CIRAD at the 2009 World Forestry Congress

19/10/2009 - Article

For its 13th edition, the World Forestry Congress will be looking at the vital balance to be struck in terms of forestry development. It is to be held from 18 to 23 October 2009, in Buenos Aires. CIRAD, which is deeply committed to this topic, will be taking part in the event through several papers and posters, and three side events.

In the field of forestry development , CIRAD works to support different players (countries, private sector/industry, local populations, NGOs, etc) faced with often antagonistic economic, social and ecological issues, taking account of both local questions and current prospects of global change.
Industrial wood production is changing, and now needs to take account of social and environmental issues. To this end, players have at their disposal formal and legal tools such as development plans and the voluntary eco-certification approach. Within this field, researchers at CIRAD and their partners are working to improve development plans, develop low-impact logging practices, and take account of biodiversity and monitoring and control indicators. Improving the interface between productive forests and other forms of land occupation is another line of research. Taking a "landscape" approach, that line, includes agriculture, animal production and also protected areas. We are also looking into community management of forestry production.
Moreover, we cannot afford to overlook the informal production , which is often unsustainable and largely unknown, of timber, fuelwood and non-wood products. Research teams are studying this type of production, which is vital for local people. The aim is to propose more sustainable management sequences, particularly for the chains that supply fuelwood and game supply to towns.
This research is being conducted within several CIRAD strategic research platforms in central and West Africa and the Amazon Basin. On a global level, CIRAD has a strategic partnership with CIFOR in Southeast Asia, looking at forestry issues in relation to climate change.

CIRAD's participation in the World Forestry Congress in Buenos Aires, from 18 to 23 October 2009
Oral communications:
• Fuelwood in tropical countries, traditional practices, today's realities, and major prospects for the future
• National timber consumption in central Africa, a major challenge for sustainable forestry management
• Commercial game supplies in tropical areas
Posters:
• The economic viability of community forest management
• Carbon dynamics after logging and the Amazonian rainforest
• INRA, CIRAD: French forestry research on the global stage
• Ecofog: forestry research in French Guiana
Side events:
• Integrating biodiversity conservation into forestry production – event organized by CIRAD
• Forestry development in tropical forests: experiences and prospects – event organized by the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, with the participation of CIRAD
• Observatory for the Forests of Central Africa – event organized by the European Commission, with the participation of CIRAD

During the congress, CIRAD will also be on the France and Comifac stands.
A WFC 2009 special issue of the journal Bois et forêts des tropiques is to be published.