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Commonwealth
Forests | | |
 OPPORTUNITIES
The common language of Commonwealth countries offers an overarching opportunity to
Commonwealth foresters to work together to share experiences in solving common challenges.
This is especially true of south-south co-operation and collaboration1. Related to that is
the
particular case of the Commonwealth Forestry Conference, where foresters from the 53
countries of the Commonwealth (and others) have the opportunity to come together every four
years to exchange experience. Changes in the format of the Conference in recent years have
increased the opportunity for foresters to get together and meet informally.
Other opportunities include specific instances where Commonwealth foresters have been
leaders:
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Several Commonwealth countries, described in Chapter 2, have been pioneers in
decentralisation, devolution of responsibility and the involvement of communities, and the
privatisation of planted forests. They and others could learn from their experience.
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The Commonwealth includes at least 33 professional associations and institutes; although
usually representing national interests, nevertheless they offer through their journals,
newsletter and meetings excellent fora for networking
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There is also the opportunity for the four countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and
the UK) with professional institutes which control the profession nationally to assist others
to develop such institutes, thus strengthening the profession and enabling it to speak with
one voice on national forestry issues.
Commonwealth-wide recognition of the imminent and usually negative impact of climate
change on society and foresters, offers forest researchers a unique opportunity to emphasise
the shared nature of the challenge and to work together to identify options for the adaptation of
forests – and forest-related impacts on society – to the threat. Such research would
contribute to the development of national plans for adaptation to changes in the climate.
There is an opportunity for the sharing of experience among Commonwealth countries in the
marketing of intangible benefits arising from forests, in particular carbon trading where London
is developing as a major centre.
The Commonwealth also offers the opportunity for researchers to exchange experience on
contributing to forest and land-use policy-making and planning in other areas of global change,
such as the loss of biological diversity, demographic changes, and pollution. The challenge
to
forest managers of preventing forest fires offers an opportunity for collaboration in exchanging
experience in programmes for public education.
There are two related opportunities in forestry education. The first relates to the under-utilised
potential for networking, collaboration and cooperation among staff and students of
Commonwealth universities. The second is that there is now no international body to bring
together those involved in forestry education to exchange experiences in facing common
challenges2; there is an excellent opportunity for the forestry faculties of Commonwealth
universities to take the lead in instituting such a forum.
1
UNESCO announced in April 2007 the establishment of an international
centre for South-South cooperation in science, technology and innovation, to
be run by the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
The
aim is to create a network of national centres of excellence.
See http://www.portal.unesco.org/en/
and http://www.mosti.gov.my/MostePortal/
.
2
The FAO Advisory Committee on Forestry Education held its last meeting
in 1996
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