimization Applied to Managementof Natural Forests

By Gilson Fernandes da Silva; Rinaldo LuizCaraciolo Ferreira; William Arthur Hoffmann;Nilton César Fiedler, Gerard Janin

Abstract: The objective of this ongoingresearch is to evaluate the use of multi-objective optimization models for themanagement of natural forests and todevelop algorithms capable of solving theproposed models, with particular emphasison evolutionary algorithms. Economic,environmental and social objectives areconsidered in the management model to beoptimized. The multi-objective model will becapable of incorporating the above objectivesand will evaluate diverse strategies formanagement. We also expect to implementan algorithm capable of solving the mode loptimization, utilizing evolutionary algorithmtheory.

IntroductionThe increasing demand for wood and non-wood forest products associated withincreasingly globalized market pressuresrequire that forestry companies becomeincreasingly competitive by producing high-quality products at low cost. Modern forestmanagement requires integration among theforest, industry, and the market to maximizefinancial return while guaranteeing asustainable growing stock. Additionally,legal, environmental and social issues mustenter into a management plan designed toguarantee continuous production.One of the potential tools for forest managersto deal with this type of problems is multi-objective optimization, an active area ofresearch in science and engineering. The

interest in this area arises because manyreal-world problems are complicated by theneed to consider multiple objectives, but alsobecause there are still unresolved questionsin the area.

Ecosystem management is an arduous taskdue to the great complexity of the system andthe large number of variables that must betaken into consideration during planning. Climatic and biological processes and thelarge number of other variables that affectforest growth, compounded with longproduction cycles and uncertainty in marketsand societal demands make it unclear whatalternative is best. Brazilian forests areconsidered fragile ecosystems with regard toregeneration, growth, production, andbiodiversity maintenance, therefore requiringmanagement regimes appropriate for thesecharacteristics and permitting sustainableproduction.

Proposals to rationally use forest resourcesmust be critically examined to consciouslydeal with the above problems. It is necessaryto determine which parameters bestcharacterize forest composition, structureand dynamics, and subsequently seek todevelop management plans incorporatingmultiple goals, with economic, environmentaland social objectives. This requires not onlya management model for the forest, but alsomethods and tools that make it possible tosolve and implement the model.

Due to the need to increase production in arational manner, using all the goods andservices that the system can sustainablyprovide, this research is based on currentunderstanding as well as on maintenanceand protection of the plant diversity in theseforests. The results of the researchdescribed here, integrated with currentknowledge, will be directed to generatetechnology that will make viable sustainableuse of natural forest resources.


ETFRN News 36/02 27

ObjectivesThe objective of this research is to generatenew approaches to use and manage naturalforests. The specific objectives are:

• Determine which variables or indices are ofprimary importance for management ofthese forests, considering the objectives tobe reached, the philosophy of mathematicalmodelling, and the available information onnatural forests.

• Propose a management model for naturalforests, taking into consideration multipleeconomic, environmental, and socialobjectives.

• Develop an algorithm to solve the abovemodel based on the theory of evolutionaryalgorithms.

Material and Methods The project with be carried out in two sitesprotected by law:1) Fazenda Água Limpa (4000 ha), aresearch farm owned by the University ofBrasília, and2) the IBGE Ecological Reserve (1300 ha). The vegetation of both sites is wellpreserved. Repeated censuses in cerrado(savanna) and gallery forests have beencarried out by researchers in the ForestryDepartment of the University of Brasília whohave offered their data to parameterize themanagement model.

Expected Results• Identify specific variables that characterize

natural forests which will serve to developmanagement plans for natural forests.

• Generate a management model for naturalforests that permits optimization ofresource use by evaluating multip leobjectives of forest planning.

• Elaborate an evolutionary algorithm formultiple object ives which wi l l beimplemented by computer to solve themodel proposed above.

For further information please contact:Gilson Fernandes da Silva; Rinaldo William

Arthur Hoffmann; Nilton César Fiedler,Gerard Janin,Professor do Departmento de Engenhar iaFlorestal da UnB, Brasilia DF, BrazilEmail: [email protected]

Rinaldo Luiz Caraciolo Ferreira Professor do Departmento deCiencia Florestal da UFRPE, Recife, PE, BrazilEmail: [email protected]

Tropical Forest Inventory in the CostaD e J a l i s c o R e g i o n M e x i c o :Methodology and Preliminary Results

by Efrén Hernández, Agustín Gallegos &Dieter R. Pelz

IntroductionTropical forests are an important resource inthe coastal area of Jalisco/Mexico. Theyshow a high species diversity. Importantspecies such as "Cedro Rojo" (Red Cedar)Cedrela odorata and the "Caoba" or"Mahogany" Swietenia macrophylla can befound in these forests. Also non-timberproducts like "Palma real" and "Palmachamedora" are used for ornamentalpurposes. In Jalisco State, changes in landuse for agriculture and cattle raising havebeen the cause of fragmentation of this foreston approximately 171,333.00 ha, accordingto the 1994 Forest National Inventory. Theinventory also confirms that the forest locatedin the tropical zones has suffered thegreatest impact during the last decades.

In the Costa de Jalisco region there areforests with good management. Howevermany areas are still without a forestmanagement plan. There is little informationavailable on forest resources and nomonitoring of forest dynamics has beendone. On the other hand, Ortega & Curiel(2000) found technology deficits in theproductivity growth of new timber species


ETFRN News 36/0228

and a lack of specialised technicians in thistype of forest. Therefore, a study has beenundertaken to develop a forest managementbasis for the "La Quebrada" watershed aswell as to gain better understanding of thisvegetation type.The main objective of theproject was the development of a forestinventory methodology for the managementof the Jalisco tropical forest usingGeographic Information System (GIS) andremote sensing.

MethodologyThe study area, "Cuenca La Quebrada", islocated approximately 70 km south of PuertoVallarta on the Pacific Ocean Coast. The sizeof the area is 44,6 km². The altitude within thestudy area ranges from 128 m.a.s.l. (metersabove sea level), the location of the "Cajonde Peña" hydroelectric project, to 760 m.a.s.l.(Krüger, 2000). The dominant vegetationtypes are the mixed deciduous forest andpure deciduous forest.

Basically, the sample design was asystematic grid of 500 m x 250 m. Plotlocations were permanent. A metal rod waslocated in the sample plot center and the plotshape was concentric with 500 m² for matureforest, sub-samples of 100 m² forintermediate forest and sub-samples of12.57 m² for regeneration (Fig. 1). A total of357 samples were taken, resulting in asampling intensity of approximately 0.4 %.The central point was localised using aglobal positioning system (GPS), GarminPersonal Navigator 45 model. Thisinstrument was programmed with spatialdata of the grid that was previously designed.The exact location was determined by themetal rod in the plot center. The trees withinsamples and sub-samples were localisedwith an azimuth (compass). The distancewas determined by laser measurements.

Results and DiscussionApproximately 5,000 trees of 131 differentspecies were included in the larger plot. It is

important to remark that 17 different treespecies where found in one sample. Inanother sample, 48 different tree specieswhere found. 1100 individual trees ofintermediate forest and 650 individual treesin regeneration were included. Using theIndex of importance value (IIV) suggested byLamprecht (1990), it was determined that thespecies with the greatest value areBrosimum alicastrum, Hura polyandra, andTabebuiae rosea with 37.5, 33.8 y 16.3 %respectively (Gallegos R. et al.). In relation tothe calculated basal area, the analysisshows that only in 5 samples the basal areawas greater than 60 m²/ha., the averagenumber of trees for the mature andintermediate forest per sample was 18 andthe average time required for recording theinformation was 22 minutes.

ConclusionsThe tree species of greatest ecologicalimportance in the area are concentrated intwo species; Brosimum alicastrum and Hurapolyandra. It is important to remark that theSabal mexicana and Acrocomia aculeatapalms represent 8.1 % of the IIV total. Thisindicates the presence of disturbance in thearea. There is a low abundance anddominance of commercial species, due toselective harvesting executed in aninappropriate way, extensive cattle grazing,and forest fires.It should be noted, that the field work for thelocation of the samples was much easierbecause of the GPS. Similarly, the use of alaser instrument to measure the distancesfacilitated the daily work. More data can becollected in less time compared to traditionalprocedures.

Future ActivitiesConsidering that there are no volume tablesavailable for the most important species ofthe region`s medium forest, a special effortwill be undertaken to develop such tables.The ecological aspects of the area will alsobe evaluated. On a more technical level,


ETFRN News 36/02 29

further studies on the use of high resolutionsatellite images (IKONOS) for inventory of thetropical forests in Jalisco will be evaluated.

This project, "Development of a GeographicalInformation System (GIS) for themanagement of Tropical Forests in theCosta de Jalisco Region, Mexico", issupported by the University Centre ofBiological and Agricultural sciences (CUCBA)of Guadalajara University and the MexicanCouncil for Science and Technology(CONACYT).

Literature CitedGallegos, R. A; & Hernández, A. E. 1999.Desarrollo de un Sistema de InformaciónGeográfica (SIG) para el Manejo de BosquesTropicales en La Región Costa de Jalisco,México. Propuesta de proyecto anteCONACYT. Predio “Las Agujas“ municipio deZapopan, Jalisco, Méx.

Gallegos, R. A; Abundio, R. E; Moralez, R. M.E; & Hernández, A. E. 2001. Valor deImportancia de las Especies Arbóreas en unBosque Tropical de la Costa de Jalisco.Memorias del V Congreso Mexicano deRecursos Forestales. SOMEREFO.Guadalajara Jalisco, México.

Krüger, J. 2000. Entwicklung und Aufbaueines geografischen In formationssystemesfür eine Forstinventur im Tropenwald vonJalisco/México. Diplomarbeit, Universidad deFreiburg, Freiburg i. Br., Alemania.

Lamprecht, H. 1990. Silvicultura en lostrópicos. Los ecosistemas forestales en losbosques tropicales y sus especies arbóreas–posibilidades y métodos para unaprovechamiento sostenido. Traducido porCarrillo D. GTZ. Alemania.

Ortega, C. A. & Curiel, A. G. M. 2000.Problemática en la Elaboración de Planesde Manejo para Bosques Tropicales.Memorias del Taller Internacional deEvaluación y Monitoreo en Bosques

Tropicales, “Perspectivas para un ManejoSostenido“ Predio “Las Agujas“ municipio deZapopan, Jalisco, Méx.

SARH.1994. Inventario Forestal Periódico delEstado de Jalisco. SFF. México.

For further information, please contact:Dieter R. Pelz Email: [email protected] andEfren Hernandez Email: [email protected] of Freiburg,Department of Forest Biometry,Werderring 6 D-79085 Freiburg,Germany.Tel: +49 761 203 3750

Inventory techniques in French Guiana

to elaborate and apply multi-functionalforest management plans

by Olivier Brunaux, Julien Demenois, FlorentIngrassia

Global context of sustainable forestmanagement in French Guiana

By ratifying the Rio agreement in 1992,France made a firm commitment to ensuresustainable and exemplary management ofits forests. To honor this commitment inFrench Guiana, and to break rapidly with theexisting «mining» permit-style system, anessent ial step toward sustainablemanagement was made between 1993 and1998. ONF (Office National des Forêts, StateForest Service) instigated a simplified form offorest management. The first steps in thisprocess established a permanent forestarea for timber production restricted to acoastal strip 70 km wide; and implementeda harvesting system, organized in space andtime, aimed at sustainable use.

Since 1998, ONF, which is in charge of thestate-owned forests, has drawn up a newdevelopment strategy for this forest area, withthe aim of implementing sustainable and


ETFRN News 36/0230

multi-functional management as theexpression of a true concern to maintainbiodiversity. This method is based on a rapidcharacterisation of the forest composition.This approach provides informationconcerning timber resources and theirgeographical location, and takes especiallyinto consideration the biological diversitywithin the forests concerned.As the moist tropical forests of FrenchGuiana are still not well understood (aspectsof ecosystem functioning and of thedistribution, abundance and status of theanimal and plant species present), not easilyaccessible and very extensive, the approachrelies on habitat study rather than on thespecies themselves. However, since aprecise map showing all habitats in theforests to be managed is unrealistic, anindirect approach was adopted, based on ageomorphological analysis of these areas.

Several steps to elaborate a multi-functional forest management planThe aim of forest management is first todefine long-term objectives and localisethem inside the coastal strip. This area isdivided into 54 forests (10 000 to 100 000ha). Each managed forest is also divided intoseveral areas defined by their dominantobjective, called «series», combining theindividual Management Units 1 (MU, parcellein French) with the same dominant objective.Five types of series have been defined:

S timber production and global protectionof habitats and landscapes series;

S uses series;S visiting public series;S general ecological interest series;S particular ecological interest series.

The forest management plan is elaboratedas follows:

1. Preliminary analysis

Step 11. Definition of the study area

Step 12. Definition of the forest borders

Step 13. Definition of the geomorphologicalunits 2

Step 14. Elaboration of the theoretical roadnetwork

Step 15. Definition of the areas not to beexploited

Step 16. Definition of Access Network Units(ANU) 3Step 17. Definition of Management Units

Step 18. Classification of MUs into series;map of series

2. Management Field Inventory (MFI, DIAM inFrench) for each ANU of the productionseries

Step 21. Establishment of inventory trails

Step 22. Dendrologic and ecological survey

Step 23 . Data analysis: resourceassessment, proposal of a road network,proposal of MUs to be inventoried anddiagnosed

Step 24. Possible fitting of the classified MUsinto series for this ANU. The MFI is a lightinventory which first aim is to confirm, or not,step 18. Secondly, it gives a reliableassessment of the most abundantmarketable species and is also a reliabletool to judge the exploitability of a MU.

The MFI is based on transects of 40 m wide.Inside this strip, for each tree with a DBH >55 cm (for most species), the species andthe diameter class are visually determinedand noted. Besides, all marketable trees (35cm < DBH < 55 cm) are noted. They form thefuture tree population. Environmentalparticularities are also noted.

The inventory or diagnosis trails cross the


ETFRN News 36/02 31

technically exploitable areas defined at step15. In order to verify the feasibility of thetheoretical road network, they cross thepasses and the other necessary roads.

Data analysis consists of the calculation ofthe resource index (number of trees/ha,volume/ha for each species or group ofspecies) at three different scales: 100 linearmeters, one MU and one ANU. Thus, poorand non-exploitable areas, slightly rich areaswhere logging is possible under someconditions, and rich and exploitable areasare defined inside the production series.Based on these analyses, a forestmanagement plan is drawn up for a five-yearperiod. This document will define anoperational plan: roads to be created, MUs tobe diagnosed and then MUs to be exploited.

Implementation of a multi-functional forestmanagement plan

ONF both elaborates and implements theforest management plans. Each year, as thefirst step in the implementation of a forestmanagement plan, it invests in the roadnetwork and creates 40 km of roads. Then, each MU of the production ser ies isinventoried and diagnosed. To this end aThorough Management Unit Inventory (TMUI,DIPA in French) is carried out. Each MU isdivided into Prospecting Units (PU, Unité deProspection in French) of 20 to 100 ha. EachPU is topographically homogeneous. Next,for each PU a TMUI is carried out in order todetermine its accessibility, its exploitabilityand the resources of the marketablespecies.

The TMUI explores the whole area of the PU,not only transects. Nevertheless, some partsof the PU can be not diagnosed becausethey are small or poorly accessible. Thevisually collected data are the same as thosecollected for the MFI. The timber quality isalso noted and the future trees are physicallymarked. Thus, several results are obtainedthrough the TMUI. It gives ONF and the

logging companies a reliable assessment ofthe floristic composition and also of thevolume of the exploitable trees.When the road network has been createdand the TMUI completed for a MU, the latter issold to a logging company. Hence, thiscompany is in charge of the exploitation ofthe MU. ONF controls the work throughout theexploitation. Each year, ONF sells about 12000 ha of primary forest – 40 MU as anaverage – which can produce 60 to 80 000m 3 (round wood).

Discussion ONF wishes to use the TMUI results as anattachment to the contract when selling a MUto a logging company. This measureappears necessary in order to better controlthe exploitation – volume of timber extractedcompared to the resources, respect for thefuture trees marked – and to improve theyields (5,5 m 3/ha in average).

Service Amenagement Forestier, ONFGuyane, Oivier Brunaux, [email protected] Ingrassia [email protected] Regionale, ONF GuyaneJulien DemenoisB.P. 7002 97307,Cayenne Cedex,French Guiana. E Mail: [email protected]

1 A Management Unit is defined by the most important natural, and wherenecessary artificial, field borders. The area of one MU in the timberproduction and global protection of habitats and landscapes series is about300 ha.

2 A geomorphological unit is defined as an area homogeneous accordingto its relief and its geology and characterized by the area and thedistribution of relief shape units, by the shape and the direction of ridgelines and the hydrographic network, the dimension and the direction of theinterfluves, the average and maximal altitudes of reliefs and the kind ofslopes.

3 An Access Network Un i t (Unité de Desserte in French) is anautonomous forest area considering its accessability. It is defined by therivers or the reliefs which can not be jumped over by loggers.


ETFRN News 36/0232

A New Nat ional Inventory forAustralia’s Forests

By Phillip Norman, Jerome Vanclay

In a first for Australia, the National ForestInventory has embarked on an ambitiousplan to establish a new comprehensiveinventory program of the nation continent’sforests and woodlands. The new program,known as the Continental Forest SamplingFramework, will provide for the very first time,consistent independent and reliablestatistics to describe the full extent andtrends of Australia’s forests and woodlands.The program is being designed specificallyto meet Australia’s obligations underNational and International reporting protocols(such as the Montreal Process) byestablishing an accurate means ofmeasuring trends in important forestcharacteristics such as age, size, andspecies composition, as well as changes inforest management and tenure.

Australia has in excess of 150 millionhectares of vegetation that meets theaccepted national definition of forest(National Forest Inventory 1998). Forests arebroadly distributed in a band of variablewidths around the coastline of the continent,across latitudes ranging from cool temperateto tropical, soils ranging from deep fertile,recent volcanics to heavily leached tropicallaterites, and rainfall ranging from severalmetres to less than 500 mm per year. It is not surprising, given the variability ofthese environments, that Australia’s naturalforests are extremely variable in their nature.Whilst two largely endemic tree genera,Eucalyptus and Corymbia, overwhelminglypredominate, the more than seven hundredspecies contained in these genera take theform of anything from tall single-stemmedforest trees to low sprawling multi-stemmedshrubs. Adding to this diversity are a varietyof other more restricted forest types includingrainforest (of various forms from the most

northerly tropics to the most southerly cooltemperate), Acacia forest, and conifer-dominated forests (predominantly ofendemic species of Callitris and Araucaria).Substantial areas of plantations of exotic(predominant ly Pinus) and nat ive(predominantly Eucalyptus species) havealso been established throughout thecountry.

Aus t ra l i a i s a Federa t i on o f 8States/Territories. Under the NationalConst i tu t ion es tab l ished in 1901responsibility for management of naturalresources, including forests, rests principallywith the State/Territory Governments, whilstresponsibility for external affairs, includinginternational reporting on forests rests withthe Federal Government. IndividualState/Territories have maintained forestinventory programs of varying standard sincethe early 1900’s principally to quantify andplan the utilisation of timber. Recent Nationaland International forest policy initiatives (ofparticular note the National Forest PolicyStatement of 1992 and the Montreal Processof the mid to late 1990’s) have highlightedthe need for national level forest statistics.The National Forest Inventory (a partnershipof Federal and State/Territory Governments)was established in the early 1990’s toprovide a vehicle for Australia-wide forestinventory and reporting.

The limited resources available to the NFI,the demand for immediate information, andthe nature of the system of Government,meant that it had to rely initia l l y on acom pilation approach, bringing togetherexisting data from a variety of sources andcollected to a variety of standards. Thisapproach was largely successful in meetingthe urgent requirement for a snapshot ofAustralia’s forests. However, its limitationshave been evident in attempts to reportcomprehensively against their condition ortrends (eg the Montreal C&I FirstApproximation Report (Commonwealth ofAustralia 1997) and Australia’s State of the


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Forests Report (National Forest Inventory1998)). In each instance the reportsacknowledged that major gaps existed inAustralia’s capacity to report nationally (inparticular for areas of forest other than thosemost intensively managed for timberproduction) and as a consequence many ofthe indicators could only be reported in anarrative fashion making quantification oftrends through time impossible. Even forthose indicators for which quantitativereporting was possible, trends are at bestindicative only due to the extent of spatial andtemporal inconsistencies in measurementmethods and the sampling base.

These limitations have lead the NFI to theconclusion that the only way to substantiallyimprove Australia’s capacity to meet itsmonitoring and reporting obligations is toimplement a standardised inventory acrossthe whole country using proven directmeasures of relevant attributes. A quickreview of international activity in this area hasrevealed a number of parallel attempts byother countries toward similar ends and inresponse to similar drivers. Of particularrelevance are the efforts of Canada, whichshares many similarities to Australia in theextent of its forests and their use and in itssystem of Government, to implement a newsampling-based inventory.

The NFI has developed a set of Terms ofReference for the proposed inventory (seebelow) and has commissioned a projectteam to develop detailed technicalspecif ications for a pi lot regionalimplementation from late 2002.

Terms of Reference for ProposedContinental Forest Sampling Framework forAustraliaThe sampling framework will:• be designed to meet national reporting

and monitoring requirements• measure a specified list of metrics

(including - forest extent and structure(height, crown canopy cover), forest type

(genus, species), growth stage, tenure(including private individual, industrial,institutional), reserve status (includingreserves on private land), intendedlanduse (areas zoned or intended to bemanaged for various objectives),disturbance, and forest health)

• be simple flexible and repeatable• be based on permanent/relocatable site-

based measurement• report to accuracies commensurate with

current international practice• provide estimates of change at 5 yearly

intervals

The sampling framework wil l applymeasurement methods that are:S objective and measured (rather than

subjective/estimated)S yield continuous numerical values rather

than categorical valuesS repeatableS a direct measure rather than a surrogate

of the attribute of interestS not technology dependant (i.e. enduring)S link directly to the relevant Montreal

indicatorS meet national and/or international

standards (where they exist)

The Project Team is working, under theguidance of a Technical Review Panelincluding international experts, to develop acomprehensive inventory program that willmeet these Terms of Reference, whilsttaking advantage of the efficiencies offered bycontemporary technologies (such as remotesensing) and still stand the “test of time”.

ReferencesCommonwealth of Australia (1997),Australia’s First Approximation Report for theMontreal Process. Bureau of Rural Sciences,Canberra

National Forest Inventory (1998) Australia’sState of the Forests Report 1998. Bureau ofRural Sciences, Canberra


ETFRN News 36/0234

Mr Phillip Norman, Principal Scientist – Sustainable Forestry Sciences,Environment Protection Agency QueenslandAustralia

Prof Jerome Vanclay, Department of Forestry, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia. Email:[email protected]

Methodology for Assessment ofGrowing Stock of Forests in India

By J. K. Rawat and Alok Saxena(Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, India)

IntroductionIndia is a vast country with a geographicalarea of 3.3 million sq km. The variety of itsclimate and agro-ecological zones has madeIndia one of the 12 mega-biodiversity regionsin the world. Its forest resources, coveringabout 19.4 percent of the country’sgeographical area (FSI, 2000), have beenclassified into 16 major and 221 minor foresttypes (Champion & Seth, 1968). It is not easyto estimate at any one point in time thegrowing stock of a resource of such vastnessand variability by traditional field inventorymethods. Recently, remote sensingtechnology, through aerial photography andsatellites, was found capable of providing thetotal picture of actual forest cover in thecountry in a short span of time. By mergingthis information with the field inventory datafrom well-scattered sample plots a methodwas developed for assessment of forestgrowing stock in the country. This was doneby the Forest Survey of India (FSI), a premierorganisation of the Government of India inthe field of assessment of forest resources.

Though FSI has been assessing the forestcover of the country using satellite data on atwo-year cycle since the beginning of theeighties, it developed a methodology forestimating the growing stock of the forests ofthe country in 1995. The methodology

involved in terpretation of satellite data andaerial photographs and processing of forestinventory data collected from about 170,000sampling units distributed all over thecountry. Presently, this methodology is beingused by the FSI in assessment of changes inforest cover and growing stock of forests inIndia between the period 1984 and 1994.

MethodologyGrowing stock for the entire country (strata-wise according to major forest types) wasassessed using information available fromthe vegetation maps, thematic maps and theground forest inventory conducted by the FSI.For this purpose all the then 31 States andUnion Territories (UT) were divided into gridsof 2.5’x 2.5’ (latitude x longitude). Fromapproximately 170,000 such grids, data werecollected on parameters related to growingstock. This exercise yielded information onthe extent of forest cover, composition (21species strata), density (3 classes) andinventory data on growing stock. Thefollowing information for each grid wascollected:

Density: The land use category occupyingmore than 50% of the grid area was takeninto account e.g. if more than 50% of the areais forested, the grid was marked as forestedotherwise ‘non-forested’. Then in eachforested grid only one major density classwas taken as the density class for the entiregrid. This information was collected from thelatest vegetation maps prepared by FSI on1:250,000 scale based on satellite imageinterpretation for the period 1989-91 (FSI,1996a). For each grid any one of thefollowing three density classes wereobtained from the vegetation maps:

Density Class Crown density1. Very dense forest 70% and above

2. Dense forest 40 to 70%

3. Open forest 10 to 40%


ETFRN News 36/02 35

Areas, with less than 10% forest density,were treated as scrub. Grids falling undernon-forest and scrub were not used further.Any grid, which spread over more than onestate, was included in the state in which itsmaximum area fell.

Forest composition: The major foresttype/strata in each grid was marked usinginformation from the following resources.

• Thematic maps prepared by the FSI on a1:50,000 scale using aerial photographswere used to marking the major speciescomposition of each grid.

• For the areas for which thematic mapswere not available in FSI, the informationon species composition was collectedfrom the stock maps of the State ForestDepartment, irrespective of the year andscale of preparation of the stock maps.

• For the areas for which neither thematicmaps nor stock maps of state forestdepartments were avai lable, theinformation was collected from theinventory field forms.

• In areas for which none of the abovesources of information was available onspecies composition, the information, ofad jo in ing area was taken in toconsideration.

In all, twenty-one forest strata for majorspecies compositions were identified (FSI,1995a). These include fir, spruce, blue-pine,deodar, chir pine, mixed conifers, hardwoodmixed with conifers, upland hardwoods, teak,sal, bamboo, Dipterocarpus, khasi pine,khair, salai, alpine pasture, western ghatsevergreen, western ghats semi-evergreen,w e s t e r n g h a t s d e c i d u o u s a n dmiscellaneous.

Forest inventory data: The data of forestinventory surveys conducted by the FSI invarious states were used for determination ofgrowing stock (FSI, 1996b). Forest inventorydesign was based on the methodologydeveloped by the Forest Survey of India (FSI,

1982).In the present methodology, for estimation ofthe growing stock of any state, the number ofgrids for each combination of density andeach forest stratum was calculated. Thevolume per ha for a particular combination ofdensity and forest stratum was generated byprocessing data from forest inventory surveyscarried out in various states/UTs by the FSI.Three wood volume factors were calculatedfor each stratum and density class for eachmapsheet for each state. Wherever theinventory data were not available for a grid,wood volume factors were borrowed fromn e a r b y a r e a s c o n s i d e r i n g t h eagro–ecological zones (i.e., areas fallingunder the same agro-ecological zone weretaken into consideration). Trees with lessthan 10 cm diameter and branches less than5 cm in diameter were not taken into account.The growing stock was first estimated foreach mapsheet and then summing up all thedata in the mapsheets for each state, thetotal growing stock of each state wascalculated.

ResultsIn 1995, the total forest cover of the countrywas estimated to be 63,900 sq km and thisconstituted 19.46 percent of country’sgeographic area (FSI, 1996a). Using thismethod the growing stock of the country wasestimated to be 4,740.9 million m³ andoverall volume per hectare of forest cover tobe 74.4 m³. The State/Union Territories wiseestimates of the growing stock and volumeper hectare are given in Table I. Theseestimates are for forests with more than 10%crown density.

ApplicationsThis methodology was again used in 1998-99 to estimate the country’s growing stock inthe forests for supplying information to theFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO) ofthe United Nations for the Global ForestResources Assessment-2000 (FAO, 2001).The same methodology is being used by theFSI to prepare ‘Land use change in the


ETFRN News 36/0238

forestry sector’ for India’s NationalCommunication (NATCOM) to the UnitedNations Forum on Climate Change(UNFCC). This is an important component inthe overall information being compiled ongreen house gases inventory on behalf ofMinistry of Environment & Forests,Government of India. Under this project,changes in the forest cover and growingstock of India’s forests between the period1984 and 1994 are assessed.

ReferencesChampion, H. G. and S. K. Seth. 1968. Arevised forest types of India. PublicationDivision. Government of India, New Delhi.

FAO. 2001. Global Forest ResourcesAssessment: Main Report. Forest andAgriculture Organisation of the UnitedNations, Rome.

FSI . 1995. Extent, Composition, Density,Growing Stock and Annual Increment ofIndia’s Forests. Forest Survey of India,Dehradun.

FSI. 1996a. State of Forest Report-1995.Forest Survey of India, Dehradun.

FSI. 1996b. Inventory of Forest Resources ofIndia. Forest Survey of India, Dehradun.

FSI. 2000. State of Forest Report-1999.Forest Survey of India, Dehradun.

FSI. 1982. The Manual of Instruction for FieldI nventories. Forest Survey of India ,Dehradun.

AbstractIndia’s forests are spread over about640,000 sq km constituting 19.4 percent ofits geographical area. A large variety ofecosystems, forest types and tree speciesoccur in the country. Forest Survey of India,an organisation of the Government of India,has been engaged in field inventory, creationof thematic maps and assessment of forest

cover in the country using aerial photographsand satellite data for the last three decades.It developed a methodology, usinginformation generated from all the abovesources, for assessment of growing stock inthe country’s forests. Based on thismethodology, the growing stock in the forestsof India in 1995 was 4740.9 million m 3 withvolume per ha as 74.1 m 3. The paper brieflydescribes this methodology.

Assessment of Tree Resources Outsidethe Forest

by Christoph Kleinn and David Morales

The resource TOF and its statusOne of the current lines of development of theassessment of tree populations, forests, andrenewable natural resources tends towardsthe inclusion of the tree resource foundoutside the forests. Trees outside forests(TOF) constitute a resource that has receivedincreasing attention during the past fewyears. While most forestry and non-forestryexperts are in complete agreement when itcomes to the acknowledgement of theeconomic and ecological role and relevanceof TOF, which is obviously locally verydifferent but in general high, there is likewiseagreement on the fact that little or no harddata are available on this resource. This factwas also confirmed by an internationalExpert Consultation convened by FAO inNovember 2001.

Traditionally forest inventories exclude TOFand also agricultural surveys do not takethem into account. In order to integrate TOFinto a “forest” inventory, the exercise must beextended to all potential tree lands outsidethe forest so that the inventory becomes a“landscape inventory”, or a “tree inventory”.The Forest Resources Assessment (FRA)Programme of FAO included TOF as one ofthe Special Studies into the 2000Assessment and a series of projects havebeen ongoing aiming at a more concrete


ETFRN News 36/0236

Growing Stock in the Forests of India Table 1

State/ UTs Geographic area(sq.km.)

Forest cover(sq.km.)

Forest cover (%)

GrowingStock(million m3)

Volume/ha forest cover (in m3)

Andhra Pradesh 275,068 47,112 17.1 291.4 61.7

Arunachal Pradesh 83,743 68,621 81.9 775.1 112.8

Assam 78,438 24,061 30.7 304.4 124.2

Bihar 173,877 26,561 15.3 96.7 36.4

Delhi 1,483 26 1.7 - -

Goa, Daman & Diu 3,814 1,250 32.8 12.6 101.2

Gujarat 196,024 12,320 6.3 63.9 53.1

Haryana 44,212 603 1.4 1.4 27.9

Himachal Pradesh 55,673 12,501 22.4 254.4 203.5

Jammu & Kashmir 222,235 20,433 9.2 458.9 224.5

Karnataka 191,791 32,382 16.9 272.4 84.2

Kerala 38,863 10,336 26.6 98.9 95.7

Madhya Pradesh 443,446 135,164 30.5 698.2 51.6

Maharashtra 307,690 43,843 14.2 225.6 51.4

Manipur 22,327 17,558 78.6 95.5 54.1

Meghalaya 22,429 15,714 70.1 104.1 66.0

Mizoram 21,081 18,576 88.1 66.0 35.3

Nagaland 16,579 14,291 86.2 94.9 66.1

Orissa 155,707 47,107 30.3 246.2 52.2


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State/ UTs Geographic area(sq.km.)

Forest cover(sq.km.)

Forest cover (%)

GrowingStock(million m3)

Volume/ha forest cover (in m3)

Punjab 50,362 1,342 2.7 1.0 7.1

Rajasthan 342,239 13,280 3.9 12.9 9.8

Sikkim 7,096 3,127 44.1 39.3 125.9

Tamil Nadu 130,058 17,766 13.7 69.6 39.3Tripura 10,486 5,538 52.8 15.5 27.9

Uttar Pradesh 294,411 33,986 11.5 338.6 99.7

West Bengal 88,752 8,,276 9.3 22.9 37.7

Andaman &Nicobar Islands

8,249 7,615 92.3 79.6 119.6

Chandigarh 114 7 6.1 -

Dadra & NagarHaveli

491 204 41.5 0.9 42.2

Lakshdweep 32 – - - -

Pondicherry 493 - - - -

Total 3,287,263 639,600 19.46 4740.9 74.1

Table 1 Cont’d


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identification and formulation of the issue;and at local and regional quantification of theTOF resource. The authors have beeninvolved in several of these activities wi th ageographical focus on Central and LatinAmerica . Some of the resulting experiences have beensummarised below. In Kleinn (2000) theissue is discussed in more detail.

Some characteristics of TOF inventoriesAn inventory of TOF has much in commonwith forest inventories: observation andassessment of trees as the main objects ofinterest are the essential elements in both.Therefore, a TOF inventory will draw ongeneral and specific experiences from thefield of forest assessments – in particularwhen foresters are involved in the planning.However, there are also a series of specificcharacteristics of TOF inventories withrespect to their technical and organizationalimplementation, some of which are brieflyaddressed below.

• Compared to a forest the resource TOF,though also consis ting of trees, has acompletely different structure. This isreflected, among others in a lowerdensity, a different spatial distributionpattern, different species composition,and different growing conditions. Also, thefunctions of the trees are more variable(such as production of wood and non-wood products, shadow for crops, livefences, ornamental purposes), thoughessentially similar to many of the foresttree functions. Low density also meansthat the resource has a relatively lowvalue per unit area (particularly when onlytimber value is considered). Inventorieshave to be justified also in economicterms which is then obviously even moredifficult for TOF. The diverse spatialdistribution leads to problems in plotdesign. The probability that independentlyselected plots do not contain one singletree is high. This obviously hasimplications for the plot design and for

field work organization. Low density and diverse patterns alsomake that the possibilities of detectionand assessment by remote sensing arelimited mainly to aerial photography andhigh resolution satellite imagery. Thisdepends very much on the actualsituation. The heterogeneity of TOFmakes a classification difficult. At present,there is no generally accepted systemavai lable. Classification criteria includegeometric configuration (single isolatedtrees, tree lines, strips of trees groups oftrees, …), origin (planted, natural),funct ion (shadow, wood, f ru i ts,ornamental function)

• Many of the trees outside forests arefound on land which is predominantlyused for non-forestry purposes, frequentlyon agricultural fields. This posesproblems for field work organization asthese trees are practically exclusively onprivate lands; access permission has tobe sought and may be denied, orimpossible (during crop maturation) – onthe other hand, some measurements(like total height) are facilitated.

• The TOF inventory data analysis has itspeculiarities also. While for forestinventories there are usually volumefunctions available (of varying quality andlocal validity) there are practically nomodels available for trees outside forestnor is it clear to which extent forestvolume functions would apply. It is easy tosee that TOF grow under completelydifferent conditions, and different formfactors etc. may be suspected. Thisargument indicates that TOF volumefunctions are different from forest volumefunctions. However, particularly in CentralAmerica, many of the huge trees onpastures that regionally make up themajor part of the wood volume areremnant trees that have grown most oftheir lives inside the forest – there, forestvolume functions would probably apply.

Examples


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Assessment of TOF is not standard. Thereare many small-area studies that assess thetree resource on a farm level, particularly inagroforestry projects and research. There arealso examples of large area assessments,though they are scattered: TOF assessmentactually has a long history in Great Britainwhere hedgerows and other non-forest treeelements of the landscape are also includedin assessments. A national inventory ofSmall Woodlands and Trees in theCountryside has recently been completed.Also in France and in the Netherlands, non-forest trees were included in National ForestInventories. Further large area assessmentshave taken place in countries such as India(FSI 1997), and Ghana (Affum-Baffoe 2001).The FRA programme of FAO in its initiative tosupport National Forest Inventories launchedpilot forest inventories in four countries(Costa Rica, Guatemala, Cameroon and ThePhilippines) which include the tree resourceoutside forests by also interpreting non-forest aerial photo-plots and by extending theclusters of field plots to non-forest land useclasses.

In a research project carried out in CentralAmerica (INCO DC Program of the EuropeanCommission Project No. ERBIC18 CT980323 with three Central American and threeEuropean partners) basic properties of TOFinventories were analysed combining twodata sources: A field inventory and aerialphotographs (or corresponding very highresolution satell i te imagery). Fieldobservations are required to observe tree-related attributes not measurable in aerialphotographs, and the aerial photographs areused to optimise the overall efficiency byfacilitating field work planning and improvingarea est imates. For a large-areaassessment through a field inventory a pre-stratification is recommended (politicalboundaries, life zones etc.). The strata arethen subdivided into primary units, wheresquares of an area of 1km 2 were found to beworkable under the prevailing conditions.Within the primary units, secondary units for

field measurements should be selectedsuch that plots without trees are avoided. Airphotos or high-resolution satellite imageryare best suited for this stratification into fulland empty plots, which proved to have thepotential to drastically raise efficiency ofsampling. When a cluster design is to beused, analysis of covariance functions of theattributes number of trees and basal areasuggested that a minimum distance of about350m should be maintained betweenneighbouring plots under the conditionsfound in Central American TOF lands.

ConclusionTOF inventories do exhibit some particularcharacteristics but forest inventorytechniques can be employed. Someexamples for and experiences with large-area TOF inventories exist. It is likely to bemost efficient to integrate TOF inventoriesinto forest inventories or other ongoingprogrammes as the relatively low direct valueof the resource TOF would not justify anindependent assessment. Integration intoforest inventories is straightforward and is inline with a current trend to extend forestinventories towards landscape levelinventories. Also, in forest inventories there isthe specific expertise necessary to assesstrees outside forests. With this newcomponent (TOF) forest inventories woulddevelop towards tree inventories taking intoaccount the tree resource on all lands. Then,talking about areas with different treedensities, maybe some day the never-endingdiscussion on the definition of forest may beovercome.

ReferencesAffum-Baffoe K. 2001. Modified proceduresfor tree resource assessment in off-reserveareas of Ghana high forest zone. GhanaForestry Commission. Paper presented atIUFRO 4.11 Conference on Forest Biometry,Modeling and Information Science. June 26-29, 2001.26-29.6.2001, Greenwich, England.

FSI Forest Survey of India. 1997. State of


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forest report 1997. Dehra Dun, India, Ministryof Environment and Forests.

F o r e s t r y C o m m i s s i o n 2 0 0 1 .http://ndad.ulcc.ac.uk/datasets/3/series.htm.Visited Nov. 25, 2001.

Holmgren P, EJ Masakha and H Sjöholm.1994. Not all African land is being degraded:a recent survey of trees on farms in Kenyareveals rapidly increasing forest resources.Ambio, 23(7): 390-395.

Kleinn C and contributions of 9 other authors.1999. Compilation of Information on TreesOutside the Forest. Regional Special Studyfor Latin America. Unpublished report toFAO, 15.5.1999. 61p + annexes.

Kleinn C. 2000. On large area inventory andassessment of trees outside forests. Unasylva200 (2000/1) Vol. 51. p.3-10.

Authors:Professor Christoph KleinnInstitute for Forest Assessment and Fores tGrowth ScienceUniversity of GöttingenBüsgenweg 5D-37077 GöttingenTel:+49 551 39 3473 Fax:+49 551 39 9787e-mail:[email protected]

David MoralesResearch AssociateDepartment of Forest SciencesCATIETurrialba 7170Costa RicaEmail: [email protected]

Mapping Human Induced Threat to aSanctuary, South India

By Aravind, N. A.,1 Narayani Barve,1 UmaShaanker, R. 3 ,Poulsen, J.2 andGaneshaiah, K. N.4

1. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecologyand the Environment (ATREE), India.

2. Center for International ForestryResearch. CIFOR

3. Department of Crop Physiology and4. Department of Genetics and Plant

Breeding, University of AgriculturalSciences, GKVK, Bangalore 560 065,India.

IntroductionConservation and management of thenetwork of protected areas is becoming themajor practice for protecting biologicaldiversity, especially in tropical countries suchas India. These protected areas however, arenot completely insulated from threats and arefrequently subject to human associatedpressures from both within and outside.

These pressures are temporally dynamicand spatially heterogeneous. These threatsare particularly severe in the developingtropical countries where the daily needs ofmillions of humans dwelling in and aroundforest ecosystems are derived from theprotected areas. But most o f thesepressures are not easily visible andquantifiable. Consequently, identifying thesensitive areas that require special attentionand protection is a demanding task and asyet there are no generalized methodologiesavailable to construct models of such threatsin protected areas.

Understanding these pressures is importantfor formulating appropriate managementstrategies. Recent developments in GIS andRS techniques have offered freshopportunities to address these issues more


ETFRN News 36/0242

efficiently.

MethodsHere we describe a general protocol ofdeveloping such threat maps anddemonstrate its application to the BiligiriRangaswamy Temple wildlife sanctuary(BRT sanctuary) (77- 77016’ E and 110

47’–120 9’N), a wildlife protected area that isuniquely complicated due to humansettlements within its boundaries. It harborsabout 6000 indigenous people in 57settlements who are dependent to a greatdegree upon forest products, farming andplantations located inside the forest. We alsoevaluate the resultant threat maps of thesanctuary with field data and discussstrategies to mitigate the threats. During ourwork in and on the sanctuary for the past tenyears, we have identified the most importantthreats that are likely to be affecting the foresthealth structure and diversity.

We considered the human settlements,human, cattle, and sheep population, roadsand slopes of the areas as the factorsinfluencing threat levels. We divided theentire sanctuary into 30 ha grids and for eachgrid we computed three types of threatvalues: a) the settlement associatedpressures from human populations, cattleand sheep, b) developmental activityass ociated threats due to major and minorroads in the sanctuary and c) theaccessibility threats due to steepness of theterrain. Combining these three componentswe derived a composite threat value for eachgrid and correlated it with a) observedparameters of disturbance b) disturbanceactivity levels and c) tree diversity of the grids.The details of the computation of threatvalues will be published elsewhere (Barve,et. al. 2002, communicated to ConservationBiology).

ResultsThe threat values were found to reflect theactual disturbance caused by harvesting and

grazing and the disturbance activity levels ofthe grids. Highly threatened areas also hadlow tree diversity suggesting that the derivedthreat maps do reflect the actual levels ofanthropogenic pressures. We propose thatthe protocol followed here for mappingthreats to the sanctuaries can be applied toother areas as well, with appropriatemodifications.

Based upon the ident i f ied threatcomponents, we suggest the followingmitigation measures to maintain the healthof the ecosystem of the BRT sanctuary: a)Ban plantations and encourage the labourforce working there to settle outside thesanctuary by means of suitable incentives. b)Facilitate the willing forest dwellers to moveand settle outside the sanctuary. Alternativelyencourage agro-forestry such that thedwellers derive their needs from within theiragro-ecosystems. c) Provide more protectionto the flat areas identified in the maps. d)Facilitate erecting ‘invisible’ barriers alongthe edges such that the impact of thevillagers settled outside the sanctuary andtheir activities on the forest is minimized.This can only be done by creating alternatesources for their needs and by making themrealize the importance of the forest for theiragriculture. e) Avoid the ‘tragedy ofcommons’ syndrome by regulating access toresources.

Implications The methodology developed demonstratesthe identification of sensitive and threatenedareas of a sanctuary. Based upon severalphysical parameters and socio-economicdata layers and by using GIS tools, we showthat threat maps developed for protectedareas indeed represented the actualdisturbance levels to different areas of thesanctuary. The methodology followed is notlocation specific and hence can be employedfor any protected area and other forestecosystems with appropriate modifications.The protocol is less demanding on


ETFRN News 36/02 43

groundwork and thus could serve as a costeffect ive procedure for developingmanagement s t ra teg ies in a reasconstrained by resources.

Contact:Aravind, N. AAshoka Trust for Research in Ecology andthe Environment (ATREE), #659, 5 th ‘A’ main, Hebbal, Bangalore 560 024, India.

Forest Inventory and SustainableForest Management on the hillsides ofthe Dominican Republic

PROCARYN 1 – a practical experience

by Peter Henning

IntroductionThe project area of PROCARYN is situated inthe watershed of the upper Yaque del Norteriver on the central hillsides of the DominicanRepublic. The watershed is one of the mostimportant with respect to issues related towater (protection and production) as well asthe supply of classical forestry products(wood).The project PROCARYN aims to supportsmallholder farmers in their efforts toconserve and sustainably manage theirnatural resources, in particular fores tresources. Reforestation and sustainableforest management play a central role in thiscontext. The project applies two differentforestry inventory methods to provide data forthe generation of development managementplans for the forestry resources of thewatershed.

Satellite image based inventoryOne inventory aims to obtain generalinformation about the forest resources of thewatershed, by using satellite images ofIkonos. The project will be ass isted by a

student of the University of Göttingen takingher doctorate in this field. The information theproject will obtain includes the extent ofdifferent forest types as well as estimatedvolumes per forest type and hectare.With this information the project will be in theposition to:

• calculate the production potential of theforest resources of the watershed

• identify the needs to reforest wasteland oragricultural land on steep slopes

• monitor the change of forest vegetation bycomparing the results of this inventorywith future inventories conducted in 5 or10 years time

Forest inventory for management plansThe project elaborates management plansfor the forest resources of its partners (in thegreat majority smallholder farmers). For thispurpose more detailed information aboutthese resources is required.The inventory for relatively small plots whichvary between 1 and 100 hectares (themajority up to 20 ha) aims to obtain theinformation that is necessary to develop asound (but simple) management plan thatfunct ions as a sui table planning,implementation and management tool.The inventory follows the steps below:

1. measuring the boundaries of thesmallholders compounds, including alldifferent land use types (with GPS)

2. d ifferentiation of agricultural crops andforest resources (GPS)

3. differentiation of different stands withinthe forest resources – production andprotection (GPS)

4. description of the characteristics of eachstand

5. sample survey to obtain quantitiveinformation on the stand

The most important steps seem to be step 4.and 5., since they collect the basic


ETFRN News 36/0244

information, required to develop themanagement plan and later on, to monitorthe interventions.

Description of the characteristics of eachstand Describing the characteristics of the stand isthe linchpin of the inventory. Collectingqualitative information about the stand leadsto a sound decision about how to manage itand define the aims and goals of the stand’smanagement.The description is short and easy to conductand compiles the following information:

• Exposition• Inclination• Tree Height• Development stage of the stand• Structure and composition of the stand• Origin of the stand• Canopy density• Conditions of the crowns• Stability of the trees• Quality of the stems• Susceptibilities• Observations

All these characteristics of a tree stand arecollected using a standardised form and astandardised language. This is importantsince different users of the informationshould be able to understand it in the sameway.

Sample surveyIn order to obtain information on woodvolumes, basal area and density, it isnecessary to conduct a survey that gathersexactly this information. In the case ofPROCARYN a simple sample plot methodseems to be the most adequate.The projectuses the Bitterlich relascope with plots ofvarying sizes. This method is easy and veryquick.

Within the plot the following data are

collected:• Number of trees within the plot• DBH of each tree within the plot• Number and DBH of trees which will be

felled.

Use of inventory dataThe description of the stand as well as theresults of the sample survey form the basisfor the management plan. The informationobtained is used to describe the state of theart of the different stands, and it enables thedevelopment of long- and short-term goalsfor the all activities to be conducted.The resource owner receives informationabout wood volumes and qualities to beharvested and a sound analysis of theproduction capacity of his forest resources.Therefore the management plan is not only aplanning and monitoring tool for foresters butan important tool for the forest owner tocalculate the economic benefits of theforests.The management plan is elaborated on a 5-year term basis. After 5 years a new planmust be developed. This means, that all thesteps mentioned above will be conductedagain. Thus changes are easy to monitor.The comparison of the situation of the forestresources every five years can revealchanges in the structure, composition, qualityand wood volumes of the forest resources.This information will have importantimp l i ca t i ons fo r dec i s i ons abou tmanagement strategies and activities.

Contact address:Henning PeterPROCARYNEstela Geraldino No. 7Jarabacoa Dominican RepublikTel.:809-574-6727Fax:[email protected]

1 Proyecto Manejo y Conservación de la Cuenca Alta del Río Yaque delNorte (the upper Yaque del Norte river watershed management project).


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Assessment of Tropical Deforestationand Carbon Release in South-EasternBangladesh using Remote Sensing andField Inventory

By M. M. Rahman, E. Csaplovics, B. Kochand M. Köhl

Introduction and ObjectiveAtmospheric concentrations of carbondioxide have risen to current levels at leastten- possibly a hundred- times faster than atany other time in the last 429,000 years, andcontinue to rise sharply (Prentice et al. 2001).The recent dramatic increase in atmosphericCO2 is unquestionably the result of humanactivities. Deforestation, specially in thetropics is one of the reasons of increasingCO2 in the atmosphere. However, the currentnet flux of carbon between tropical forestsand the atmosphere due to forest coverchange is not well-documented.

Hence, studies on the regional and locallevel will be us eful to understand andestimate the carbon release due to tropicaldeforestation in order to explain the globalclimate change. Consequently, the proposedproject is designed to estimate forest coverchange and carbon emission at a regionaland local level in south-eastern Bangladesh,where a considerable amount ofdeforestation has been documented(Rahman and Csaplovics 2000). The resultof the study will be quite useful to initiate apolitical decision to stop further deforestationand carbon release in the region.

Materials and MethodsLandsat TM/ETM data of 1985 to 2001 will beused for the study. The satellite image will begeometrically and atmospherically corrected.Topographic normalization will be doneusing a digital elevation model. Double (twophase) sampling with regression estimator(Cochran 1977) will be applied for estimating

the carbon content of the forest ecosystem.The field-samples will be selected on thebasis of satellite image interpretation.

At the first-phase of double sampling a digitalclassification will be applied to separatedifferent class. All di fferent combinations ofLandsat bands will be checked to achieveoptimal stratification. The objective ofstratification is to minimize the samplevariance within a stratum and optimizevariance among strata. In order to facilitatecorrelation of field estimates and the remotesensing image a 3X3 pixel window will becreated to calculate the first order texture.3x3 pixel windows with a highly diversetexture will not be selected for field sampling.A GPS will be used to locate the centre ofeach 90mX90m sample plot, whichcorresponds to the 3X3 pixel window of theremote sensing image. The size of the fieldsampling unit will not be reduced at this firstphase, in view of the accuracy of plot locationand problem of neighbouring canopyillumination.

At the second-phase of sampling carboncontent will be estimated by field-measurement. However, measuring all treesinside such a big plot is a laborious job.Hence, a sub-sampling or two stagesampling (Cochran 1977) at this second-phase will be applied. In this process four10mX10m sample plots will be randomlydistributed within the 90mX90m plot. Above-ground biomass of the plots will bemeasured and converted to carbon contentusing appropriate conversion factors.

A regression estimator (Cochran 1977) willbe used to relate carbon content and remotesensing spectral information of the recentremote sensing image. The followingspectral responses will be tested:

• Single band DN / radiance(6 TM bands)• Rotational transformed image: Tasseled

cap transformation (Crist and Kauth


ETFRN News 36/0246

1986), Principal component analysis• Band ratios: Normalized difference

vegetation index / NDVI = (IR – R) / (IR +R) (Rouse et al. 1973), MIR index = (MIR– R) / (MIR + R) etc.

• Image structure and texture analysis

Statistical and geographical software will beused for generation of geographic carboncontent using a simulation technique. Anoverlay analysis of the geographic carbondatabases (recent and historical) will providea spatio-temporal estimate of the amount ofcarbon release from the ecosystem duringthe synoptic time interval. A number of carbonrelease classes representing a certainquantity of carbon loss from the historical torecent time, can be defined on thesuperimposed databases. The sum of theindividual carbon release classes multipliedby the extent of area will calculate the totalcarbon release during the synoptic studyperiod. Statistics on forest growth, mortalityand decay function will be incorporated to geta better estimate.

Expected results and outputsThe result of the study is useful to estimatethe carbon release due to tropicaldeforestation. The results might be usedbeyond the science community as animportant policy-making support tool.

Proposals for further studyAn additional study can be carried outexamining the applicability of microwavesensor to estimate the woody-biomasscontent beneath the forest canopy. Laser-scanning data can be helpful to estimate thecanopy height to get accurate informationabout carbon content. Permanent sampleplots can be established in the forestecosystem to estimate the biomass-fall,conversion of biomass-carbon to litter andsoil carbon to explain the carbon dynamics ina tropical forest ecosystem. The carbon-flowof logged biomass can be trailed bysampling the end-use of forest products and

their fate.

ReferencesCochran, W. G. 1977. Sampling technique.John Wiley & Sons. (3rd edition), 428p.

Crist, E. P. and Kauth, R. J. 1986. TheTasseled Cap de-mystified. PhotogrammetricEngineering and Remote Sensing 52: 81-86.

Prentice, IC et al. 2001. Chapter 3: TheCarbon Cycle and Atmospheric CO2 In: TheIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) Third Assessment Report. Eds:Houghton, JT, Yihui, D. CambridgeUniversity Press, Cambridge, in press.

Rahman, M. M. and Csaplovics, E. 2000.Impact of Deforestation on LocalTemperature and Precipitation In A MonsoonEnvironment: A Study in Chittagong,Bangladesh Using Remote Sensing andCl imatic Data. International Conference &Young Scientist Workshop on Asia MonsoonEnvironmental System and Global Change,15-17 November, Nanjing, China.

Rouse, J. W., Haas, R. H., Schell andDeering, D. W. 1974. Monitoring vegetationsystems in the great plains with ERTS. ThirdERTS Symposium, NASA SP-351, 1, 309-317.

Contact author. M.M Rahman PhD student, Institute of Photogrammetryand Remote Sensing, Dresden University of Technology, Germany,Tel. +49-0351-463-32861,Fax:+49-0351-463-37266, E-mail: [email protected]

B.Koch, Albert-Ludwigs University, Frieburg,Germany.


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Forest Inventory and LandcoverMapping in Zambia At the ProvincialForestry Action Programme ii

By Vesa Lauri & Sitwala Wamunyima

In the year 2000, the Government of Zambia,with assistance form Stora Enso ForestConsulting Ltd of Finland, initiated thesecond phase of the Provincial ForestryAction Programme (PFAP II). The programmebuilds upon the work and experiences of thefirst phase of PFAP, during which ForestryAction Plans were prepared for threeProvinces of Zambia, namely Copperbelt,Central and Luapula. The main aim of theproject is to build up national, provincial andlocal capacity for susta inable managementof natural resources in Zambia. Theimplementing institution is the ForestryDepartment (FD) in the Ministry of Tourism,Environment and Natural Resources.

The Management Unit of the ForestryDepartment is responsible for ForestResource Assessment for the whole country.The main tasks that the unit focuses on areForest Inventory and Landcover mapping.Both assignments are implementedsimultaneously and they complement eachother.

The Forest Reserve inventory is an activity ofthe FD and it is carried out mostly in thenatural forests. Sampling is systematicwhereby the location of the first sample plotis randomly selected inside the area ofinterest. The sample plot type is concentricplot (3 radius) and the plots are placed on atransect at distances defined during theinventory planning phase. In the field, allplots locations are mapped with the help ofGPS. The attribute data are collected at theplot, tree and seedling level.

The software selected for the forest inventorydata calculation and reporting is ForestCalc

(http://www.forestcalc.com). ForestCalc offersa flexible solution for this inventory becauseof the customisable structure of the databaseparameter tables (in MS Access format): treespecies, volume equations, timber prices,administrative province information (districts,forest areas), coordinate zones, plot and treelevel parameters could be modifiedaccording to the local needs without touchingthe program’s code. Hence, data input andcalculations are made with ForestCalc, butthe final charts are created in MS Excel fromthe result tables.

The Forestry Department is also undertakingthe Landcover Mapping in the SouthernProvince of Zambia. The main objective ofthis mapping is to determine the extent offorest cover and other land areas and toobtain estimates of the land cover types.There data will be used to determine thewood resources for the whole province. Sofar, the open areas i.e. areas outside forestreserves in the province have beeninventoried. The forests are classified intothree classes: 1) dense, 2) medium and 3)low forest.

The software selected is ESRI Arcview 3.2a(plus Image Analysis Extension) for mappingand remote sensing analysis. DigitalLandsat 7 satellite imagery is used andpixel-based supervised classificationmethods are applied. After the classification,the raster maps are converted to vector filesto facilitate the analysis and attachment ofattribute data. GIS is used to visualize theinventory layout (plot locations) and thethematic maps derived from the inventoryresults are essential outputs for the officialreports.

Although there is a working inventory systemat the moment, the development of the forestinventory is necessary. Especially as thereare strong demands to build up a properforest management planning system and tomake the forest inventories to serve it. Also


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development of better timber volumefunctions is necessary. The informationregarding forest yield and sustainable cuttingremoval are scarce in Zambia. Moreover,estimates for the charcoal yield are needed,especially on the areas near the cities. Forthis purpose the FD has established somepermanent sample plots (PSPs). However,local villagers should be informed about thepurpose of the PSPs, poles and paintings inthe trees, so that they do not unintentionallydestroy the trials.

The number of inventory groups is very small(max. 2), but hopefully the number of thegroups can be raised in the future. The staffat the FD is well aware that more training isneeded in inventory planning, but also forestgrowth and yield research should bestrengthened. The new inventory results,such as real biodiversity indices andbiomass results, combined with GIS, willoffer new interest ing methods fordetermining and understanding the stateand development of the forest resources.

Mr. Lauri VesaUniversity of JoensuuFinlandEmail: [email protected]

Mr. Sitwala WamunyimaForestry [email protected]

P e r s p e c t i v e s f o r S u s t a i n a b l eManagement of Mangrove Ecosystemsin Cameroon

By Ndongo DIN and, Dina Emmanuel Ngollo

SummaryIn this article we look at some of the issuessurrounding mangrove management inCameroon and propose a national steering

committee to oversee their sustainabledevelopment.Threats and opportunitiesMangroves, special forests of the intertidalzone, are subject to continental and marineecological constraints. Mangroves inCameroon are subject to many threatsincluding agricultural activities, forest andmining exploitation, hunting, urbanization andvarious infrastructure developments, as wellas the need to supply fuelwood to rapidlygrowing cities. At the same time as manymangroves are being degraded, favourablemesological conditions are enabling them toexpand in those regions where people find itdifficult to pursue their activities. This maylead to conflict as the progressive advance ofmangroves obstructs tidal channels, closingand blocking access to waterways andshifting fishing areas to remote zones.

Cameroon mangroves border the AtlanticOcean, and occupy a surface area of about2500 km 2 (Fig. 1 Pg 50). Although it is difficultto predict trends in human activities, it islikely that mangrove ecosystems inCameroon will still occupy about 2000 km 2 inthe year 2050. The efforts of all partiesshould now focus on conservation and totalprotection of certain sites.

The major threat to Cameroon’s mangroveresources is exploitation for wood. Use ofmangroves as public dumps is anotherproblem. Mangroves are unable to recycle allthe domestic organic waste deposited by cityhouseholds. Similarly, the proximity offactories should be restricted becausemangroves are very sensitive to pollution.

Any mangrove exploitation should be basedon the ability of the resource to regeneratenaturally. Although important quantities ofseeds are available year-round, artificialregeneration of mangroves has not yet beentried in Cameroon.

The legal context


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The legal context for the management ofmangroves, as a type of forest ecosystem, isprovided by Cameroon's forest policy. Thishas a general goal of promoting the long-term economic, ecological and socialfunctions of the forest within a framework ofintegrated management that ensuressustainable conservation and use ofavailable forest ecosystem resources.

In spite of the existence of a law thatcompletely protects Cameroon’s mangroves,no action to preserve them has been taken todate. Given that mangroves are the propertyof the State, the Government should take aninterest in this biological resource, itsmultiple ecological functions, and possiblefinancial returns which might cover the costsof protection and the creation of jobs. A betterunderstanding is also needed of how localpopulations benefit from mangroveresources and could contribute to theirprotection.

A steering committee for mangrovesThe minis tries concerned should create asteering committee for the mangroveecosystem. Such a committee wouldguarantee the involvement of the State, theonly authority with the power to create naturalreserves and the structures responsible form o n i t o r i n g a n d e v a l u a t i n g t h eimplementation of recommendations in thefield. Its first task should be to identifyresource persons to prepare the backgrounddocuments necessary for the establishmentof a sound development plan.

The next step would be to create amanagement structure to implement the planand preserve all current stands ofmangroves, regardless of size. This structureshould have permanent staff as well asworking with volunteers interested inmangrove conservation. Collaborationagreements with administrative authoritiesand law enforcement agencies should beprioritized, especially at the beginning of the

implementation of the development plan.

Combining conservation and useEcosystem conservation can be compatiblewith careful identification of exploitable zonesfor given periods of time. Rotation cyclesbased on demand and the available supplyof resources, could maintain the ecosystemfunctions in many previously unmanagedsites. Decisions about exploitation should betaken on the basis of biological andecological information from each candidatesite, which should be analysed relative to thatfrom other stands.

All current camps should be counted andconsidered as permanent dwellings. Anyother settlement besides those identifiedshould be strongly prohibited and punishedas a cause of environmental degradation.Mangrove ecosystems play an important rolein supporting fishing activities and in coastalprotection, so it should be possible to workwith local populations towards sustainableuse of available resources.

New legislation concerning the status ofmangrove ecosystems may be required. Thisshould take into account the protection ofboth the market and non-market values ofmangroves. It should specify the conditionsunder which mangroves may be exploited,excluding all industrial activities, as their rolein employment creation is often used as anargument to counter any intervention in theirpractices. The legislation should transfer thepowers and prerogatives of environmentalmanagement from the ministries to theSteering Committee.

Non-governmental organizations shouldhave a privileged place in the organizationalchart of the new mangrove managementstructure. In particular, they should beassigned the task of disseminating the legaltexts and environmental education. They willneed well-qualified personnel and thecommittee will be responsible for organising


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seminars for the training of trainers. ‘Leadagents’ should be identified from theresident population at each site. Thesewould be responsible for local-levelmonitoring and regularly reporting anydifficulties in the implementation of theirtasks to the committee, thus allowing formanagement to be improved.

Research programmeThe development plan should define aresearch programme for which the generalgoal will be the preservation of themangroves. Experimental sites should beidentified and turned over to the researchcommunity. The committee should be incharge of finding funds from the Governmentand international financial institutions anddonors. International cooperation andinvolvement in the elaboration of anintegrated programme of activities should besought through the United NationsEnvironment Programme, as well asorganizations such as IUCN, WWF, Ramsar,IWRB (International Waterfowl and WetlandsResearch Bureau), etc. and especially ISME(International Society for MangroveEcosystems).

Ndongo DIN (Author)Department of Botany, Faculty of Science,University of Douala, P.O. Box 24157 Douala, Cameroon; Tel. (237) 983 37 63, Fax (237) 40 75 69, E-mail: [email protected]

Ngollo, Dina Emmanuel Department of Biological Sciences,University of Maine,305 Deering Hall, Orono Me 04469USA Current Address: The World Bank,1818 H-Street NW,Washington DC 20433, USA

Development of a Protocol for Eco-efficient Wood Harvesting on SensitiveSites (Ecowood)

By P.M.O. Owende, K. McDonnell and S.M.Ward

SummaryWood harvest ing cond i t ions varyconsiderably across Europe, ranging fromthe wet peat-based soils of Ireland andScotland, to the alpine conditions of thecontinent (Italy, France, Austria), and theseasonally frozen soils of Fennoscandia.Many of the sites may be considered to be"sensitive", hence, the need for developmentof eco-eff icient and cost-effect ivemechanisation systems for wood harvestingand extraction on such sites. A sensitiveforest site is where alterations to the normalmechanised harvesting pract ices arerequired in order to avoid adverse effects onecological, economic, and social functions ofthe forest and its surroundings.

Environmentally sensitive wood harvestingand extraction on sens itive forest sitespresent considerable challenges to the useof ground-based machines as damage tothe forest ecosystems may be incurred from:• soil disturbance and compaction may

impede the growth of residual trees inthinning operations, and also increase thepotential for soil erosion;

• physical damage to residual trees, tree-roots, and other vegetation may lead totimber value and volume loss insubsequent harvest, and;

• direct and indirect damage to streams,and the installed drainage and soilstabilisation features for example, suchdamage can be caused by thes kidding/forwarding of timber acrosss treams and steep road embankmentswithout proper temporary bridgingstructures.

Organisations - Institutions - Programmes

ETFRN News 36/0250

Location of Mangroves in Cameroon

Fig. 1 – Principal areas of mangroves in Cameroon (dark).


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The ECOWOOD project is developing anOperations Protocol (OP) for ecoefficientwood harvesting on sensitive sites. The OPwill integrate the systems in woodharvesting, extraction and transportation, bymatching the functional requirements of theforest machines with the environmental andsocio-economics concerns in order toachieve cost-effective and sustainableoperations.

Research MethodsThe ECOWOOD Project consortium includes,University College Dublin (Ireland)−Co-ordinating partner, Coillte Teoranta (Ireland),University of Helsinki (Finland), ServiciosForestales Innoveciones (Spain), ConsiglioNazionale Delle Ricerche (Italy), Plustech OY(Research and Development section ofTimberjack forest machinery company ofFinland). There is also a three-memberquality assurance group (QAG) that reviewsthe progress of the Project. The affiliations ofthe QAG team include, Technical University ofMunich (Germany), National Council forForest Research and Development (Ireland),and Danish Forest and Landscape Institute(Denmark).

The multidisciplinary scope of theECOWOOD Project covers the key elementsof an integrated wood harvesting andextraction system, including: a state-of-the-artreview of wood harvesting systems;modelling of soil-machine interaction (viz.influence of site characteristics on machinemobility, site disturbance, and soil damage,including the development of a computer-based decision support system); time-motion studies, and computer basedoptimisation of machine productivity andoperational costs; machine ergonomics; logquality predictions from stem data (viz. log-form and branching indices); real-time andde layed (ba tch ) in fo rmat ion andcommunication technologies (telemetricsystems); life cycle analysis (LCA) ofmachines, and; analys is of the socio-

economic impacts of increased levels ofmechanisation of wood harvesting systems.

ResultsThis is an ongoing project which isscheduled for completion in December 2002.The main research findings to-date, are:• Generally, the influence of forest machine

traffic on soil physical properties isconfined to the top 400 mm layer of soilprofile, and damage may be checked bycontrolling the number of machinepasses, and limiting the contact pressureimposed by the wheels or tracks throughappropriate dimensional specifications;

• Tree size and form significantly affect theproductivity and operational costs of cut-to-length (CTL) wood harvesters (Spinelli etal., 2002), and the tree-form indices mayalso be used to predict and categorise logquality;

• The estimated cost of integratednavigation, and information andcommunication technologies (ICT)(including telemetric systems) range from0.01 to 0.1 euro/m 3 of harvested wood.Inherent operational benefits include,optimal machine and transportationrouteing (truck utilisation on complex routenetworks may be up to 90% as comparedto 50% for conventional systems), timelydelivery of wood with minimal handlingand storage costs, reduced fuel costs,machine maintenance and downtime, andthe monitoring of machine movement andlocation of forest products (Kanali et al.,2001);

• Cable extraction is a viable complement toground-based systems for harvesting o fsensitive forest sites (Tiernan et al.,2002). Its lower productivity (1-10 m3 perProductive Machine Hour) when comparedto ground based systems (typical > 10 m 3

per Productive Machine Hour), may beenhanced by integrated log processingand handling (including the use of steepterrain harvesters), and ergonomic designof systems for the securing and releasing


ETFRN News 36/02 53

of logs/trees during extraction;• Tyre inflation pressure has a significant

influence on the level of whole-bodyvibration (principally in the vertical axis)that is experienced by CTL machineoperators during machine travel over theforest terrain. The machines shouldtherefore be operated at the lowestpracticable tyre pressures to enhanceoperator comfort.

AcknowledgementThe ECOWOOD Project is supported by theEuropean Community under the 5thFramework RTD programme on Quality ofLife and Management of Living ResourcesContract No. Contract No. QLK5-1999-00991(1999-2002). (see The ECOWOOD Project atURL: www.ucd.ie/~foresteng/).

ReferencesKanali, C. L., P.M.O. Owende, J. Lyons, andS.M. Ward. 2001. Assessment of on-boardelectronics, operator assist and telemetriccontrols, and logistical systems within thewood harvesting chain. ECOWOOD ProjectDeliverable D1 (Work package No. 2),Quality of Life and Management of LivingResources Contract No. QLK5-1999-00991(1999-2002). pp. 91.

Spinelli, R., P.M.O. Owende and S.M. Ward.2002. Productivity and cost of CTLharvesting-debarking of fast-growingEucalyptus globulus stands using excavator-based harvesters. Forest Products Journal52(1): 67-77.

Tiernan, D., P.M.O. Owende, C.L. Kanali, J.Lyons and S.M. Ward. 2001. Selection andoperation of cable systems on sensitive forestsites. ECOWOOD Project Deliverable D2(Work package No. 1), Quality of Life andManagement of Living Resources ContractNo. QLK5-1999-00991 (1999-2002). pp 100.

Note:An extended reference list can be obtained

through the authors

P.M.O. Owende, K. McDonnell and S.M. WardForest Engineering Unit, Department of Agricultural and FoodEngineering,University College Dublin, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland.Tel: (+353 1) 7167 346Fax: (353 1) 4752 119Email: [email protected]

The Challenges of Bamboo ForestManagement in India

By A.C. Lakshmana

AbstractIndia’s natural bamboo forests constitutenearly 9.5 million hectares, about 14% of theforest area. Their management is achallenge to foresters. This article toucheson the problems of congestion, jhumcultivation, flowering and regeneration, andgrowing stock assessment, suggestingsome suitable management practices toovercome each one. If not handled properly,India may lose one million hectares ofbamboo forests.

IntroductionIndia’s tropical forests are very rich inbamboos. However, of nearly 130 species,only about 15 are found in substantialquantities and are of economic importance.Particularly important are Dendrocalamusstrictus, Bambusa species, Melocannab a m b u s o i d e s , B a m b u s a t u l d a ,Pseudooxytenanthera stocksi i , andOchlandra species. The earliest mention ofbamboos is in the Rigveda, a Sanskrit text atleast 3,000 years old. Bamboos have over100 uses from cradle to coffin.

Congestion


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There are two types of bamboo: sympodial(clump forming) and monopodial (non-clumpforming). Dendrocalamus strictus andBambusa bamboos are clump forming andoften suffer problems of congestion.Although the working plan prescription is thatall mature culms (‘stems’) of three years andolder should be exploited, with no extractionof one-year old culms, this remains a paperprescription. Contractors or extractingagencies often use bill-hooks attached tolong poles and extract the top third ofbamboo, which is free from thorns, branchesand congestion, leaving the remaining two-thirds in the clump.

To overcome this the author has developeda W-shaped cutting system, with a V-shapedclear cut at one end during the first year andanother V-shaped clear cut at the other endduring the second year. In the third year aninverted V-shaped clear cut should be carriedout. This will help to reduce congestion.Incidentally, if the side branches are prunedin their tender stages, congestion can beavoided completely. The practice of pruningside branches is common in private farms,which cultivate bamboo groves. Congestionis not a problem for monopodial bambooslike Melocanna bambusoides.

Jhum cultivationJhum cultivation is a form of shiftingcultivation that is posing an increasinglyserious threat to the environment andecology of India’s bamboo-rich North-Eastern states. Annually about 200,000hectares of forest, consisting mostly ofbamboo, are cut down and burnt to makeway for agricultural production throughshifting cultivation. This system was soundand sustainable in the past when it wasbeing practised on a long rotation basis by asmall population. But increasing populationpressure has forced farmers to shorten therotation to 6-7 years, resulting inimpoverished soils producing lower farmyields. This, in turn, has led farmers to

expand jhum cultivation to ever larger areas.

People and Governments of North-EasternIndia need to switch to an integratedapproach of mixing horticultural crops withagriculture, pisciculture, apiculture, forestryand poultry. Improvement of roads, marketsand the development of value-addedproducts could provide an attractivealternative to the increasingly unsustainablejhum cultivation.

Flowering and regenerationBamboo flowers regularly. For bamboossuch as Arundinaria , Bambusa andOchlandra it may be every year. For others,intervals between flowering periods vary from25 to 50 years. In Karnataka state, Bambusabamboos and Dendrocalamus strictus areflowering and fruiting now (2002), whileOchlandra species have already done so.Here the scientific exploitation of dryingbamboos and how to encourage naturalregeneration are two important agendas.

The other critical aspect of bamboo floweringis the resulting increase in the rodentpopulation, which causes untold misery – aswas the case in 1900 and again in 1958,particularly in Mizoram. Meloccanabambusoides is expected to flower around2004 but the consequences are very unclear.A cautious and integrated approachmanaged by people with extensive fieldexperience will be required to avoidhardships for the local people. TheInternational Network for Bamboos andRattans (INBAR), based in Beijing, iscurrently carrying out a consultancy inMizoram and Tripura to advise on this matter.

Growing stock assessment and monitoringTraditional forest inventories require asampling intensity of 5 to 10% of the totalpopulation, taking into account the time andresources available. The huge areas coveredrequire a lot of time. Recently sample plottechniques have been employed effectively.


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Sample plots are usually squares of 0.1hectare, the number of which is determinedstatistically to achieve a given percentage ofallowable error (10% for forest inventory) anddepends on the variability of the forest. Thevariation in the population for any givenparameter like volume, plants per hectare,crown density, etc., can be worked out.

For the purposes of monitoring, it isdesirable to lay out permanent sample plotsin four different representative areas for eachspecies. Recommendations for thesesample plots include:S Permanent boundary fixing and marking.S Enumeration of bamboo culms in each

clump.S Classification of enumerated bamboos in

each clump as ‘current year’, ‘above 5years’ and ‘all others’.

S Assigning a permanent serial number toall clumps.

S Recording the production of new culms,as well as any bamboo extracted orthinned, in a register (with a balancerecorded each December).

S Rigorous fire protection and protectionfrom grazing for three years after a forestarea flowers.

S Provision of partial shade (as determinedby research in different silvi-ecologicalzones) to promote the establishment ofregeneration after flowering.

S Establishment of 5-6 years beforeselection felling starts.

S Exploitation only when clumps average 25culms.

S Marking and extraction of no more than33% of the culms annually.

S Recording of the green and dry weight ofbamboos to facilitate the calculation of theyield by weight (yield is currentlyexpressed as number of bamboo culmsper hectare or by volume in cubic metres).

Conclusion

Along with wheat, paddy rice, papyrus,pepper and rubber, bamboo is one of the tencrops that have had the greatest significancein the history of human society, providingenvironmental, ecological and economicbenefits. Few other species can matchbamboo in its utilitarian value. When bambooforests are destroyed by negligence,therefore, the potential to cause harm tosociety is great. India runs the risk of losing1,000,000 hectares of bamboo forests i fsome of the above challenges are not metwith adequate caution and preparation.

A.C. Lakshmana,Former Forest and Environment SecretaryBangalore-98 INDIAE-mail: [email protected] no: (080) 8601942

Mangrove research at the VrijeUniversiteit Brussel II : the remotesensing aspect

by Farid Dahdouh-Guebas & Nico Koedam

An integrated research framework onmangrove vegetation structure dynam ics,regeneration and restoration was presentedin the Forests and Water Issue of ETFRNNews 33 (Dahdouh-Guebas, 2001b). Itdiscussed the broad framework in whichchanges in the vegetation structure ofmangrove forests, amongst other researchtopics, were studied over several decadesusing remote sensing techniques. Thiscontribution emphasises ‘why’ suchmonitoring is necessary and ‘how’ thisremote sensing aspect is carried out.

The need for monitoringIn many countries the coastal zone is subjectto ever increasing anthropogenic pressure.The mangrove destruction occurring as aresult of for instance reclamation for villageexpansion, agriculture, tourism , freshwater


ETFRN News 36/0256

diversion and particularly aquacultureimpoundments (Farnsworth & Ellison, 1997;Dahdouh-Guebas et al., 2000b; Dahdouh-Guebas et al., in press) necessitates arational management of ecosystems andresources on a local, regional and globallevel. This is particularly true for developingcountries, where local people are oftendependent on the nearby ecosystems(Cormier-Salem, 1999; Dahdouh-Guebas etal., 2000a). This requires an integratedinterdisciplinary approach in order to reach asustainable equil ibrium between theethnobiological needs and environmentalconservation. This cannot be done withoutunderstanding the direct and indirect impactsof man on these ecosystems, withoutforeseeing the consequences of theseimpacts, the ecosystem’s lag-time,resilience and recovery capacity, or withoutconsidering mitigating measures.

The study of the above aspects in mangroveareas requires research with respect to thehigh spatio-temporal dynamism in land-cover patterns (marine and coastalchanges), in order to assess and predict theextent of anthropogenic impacts orenvironmental changes. An excellent toolthat is increasingly important in the detection,description, quantification and monitoring ofthose changes is remote sensing, which, incombination with geographic informationsystems (GIS) and fieldwork, is an effectivemanagement tool (Dahdouh-Guebas, inpress).

Remote sensing approachIn order to study human impact andcontinuously monitor its consequencesremote sensing and geographicalinformation systems (GIS) have becomeindispensable tools. Not only has remotesensing evolved from purely visual,photographic data to multi-spectral imagery,but at the same time the resolution hasimproved tremendously. Whereas aerialphotography produced imagery with an

unbeaten resolution (ca. 30 cm x 30 cm)within the circuit of publicly available imageryand also formed the only set of data availablefor long-term retrospective research, theimage resolution is now chal lenged for thefirst time by panchromatic and multi-spectralimagery (4 m to <1m resolution) of therecently launched Ikonos, Eros and Quickbirdsatellites (Fig. 1). In addition, even greater spatial reso lutionimprovements are announced. Consideringthat this recent space technology cangenerate imagery with a regular frequencythis opens possibilities to new research intodynamics and changes in mangrovevegetation and coastlines. The advantage ofretrospection by aerial photography cannotbe equalled at present; and obviously acalibration will be required of the new imagedata and their us e to identify genera, and,thanks to the multi-spectral nature and thepossibility to construct ‘true’ and ‘false colourcomposites’, probably for the first timeunambiguous identification of mangrovespecies. The latter is also aided by thepossibi l i ty to local ise GPS-(globalpositioning system) points unambiguouslyon the field and on the digital satelliteimages.

For this purpose, our existing studies onsequential aerial photography applied tomangrove forests (Dahdouh-Guebas et al.,2000b; Verheyden et al., in press) integratednew space-borne remote sensingtechnology of very high resolution (Ikonos),thereby enlarging the time frame over whichvegetation structure dynamics andanthropogenic impacts can be monitored(Fig. 1). In addition, through fieldwork dataand experiments the project continues tobuild on existing studies in the framework oferror modelling and changes in mangrovevegetation assemblages with a field ofapplication in other forests as well (incl.biocomplexity, empirical studies onvegetation description methods). Therelatively poor flora of mangroves allows fora floristic complete investigation. The


ETFRN News 36/02 57

research is focused on mangrove sites inKenya, Sri Lanka, India and Mauritania, ofwhich good background knowledge existsalready in our research unit and whichrepresent a large diversity in mangrovevegetation types.

Our Kenyan and Sri Lankan case-studies onthis topic have shown for instance howmangroves have changed qualitatively andquantitatively over the last two to fourdecades. In some cases qualitativemangrove degradation has been observedwithout an actual decrease in area(Dahdouh-Guebas, 2001a; Kairo, 2001).Adverse changes in mangrove area as aresult of freshwater diversion have beenindicated, but also colonisation of new areasas a result of the same (Tack & Polk, 1999;Dahdouh-Guebas et al., 2000b). Also thenever-ending expansion of shrimpaquaculture in mangrove areas has beendocumented (Dahdouh-Guebas et al., inpress), even in areas IUCN-identified forcons ervation and rehabilitation. The abovefindings are now complemented with thenew Ikonos imagery, and both updates andnew directions in the monitoring andmodelling of mangrove vegetation structuredynamics have been identified and analysed.

The current challenge is the prediction offuture scenarios and the establishment ofearly warning systems in order to assist inthe identification of such priority areas.Dahdouh-Guebas (2001a) elaborates onhow future mangrove vegetation structureand degradation can be predicted based onvegetation history and current vegetationstructure in the field, and how remotesensing technology can be combined withmultivariate analysis to do so. For instance,sequentia l remote sensing with very highspatial resolution can be used to viewwhether a mangrove forest is dynamic orstatic (i.e. in a steady-state) and whether ornot it has degraded. Interviews with localpeople may help to understand what are the

underlying causes of degradation, andcurrent distributions of adult, young andjuvenile trees in the field can be studied andcompared and with the past situation(Dahdouh-Guebas et al., 2000a). Thesethree aspects together generate informationabout the regeneration capacity of theecosystem and act as an early warningsystem. If degradation symptoms appear,human interference such as rehabilitationm ay be required. It is equally important toevaluate and monitor the rehabilitation effortand study successional aspects and bioticmigration patterns. In the analysis andinterpretation phase data originating fromecology, geography, sociology, and otherdisciplines should be integrated. (Dahdouh-Guebas, in press).

Figure 1. (Below & Pg 58) Black and whiteaerial photograph and (Pg 58) panchromaticIKONOS satellite image of a little changedmangrove formation (Pambala-Kakkapalliya,Chilaw Lagoon, Sri Lanka), to illustrate howvegetation structure features so far availablefrom aerial photography only, can now in partbe detected from very high (spatial)resolution space-borne imagery. In addition,a ‘pansharpenend’ multispectral image withthe same resolution can be produced by forinstance substituting the ‘intensity’component of a true or false colourcomposite in HIS format (hue, intensity,saturation) by the panchromatic imageshown (Pg 58) in order to reveal morespectral details (not shown). Note that waterbodies (black), even those below canopy, aremore conspicuous in (Pg 58) because oftheir high absorption in the near-infra-redwavelength, which is included in the spectralresolution of the IKONOS satellite (0.45-0.90:m). Dahdouh-Guebas (in press).


ETFRN News 36/0258

Figure 1

AcknowledgementsThe author is a Postdoctoral Researcher witha grant from the Fund for Scientific Research(FWO-Vlaanderen). This research aspectand its valorisation are also financed by theEuropean Commission (EC), the Institute forthe Promotion of Innovation by Science andTechnology in Flanders (IWT), theUniversitaire Stichting and the VrijeUniversiteit Brussel. Many thanks are due tothe Kenya Marine and Fisheries ResearchInstitute (KMFRI), the Small FishersFederation of Lanka (SFFL) and theUniversity of Ruhuna (Sri Lanka) for thei rpartnership and to the local communities inGazi, Mida Creek, Galle and in the Pambala-Chilaw Lagoon complex for their hospitality.

ReferencesCormier-Salem, M.C., 1999. The mangrove: an area to be cleared… for social scientists.Hydrobiologia 413: 135-142.

Dahdouh-Guebas, F., 2001a. Mangrovevegetation structure dynamics andregeneration. PhD dissertation, VrijeUniversiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.<http://www.vub.ac.be/APNA/staff/FDG/PhD/PhD.html

Dahdouh-Guebas, F., C. Mathenge, J.G.Kairo & N. Koedam, 2000a. Utilization ofmangrove wood products around Mida Creek(Kenya) amongst subsistence andcommercial users. Economic Botany 54(4):513-527.

Dahdouh-Guebas, F., A. Verheyden, W. DeGenst, S. Hettiarachchi & N. Koedam, 2000b.Four decade vegetation dynamics in SriLankan mangroves as detected fromsequential aerial photography : a case studyin Galle. Bulletin of Marine Science 67: 741-759.

Dahdouh-Guebas, F., T. Zetterström, P.Rönnbäck, M. Troell, A. Wickramasinghe &N. Koedam. Recent changes in land-use inthe Pambala-Chilaw Lagoon complex (SriLanka) investigated using remote sensingand GIS : conservation of mangroves vs.deve lopmen t o f sh r imp f a rm ing .E n v i r o n m e n t , D e v e l o p m e n t a n dSustainability (in press).

Farnsworth, E. J., & A. M. Ellison, 1997. Theglobal conservation status of mangroves.Ambio 26: 328-334.

Kairo, J.G., 2001. Ecology and restoration ofmangrove systems in Kenya. PhDdissertation,Vrije Universiteit Brussel,Brussels, Belgium.


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Tack, J.F. & P. Polk, 1999. The influence oftropical catchments upon the coastal zone:modelling the links between groundwaterand mangrove losses in Kenya, India andFlorida. In : Sustainable management intropical catchments. D. Harper and T. Brown,eds., John Wiley & Sons Ltd., London, UK.

Verheyden, A., F. Dahdouh-Guebas, K.Thomaes, W. De Genst, S. Hettiarachchi & N.Koedam. High resolution vegetation data formangrove research as obtained from aerialphotography. Environment, Developmentand sustainability (in press).

Farid Dahdouh-Guebas & Nico KoedamLaboratory of General Botany and NatureManagement, Mangrove Management Group,Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.Tel. ++ 32 2 629.34.22, Fax. ++ 32 2 629.34.13E-mail : [email protected]

Forest Surveys Using Non-specialistVolunteers

By Craig Turner & Sarah Cadbury

Forest resource assessment offers aparadox. They are required to aidconservation planning but are oftennecessary in areas that lack the capacity toundertake such assessments at anappropriate scale. However, a possiblesolution is offered in the Philippines where alocal NGO, the Negros Forests andEcological Foundation, Inc (NFEFI) hasformed a unique partnership project withCoral Cay Conservation (CCC). Thepartnership utilises a ‘participatory model ’using trained volunteers to conduct resourceassessments in order to provide baselineinformation for conserving the montane

rainforests of the central Philippines.

Tropical Forests of the PhilippinesThe Philippines is a unique area ofbiodiversity with over 57% of species in themajor faunal and floral groups occurringnowhere else in the world. However, due tohigh forest loss it has proportionally morethreatened endemic and restricted range birdand mammal species than most othercountries. This cocktail of isolation,endemism and threat also means thePhilippines has no other country with whomto share the burden of the conservation effortrequired.

Consequently, many areas are biologicallypoorly known and require baseline surveys tounderpin future conservation. This is thesituation on Negros Island where NFEFI andCCC have established their uniqueconservation initiative, the Negros RainforestConservation Project (NRCP) in the NorthNegros Forest Reserve (NNFR), the secondlargest tract of montane rainforest remainingin the central Philippines.

Overview of the Negros RainforestConservation ProjectThe NRCP is a joint programme ofcommunity based conservation, education,and restoration. A primary aim of the projectis to obtain quantitative, base-line ecologicaldata on the relative abundance anddistribution of biological resources. It isintended that such data will underpin thedevelopment of integrated community-drivenmanagement recommendations for theNNFR. These aims are broadly similar tomany other forest conservation projects,however, it is the mechanism by which itachieves these goals, using a stream of self-financing conservation volunteers, thatmakes the project unique.

Use of volunteers in resource surveying Volunteers (local and international) are used


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in the majority of NRCP forest inventory workfollowing a week-long training course on siteby experienced ecologists. Volunteers aretrained in forest ecology and field monitoringtechniques and must achieve a minimumbasic standard of competence beforeundertaking any fieldwork. Survey techniquesare applied that require minimal expertise yetpermit the collection of accurate ecologicaldata. Volunteers work under the guidance ofprofessional practitioners (NRCP staff) toensure, via continuous monitoring thatstringent survey standards are maintainedand thus more technically demandingsurveys can be completed, such as treespecies inventories and vertebrate surveys.

Whilst the use of volunteers may bequestioned with regard to expertise in datacollection it is acknowledged thatconservation biologists have long used “non-professional” volunteers to col lectinformation needed to make informeddecisions concerning resources they aretrying to protect (Bildstein 1998). There isalso a growing body of literature supportingthe use of trained volunteers in baselineecological monitoring work where resourcesare limited (e.g Mumby et al, 1995; McLaren& Cadman 1999).

The NRCP undertakes rapid biodiversityassessments of major faunal groups(focussing on bi rds, mammals, reptiles,amphibians and insects) in conjunction withlong-term vegetation monitoring, workingwith local research collaborators. Thebotanical inventories, for example, have beenco-ordinated with the botany department ofthe Philippines National Museum using theinternationally recognised permanentsample plot technique. These allow spatio-temporal comparisons of the speciescomposition of different forest habitats. Results and project outputsSurveys reveal that the NNFR is a biodiversityhotspot of importance to many endangered

and endemic species. Vegetation surveyshave documented 15,000 tree specimensacross 3 forest types and this scale of surveyeffort would not be possible without the armyof volunteers who permit long-term andlarge-scale data collection. Avian inventoriesover extended periods, for example, haveidentified 123 bird species, approximately20% of all species (572 in total) known tooccur in the Philippines.

The information so far obtained is providinga valuable baseline for vegetation communitystructure and how this relates to faunaldiversity and distributions. For example, theempirical outputs of the completedvegetation inventories will aid reforestationefforts in terms of species to be used and therelative composition of reforestation plots.Additional ly, NFEFI promotes localinvolvement via a community managedreforestation scheme that also providesalternative livelihood opportunities via thesale of wild native seedlings to otherlandowners. Thus in tandem they willcontribute to more effective ecologicalrestoration.

The potential for volunteers withinconservationThe project’s unique participatory model ofutilising trained volunteers represents anopportunity to increase both the spatial andtemporal scales over which such inventorywork can be undertaken and therefore notonly evaluate the composition of the faunaand flora in differing forest types but alsomonitor change over time, accomplishingmajor research goals with minimalresources.

However, it is important to acknowledge thetechnical constraints of utilising volunteer(novice) labour when collecting scientificdata. The NRCP has always usedinternationally recognised and peer reviewedsurvey methods (for major faunal and floralgroups) but we often find that these have to


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be adapted for volunteers and localcommunity members in order to make themworkable, reliable and provide usable data.Thus, situation specific development ofmethods is necessary if accurate andscientifically robust information is to begained and recognised by peers. Forexample, bird observation surveys wereinitially undertaken using point and transectcounts (Bibby 1998). However, these provedto be too unreliable and thus, Mackinnon lists(Mackinnon & Philips 1993) that are notlimited by time are now used instead. Whilstthe perceptive accuracy of data collectionmay be enhanced through the use ofappropriate methods and training, there isstill a need to validate any data collectionprocess (MacLaren & Cadman 1999). To thisend, the NRCP is currently undertaking astudy to validate the data collected byvolunteers using observation techniques.

Extensive resource surveys are vital in manyt rop ica l fo res ts fo r conserva t ionmanagement and the use of a volunteerprogramme offers one mode of operation.The work of the NRCP in the Philippinesillustrates how trained volunteers can beprovided with no cost to the host country on along-term basis and survey large areas offorests. Volunteer survey programmestherefore offer an important role for theprovis ion of baseline biological informationin conservation management strategies.

ReferencesBibby, C., Jones, M. & Marsden, S. (1998)Expedition Field Techniques: Bird Surveys.Royal Geographic Society, London.

Bildstein, K.L. (1998) Long-term counts ofmigrating raptors: A role for volunteers inwildlife research. Journal of WildlifeManagement, 62, 435-445.

Mackinnon, J., & Philips, K. (1993) A FieldGuide to the Birds of Sumatra, Java and Bali.Oxford University Press, Oxford.

McLaren, A.A. & Cadman, M.D. (1999) Cannovice volunteers provide credible data forbird surveys requiring song identification.Journal of Field Ornithology, 70, 10-17.

Mumby P.J., A.R. Harborne, P.S. Raines &J.M. Ridley. (1995). A critical assessment ofdata derived from Coral Cay Conservationvolunteers. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56,737-751.

CCC is continually recruiting volunteers forthe NRCP and for more information, pleasecontact:

Craig Turner (Terrestrial Science Co-ordinator)Coral Cay Conservation The Tower, 125 High Street, Colliers Wood, London, SW19 2JG, UKT: +44-(0)20-8545-7722F: +44 (0)870-750-0667E: [email protected]: www.coralcay.org

Survey and monitoring of Dracaenacinnabari Balf. Fil. in Soqotra Island(Yemen)1

By Serena Petroncini

Dracaena cinnabari is an endemic speciesof Soqotra Island. It is one of the six speciesbelonging to the Dragon’s blood trees group,classified as follows: Monocotyledones,Liliales, Dracaenaceae.It is registered in the IUCN Red List of theThreatened Plants 2000 with the followingabbreviation: EN B1 + 2c.

Its area of distribution ranges from analtitude of 150 m to 1600 m above sea level.It is dominant above 600 m. It is not widespread all over the Island. It is restricted to


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the area of the large central plateau ofDiksam; the central granite massive ofHaggeher; and the eastern area ofHamadero, Sirahon and Kilisan. Plantdensity is not homogenous. In some areas itis high, while in some others it is lower,reaching the stage of relicts. The plant isprevalently present at the stage of adult andvery little regeneration is occurring.

For the greater part of the year Dracaenacinnabari is immersed in mists, dews andrains. These climatic conditions are due tothe two monsoons that cross the Island intwo different times of the year.The resin is called Dragon blood and itsuses and trade belong to ancient times andcultures. In the past the intensive collection ofthe resin was due to a strong demand for theproduct. Today the demand has decreased,but is still used in the Island for medical anddecorative purposes.

The monitoring of Dracaena cinnabari is oneof the basic aims of the Soqotra BiodiversityProject. The intention of this research was topropose a permanent system for themonitoring and study of this species, and totransfer all the information and knowledge tothe local assistants that collaborated.Unfortunately the Soqotra Biodiversity Projectwas not provided with detailed maps andaerial photos, but this was not an obstaclefor the development of the monitoring plan.Few materials were used:The vegetationmap of the Royal Botanic Garden ofEdinburgh, the vegetation classification of theIsland; and the information gathered from theproject team and from the indigenouspeople.

The study area was reached by walking fromthe camping point. Before starting the teamexchanged information with the indigenouspeople. After a first general survey the studyareas were chosen randomly. Places wherethe plant density of Dracaena was too lowwere not chosen, to avoid the risk of empty

sample plots.

Two monitoring methods were used. Thefirst was proposed by the Royal BotanicGarden of Edinburgh and consisted of fillingin a form whereby the plants were subdividedinto 5 classes of growth stages. A maximumof 100 plants were counted inside a ray of500 m of length. If the number of plantsinside the ray was higher, the ray wasreduced; if the number of plants inside theray was lower, outside the ray plants wereignored. General information about the areaswas registered. The starting point GPS co-ordinates were random and the distancebetween one starting point and the next wasat least one Km.

The second method consisted of monitoringrectangular transects of 1000 m² (10m x100m). In each area with similarcharacteristics (slope, soil morphology andvegetation) three transects were repeated.The choice and the distance of the transectswas random. The collected data wereregistered in two forms. The first containedgeneral information about the transect: GPSco-ordinates , soil morphology, vegetationcover, associated species, presence ofseedlings etc.The second form contained specific data:numbers of plants, circumference, height,crown diameter, presence of faeces of goatsand cows, presence of wounds on the trunk,nearest neighbour, distance from the nearestneighbour etc. For practical reasons thestarting point of the transect was identifiedwith a GPS.

These two methods were developed inparallel. Data were collected by a team o ffour people. The practical part of the researchwas usually followed by a social part in whichthe team held informal interviews with theindigenous population.

In total 17 areas were monitored. It wasfound that Dracaena cinnabari is mainly


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frequent at the stage of adult. Further resultswere also obtained from the data collectedonly with the transect method. The presenceof Dracaena is related to individuals with bigdimensions. The plant density is low in mostof the study areas, except in the restrictedareas of Rokeb Di Firmihin (500 - 7 0 0 mabove sea level) and Skandt (1300 -1400 mabove sea level). Here the plants are verydense and some young plants are present .In the other study areas seedlings and youngplants are almost absent except on the cliffsand escarpments. Wounds on the trunks, due to the harvestingof the resin, are very frequent. Faeces ofcattle are almost a constant inside thetransects.

After this first monitoring of Dracaenacinnabari, the situation of this extraordinaryplant population was found to be critical.Although livestock grazes almost everywhereon the island, this seems not to be the onlyreason for its extinction. Grazing is regulatedby ancient rules, and if Soqotra is stillenvironmentally well conserved, it is due toits people. It also seems that the harvestingof res in, although it seriously damages theplant, does not directly influence the lack ofregeneration. It was considered thatgermination of the seeds might be difficult,but recent studies excluded such ahypothesis. Moreover, the indigenous peoplethink that the lack of regeneration is due tothe decrease of rains. Soqotra seems to bebecoming drier, which will probably obligemany species of the Island to take refuge onhigher altitudes. The combination of pastureand lack of water is a feature not to beunderestimated for the protection ofDracaena.

AcknowledgementsMany are the people that I have to thank:Prof. C.R. Lenzi Grillini my supervisor,Edoardo Zandri CTA of the SoqotraBiodiversity Project, the terrestrial team:Fahmi Abdulla Bashuan, Ahmed Saeed

Siliman, Nadeem Talib, Ahmed Issia Ali;Sheik Alì extension officer, Kamis Taleb thedriver. I thank the families of Saad Mbarakand of Adib Abdalla. I thank the EPC. I thankall the Soqotris who without their help I couldnot carry on this research. I thank LorenzoCeccolini, Lyndon De Vantier and JacopoMonzini Taccone di Sitizzano.

Department of Plant Biology-Laboratory,Piazza delle Cascine 18, Florence, ItalyE.mail: [email protected]

1 The present article summarises the contents of the thesis: Prospezionedi Dracaena cinnabari Balf. fil nell’Isola di Soqotra ai fini del piano dimonitoraggio e di conservazione- 2001.

The Home Gardens of Soqotra 1

By Lorenzo Ceccolini

Belonging to the Republic of Yemen, SoqotraIsland is located in the Arabian Sea to thesouth of the Arabian Peninsula and east ofthe Horn of Africa. The Island is situated inthe arid tropics and is subject to intensesummer monsoon activity that has created aseasonal period of isolation. Traditionally,the people have survived through fishing,ranging of live-stock (mostly goats) andhome gardening, particularly date palms.

Field trips to 22 villages were conducted inthe Hadibo plain, in the south coast ofSoqotra and in the central Sheeb valley todetermine the general situation of homegardening practices. At each sampledvillage, interviews with the local people wereconducted. The interviews were completed inpart by PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal)and in part through questionnaireinterviewing. Participatory approaches wereused primarily to assess the croppingpatterns used in relation to the intensity ofwind and rain. Stones represented months ofthe year and wooden sticks of different


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lengths represented different classes ofintensity of rain, and wind. These data werecombined with information about theagricultural work during the year. Additionallymaps were drawn illustrating the homegardens and approximate ground cover areafor each plant (identified with the local name).Plant collections were made to identify thespecies grown. A herbarium with driedsamples was established to later aid in theidentification of plants, usually to genus and,where possible, to species level.

The home garden activity is still not fullydeveloped especially as a multi-layerstructure, fertility maintenance, crop-livestockintegration, integrated plant protection andindigenous knowledge. As elsewhere, manyfactors influence the development of homegardens on Soqotra. Among the mostimportant are:

• climate: The Island is situated in the aridtropical zone where evapotranspirationgenerally greatly exceeds precipitation.The possibility to maintain a homegarden during the dry season dependson time investment (watering the gardenfrequently), in knowledge (to raise theefficiency of work), in input (such aspipes, water pump, tanks) and in theavailability of water (see below).

• location (rural/urban) and availability ofland for cultivation: the home gardens inthe main village of the Island (Hadibo) areusually small areas where a variety ofplants are propagated, mostly in smallquantities: the availability of land is scarcedue to the strong urbanisation of the area.The recent expansion of the local market,following development of the commercialairport in 1999, has resulted in the readysupply of fruit and vegetables from themainland, further restricting the localhome gardening efforts. The homegarden in Hadibo is, for these reasons, alittle food supply of vegetable, fruits, and

spices. In most rural villages (e.g. Sirhin) the areaunder cultivation is larger and thehousehold is more dependent on theproduce of the garden. The lack ofurbanisation of the area is reflected in theavailability of land that is not used to buildhouses or roads. Also the availability ofmaterials such as wood to build fences(to protect plants from the voraciouslivestock), is related to the location sincethe absence of rangeland near the villageforces the people of this area to buy thisinput from other areas of the Island.

• household size and composition: thenumber of people that live in a soqotranhouse is commonly high; usually threegenerations share the area. Normallymuch of the work (and knowledge) relatedto home gardening is held by women.She is the major decision-maker withrespect to home-gardening, and fromsowing to harvesting there is relativelylittle involvement of the man, other thanthe undertaking of very hard physical works uch as the building of fences or thedigging of wells. The participation of thewhole family increases when theimportance of the home garden assource of food and money increases.

• volume of water: the availability of waterduring the dry season (from May toSeptember) is guaranteed from theground water table. Home gardens aremostly maintained by wells, either insidethe yard or nearby. Collecting is donemanually by the women with a rope tied toa tin of 2-3 litres (rarely is a pulley used).A large home garden normally indicatesthe presence of a water pump.

• Inputs such as seed, fertilisers, andtools: despite the rapid commercialdevelopment, especially in Hadibo, thereis no interest in commercialising anddistributing agricultural inputs. Seeds,


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modern tools, pesticides and fertilisersare not available in the shops. Waterpumps and metal fences are the uniqueindicators of invested capital on homegardening. Where these two facilities areimplemented, the home garden issufficiently important for the household tojustify the investment. The villages thathave a high percentage (> 50%) ofsampled home gardens fenced with ironmaterial also have a high percentage (>75%) of home gardens with principaldestination of the products to the localmarket.

At present, only a small proportion ofSoqotra’s population cultivates homegardens, and there is considerable potentialfor expansion. Also, if the airport will supplythe necessary food stuff for the local peoplenearby, they will need a cash resource to buythese products coming from the mainland.Moreover it is important that the familymaintain their home garden to avoidcomplete dependence from outsideproducts.

The harsh climate conditions are mainlypresent in the northern part of the islandwhile the limiting factor in the south-eastcoast is the sand dunes. The mostpromising areas to develop home gardenagricultural systems are located in thevalleys in the core of the island and in thesouth-west coastal part. From presentresearch it appears that here the uniqueobstacle to the development of agriculture isthe absence of an infrastructure and ofknowledge linked to this activity.

Department of Plant Biology-Laboratory,P.zza delle Cascine 18, FlorenceItaly. E-mail: [email protected]

1 The present article summarises the contents of the thesis: Gli ortifamigliari dell’isola di Soqotra – 2000. Department of Vegetal Biology-

Laboratory, University of Florence.

Global Forest Information Service(GFIS)

By Martin Nöbauer

IntroductionIn forestry and related disciplines, it is widelyrecognized that rapid, reliable and universalaccess to quality information is essential forinformed decision-making concerningforests and all their inherent values. Inresponse to this demand, the InternationalUnion of Forest Research Organizations(IUFRO) convened a consortium ofinternational, regional and nationalorganizations and created a IUFRO TaskForce in 1998. The purpose of the TaskForce was to develop a strategy for, andimplement, an Internet-based metadataservice to provide coordinated worldwideaccess to forest-related information. NowGFIS has become an international initiativeand its mission is to develop a worldwideforest information infrastructure, and operateservices in accordance with international,open standards.The benefits of GFIS are an easier access toglobal forest-related inform ation, bettercomparability of information and data sets,improved user feedback to informationproviders, identification of information gaps,generation of value-added products,dissemination of research results, andenhanced profiles for researchers.Anyone with an Internet access and a webbrowser can obtain information via GFIS inthe following 5 steps:• connect to any GFIS node;• select the topic and scope of databases

to search;• submit the search to multiple hosts and

receive metadata from relevantinformation or data sources, and/or (inlater stages of development) actual data;


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• connect via links to selected sources forfurther searching if desired;

• examine/use the retrieved information ordata.

GFIS is intended to become an open systemto which information providers who use GFISstandards for cataloguing information maycontribute by supplying resources. A”collection policy” is being elaborated whichwill define subject coverage, target audience,types of resources to be included,submission procedure, quality assessment,metadata standards, and maintenancearrangements.Information can be supplied to GFIS via theInternet in the following way:register as an information providersubmit metadata descr ib ing yourinformation resourcescreate links to your on-line information

This advanced information service must bedeveloped with due consideration to globalrelevance, accessibility and participation.This requires that attention be paid to ontechnical or cultural obstacles that mayhinder the utilization of GFIS in certainregions of the world. In order to minimize theoccurrence of such obstacles, it is intendedthat the GFIS user interface and relevantdocuments be made available in severallanguages. Assistance will also be providedto key institutions in developing countries inorder to help them obtain the technology andtraining needed to fully participate in GFIS.

Underlying technical principles GFIS is based upon the notion of adistributed network of databases whichcatalogue the information resources ofcontributing GFIS partners by using acommon metadata standard. The Internetand WWW are used to facilitate locating andsearching metadata catalogues. GFIS shallfunction by providing a standardized core ofmetadata (catalogue) fields, a standardized

set of key words for searching, and astandardized interface between web sitesand the databases. This will facilitateinteroperability among catalogues. TheData/Information Objects (DOs) are the itemsthat the user wants to find by using metadata.These items are of different contents, spatialand temporal scales, formats and otherattributes specific to each database.Metadata are data about data. Eachm etadata item is used to describe adata/information object. The metadatadefinition of GFIS is based on the DublinCore metadata standard, and is used todescribe specific GFIS DOs. A GFIS Node isa GFIS partner institution which collects,maintains and manages GFIS metadatasubmitted by data provider(s) or others.Nodes also collect regional informationabout their members, organizations, eventsand activities. GFIS Affiliated Nodes areinstitutions that offer forest-related websiteswith their own metadata which are not inconformity with the GFIS metadata standard.In order to make the metadata available forGFIS multi-host search, the metadata at aGFIS Affiliated Node can either be convertedto the GFIS metadata standard (phase 1) ormapped to the GFIS metadata structure(phase 2). The GFIS Information Server (IS)is the central component of GFIS. It collectsGFIS metadata from the nodes, thuspermitting global search operations. It alsoprovides house-keeping functions andmaintains records of GFIS members,organizations, events, announcements andprojects.

Phases of development The Concept phase (1998 to 2001), basedon increasing awareness of the need forGFIS, comprised the designing of technicaland architectural concepts, drafting of thecollection policy, and selecting standards formetadata and thesauri. The Prototype phase (2002 to 2004)consists of demonstrating the operation ofGFIS, establishing the regional nodes, and


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developing multi-host searching withinmetadata of participating organizations. The Implementation phase (2005 - ) willconcentrate on operating, maintaining andevolving the full scale forest informationservice.

The current status of GFIS To date the development of the GFISsoftware for the Information Server with amulti-host search engine and the nodalsoftware has been finalized. At this point theGFIS search engine is available. Now theSpecial Programme starts to cooperate withdata providers worldwide: The webmasterworkshop for the African Nodes at thebeginning of April in Vienna, Austria, was avery important activity in this context. The fiveNodes established in Africa (Ghana, Gabon,Kenya, Senegal and Zimbabwe) will provideabout 4,500 metadata records of greyliterature by end of August 2002. Three GFISNodes shall be established in SouthAmerica (Brazil, Colombia and Chile) by endof April 2002. The respective partnerinstitutions are already preparing formetadata entry and will provide a substantialamount of metadata records by the end ofAugust 2002.

The next steps are finding data providers anddeveloping further features of the GFISs oftware such as the GFIS informationretrieval and repository functions (2002 –2003) and Geographical Online AnalyticalProcessing (2004 - ). The GFIS MetadataRepository is a component to storeintegrated metadata from multiple nodes forefficient querying and analysis. The metadatarepository shall ensure high performance,consistency, stability extensibility andsophisticated queries. The goal of the GFISInformation Retrieval is to develop tools thatfaci l i tate the rapid integrat ion ofheterogeneous forest information sourcesthat may include both structured andunstructured data.

IUFRO European Regional Conference inCopenhagen, DenmarkThe European Regional Conference inCopenhagen (27 – 30 August 2002) will be amilestone in the life of GFIS. It is planned tohold a two-hour presentation-cum-launchingceremony, designed as a lively event toconvince participants that GFIS is a usefultool for their future work. The programmeincludes a presentation of the current statusof GFIS development, a demonstration of areal-time global multi-host search using thefirst prototype of the GFIS software, and areal-time communication (e.g. by phone)during the GFIS presentation with aresearcher working with GFIS somewhere inthe world. Prof. Dr. Niels Elers KOCH,Director of the Danish Forest and LandscapeResearch Institute, will moderate this event,and many national and international partnersand representatives of IUFRO are expectedto participate. IUFRO President Dr. RistoSeppälä will be there and make a welcomespeech and closing remarks.

Dear reader, as a potential user of GFIS,yourcontribution is of great importance! Have alook at our homepage http://www.iufro-

gfis.net/ and tell us what kind of informationyou expect from the Global Forest InformationService. You will find a discussion forum onthis webpage. Your comments andsuggestions are most welcome.

Contact persons:Special Programme Coordinator:Martin Nöbauer,IUFROc/o Federal Forest Research Institute,Sekendorff-Gudent-Weg 81131, Vienna, Austria.Tel: +43 (0) 1 877 0151-14Fax: +43 (0) 1 877 [email protected]://www.iufro.boku.ac.atat and GFIS Task Force Coordinator Risto Päivinen [email protected]

Research Cooperation Sought

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SAFORGEN Programme

SAFORGEN Programme is the IPGRI Sub-Saharan African Forest Genetic ResourcesProgramme based in Cotonou, Benin.

The Programme would like to assess anddevelop a database on the forestry networksin Sub-Saharan Africa. The Programme willtherefore appreciate receiving from anyholder, information on the network and itscontact address this includes:

• Name of the network• Name and address of the network contact• “Its area of interest"• Any additional information or document on

the network

This information should be sent toSAFORGEN Coordinator

Address:

Eyog Matig Oscar, Docteur d'EtatCoordinator of IPGRI/Sub-Saharan ForestGenetic Resources Programme(SAFORGEN), c/o IITA 08 BP 0932 Cotonou, BeninTel.: 229 350188 / 350553 / 350600Fax: 229 350556E-mail: [email protected]

The International Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute (IPGRI) is supported by theConsultative Group on InternationalAgricultural Researchhttp://www.ipgri.cgiar.orghttp://www.ipgri.org

Journal of Tropical Forest Science

The Journal of Tropical Forest Science(JTFS) is concerned with the development oftropical forest sciences. It welcomes papersrelevant to the field. It also includes short

articles, notes, and letters to the editor, bookreviews and announcements. English is theofficial language of the journal. At a regularbasis special issues appear, such as oneon secondary forests published in Octoberlast year.

The journal is published quarterly by theForest Research Institute Malaysia. Editorialoffice, subscriptions, announcements andenquiries:Forest Research Institute MalaysiaKepong, 52109 Kuala LumpurMalaysia.Tel.: 603-62702155; Fax: 603-62767753;Email: [email protected]

Exchange of Scientific Papers forpublishing

The Ghana Journal of Forestry published bythe Forestry Research Institute of Ghana wasfounded some eight years ago with a maidenpublication of Volume 1:1994.

The Journal publishes papers on varioussubjects of forestry in the tropics and relatedsciences with particular reference to studiesin the humid tropics. Only articles that havebeen reviewed by renowned researchers andrecommended for publication are published.All accepted articles are published free ofcharge. The journal is subscribed to by morethan 300 individuals, groups and institutionsfrom home and abroad.

The Editorial Board of the Journal isproposing free exchange of publishablepapers with Editors of reputable Journals.Under this arrangement, the list of titles ofpapers to be exchanged will be sent toEditors of collaborating Journals who willselect one or two papers of interest. The fullpapers will then be sent to the Editor of acollaborating Journal with the consent of theAuthor(s) of the papers. The Author(s) willhave to meet all the editorial guidelines of


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that Journal. This arrangement, we hope, willnot only assist scientists of collaboratingInstitutions to publish in diversified journalsbut could facilitate research collaborationamong Scientists and institutions. Volume IIof the Ghana Journal of Forestry is due tocome out in the last quarter of the year and itis our hope that the first batch of about sixexchanged papers from collaboratingJournals will be published.

We take this opportunity to inform you thatsubscription to our Journal is only USD $65per annum of two issues including postage.All cheques made payable to the “ForestryResearch Institute of Ghana”.

We hope you will embrace the proposal forour mutual benefit and look forward tohearing from you at your earliestconvenience.

A. A. Oteng-Amoako [Ph.D] Editor-in-ChiefGhana Journal of Forestry,Forest Research Institute of GhanaP.O. Box 63,UST Kumasi.Email:[email protected] No 233-51-60121

Call for Ideas

CGIAR Challenge Programs

The Consultative Group on InternationalAgricultural Research (CGIAR) invites allinterested parties to suggest concepts forChallenge Programs that could be financedby the CGIAR and its partners. Details areprovided below in a "Question & Answer"format . Recipients are encouraged to sharethis note with their respective constituencies.

1. What is the CGIAR?The CGIAR (www.cgiar.org) is an associationof 58 public and private members whosupport a system of 16 international

agricultural research centers that generatepublic goods for the benefit of developingcountries. The Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations (FAO),United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), International Fund for AgriculturalDevelopment (IFAD), and the World Bank arethe CGIAR's co-sponsors. More than 8,500CGIAR scientists and scientific staff work inmore than 100 countries around the world,harnessing the best of cutting-edge scienceto increase food security, reduce poverty, andprotect the global environment.

2. What is a Challenge Program?A CGIAR Challenge Program (CP) is a time-bound, independently-governed program ofhigh impact research, that targets the CGIARgoals in relation to complex issues ofoverwhelming global and/or regionalsignificance (and with global impact), andrequires partnerships among a wide rangeof institutions in order to deliver its products.

3. What is an idea for a CGIAR ChallengeProgram?An idea or theme for a CGIAR CP is one that:addresses an issue of overwhelmingsignificance. The issue addressed can beglobal, regional or sub-regional inimportance, but with a global impact; fitswithin the CGIAR mission and goals; is likelyto generate significant outputs and impact.

4. Who can submit ideas for ChallengePrograms?The CGIAR invites all stakeholders to submitideas which could become agriculturalresearch and development programs ofglobal relevance. Submission of ideas,presented as short Concept Notes (2-4pages) is the first step in a competitiveprocess leading to the identification andpreparation of CPs.

5. How should the ideas be submitted?Ideas may be transmitted to the CGIAR


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System Office preferably by e-mail to thefollowing address: [email protected] who have limited e-mail accessmay fax the concept notes to the SystemOffice at the Science Council Secretariat: Faxno. (39-06) 570-53298.

6. Does the CGIAR provide financial supportfor submitting ideas?No, resources are not available from theCGIAR at this phase of CP development.

7. Is there a deadline for submitting ideas?The generation and submission of ideas isa continuous process. Evaluation of ideaswill be conducted periodically every year,depending on the number submitted.

8. Will the submitted ideas be publicized?The idea titles and names of proponents willbe posted on a special page for CPs at theCGIAR web site (www.cgiar.org).

9. How will the submitted ideas beevaluated?The Science Council (SC) of the CGIAR isresponsible for the evaluat ion andrecommendation to the Executive Council ofthe ideas submitted by all stakeholders.Once endorsed by the Executive Council, theideas will be submitted to the CGIAR for finalapproval.

10. How will one know if an idea submittedhas been selected?The proponent of the selected idea will beformally notified by the CGIAR System Office.All the selected ideas and the names ofproponents will also be posted on a specialpage for CPs at the CGIAR web site.

11. What will happen to the selected ideas?The selected ideas will be promoted to thenext stage of the process (phase 2). TheExecutive Council will issue calls for

submission of pre-proposals on the selectedideas.

12. If an idea is selected, will the pre-proposals on that idea be eventuallyfunded?Not necessarily. Once an idea is selected,open and competitive processes will also beimplemented at the succeeding phasesdescribed in the document titled “Processand Guidelines for Developing andImplementing Challenge Programs”. (seeChallenge Program web page) There is noguarantee that an individual, institution orgroup who submitted a selected idea will beawarded a grant.

13. What will happen to the other ideassubmitted but not selected?The list of submitted ideas will be kept in theCGIAR web site. Some of the ideas could bedeveloped by the proponents and otherinterested parties into proposals that may besubmitted to non-CP funding sources.

14. When will the next phase, i.e.development of pre-proposals, belaunched?As soon as the CGIAR approves the ideas orthemes recommended by the ScienceCouncil andendorsed by the ExecutiveCouncil, a call for submission of pre-proposals will be issued.

15. Where can additional information on theCGIAR Challenge Programs be found?All information relating to the different phasesof Challenge Programs are available on theCGIAR website. This site, in addition topresenting detailed information on theConsultative Group, its activities and majorimpacts, also provides linkages to thesixteen international agricultural researchcenters (known as Future Harvest Centers)supported by the CGIAR.

Internet Features

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By Jelle Maas

For the FAO Global Forest ResourcesAssessment 2000 (FRA 2000) please seehttp:/ /www.fao.org/forestry/fo/fra/main/index. jsp The report reflects on the currentcondition of our planet’s forest resourcesand the events contributing to the presentsituation.

The World Resources Institute has prepareda briefing note in response to the launch ofthe Forest Resources Assessment 2000,commenting on the methodology andprincipal findings of the new FAO report.http://www.wri.org/forests/fra2000.html

Global Forest Watch is an international dataand mapping network that combines on-the-ground knowledge with digital technology toprovide accurate information about theworld’s forests. Global Forest Watch startedworking in four pilot countries in 1997;Cameroon, Canada, Gabon and Indonesia.They now also work in Chile, Russia,Venezuela, the Democratic Republic ofCongo (DRC), and the United States; and areplanning to expand to Brazil in the nearf u t u r e . M o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a t :http://www.globalforestwatch.org/

The Global Vegetation Monitoring (GVM) Unitof the Institute for Environment andSustainability (Joint Research Centre, Ispra,Italy) has a mission is to provide accurateinformation on changes in the world'svegetation cover as needed for EU policy inthe areas of environment, development andexternal affairs. The focus is provision o finformation and methodologies that supportthe implementation of internationalenvironmental treaties and conventions(such as the Framework Convention onClimate Change, the Convention to CombatDesertification and the Convention onBiological Diversity) and to support the EU's

aid and development programmes.Research concentrates on the generationof information and products on forestcondition, fire dynamics, land cover changeand physical and biophysical parametersfor bio-geological models through thequantitative analysis of data from Earthobserving satellites. Products (includingscientific publications, algorithms, time-series of measurements, maps, images,models, statistics, assessments andreports) are made available to policy-m akers, the science community, spaceagencies and where appropriate, to thegeneral public.http://www.gvm.sai.jrc.it/

The Carbon offset verification of forestecosystems project presents a newmethod for estimating above-groundbiomass, and hence carbon stocks ofconifer forests utilis ing remote sensingtechniques and carbon partition modelling.http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/carbon/default.htmThe lead partner in the project is OxfordUniversity. Other partners include: Instituteof Terrestrial Ecology; University of Wales,Swansea; SGS UK Ltd; EcoSecurities Ltd;Biffa Waste Ltd. The project is fundedunder the Earth Observation LINKProgramme supporting innovative EarthObservation data applications research.www.nerc.ac.uk /funding/thematics/eolink/

Forest Information Update (FIU) is a freeweekly email newsletter on theinventorying and monitoring of naturalresources. FIU is produced by ForestI n f o r m a t i o n S e r v i c e sht tp : / /home.a t t .ne t /~gk lund/ and issupported by organisations, agencies andindividuals working in the naturalresources field. All the FIU's are nowp o s t e d o n t h e G A O F p o r t a lwww.foresters.org/portal under topic(Forest Information Update). Currently FIU

Internet Features

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is sent to about 6,000 emai l addressesworld-wide.

The mission of the IUFRO Task Force onGlobal Forest Information Service (GFIS) is todevelop a strategy for, and implement, anInternet-based metadata system that willprovide coordinated worldwide access toforest information. The resulting system willprovide multiple benefits to information usersand providers including, facilitating user-friendly access to a greater amount ofi n f o r m a t i o n , a n d i m p r o v i n g t h edissemination and quality of forest-relateddata and information. http://iufro.boku.ac.at/iufro/taskforce/hptfgfis.htm.

http://www.gofc.org/gofc/index.htmlGlobal Observation of Forest and Land CoverDynamics (GOFC-GOLD) is a coordinatedinternational effort working to provideongoing space-based and in-s i tuobservations of forests and other vegetationcover, for the sustainable management ofterrestrial resources and to obtain anaccurate, reliable, quantitative understandingof the terrestrial carbon budget. Originallydeveloped as a pilot project by theCommittee on Earth Observation Satellites(CEOS www.ceos.org) as part of theirintegrated Global Observing Strategy, GOFC-GOLD is now a panel of the GlobalTerrestrial Observing System (GTOSwww.fao.org/gtos/index.html).

The UNEP World Conservation MonitoringCentre (WCMC) produces integrated andaccessible information on the conservationof the world's forests and their biodiversity,as well as providing support in managingthis information

www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/homepage.htm

The ‘User Requirements Study for remotesensing based spatial information for thesustainable management of forests’ isavailable in downloadable PDF format at:

http://www.itc.nl/forestry/URS/ Span ishand French versions of the executivesummary are also available. The studyaims to address the following issues:

• Assessment of requirements for spatialinformation in order to supportsustainable forest management;

• Preliminary evaluation of the extent towhich these requirements for spatialinformation can be met by existing andplanned remote sensing systems;

• Identification of the requirements for,and components of, an improvedinformation supply mechanism in theform of an “end-to-end” informationsystem.

The User Requ i remen t Su rveyquestionnaire and an overview of availableliterature on spatial information needs canbe found at Neonet http://apex.neonet.nl/

Netherlands Earth Observation NETwork.

Last but not least, the ETFRN topics pageon remote sensing and GIS

http://www.etfrn.org/etfrn/topics/

remotesensing/index.html

provides access to all GIS and remotesensing related information on the ETFRNwebsite; including the links page on thistheme, the results of the ETFRN Directorysearch, as well as meetings and trainingcourses on this topic. In addition, the‘searchable databases’ link leads into thesearch results of web databasesmaintained by other organisations.

Funding

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The International Foundation forScience - Call for Research GrantApplications from Developing CountryScientists

The International Foundation for Science(IFS) provides support to young Scientists ofmerit in developing countries by awardingresearch grants and providing grantees withadditional services such as travel grants andpurchasing assistance.

The IFS supports research related to therenewable utilisation of biological resourcesin areas such as crop and animalproduction, forestry, food science, naturalproducts and fisheries, as well as researchon sustainable utilisation and conservationof natural ecosystems, including themessuch as water management and biodiversity.Proposals for projects may addressbiological, chemical or physical processesas wel l as social and economicrelationships important in the conservation,production, and renewable utilisation of thebiological resource base.

Research grants are awarded up to amaximum value of $12,000 USD for a periodof one to three years and may be renewedtwice. They are intended for the purchase ofequipment, expendable supplies andliterature. Applications must be citizens of,and carry out the research in, a developingcountry. Specifically excluded are countries inEurope, including Turkey and Cyprus, as wellas countries of the former Soviet Union.Argentina and Uruguay are also not eligibleto receive support. As well as being underthe age of 40 (under 30 for applicants fromChina) and at the start of their researchcareer, candidates must possess a higheracademic degree, which should be at leastan MSc or equivalent.

Applications are made on the application

form in English or French, which is availablefrom the IFS Secretariat or can bedownloaded from the website.

International Foundation for Science,Grev Turegatan 19,S-114 38, Stockholm,Sweden.Fax: +46 8 5458 1802 Email: [email protected]://www.ifs.se

ITTO Fellowships Offered

ITTO offers fellowships through theFreezailah Fellowship Fund to promotehuman resource development and tostrengthen professional expertise in membercountries in tropical forestry and relateddisciplines. The goal is to promotesustainable management of tropical forests,the efficient use and processing of tropicaltimber, and better economic informationabout the international trade in tropicaltimber.

Eligible activities include:

• participation in short-term trainingcourses, training internships, studytours, lecture/ demonstration tours andinternational/regional conferences;

• technical document preparation,publication and dissemination,such asmanuals and mongraphs; and

• post-graduate studies.

Priority areas: eligible activities aim todevelop human resources and professionalexpertise in one or more of the followingareas:

• improving the transparency of the tropicaltimber market;

• improving the marketing and distributionof tropical timber species fromsustainably managed sources;

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• improving market access for tropicaltimber exports from sustainablymanaged sources;

• securing the tropical timber resourcebase;

• improving the tropical timber resourcebase, including through the applicationof criteria and indicators for sustainableforest management;

• enhancing technical, financial andhuman capacities to manage the tropicaltimber resource base;

• promoting increased and furtherprocessing of tropical timber fromsustainably managed sources;

• improving the market ing andstandardisation of tropical timberexports; and

• improving the efficiency of tropical timberprocessing.

In any of the above, the following arerelevant:

• enhancing public relations, awarenessand education;

• improving statistics; • research and development; and • sharing information, knowledge and

technology.

Selection criteria: Fellowship applicationswill be assessed against the followingselection criteria (in no priority order):

• consistency of the proposed activity withthe Program's objective and priorityareas;

• qualifications of the applicant toundertake the proposed fellowshipactivity;

• the potential of the skills and knowledgeacquired or advanced under thefellowship activity to lead to widerapplications and benefits nationally andinternationally; and

• reasonableness of costs in relation tothe proposed fellowship activity.

The maximum amount for a fellowship grantis US$10 000. Only nationals of ITTOmember countries are eligible to apply. Thenext deadline for applications is 4 September2002 for activities that will commence Mayand November each year.

Further details and application forms ( inEnglish, French or Spanish) are availablefromDr Chisato Aoki, Fellowship Program,ITTO; Fax 81-45-223 1111; [email protected]

The Lincoln Park Zoo Neotropic Fund

The Lincoln Park Zoo Neotropic Fundsupports field research in conservationbiology throughout Latin America and theCaribbean. The fund emphasises support ofgraduate students and other youngresearchers, particularly those from LatinAmerica.

Between five and fifteen projects aresupported each year. Awards are seldomgreater than US$7500 and most awards fallin the range of $3000-$6000. Initial supportis for up to 12 months from the date of award.Maximum duration of support is 2 years.Deadline for receipt of Neotropical proposalsis 1 September. For information and application procedures,contact:

Lincoln Park Zoo Neotropic Fund,Department of Conservation and Science,Lincoln Park Zoo,Chicago,IL, 60614,USAEmail: [email protected]: www.lpzoo.com/conservation

Source: What’s Up, The newsletter of theInternational Canopy Network (ICAN) Vol. 8No. 1 Fall ,2001

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Training-Course in Forest Management,inventory and Monitoring

The Department of Forest Biometry, Universityof Freiburg/Germany offers training coursesfrom Sept 02 to Sept 13 and Sept 16-27, 2002in the areas forest management, inventoryand monitoring. The objective of the coursesis to familiarize forest managers, projectpersonnel, and scientists with methods offorest inventory and monitoring systems andprocedures fo r sus ta inab le y ie ldmanagement. More information andsubscription forms can be found under:www.forst.uni-freiburg.de/biometrie/training-courses.

Participatory monitoring and evaluationof biodiversity: results of the ETFRN e-workshop

By Anna Lawrence

Participatory biodiversity assessment (PBA)provides a way of reconciling the need fornational assessment, monitoring andreporting; with the increasing focus oninvolvement of all relevant stakeholders andparticularly indigenous / local communities.PBA, i.e. biodiversity assessment by and withnon-scientists can provide short-cuts toscientific assessments; provide data which isuseful to local resource managers in a waywhich scientific assessment is not; link in toscientific information which is relevant to localneeds; enhance inclusivity of decision-making. The workshop sought to elucidate: the waysin which values affect the assessmentprocess; approaches and methods in relationto objectives and information needs; the costsand benefits; and priorities for institutional /policy change to create an enablingenvironment. 300 Participants from 55countries included the CBD secretariat,

international donors and NGOs, universities,grassroots organisations. All have different reasons for PBA, and varyinginformation needs. Most national or regionaldecision makers expect information inquantitative spatially comparable forms.Participatory processes may not supply thisso readily (or efforts to quantify may distortlocal perceptions) but may provide qualitativeinformation of different and complementaryvalue. It is very important to match objectiveswith methods and stakeholders, rather thanapply a blanket set of recommendations to allsituations which appear to need aparticipatory approach.

Assessment is affected by value judgements,regardless of who is conducting theassessment. It is often assumed that localpeople value only useful species; butresearch reveals spiritual, cultural and ethicalvalues; and that species or habitats with non-material values may be at least as importantas those with uses. In documenting methods, the main debatewas between those who sought localknowledge to develop wider-scale quantitativemeasures of change, and those whoemphasised the importance of strengtheningcommunity capacity to make decisions aboutresource management, which in turnenhances their motivation to conserve. Itappears that methods linking local andscientific assessments or values are scarce,and more work still needs to be done on theanalysis and communication of results.

Participatory approaches take more time anddifferent skills compared with scientificsurveys, but there are benefits that are worththis cost. The potential for real synergybetween different actors depends not only ongood communication, but also on realisticunderstanding of the costs and benefits ofinvolving di f ferent actors in suchassessments, and above all ensuring thatlocal people can take part in analysis anddecision-making. The process of negotiating,

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observing and analysing indicators may bringabout more change than the data gathereditself, and in particular can enhance benefit-sharing, as well as be more sustainable thanexternally led processes. However to achievethis, changes in education, training ofscientists, and institutional networking areneeded.

The conference ran from 8-25 January 2002.Please see the conference website: http://www.et f rn.org/et f rn/workshop/biodiversity/index.html

For further information please contact: Dr Anna Lawrence, Environmental Change Institute, 5 South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3UB, UK. tel. +44 1865 281214 fax. +44 1865 281202email:[email protected]

Bringing Back the Forests: Policies andPractices for Degraded Lands andForests

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 7-10 October 2002

A four-day, international conference onsolutions to rehabilitation challenges in theforests and grasslands of Asia and thePacific. The objectives of the conference areto:

• Review the current status of rehabilitationefforts and knowledge;

• Identify critical issues of policy andimplementation that must be addressed ifrehabilitation is to become a keycomponent of forest management; and

• Encourage cross-disciplinary learning andpartnerships among rehabi l i tat ionpractitioners, resource managers, policym a k e r s a n d o t h e r c o n c e r n e dstakeholders.

Conference organisers are the Asia Pacific

Association of Forestry Research Institutions(APAFRI); Food and Agriculture Organisationof the United Nations (FAO); ForestryResearch Support Programme for Asia andthe Pacific (FORSPA); Forest ResearchInstitute Malays ia (FRIM); and InternationalUnion of Forest Research Organisations(IUFRO).For further details, and to register online, visitt h e c o n f e r e n c e h o m e p a g e a thttp://apafri.upm.edu.my/reconf/index.html.

Alternatively, you can contact: Mr Alias Abdul JalilAPAFRI Secretariat Tel: +6-03-6272 2516E-mail: [email protected]

Genomic Approaches to Forest TreeStress Tolerance - Short Course

This is to announce an EU funded shortcourse / advanced research workshop to beheld on September 16 - 27, 2002 in Crete,Greece and entitled "Genomic Approaches toForest Tree Stress Tolerance".

The course should be an exciting, informativeand enjoyable one, with confirmedspeakers/lecturers including:

David NealeChristophe PlomionGiuseppe VendraminNikolaos PanopoulosWeber A. Neves do AmaralF. A. (Phil) AravanopoulosMalcolm CampbellAndreas Doulis

The course will cover the following topics,using a combination of lectures, laboratorypracticals, and tutorials:

Stress Resistance Mechanisms, ResistanceEngineeringPopulation Genetics, F-statistic, GeneticDistances, Linkage disequilibrium

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Paternity AnalysisGenetic Designs and Linkage analysisQuantitative Trait Loci (QTL) MappingMarker Assisted SelectionDNA fingerprintingFunctional Genomics, Response MappingComparative GenomicsEST, SNPs, DNA arrays

More information on this course can be foundat ht tp: / /www.maich.gr /envi ronment/news/genomics.html

Adaptive Management for BiodiversityConservation: a collective learningapproach in conditions of social andecological change

Pre-announcement IAC-WU Seminar 2002

Welcome to this year’s IAC-WU Seminar onAdaptive Management for BiodiversityConservation. The seminar is part of the IACTraining Programme on Leadership andAdaptive Management in Forest Environments(LAMFE), to be held from September toNovember 2002. In this programme we bringtogether people from organisations involvedin natural resources management to explorenew ways towards sound and equitable landuse. At the occasion of this seminar,audience from the Netherlands and abroadwill join the international participants of theLAMFE training programme.

Biodiversity conservation is one of theimportant issues of this year’s internationalenvironmental policy debate. Parties to theConvention of Biodiversity Conservation meetin April in The Hague to discuss the progressmade. The topic is also one of the majorsubjects of our LAMFE training programme.Therefore, we want to focus this year’sseminar on adaptive management as anapproach which balances biodiversityconservation and livelihood sustainability.

Biodiversity conservation is only one of themany interests of different stakeholders in theuse of natural resources. These stakeholdersoften have competing interests in the use andconservation of various natural resources.The interests depend on both regionalecological and socio-econom ic conditions,livelihood conditions of local communitiesand institutional arrangements for managingthe natural resources. At present theseconditions are often undergoing a rapidchange. The complex and dynamicinteractions between these conditions makedecision-making for biodiversity conservationprone to uncertainty and surprise. Adaptivemanagement addresses this situation byinvolving stakeholders in a decision-makingprocess based on experiential learning. Activemonitoring and feedback from the results ofdecisions are core aspects of this iterativeprocess. Learning takes place collectively andis therefore also called social or collaborativelearning.

At the seminar we will explore the potential ofadaptive management to create space forbiodiversity conservation in decision-makingat the local level. This is particularly importantwhen considering biodiversity conservation inconditions where local people’s livelihoodsare at stake, and where poverty, landdegradation and loss of biodiversity haveentered a vicious spiral. Some of the issues to explore are: What is thepotential of social learning for change, aimingboth at improved livelihood and biodiversityconservation? How to facilitate a collaborativeprocess involving actors with very differentagendas? What are the implications of sociallearning for the formulation and adaptation ofmanagement plans? What managementtypes are most appropriate in differentcircumstances? What is needed in terms ofinstitutional environment, leadership andorganisational change? Which kind ofconflicts can we expect at different levels andhow to deal with these conflicts? What is the

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influence of market forces and of externalpolicies? How can networking and knowledgemanagement contribute to upscaling thelessons learnt? In order to explore theopportunities and limitations, we will supportour discussions with appropriate casematerials.

The International Agricultural Centre (IAC)organises this seminar in collaboration withWageningen University and other institutionsand organisations in the Netherlands. Theseminar will be held from 21-23 October 2002in Wageningen, the Netherlands.

The closing date for application is 15September 2002. More information can beobtained from Ms. E.Rippen at the following e-mail address: [email protected]: +31 317 495 495Fax: +31 317 495 395

Functional Grouping of Tropical Trees

By Jan Dick

One square hectare of tropical forest maycontain as many as 500 trees of over 10 cmdiameter representing over 200 differentspecies. Classifying tropical trees into‘functional’ groups rather than taxonomicgroups is currently one of the most rapidlyexpanding areas of forest management andbiodiversity research. Between the 10-13th

December 2001, over 40 European scientistsand practioners working on tropical forestsmet at Edinburgh, Scotland to discuss andlearn together about the important topic of‘functional groupings’.

They define functional groups as a groupingof organisms that respond in a similar way toenvironmental factors. This meetingsponsored by the Human PotentialProgramme of the EU was the first tospecifically bring European scientiststogether to exchange ideas on this topic. The

meeting was judged by all to have been agreat success because so many young andsenior scientists came together with a realwillingness to develop the tool of functionalgroups. A clearer understanding of tropicalforests dynamics is needed now for a widerange of management and policy issuesincluding biodiversity, conservation, globalchange, socio-economic and povertyalleviation.

The meeting started with internationallyrecognised keynote speakers presentingreviews of the functional group knowledge todate and these were interspaced with talks oncurrent unpublished papers. During the nexttwo days the participants discussed andagreed a list of important traits necessary todefine these groups and many offered tosend relevant methodologies for measuringthe traits, which the organisers, EdinburghCentre of Tropical Research (ECTF) agreed topost on the web www.nbu.ac.uk/tropical/CONFHome.htm

The Scient i f ic committee includingresearchers from CIRAD-FORÊT, France;University of Wageningen, Netherlands;University of Edinburgh, and Centre forEcology and Hydrology, Scotland weredelighted with the consensus of the meeting.It is hoped that this group can help get aclearer understanding of tropical forestsdynamics and advise on the management ofthese important global resources.

Dr Jan DickCenter for Ecology and Hydrology, EdinburghBush Estate PENICUIKMidlothian EH26 0QBScotland, UKTel - (44)-0131-445-4343Fax - (44)-0131-445-3943 Email: [email protected] - www.nbu.ac.uk/tropical

The Field Station "La Gamba" in Costa

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Rica

The Bosque-Esquinas, one of the mostspecies-rich forests of Central-America, islocated in the south eastern part of CostaRica. The endangered forest could be savedwith the financial help of an Austrian non-profitorganization which was initiated by themusician Univ-. Prof. Michael Schnitzler.

In 1993 a field station near the village LaG a m b a , w h i c h i s n o w c a l l e dthe"Tropenstation La Gamba", wasestablished. The station consists of a fullyrenovated farmhouse and annexes and issituated on the border of primary rainforest. Atpresent accommodations for c. 14 (18)persons are available. The station has anelectricity supply and is equipped with akitchen, bathrooms, computers, cellularphone, microscopes, drying and collectingequipment, photo herbarium, and a smalllibrary. It is an excellent base for carrying outscientific work or for simply enjoying andexploring the lush rainforests. Since severalyears excursions and courses on tropicalbiology for students and for naturalists areoffered by the staff of the station. The"Scientific Report 1993-2001" (in German)presents an overview on activities,publications and projects around theTropenstation. It can be ordered from thefollowing address:

Information and reservation:Mag. Werner Huber & Mag. AntonWeissenhofer Institut für Botanik, Rennweg 14, 1030 Wien,Austria.Tel. ++43-1-4277-54083, Fax ++43-1-4277-9541Email: [email protected]: www.regenwald.at

ASB Website

We are pleased to announce the completionof the ASB website (www.asb.cgiar.org). Thesite's new features, include information onASB activities by region and topic, as well asa fully-searchable ASB Publications Database(developed with the help of Dennis Lisbjerg ofBIOS, [email protected]).

The ASB Publications Database currently lists375 publications (in a variety of media) thatwere produced in part or entirely under theauspices of the ASB Programme. A subset ofthese publications are available in downloadable form, and in all cases e-mail,contact details are provided for furtherinformation. The database is set up toperform both standard, unlimited searches(by year, author, title, etc.) as well as limitedsearches by region, topic or publication type.Where available, abstracts and/or links to fulltext via on-line journals are provided in the "alldetails" section.

Many of you have already provided links fromyour organization's website to the ASBwebsite (thank you). With this message, weare hoping to establish more mutual links,and would be very grateful if you could spreadthe word within your respective organizationsabout the site.

The ASB website provides a new medium forrapid and extensive communication with therest of the world about ASB activities. From itslaunch in May 2001 through year-end, the sitehad approximately 25,000 hits, with anaverage duration per visit of over 10 minutes.The site had 2,869 'unique' visitors, amongwhich 492 were repeat visitors. We expectthese numbers to grow quickly as weestablish more mutual links with partners andother organizations.Many thanks for taking the time to browse thenew site. We will be delighted to receive yourcomments and reactions.

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Please contact:Jessa LewisGlobal Coordination OfficeAlternatives to Slash-and-Burn (ASB)Programme+1 (858) 455 [email protected] www.asb.cgiar.org

The Seventh Round Table Conferenceon Dipterocarps

“Dipterocarps in the new millenn ium:Conservation, Domestication & Utilisation”

7 t h-11 t h October 2002, Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

Jointly organised by: Asia Pacific Association of Forestry ResearchInstitutes (APAFRI). The International Union of Forestry ResearchOrganizations (IUFRO Working Party S1.07-17),Forest Research Insti tute Malaysia(FRIM),University Putra Malaysia (UPM)Forestry Departments PenisularForestry Department SabahForestry Department Sarawak

The organisers acknowledge the initialfunding by CIDA through the Tree Link Projectto prepare and distribute this firstannouncement. The organising committeewill be a wide range of funding agenciesseeking support from to offset costs from the7th Round Table Conference.

BackgroundWe have now stepped into the 21 st century.The last Round Table Conference onDipterocarps which was the sixth in the serieswas held at Bangalore, India in 1999. At theBangalore meeting several resolutions wereadopted by the participants. The resolutionscovered the fields of conservation,domestication and utilisation of thedipterocarp family with the aim that more in-

depth studies on these disciplines must becarried out and new knowledge generated intime for the next round table conference. Afterthree years, the time is just right for this nextConference, which is now being organised .

The Seventh Round Table Conference will beconvened in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. It isanticipated that at this Conference, newresearch information on the species in thefamily of Dipterocarpaceae will be activelydeliberated upon. The aspirations of thisinternational conference therefore is to gatherall researchers, policy makers, woodtechnologis ts, educationalists, conservatorsand foresters who work on this family fromaround the globe to participate and toexchange information at this Round table. Theattendance of participants from all the regionswill provide more networking opportunities forfurther collaborative work and a platform forfostering closer ties and exchange ofinformation among all involved withdipterocarps.

Objectives of the 7 th Round Conference• To explore, exchange and update scientific

and technological findings and informationon dipterocarps;

• To provide a forum for dipterocarpsresearchers to present the results of theirresearch and projects relating toconservation, domestication, utilisation andproducts of dipterocarps;

• To identify new directions and strategies forsustainable management of dipterocarps.

• To identify opportunities to developcollaboration among researchers and tostrengthen the networking among them.

Scope and Topics• Biology, physiology, ecology and

ecophysiology of Dipterocarpace• Silviculture and Management of Natural

Dipterocarps forests• Silviculture and Management of

Dipterocarp plantations• Economics and Social Aspects of

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Dipterocarp Forests• Improved wood technologies and

utilisation and other forest products ofdipterocarps

The Conference will be of value to:ResearchersAcademiciansDecision/Policy makersForest Managers/ForestersNGOsPlantersFunding Agencies

ExhibitionExhibition on products/services will be heldduring the conference. For further informationplease contact the secretariat.

MeetingsA satellite meeting of the Malaysian workinggroup members will be held on the 11th

October 2002. New members and observersare cordially invited for the meeting.

Special interest groups wishing to organisetheir own country meeting should inform theSecretariat in advance to facilitate room etc forsuch meeting

LanguageThe language of the conference is English.

Registration FeeThe conference fee, which covers a full set ofpapers/proceedings, lunches, welcomedinner and conference bag are as follows:

Participants Local: Government- RM 600Other- RM700Foreign: USD 300Local student: RM200 (without dinner)(IUFRO or APAFRI members are entitled to a30% Discount on the registration fees) Local partic ipants or s tudents areencouraged to make payment for registrationeither by cheque or credit card. Payment

should be made in favour of “APAFRI” ForOverseas participants, payment should bemade through bank draft or creditcard(VISA/Master Card). Those who haveconfirmed the ir participation, please pay by15th July 2002 to following address: Seeunder Exhibition

VenueThe conference will be held at one of theleading hotels in Kuala Lumpur

EnquiriesAPAFRI-Secretariat(Attn: Dr Baskaran Krisnapillay / Mr AliasAbdul Jalil)c/o Forest Research Institute MalaysiaKepong 52109 Kuala LumpurTel:603-6272 2516, 603-6277 3207Fax:603-6277 3249E-mail : [email protected] : www.apafri.upm.edu.myRegistration Form is available at the websiteat http:/www.apafri.upm.edu.myYou may register online.

CATIE’s Database of Forest Seeds

Publications and Courses

CATIE takes an interest in assuring theavailability of forest seeds of high physicaland genetic quality. It provides services toenhance the results of (re)forestationprogrammes. Besides information onaspects such as collection and processing ofseeds, biology, genetic improvement,management of seed sources anddocumentation CATIE also provides trainingcourses in these fields. CATIE can becontacted at:

Banco de Semillas Forestales, CATIE, Apdo: 7170 Turrialba, Costa Rica. Tel.: (506) 556 1933. Fax: (506) 556 7766. Email: [email protected],

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or [email protected].

Email newsletter on Reduced ImpactLogging in Francophone Africa

RIL-Afrique- L est un bulletin électroniqueportant sur les pratiques d'exploitationforestière à faible impact en Afrique. Il veutêt re l 'expression d 'un réseau decommunications, d'échanges et dediscussions entre les différents acteurs dusecteur forestier (professionnels et non) et ils'adresse plus particulièrement à l'Afriquefrancophone. RIL-Afrique-L est un serviceoffert par la Division des produits forestiers(FOP) de la FAO.

Informations pratiques concernant la listeRil-Afrique-L

Pour s'inscrire à la liste, envoyer un messageà l'adresse suivante:[email protected] en laissant la ligne objet vide et en rentrant laseule phrase: subscribe RIL-Afrique-L

Pour faire parvenir une contribution à la liste,envoyer un message àl'adresse suivante:[email protected]

Pour toute question ou problème technique,envoyer un message à [email protected]

Si vous voulez annuler votre inscription, ilvous suffit d'envoyer un message à :[email protected] laissant la ligne objet vide et en rentrant laseule phrase: unsubscribe RIL-Afrique-L

Votre information est sûre: nous nedistribuerons pas votre adresse ou d'autreinformation sur votre inscription à des tiers.

Nous espérons et attendons des abonnéstout article intéressant qui contribuera audébat et à la connaissance.

Le coordinateur de RIL-Afrique-L

Quantitative Colorimetry in the Cielaband Cielch System Applied to theDevelopment of a Catalogue of Coloursof the Brazilian Tropical Woods.

José Arlete Alves Camargo, Joaquim CarlosGoncalez, Gérard Janin,

A colour catalogue of 400 species of braziliantropical wood was produced to quickly identifyand classify the wood colours. The colour ofthe wood, associated with the surfacepat terns, are the most importantcharacteristics for the end-uses in the woodfurniture industry. The quantitative colorimetrytechnology enables us to obtain numericalevaluation of the wood colours through theCIELAB and CIELCH system, with the valuesof the characters L*,a*,b*,C, h. This will alsoallow us to identify which woods belong to thesame "cluster of the colours". One of the biggest benefits of the catalogue isthat it facilitates the choice of wood specieswhich show the same, or quite similar,colorimetric attributes for substitution ofspecies, and so to avoid extinction of thesespecies in the forest .

José Arlete Alves Camargo, Laboratório De Produtos Florestais,Ibama , Brasilia

Joaquim Carlos Goncalez, Gérard Janin, Departamento Florestal, Universidade DeBrasiliaEmail: [email protected]

Publications

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By Bert van der Linden

Global Forest Resources Assessment2000 - Main Report

FAO Forestry Paper (2001)

This publication constitutes the principalreport of the Forest Resources Assessment(FRA) 2000. The FRA compiled and analyseda wide range of information about the extent,composition, protection and utilisation offorests for each country. Special attentionwas given to estimating the rate of change offorest resources and to documenting thefactors implicated in these changes. Twoapproaches were used to the globalassessment. The most important one was tocollect data on field level and to aggregateinformation working upward to country leveland eventually global level. This approachwas supplemented by an another one, whichlooks down from above by means of satelliteremote sens ing. The information andknowledge provided by countries form thebackbone of the FRA 2000.

The main findings on forest area and areachange are presented in Part I, Chapter 1.Part one also presents the results of studieson wood volume and biomass, plantationsand other key parameters studied in FRA2000. Part II presents findings organised bygeographic region and subregion. Part IIIdescribes the methodologies and processesunderpinning the assessment. Thedevelopment of a comprehensive forestryinformation system (FORIS) which wascreated to assemble and disseminate theFRA 2000 results is also described.

The publication is published in English,French and Spanish and is also available onthe FAO Website at http://www.fao.org/forestry/fo/fra/main/index.jsp; the web site

also provides more detailed data bycountry in the country profiles.

For further information contact FAO,Vialle delle Terme di Caracalla,00100 Rome,Italy. Tel.: +39 065 7051. Fax: +39 065 7053152.

The World’s Forests Rio+8 policy,practice and progress towardssustainable forest management

M. Söderland & A. Pottinger (2001)

The Commonwealth Forestry Association(CFA) has published the third book in theseries of publications entitled The World’sForests. This publication focuses on theforest policy developments under theumbrella of the Intergovernmental Forumon Forests (IFF) process (1997-2000) andother high-level initiatives in support ofsustainable forest management. The bookconsolidates important international forestpolicy developments during the period1997-2000.

The book consists of four parts. In part Ifocus is on the outcomes of theintergovernmental dialogue on forest inthis period. Part II highlights thegovernment- and organisation-ledinitiatives in support of the IFF process. Anoverview of the evolution of criteria andindicators for sustainable managementover the last decade is presented in part III.Some initiatives on criteria and indicatorsare highlighted. Finally, in part IV anassessment is made of the progressachieved since Rio (’92).

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ISBN 0-9515059-3-9, 310 p. Published by The Commonwealth Forestry Association,c/o The Oxford Forestry Institute, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK. Tel: (+44) (0)1865 275000. Fax: (+44) (0)1865 275074.E-mail: [email protected]:www.plants.ox.ac.uk/ofi/home.htm

Mapping and Monitoring ForestRemnants

A multi-scale analysis of spatio-temporaldata

L.M. Tavares de Carvalho (2001)

Much attention is paid to forest destructionand ways to counteract it. A great deal of theeffort is directed to the areas that remainextensively covered by forests. Forestfragments are largely overlooked althoughthey are of significant importance to the localenvironment. This book explores the actualm ethodologies and techniques such asremote sensing and geographicalinformation technologies which enable theacquirement of the necessary data for thedevelopment and validation of ecologicalmodels, management activities and decisionmaking for forests, including fragments allover the world.

The book uses information from a researchproject dealing with semi-deciduous AtlanticForest in Brazil, initiated in 1998 by aBrazilian research institute EMBRAPA andthe two Brazilian universities (UFLA andUNB). It describes the strategy, based onremote sensing information, that was usedto classify and monitor areas in a region withfragmented Atlantic Forest. The procedurethat was followed to determine the locationof deforestation over a large area isdescribed. This method is not difficult and

can therefore be used by local authoritiesas a warning system for deforestation.

PhD thesis. Wageningen University. 136 p.For further information:[email protected] Information:Secretariat,Centre for Gio-Information,Alterra, P.O. Box 339, 6700AH,Wageningen,The Netherlands.Tel: +31 317 474640 Fax: +31 317 474567On line ordering:Http://www.agralin.nl/luwpubs/

Global and Regional Vegetation FireMonitoring from Space; Planning aCoordinated International Effort

F.J. Ahern, J.G. Goldammer & C.O. Justice(2001)

Increasing conflagrations of forests andother lands throughout the world during the1980s and 1990s have made fires inforests and other vegetation emerge as animportant global concern. Both the numberand severity of wildfires and the applicationof fire for land-use change seem to haveincreased dramatically compared toprevious decades of the twentieth century.The adverse consequences of extensivewildfires cross national boundaries andhave global impacts. Satellite remotesensing technology has the potential top lay an important role in both monitoringfires and their consequences, as well as inoperational fire management.

This book contains thirteen contributionsauthored by scientists who represent them ost active international research anddevelopment institutions. These paperswere initially presented at a workshop

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organised within the framework of theinternational pilot project Global Observationof Forest Cover (GOFC), initiated by theCommittee on Earth Observation Satellites(CEOS) in 1997. GOFC was designed tobring together data providers and informationusers to make information products fromsatellite and in-situ observations of forestsmore readily available world-wide. Thevolume is a contribution by the GOFC ForestFire Monitoring and Mapping ImplementationTeam to the Interagency Task Force WorkingGroup Wildland Fire of the UN InternationalStrategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).

ISBN 90 5103 140 8, 303 p. Distributors forthe USA and Canada: Library ResearchAssociates, Inc., 474 Dunderberg Road,Monroe, NY 10950. Fax: (845) 3953. For all other countries: SPB Academic Publishing bv, P.O.Box 97747, 2509 GCThe Hague, The Netherlands. Fax: (+31 70) 3300254.Email: [email protected]. Website: www.kuglerpublications.com/spb.

Criteria and Indicators for SustainableForest Management at the ForestManagement Unit Level

2001 EFI Proceedings No. 38

A. Franc, O. Laroussinie, T. Karjalainen (eds.)2001

This publication contains the papers thatwere presented at a conference organised byGIP Ecofor and the European Forest Institute(EFI) on behalf of IUFRO Task Force onSustainable Forest Management, and underthe auspices of FAO, CIFOR and CATIE, atNancy, 22-25 March 2000.

The 18 papers in this publication attempt tocontribute to the development of a

consensus on Criteria and Indicators thatdeals with the paradox of sustainableforest management that appears to exist.On the one hand it seems very appealing,challenging and new for some groups, onthe other hand it seems very classical andalready implemented in managementplans for other groups. Elements of theparadox are presented in the papers, suchas the distinction between sustained yieldand sustainable forest management, theextraordinary diversification of thefunctions, goods and benefits produced bythe forests and the increasing diversity ofstakeholders involved in forest planningand management. Moreover, recently newvalues have emerged as equally importantto the values already recognisedworldwide.

For more information contact: European Forest Institute (EFI), Torikatu 34, FIN-80100 Joensuu, Finland. Tel.: +358 13 252 020.Fax: +358 13 124 393. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.efi.fi/

E v a l u a t i n g T r a n s d i s c i p l i n a r yResearch–an Assessment instrumentPanorama: Special Issue 1/99

In a special issue of its newsletterPanorama the Swiss National ScienceFoundation presents the results of aproject that deals with the issue ofadequate evaluation of inter- andtransdisciplinary research; problemor iented research requi r ing thecooperation of science and the privatesector. This issue has gained significancein recent years. The project involved thecompilation of a Catalogue of Criteria fort h e E v a l u a t i o n o f I n t e r a n d

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ETFRN News 36/0286

Transdisciplinary Projects. This specialissue is also availab le as pdf-file onhttp://www.ikaoe.unibe.ch/forschung. Forhard copies contact IKAÖ, Project “Evaluation Criteria”,Falkenplatz 16, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. Fax: +41 31 631 8733.Email: [email protected].

The invisible Wand: Adaptive Co-management as an Emergent Strategyin Complex Bio-economic SystemsCIFOR occasional paper no.34

J. Ruitenbeek and C. Cartier (2001)

This paper provides an economicperspective on concepts related to adaptiveco-management (ACM). The hypothesis isexplored as to whether ACM can be regardedas an emergent strategy under specificconditions. The theory of “self-interest” asthe determining factor that leads to stabilityand efficiency in economic systems againstthat of a complex bio-economic system inwhich “altruistic common interest” can act asa forcing factor (our “Invisible Wand”).

For more information contact: CIFOR, P.O.Box 6596 JKPWB, Jakarta 10065,Indonesia. Tel.: +62 (251) 622622. Fax: +62 (251) 622100. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.cifor.cgiar.org.

Rural Development Forestry 1985-2001

The Overseas Development Institute hasproduced a CD-ROM that contains 17years of its publications on forestry-relatedissues.

• 214 key publications chart thedevelopment of people-orientedforestry from 1985 to the present day.

• 174 Rural Development ForestryNetwork Papers (RDFN)

• 5 European Tropical Forestry Papers(EUTFP)

• 14 Natural Resources Perspectives(NRP)

• 4 Forestry-related Working Papers(WP)

• 17 chapters of the EU Tropical ForestrySourcebook

All papers are indexed by publication,keyword, author and region. Full textversions of the majority of publications areavailable in English, French and Spanishas Acrobat pdf files. The adobe acrobatreader is also included on the CD-ROM.

For more information please contact:Overseas Development Institute,111, Westminister Bridge Road,London SE1 7JDUnited Kingdom.Email: [email protected]://www.odi.org.uk

FAO’s Forestry Activities in Asia andthe Pacific

The FAO Regional Office for Asia and thePacific supports agriculture, fisheries,forestry, and rural development across theregion. Through the Asia-Pacific ForestryCommission (APFC,) member countriesset policy priorities for the main forestryactivities in the region. APFC has

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commissioned a number of studies to assistin the identification of the priorities in forestryin the region. The results have beenpublished in reports, several of which arediscussed below.

REGIONAL TRAINING STRATEGYSupporting the implementation of the code ofpractice for forest harvesting in Asia-Pacific

APFC has developed the Code of Practice forForest Harvesting in the Asia-Pacific, whichencourages environmentally sound forestharvesting throughout the region. However, inmany countries in the region personnel areinsufficiently trained to practice the codeproperly, because of lack of training facilities.As a follow-up to this identified need theAPFC agreed to formulate a regional trainingstrategy. This document is the result of thateffort. It presents a generic training strategythat can be adapted to specific needs andsituations. The document provides a generalframework of the strategy and guidelines forits implementation.

TRASH OR TREASURE?LOGGING AND MILL RESIDUES IN ASIA ANDTHE PACIFICHigh wood residue volumes from forestryand wood processing activities have neverbeen considered a problem, until recently.Nowadays, with decl in ing forest andconsequently wood resources, it hasbecome an issue. Therefore, the APFCcommissioned a study on the magnitude ofthe problem and on alternative uses forlogging and mill residues. The overallobjectives of the study were to estimate anddescribe the availability and use of residuesin the processing chain ( includingharvesting, transport, storage andprocessing) of major forest productindustries, from the standing tree to the finaland semi-final product, and present optionsfor reducing residues in the forest and in

wood-processing industries. The results ofthe study are presented in this publication.

FORESTS OUT OF BOUNDSLogging is viewed by many people as akey factor in deforestation and consequentloss of biological diversity, deterioration ofwatersheds, expansion of deserts and thedemise of forest-dependent people. Inresponse a number of countries in Asiaand the Pacific have imposed partial orto tal bans on harvesting timber fromnatural forests. The study of the Impactsand effectiveness of logging bans innatural forests arose from the need toassess the success and failures of suchstrategies and approaches in the Asia-Pacific region. Its results have beencompiled in this document.

National consultants carried out studies intheir respective countries, covering avariety of experiences with timberharvesting bans. The results of each of thestudies and a regional overview arepresented in the document. An executivesummary of the document is alsoavailable.

For more information please contactPatrick B. Durst, Senior Forestry Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and thePacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. Tel: (66-2) 697-4000. Fax: (66-2) 697-4445.Email: [email protected]. Website: www.fao.or.th/Technical_Groups/Forestry/forestry.htm,and http://www.apfcweb.org.

Forest Genetic Resources No.29

Within the framework of the FAO’s Forest

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Resources Assessment (FRA) 2000programme, a vast amount of information onthe status and trends in forest area, naturalforests, plantations, protected areas,sustainable forest management and other,related variables, was collected andanalysed. This information is available on thein te rne t a t www. fao .o rg / f o res t r y /fo/fra/index.jsp.

In this publication a summary is given oftrends in forest plantation development from1980 tot 1990, based on findings in FRA2000. A short art ic le reviews thecomplementary roles for conservation ofprotected areas, managed natural forests,plantations and breeding programmes, asreported in the FRA 2000 Final Report. Othercontributions in this publication report onaction, programmes and projects pursued inall regions of the world. This is the first in aseries of three complementary booklets ongenetic conservation, which will be jointlypublished over the coming months by FAO,the International Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute (IPGRI) and DANIDA Forest SeedCentre.

For more information contact:Forest Resources Developm ent Service,Forest Resources Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla,1-00100 Rome, ItalyFax: (39) 06 5705 5137. Email: [email protected].

An introductory field guide to theflowering plants of the Golfo Dulcerainforests, Costa Rica. Corcovado NationalPark and Piedras Blancas NationalPark

By Weber, A., W. Huber, A. Weissenhofer, N.Zamora & G. Zimmermann (eds.).

A remarkable plant book entitled “Anintroductory Field Guide to the floweringplants of the Golfo Dulce Rainforests,Costa Rica” was recently published. It isthe result of a cooperation project ofAustrian, Costarican and US-Americanbotanists.

This book deals with the plant biodiversityof one of the most species abundant forestregions in the neotropics and represents abasic work about the little knownrainforests in the Southeast of Costa Rica.With the book it is possible to identify allplant families and genera of the area. Over900 selected species from different lifeforms (trees, herbs, lianas, epiphytes etc.)are described, many of them areillustrated. Details about distribution,pollination biology, fruit- and seeddispersal, use etc. add instructiveinformation of phytogeographical andecological interest. A general sectioncovers geology, soils and climatic patternsof the region. This part also includesdescriptions of the various forest types andtheir characteristic species. An extensivephotosection with over 700 color photos ofecosystems , flowers, fruits etc., andnumerous black and white illustrations inthe text facilitate the identification. In summary, this is a fine work about aneotropical rainforest. It seems ofconsiderable interest for scientists andstudents as well as for naturalistsinterested in plant biology. The keys, thespecies descriptions and the very niceillustrations all add up to a high qualitypublication that will be used by anyoneinterested in working in these rain forestareas of Costa Rica. “The editors are to becongratulated on putting together such afine piece of work”.... Sir Ghillean Prance,Science Director, Eden Project, Cornwall.

The book is published in the STAPFIA

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series from the OÖ Landesmuseum -Biologiezentrum Linz and can be orderedfrom the:Institute of Botany,c/o Mrs. Marion Dominikus, Rennweg 14, 1030 Wien, Phone 01-4277-54124, fax direct dial 9541,email: [email protected]: Euro 49 plus postage costs.

Bosques nublados del Neotrópico

M.Kappelle & A.D. Brown (Eds.) (2001)

This publication brings together the results ofresearch on neotropical cloud forests withthe aim to enhance the knowledge on theseecosystems. It is hoped that this knowledgewill help to determine the requirements formonitoring the processes of degradation, forecological restoration and for theconservation of this type of forest. A numberof authors have contributed to the publication,which can be divided in two parts. Part Ideals with general aspects of neotropicalcloud forests, such as their uniqueecological features, their diversity, flora andfauna and its history. For each of thecountries in the Neotropics that have cloudforests within their boundaries more detailedinformation on these ecosystems is providedin Part II. The book also contains manycoloured photos, pictures and maps on thesubject.

ISBN 9968 702 50 1, 657 p. For moreinformation contact: Editorial INBio. P.O.Box 22-3100, Santo Domingo de Heredia,Costa Rica. Tel. (506) 244 0690, ext. 802.Fax: (506) 244 2816. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.inbio.ac.cr/editorial.

Flora Malesiana Bulletin

The Flora Malesiana Bulletin is an annualperiodical providing information andcontact between institutes and individualbotanists collaborating in the FloraMalesiana Project and related fields.

Flora Malesiana is a systematic account ofthe flora of Malesia, the plant-geographicalunit spanning six countries in SoutheastAsia: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,Brunei Darussalam, the Phi lippines, andPapua New Guinea.

The Bulletin is distributed free of charge toFlora Malesiana contributors. Cost to non-contributors is EUR 18.00 per copy (excl.Postage and handling)[email protected]. Ask forp o s s i b i l i t i e s f o r e x c h a n g e :[email protected]. For Flora Malesiana Bulletin bibliographiessee the website: http://132.229.92.132/fmbull/Correspondence address: Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Universiteit Leiden.P.O.Box 9514,2300 RA,Leiden, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 (0)71 5273500. Fax: +31 (0)71 5273511. Email: [email protected].

Biodiversi ty and DevelopmentProject

The Biodiversity and Development Project(BDP) is a collaborative initiative of theEuropean Commiss ion, The UKDepartment for International Development(DFID) and the IUCN. However, it hasinvolved much wider collaboration withinEurope of staff from EU Member States’development agencies and from theEuropean Commission. Beyond Europe,

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national consultants in developing countriesworked with project staff to produce 11 casestudies.

Guiding PrinciplesThis report captures the experiences andopinions of people working on biodiversityissues in EC partner countries. Theproduction of this report involved consultationwith 98 workshop participants, from 35countries. It presents the 7 main principlesand illustrates them with experiences fromfield projects and the lessons learned.

Strategic ApproachThis document is the result of consultationbetween EC policy advisors and taskmanagers dealing with biodiversity and theenvironment, and those working on naturalresource and non-natural resource issues.The Strategic Approach addresses theimportant issue of integrating biodiversity intodevelopment cooperation policy and practice.The document highlights the need to realisebiodiversity’s full potential to supportdevelopment, while addressing the directand underlying causes of this loss. TheStrategic Approach covers all terrestrialbiodiversity, coastal areas and some marineissues relevant for development cooperation.It focuses primarily on the conservation andsustainable use of biological resources indeveloping countries, from both natural andfarm habitats.

Biodiversity BriefsThe aim of the Biodiversity Briefs is to raiseawareness about biodiversity issues withinEC development cooperation. They aredivided into three types:

Policy Biodiversity Briefs, which are intendedfor use by EC delegations and desk officersduring the programming stage of the projectcycle, and for policy elaboration. TheseBiodiversity Briefs indicate the main issues

to be considered, make recommendationsfor action and suggest important principlesto be followed,

Sector Biodiversity Briefs indicateimportant issues which need to be takeninto account by technical advisors onnatural resources and non-naturalresources, at policy, programme andproject levels, and

Background Biodiversity Briefs, for ageneral audience, which summarisestopics and legal responsibilities, andindicate where more information can befound.

For further information contact IUCN Publications Services Unit, 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, UK. Tel. +44 1223 277894. Fax: +44 1223 277175. Email: [email protected].

All documents can be found on thew e b s i t e :http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/sector/environment.

The Development and application ofEcological Networks

A Review of Proposals, Plans andProgrammes

Bennet, G. & P.Wit (2001)

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This report comprises a worldwide review of38 ecological network initiatives that haverecently being developed or implemented. Itincludes an inventory of a wide range ofproposals, plans and ongoing programmesto establish ecological networks at scalesvarying from the regional to intercontinental,and summary findings on the main featuresof the initiatives. The report is intended as acontribution to IUCN’s review of experience indeveloping and applying ecologicalnetworks, which was initiated through aresolution at the World ConservationCongress in 1996. In total a number of over150 ecological networks were identifiedworldwide, of which 38 were studied in moredetail.

132 p. First published by AIDEnvironment,Amsterdam. For more information contactAIDEnvironment: tel. 020-6868111, fax. 020 6866251. Email. [email protected]. Website: www.aidenvironment.org

Forests of Fear: The Abuse of HumanRights in Forest Conflicts

G. Magin, C. Marijnissen, S. Moniaga and C.Meek (2001)

This report presents a pattern of widespreadviolation of civil and political rights in relationto forest conflicts. It provides examples fromNorth and South, from tropical, temperateand boreal forests. Five detailed casestudies in four different continents documentthe chain of casualties leading to humanrights abuses. Three country analyses, ofIndonesia, Mexico and Canada, show howhuman rights abuses are “institutionalised”by forest laws, power structures and lack ofparticipation. A list of shorter examplesillustrates the range of human rights abusesand the spread across different continents.

All cases have been checked with thepeople directly involved and contacts formore information are provided.

For more information contact: FERN, 1c Fosseway Business Park, Stratford Road, Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 9NQ. Tel.: +44 1608 652895. Fax: +44 1608 652878. Email: [email protected].

Des Forêts et des Hommes

A view on the people of the tropical forests

S. Bahuchet, P. de Maret, F. Grenand andP. Grenand (2001)

This richly illustrated book analyses thechanging lives of forest dwelling people inthe tropical forests of Belize, Guyana,Central Africa and Melanesia in the PacificRegion. In cooperation with localinstitutions the Centre d’Anthropologieculturelle in Belgium has conductedresearch on the characteristics of peoplewho live in the forest and depend on thisecosystem for their living. The results ofthe study are presented by answering anumber of questions regarding therelationship between these people and theforests they live and depend on. The mainquestion addressed concerns thecoherence between conservation of forestsand supporting the people that live in it.

APFT – ULBCentre d’anthropologie culturelle, Avenue Jeanne 44 – 1050, Brussels, Belgium. Tel.: +32 2-650.34.25.Email:[email protected]

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92

Past Issues of ETFRN News

19 General Dec 1996

20 Tropical Forest Research in Africa July 1997

21 Sustainable Forest Management Sept/Oct 1997

22 Research Priorities Dec 1997

23 South East Asia Mar- May 1998

24 Sustainable Forest Management Jun-Aug 1998

25 Mediterranean Forest and Tree Resources Sept-Nov 1998

26 Climate Change Dec 98 - Feb 99

27 Latin America Mar-May 1998

28 Arid and Semi Arid Areas Summer 1999

29 Biodiversity Autumn-Winter 1999

30 Participatory Forest Management Spring-Summer 2000

31 Countries with Low Forest Cover Autumn-Winter 2000

32 Non-Timber Forest Products Winter 2000- 001

33 Forests and Water Spring-Summer 2001

34 Biotechnology Autumn 2001

35 Innovative Financing Mechanisms for Winter 2001-2002Conservation and Sustainable ForestManagement

Issues 19 -35 are available online at http://www.etfrn.org/etfrn/resource/news.html

ETFRN NATIONAL FOCAL POINTS

Austria Institut für Waldökologie, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Peter Jordan Str. 82, 1190 Vienna.

Tel: +43 1 47 65 44100, Fax: +43 1 479 78 96, Email: [email protected],

Http://ann-etfrn.boku.ac.at Contact: Prof Dr Gerhard Glatzel

Belgium CIS/BIO, Federal Office for Scientific, Technical & Cultural Affairs, Wetenschapsstraat 8,

1000 Brussels. Tel: +32 2 238 34 53, Fax: +32 2 230 59 12, Email: [email protected],

Http://www.belspo.be Contact: Brigitte Decadt

Denmark Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Unit of Forestry, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 Frederiksberg C

Tel: +45 35 28 22 31, Fax: +45 35 28 26 71, Email: [email protected], Http://www.flec.kvl.dk/etfrn

Contact: Dr Jens Dragsted

Finland Viikki Tropical Resources Institute, PO Box 28, 00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki Tel: +358 9

19158643 , Fax: +358 9 19158646 , Email: [email protected], http://honeybee.helsinki.fi/tropic/

Contact: Prof Olavi Luukkanen

France ENGREF/SILVOLAB, BP 316, 97379 Kourou Cedex Tel: +5 94 32 26 75, Fax: +5 94 32 43 02,

Email:[email protected], Http://kourou.cirad.fr Contact: Marguerite Reder

Germany Bundesforschungsanstalt für Forst- und Holzwirtschaft, Leuschnerstr. 91, 21031 Hamburg.

Tel: +49 40 73962 101, Fax: +49 40 73962 480, Email: [email protected],

Http://www.bfafh.de/inst1/13/indexe.htm Contact: Prof Jochen Heuveldop

Greece Directorate of Forest Resource Development, Section of Forest Research, Ippokratous St. 3, 10164

Athens. Tel: +30 1 036 08084/036 08042, Fax: +30 1 03608685 Contact: Nikolas Efstathiadis

Ireland Council for Forest Research and Development, Dept of Agriculture & Food Engineering, University

College Dublin, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2. Tel: +353 1 7067346/7067700, Fax: +353 1 7061180,

Email: [email protected], Http://www.coford.ie Contact: Eugene Hendrick

Italy Instituto Sperimentale per la Selvicoltura, via delle Cascine 1, 50144, Firenze Tel: +39 055 360061,

Fax: +39 055 362034, Email: [email protected], Http://www.cesit.unifi.it/amazon/ Contact: Giovanni Preto

Netherlands Tropenbos International, PO Box 232, 6700 AE Wageningen. Tel: +31 317 495500,

Fax:+31 317 495520, Email: [email protected], Http://www.tropenbos.nl

Contact: René Boot

Norway Agricultural University of Norway, Dept of Forest Sciences, PO Box 5044, 1432 As, Norway. Tel: +47 64

94 8916, Fax: +47 64 94 8890, Email: [email protected],

http://www.nlh.no/isf/english/research/etfrn/norwegian_home.htm Contact Prem Sankhayan

Portugal Forestry Department, Tapada da Ajuda, 1300 Lisbon. Tel: +351 21 3602091/4181868

Fax: +351 21 3645000, Email: [email protected], Http://home.EUnet.pt/id006240

Contact: Prof Dr Raul M de A Sardinha

Spain CIT-INIA, Carretera de la Coruna Km7, 28040 Madrid. Tel: +34 91 347 37 50, Fax: +34 91 347 14 72

Contact: Dr Alejandro Lopez de Roma

Sweden Department of Forest Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden

Tel: +46 90 7866617, Fax: +46 90 7867750, E-mail: [email protected]

Http://www.sek.slu.se/eng/etfrn/ETFRNsverige.htm Contact: Dr Anders Malmer

Switzerland Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Groupe de foresterie pour le développement, c/o

Department Wald- und Holzforschung, 8092 Zürich. Tel: 41 1 632 3214, Fax: +41 1 632 1033,

Email: [email protected] Http://www.fowi.ethz.ch/etfrn Contact: Dr Jean-Pierre Sorg

U K UK Tropical Forest Forum, c/o Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2AB, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 208 332 5717, Fax: +44 208 332 5278, Email: [email protected],

Http://www.forestforum.org.uk Contact: Jane Thornback

EC Contact European Commission, DG Research, Rue de la Loi 200, 1049 Brussels, Tel: +32 2 299 42 04,

Fax: +32 2 296 62 52, Email: [email protected] Contact: Prof Nicole Riveill Bounaga

Http://europa.eu.int/comm/research

The European Tropical Forest Research Network - ETFRN

The European Tropical Forest Research Network is a network of Europeanorganisations involved in (sub)tropical forest research. It is presently supportedby Directorate General for Research of the European Commission under theINCO-DEV Programme.

For further information on ETFRN, please contact your National Focal Point (seeinside back cover) or the Coordination Unit (address below).

European Tropical Forest Research Network

c/o The Tropenbos Foundation

PO Box 232

6700 AE Wageningen

The NetherlandsTel: +31 317 495516

Fax: +31 317 495521

Email : [email protected]

Http://www.etfrn.org/etfrn

ETFRN News is a publication of the European Tropical Forest Research Network.It is printed on 100% recycled paper and has a circulation of 3,700 copies.

Texts may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, citing the source.

Contributions to the ETFRN News are always welcome. Themes and copy deadlines for the next issues:

Forest Use & Soil Quality 15 Aug 2002

Mountain Forests 15 Oct 2002