European Union Supports Sustainable Forestry
11/18/99
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Title: EUROPEAN Union Supports Sustainable Forestry
Source: Environment News Service
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: November 18, 1999
BRUSSELS, Belgium, November 18, 1999 (ENS) - The European Union
Development Ministers have adopted a resolution to confirm the
European community's commitment to sustainable forestry.
The ministerial talks were based on a European Commission
communication outlining an "integrated international strategy seeking
to ensure the qualitative and quantitative conservation and
sustainable management of forests."
Ministers said they recognize the role partner countries play in the
planning and implementation of policies for the timber industry. They
stressed the need for coordination, consistency and complementary
initiatives in the context of programs undertaken by the
international community.
The Commission, which is the executive branch of the European Union
government, asserts that the European Union feels responsible for the
sustainable management of the world's forest resources. It is
recommending that the Member States take action to achieve the
following specific forestry targets:
* Reduce uncontrolled deforestation and forestry deterioration
* Extend the areas of land covered by sustainable forestry operations
* Help achieve an even-handed increase in levels of income from
forestry products
* Protect genetic resources and biological diversity
* Improve the ability of institutional frameworks to react to
conflicting forestry requirements
* Extend basic knowledge about forests
The Commission stresses the need to develop policies and schemes that
recognize the national sovereignty over forests and reconcile the
various expectations so as to guarantee a sustainable use and supply
of forestry products for people in developing countries and for the
world as a whole.
Through the use of aid programs and various financial instruments,
the Commission hopes to help developing countries develop policies
for promoting the forest sector and to promote agroforestry and other
sustainable forms of land use.
The Commission is certain that if used in a sustainable way, forests
and trees can continue to make a significant contribution to economic
and social development, to conserve biological resources, and to
maintain natural ecosystems. It also plans to improve the efficiency
of the use and processing of forest, and to contribute to the
development of research, information, skills, and technology
transfers by lending support to the aforementioned activities.
The Commission is certain that if used in a sustainable way, forests
and trees can continue to make a significant contribution to economic
and social development, to conserve biological resources, and to
maintain natural ecosystems.