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New forestry pragmatism emerges at World Forestry Congress

Xinhua, September 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

One of the major trends that emerged at the 14th World Forestry Congress held in Durban, South Africa, was the sustainable use of forest resources.

The 14th World Forestry Congress which kicked off on Monday is held under the theme of Forests and People: Investing in a Sustainable Future.

The notion of tree hugging, leaving forests to grow for their own good, is quite clearly being replaced by a notion of sustainable development and hence an engagement with our forestry sector that allows for sustainability and certainly, use.

Dr Ken Dickensen, Senior Forestry Officer of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said there was increasing recognition that the demands for wood, food and other forest products would continue to increase as the human population increases. There was a need to increase food production "in the right places".

Director General of South Africa's Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Edith Vries said, 13% of South African land is arable, if used properly it is enough to feed the people without forest encroachment.

Another highlight of the congress was the signing of agreement to combat illegal timber trade by the forest agencies of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Madagascar and Mozambique.

Delivering a Tree Talks presentation today, Secretary General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), John Scanlon, said advances in technology and transport afforded people the potential today, through unregulated, unsustainable or illegal trade "to wipe out a species in no time at all".

"We are confronting heavily armed organized criminals who are stealing wildlife at an industrial scale. The future of wildlife is going to be determined by the actions taken by each one of us, both as consumers and as citizens," he said.

Delegates at the forum addressed a broad range of issues from governance and land tenure, to human-wildlife conflicts, trade-offs and wildlife crime.

CEO of South African National Parks, Fundisile Mketeni, said improved wildlife management held the promise of improving the lives of poor people in rural areas. "That is at the heart of sustainable living in the long term," he said.

The 14th World Forestry Congress will seek tangible solutions over the next two days to the global challenge of feeding a growing human population, while limiting the extent of climate change and environmental degradation. Editem