ASIA - PACIFIC FORESTRY LEADERS ADOPTS SOPS TO IMPROVE FOREST MANAGEMENT

At the seventeenth session of the Asia Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) held in Yogyakarta from 23 to 27 February 1998, the region's forestry leaders hailed the new "Code of Practice for Forest Harvesting in Asia-Pacific". This new Code is a major step toward sustainable management of the forests in the region. Implementation of the Code will reduce soil erosion and damage to water supplies, and help protect sensitive environmental areas from destruction. It was also promote better participation of local people in planning forest harvesting and improved efficiency of operations.

The "Code of Practice for Forest Harvesting in Asia Pacific" was developed over 2-year period under a process involving a wide range of affected stakeholders from forestry agencies, private sector, NGOs, and local governments. Development of the Code was initiated by the APFC, with support from FAO. Financial and technical support for drafting the Code was provided by the Senior Assistant to Minister of Forestry, Dr. Tantra, who is in charge as Chairman of the Ad Hoc Working Group for Sustainable Forest Management in the Asia Pacific since 1996, the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry played a key role in coordinating the exercise.

The Ad Hoc Working Group has been mandated by APFC to develop a Code of Practice for Forest Harvesting for Asia and the Pacific. The first meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group, held in March in 1997 in Bogor, had established a framework for the development of the regional code. In the eight months since the first meeting, a consulting firm contracted by the Government of Australia in support of the APFC initiative, had prepared a draft code. The draft had been circulated to national focal points and to many interested individuals and NGOs and organizations. The second meeting, convened in November 1997 in Bogor, were to discuss the draft. After being revised, the draft code which then were adopted in the Seventeenth Session of APFC in Yogyakarta.

Speaking in support of the Code, the former Indonesian Minister of Forestry, Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo, stated that The Code of Practice for Forest Harvesting serves as a strong indication of the region's commitment to sustainable forest management. Other forestry officials, however, warned that real success in stemming the problems of destructive forest harvesting will depend on how well the Code is implemented. They note the need for firm political support, awareness campaigns, and comprehensive field training.

The Commission through its Ad Hoc Working Group is preparing a series of international trainings so assist member countries to implement the code or to prepare a code for the country which has not have the code. The training would be conducted during the period of 1998-2000, with financial assistance from the government of Japan and Australia.