Forest management in Ghana is in a transition period. This report looks at the historical background and forest condition today, summarises a recent botanical survey, and offers recommendations for a new management regime given the seriously threatened state of many forest reserves.
The result of the work of the Kenya Indigenous Forest Conservation programme, this report provides a summary of the existing information about Kenya's indigenous forests. Covers geographical background; assessment of the biodiversity, environmental services, and wood products functions and values; population pressures; utilisation; economic value; policy; legislation; management guidelines and criteria for management planning of such forests.
Limits to expansion of protected area systems underline the importance of seeking new ways to conserve biodiversity. There are many examples where traditional rural communities have shown their capacity to maintain high biological and cultural diversity. The 12 cases studies ranging from the High Andes to Viet Nam support the view that certain traditional agricultural and postoral systems can succeed in attaining a sustainable level of production while at the same time maintaining a high level of biodiversity as well as most functional aspects of the ecosystems.
This account of extractive reserves in the Brazilian Amazon region provides practical examples of sustainability based on first-hand reports. The historical background is followed by examination of social organization, analyses of the economic viability of reserves, the key elements in developing an extractive reserve system, establishment of legislation in Brazil, and subsequent management. It underlines the importance of community involvement.
Based on thorough bibliographic research of a highly controversial topic, this report, jointly sponsored by IUCN, UNEP and WWF, shows the potential of plantations, while also exposing problems which may arise if massive tree plantations proposed for the tropics are to be established. Major issues covered include; species selection, soil and water cycle effects, fires, pests and diseases, effects on biodiversity, carbon dioxide fixation, land tenure and social issues, and plantation economics.
