08 May 2011
Forestry professionals in the Pacific region have resolved to work closer together. At the the four-yearly joint conference between the New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) and the Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) held last week in Auckland, the 300-plus delegates adopted a 20-point resolution, calling for greater recognition of the value of forests and timber to society, the sustainable management of forests and the need for greater professional forestry input into forest policies in the region.“Delegates were united in the need for greater recognition of the value of sustainably managed forests and for recognition that timber and other forest products are essential for society and have environmental benefits not found in many products used by modern society that are not derived from forests,” said NZIF president Dr Andrew McEwen.
The conference also called for greater support for forestry professionals in smaller Pacific countries from the NZIF, IFA and CFA (Commonwealth Forestry Association).
“During the conference steps were taken to initiate a network of forestry professionals to increase engagement with our Pacific neighbours and to investigate ways in which the NZIF and IFA might facilitate exchanges of personnel and experience and promote the use of professional standards including codes of ethics,” said Dr McEwen. “This is certainly something I am keen to see happen and will work with my colleagues in NZIF and with the IFA and CFA to see what we can do to help.
“It is also a concern that governments throughout the region, including Australia and New Zealand, have reduced the role of professional forestry advisers, despite the importance of forests in contributing to carbon capture and storage,” said Dr Peter Volker, president of the IFA. “Our Pacific neighbours are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts as a result of our domestic forest policies.”
The full text of the conference recommendation follows:
The delegates to the 7th ANZIF Conference recommend that the New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) Te Pūtahi Ngāherehere o Aotearoa Incorporated (“NZIF”), the Institute of Foresters of Australia (“IFA”) and the Commonwealth Forestry Association (“CFA”), in collaboration with representatives from other Pacific countries:
1. Promote the recognition of timber as a forest product essential for society;
2. Promote an understanding that forests and society are intimately linked;
3. Advocate that forests be managed for the full range of goods and services that they can provide, and that this management be undertaken within a broader context of landscape management;
4. Promote recognition that forest conservation is a form of forest management and that protected areas need to be managed, monitored and reported on under the principles of sustainable forest management;
5. Promote the environmental benefits that arise from the use of wood from sustainably managed forests relative to many non-forest materials;
6. Recognising the vulnerability of some small island states to climate change, promote global policies that enable forests and wood products to make their full potential contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation;
7. Express the concern of the conference that in some countries (such as the Solomon Islands), governance and market failures leading to unsustainable logging are depleting a vital forest resource and that this could lead to adverse effects on the economies of those countries;
8. Facilitate and support the establishment of forestry associations where there is a desire for these to be formed;
9. Establish a network of forestry professionals in the Pacific region that will work towards furthering the interests of professional forestry and forestry professionals, including those working for environmental and other government and non-government organisations and entities;
10. Facilitate exchanges of personnel and experience between Pacific countries, including the development of mentoring networks and opportunities for practical on-the-job training;
11. Promote the development and use of professional standards including codes of ethics;
12. Promote greater cooperation between forestry sector training and education bodies at all levels (vocational, technical and university) in the Pacific region;
13. Advocate for greater professional forestry input into all levels of government decision making that might affect forests or forestry, including at the international level;
14. Advocate for the participation of all affected people, especially minorities, in forest development and management;
15. Advocate for the promotion of the social, cultural and economic interests of indigenous peoples and landowners;
16. Promote the need for greater awareness of the finance available for forestry and advocate for greater financial assistance for forestry projects in the Pacific region;
17. Advocate for enhanced investment and collaboration in forestry research and development undertaken by Australian, New Zealand and other institutions in the Pacific region;
18. Promote the need for timely, reliable and transparent forestry and tenure data and information throughout the Pacific region;
19. Approach the Australian and New Zealand governments, the Commonwealth of Nations and others for financial support for forestry professionals through existing programmes;
20. Ensure that the Presidents of the NZIF and IFA and the Chairman of the CFA report back within twelve months to the delegates at this conference on progress with the matters included in this recommendation.
ENDS
Source: NZIF media release
Contacts: Andrew McEwen, President, NZIF. Tel: +64 (0)4 476 6163 or +64 (0)274 733 262, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Peter Volker, President, IFA. Tel: +61 (0)3 6235 8344 (W), or +61 (0)418 125 319, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
John Innes, Chairman, CFA. Tel: +1 (0)604 822 6761, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.