Regional Quarterly Bulletin on Wildlife and National Parks Management

REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (RAP), BANGKOKFOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

Vol. XXXV : No. 2

Featuring

Vol. XXII : No. 2

April-June 2008

Spotlight on

Asia-Pacific Forestry Week

&

APFC 22

REGIONAL OFFICEFOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

TIGERPAPER is a quarterly news bulletindedicated to the exchange of information

relating to wildlife and national parksmanagement for theAsia-Pacific Region.ISSN 1014 - 2789

Address

TIGERPAPERFAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Maliwan Mansion, Phra Atit RoadBangkok, 10200, Thailand

Tel: (662) 697-4000E-mail: fao-rap@fao.org

Website: http://www.fao.org/world/regional/rap/tigerpaper/tigerpaper.htm

Editor: Janice NaewboonnienAdvisors: M. Kashio and P. Durst

Contents

TIGERPAPER is dependent upon your free and voluntarycontributions in the form of articles, news items, and announcements inthe field of wildlife and nature conservation in the region. In order tobetter serve the needs of our readers please write to us and send in theinformation you have or let us know if there is any information that youneed. We appreciate receiving your letters and make all efforts torespond.

Cover: Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) off the coast ofMyanmarPhoto: Shingo Onishi

The opinions expressed by thecontributing authors are notnecessarily those of FAO. Thedesignations employed and thepresentation of the material in theTIGERPAPER do not imply theexpression of any opinion on the partof FAO concerning the legal orconstitutional status of any country,territority or sea area, or thedelimitation of frontiers.

Mutualistic Fishing Between Fishermen and Irrawaddy Dolphins in Myanmar..................................................… 1Wetlands and Climate Change............................................ 9Amphibian Faunal Diversity of Beraliya Mukulana Proposed Forest Reserve............................................................... 12Dry Matter and Organic Value of Cuscus Diet in West Papua........................................................................... 17Community-based Eco-tourism: Case study of Taman Safari Indonesia....................................................................... 21Re-sighting of Indian or Greater False Vampire in Gujarat..… 28

Asia-Pacific Forestry Community Gathers for Landmark Event in Hanoi............................................................... 1Benefits from Forestry Week Inputs................................… 6Parallel events:Protected areas, equity and livelihoods.............................… 9Potential of bamboo in the Clean Development Mechanism... 11Disseminating scientific information for policy and management................................................................... 12Money does grow on trees!................................................ 14Asia-Pacific universities forest education network................. 15National forest programmes in Asia and the Pacific............... 16Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA 2010)..........…… 17Teaknet............................................................................ 18Asia-Pacific Forestry Outlook Study: making progress........... 19FAO Asia-Pacific Forestry Calendar………………............... 20

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MUTUALISTIC FISHING BETWEEN FISHERMEN ANDIRRAWADDY DOLPHINS IN MYANMAR

by Shingo Onishi

Irrawaddy dolphin

There is a dolphin species whose name derivesfrom the Ayeyarwadyi (Irrawaddy) River of

Myanmar, namely the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwadyi)dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris). This dolphin isgenerally known to be distributed throughout thecoastal areas between Southeast Asia and northernAustralia.

I saw dolphins similar in shape and size toIrrawaddy dolphins at the muddy coast ofKawthoung, at the southernmost tip of Myanmar,but could not identify the species. I also heard thebreathing sounds of dolphins at night in the deltamangrove area nearby the mouth of the

Ayeyarwadyi River. Local foresters said that thesound was made by Irrawaddy dolphins and thatthere was a large population in that area.

The Ayeyarwadyi River is the largest habitat ofIrrawaddy dolphin in Myanmar. The main bodyof the river flows from north to south through thecentral part of the country. Several separatepopulations of dolphins are found along the river.

Apart from the delta area, other populations inhabitthe middle reaches of the river, from over 900 kmup to about 1,400 km from the mouth of the river,stretching from slightly north of Mandalay toaround Bhamo. The altitude ranges from 70-110m.

Fisherman casting the net (Photo: Shingo Onishi)

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In 2004, using the direct count method, theDepartment of Fishery, Ministry of Livestock &Fisheries, Myanmar and the Wildlife ConservationSociety (WCS) estimated the number of Irrawaddydolphins between Mandalay and Bhamo to total 72from 13 different locations. The northern part ofthe area between Kathar and Bhamo is the largerhabitat. In addition, there could be about 18 to 20dolphins in the southern part, i.e., Mingun andKyaukmyaung (Aung Myo Chit, Coordinator,Irrawaddy Dolphin project, WCS, 2008).

It is said that some dolphins in this southern habitathave a close and unique relationship with the localfishermen. In order to document this relationship Ivisited several villages between Mingun andKyaukmyaung and stayed with the fishermen from27 August to 1 September ’07 during the rainyseason, and from 7 to 13 January ’08 in the dryseason.

Village lifeMany villages are permanently settled on sandbanksof the Ayeyarwadyi River around there. Villagersdepend on the river water for bathing, washing andcooking and their life cycle depends on the waterlevel of the river. The land area becomes smaller inthe rainy season and larger in the dry season. Somesandbanks can be connected with the mainland inthe dry season.

Most of villagers make their living farming or fishingor both. Farming can be done only in the dry seasonwhen the land area becomes larger. Cultivatingusually starts in October. Cattle are used for plowingand cow dung is used as manure. Some people alsoraise chickens and pigs to supplement their income.The main crops are peanut, maize and various beans,and are usually harvested around March and April.Young people tend to be farmers because they caninherit farming implements and techniques from theirparents.

On the other hand, there are many people who areinvolved in both farming and fishing. They feel thatfarming is risky and unstable because crops can bedamaged by insect attacks, and therefore sincefishing is their vocation and farming is a sideline,they can be regarded as fishermen. One fishermansaid that he earns two-thirds of his total incomefrom fishing and one-third from farming. There are

also a considerable number of full-time fishermenas well.

Fishing methods

The local fishermen mainly use three kinds offishing gears:

a. longlineMany short strings are hung at regular intervalsfrom a long string as a leader. A fishhook isfastened at the tip of each short string. Then, thislongline is extended under the water and both endsare fixed on the riverbed.

b. gill netA long, narrow net is attached along a long string.The net is held vertically tense by many leadweights under the water. The net is about onemeter in depth and normally about 40 m in width,although some nets can reach about 80 m in width.There are two ways to use a gill net: fixing orfloating. In the case of fixed nets, the spread netis fastened to bamboo poles which are firmlyplanted on the riverbed and left under the waterthere for a while. In the case of floating nets, thenet is gradually paid out into the water from theboat and extended in the river. The end of the netis held by the fisherman on the boat, and the netdrifts down the river together with the boat. Aftera short time, the fisherman hauls up the net. Thisprocess is repeated. In this case, the net is calleda drift net. The drift net has many floats on thetop line and has less lead weights than the fixedgill net.

c. casting netThe casting net is about 5.5 m in length, with adiameter of more than 10 m when completelyspread out. The net is woven of nylon thread bythe fisherman and his family. Weaving tools aremade of bamboo. It takes about two months toweave one net. Some fishermen said that about 4kg of thread are used to make one net. Manysmall lead weights of about 7 kg are fixed alongthe edge of the net. Thus, the total weight of thenet would be more than 10 kilograms. This iswhy it can only be handled by adult fishermen.When a boy fisherman has reached his late teens,he starts to practice throwing the net. It needspatience and skill to get the knack of spreadingthe net circularly.

The gill net method is applied when the water

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level is higher, from around March to September.The casting net is applied throughout the year.Some fishermen use all methods while others useonly one method.

Fishermen usually use fishing boats, which aremade of wood and normally about 4 m in length.As the boat doesn’t have a screw, the fishermanrows it by wooden oars. When they go fishing, apair of fishermen commonly rides on a boat. Oneperson stays near the bow and another stays nearthe stern. To steer the boat at full speed, twopersons row in unison. Then, when they are fishing,one person handles the fishing gear and while theother controls the boat. Women also row boatsand join the fishing, but the casting net is usuallythrown by men.

Mutualistic fishing

When the water level is higher in the rainy season,Irrawaddy dolphins don’t approach the fishingboats closely, but neither do they nervously avoidthem.

The fishermen said that the dolphins are afraid ofgill nets and avoid approaching them throughoutthe year, but they are not afraid of casting nets.Moreover, some dolphins approach fishing boatsand jointly go after fish when the water level islower in the dry season. One fisherman said thatthe catch from casting net fishing with dolphins isten times larger than it without the presence of thedolphins. He also said that he can only catchenough fish for his family’s consumption whensolo fishing, but can catch enough fish to sell byfishing with dolphins. The fishermen who are ableto fish with dolphins are fixed, village by village.The members should be casting net masters andhave the knowledge and technique of how to fishwith dolphins. Of course, they can fish withoutthe dolphins, but they always expect the dolphinsto appear in the dry season.

It is generally said that the dolphin tends to besolitary or travel in small schools in the rainyseason, while they tends to form large schools ofup to dozens of heads in the dry season. But duringmy study, the dolphins acted solitarily or in smallschools of up to 6 heads in both the rainy seasonand the dry season. The fishermen can identify

each individual dolphin and predict which dolphinwill join them. They even give the dolphins namessuch as ‘Aunty Nape’, ‘Aunty Side Stripe’, ‘AuntyGecko’, ‘Reddish Guy’, ‘Yellow Girl’, ‘CuteChubby Boy’ and so on.

When the fishermen spot dolphins, they approachthe dolphins at full speed. Then, the fore fishermanlightly taps a short stick made of wood or bambooon the gunwale in a quick rhythm, while the rearfisherman mightily hits and splashes the surfaceof the water with the oar. They do this frequentlywhile they are rowing the boat. According to them,these actions signal the message to the dolphins“Shall we go fishing together?” Actually, theseactions can transmit particular sounds andvibrations to dolphins through the water. Inaddition, fishermen continuously mimic thedolphin’s voice.

If the dolphins are familiar ones and they agree todo the fishing together, the dolphins lead the fishingboats. If dolphins swim at full speed, they caneasily outdistance the boats and the boats wouldnot be able to follow them. But the dolphins seemto adjust their speed to that of the boats. Thedolphins search for a good fishing point andgradually approach it.

The joint activity depends not only on the individualdolphin, but the place also determines whether thedolphins will join the fishing or not. Even if dolphinsmeet well-known fishing boats, they may considerthe conditions. Then, if they judge the conditionsare not so good for fishing because the water istoo deep or too fast or so on, they may not jointhe fishermen.

Good fishing points are normally in the shallows.When the dolphins reach the chosen point, theystart swimming quickly right and left under thewater. This gets fishes to move together. Whendolphins start to act so, the fore fisherman standsup on the front upper deck and stretches the foldedcasting net and hangs it on his dominant arm. Whenthe net is ready to throw, the fisherman knocksthe net’s weights on the upper deck. This is thefinal signal to dolphins messaging “We are readyto throw the net.” While the fore fisherman ishandling the net, the rear fisherman steers the boat.

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When dolphins have finished herding the fishesinto the small range between dolphins and the boat,a dolphin will suddenly flap the surface of the waterwith the caudal fin or will suddenly lift up thecaudal fin and wave it in the air. This is the signalto fishermen to cast the net. As soon as the dolphingives this signal, the fisherman throws the castingnet. The tip of spread net would reach about tothe spot of the fin signal.

Then, the fisherman slowly hauls up the net. Whilethe net is being hauled in, the dolphins graduallyapproach the boat following the net. The fishermen

say that the dolphins eat the fish that escape fromthe net. Actually, the body of dolphin under thewater cannot be seen because of the muddinessof the water. But their movements can be assumedby the bubbling or rippling of the water.

When the net is completely hauled up onto theboat, dolphins swim away. While the fisherman isunraveling the net and collecting the fish, otherboats chase the dolphins to the next fishing point.One after another each boat fishes with thedolphins. The fishing fleets of some villages consistof 8 boats, while in other villages there may beonly 2 boats.

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The dolphin flays at the surface of the water with a caudal fin. This is the signal for the fisherman to throwthe net. (Photo: Shingo Onishi)

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The dolphin herds the fish towards the net. (Photo: Shingo Onishi)

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By this cooperative method, the fishermen cancertainly get a larger catch and the dolphins caneasily obtain fish for themselves, and thus bothsides receive benefits. This relationship is just likemutualism in the biological point of view. So, Iwould like to call this fishing method “mutualisticfishing”. The peak period of mutualistic fishing isfrom October to February.

Concerning the number of dolphins, somefisherman said that about 10 head would join thefishing, while others said that only 5 or 6 headused to join. And some fisherman said that up to20 head have sometimes joined.

During my stay, I witnessed three schools ofdolphins joining the mutualistic fishing. Each timethe number was 4 to 6 head in each school.According to the fishermen, each school consistsof adult females and young dolphins, both maleand female, and they should be related by blood.

I observed some young dolphins occasionallysplashing on the surface of the water, and a juniorfisherman prepared to throw the net. Suddenly, aveteran fisherman shouted “Don’t throw! It is just

playing.” Knowledge and techniques are definitelybeing passed on to the next generation of dolphinsand fishermen. The oldest fisherman of one village,aged 58 years, said that his parents also used todo the casting net fishing with dolphins. Heestimated that this fishing method has been donefor more than 80 years, but less than 100 years.

I hypothesize that the beginning of the mutualisticfishing came about when one day some dolphinsand some fishing boats were chasing the sametarget of fishes. The dolphins saw that many fisheswere caught by the casting net, but some of themalso escaped from meshes of the net and from thegap between the net and the riverbed. The dolphinrealized that it would be easier to catch fish if itfollowed the edge of hauling net and subsequentlyapproached the boats closer year by year. On theother hand, fishermen already appreciated howskillful dolphins were at searching for and gatheringfishes. So, they began to work together. The ruleis that dolphins lead boats to fishing points andgather fishes and fishermen catch fishes and neverhurt or kill dolphins.

Fisherman pulling in the net. (Photo: Shingo Onishi)

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Issues

Dolphins seem to dislike all kinds of motorboats.According to my observation, even while thedolphins were accompanying the fishermen’s boats,if some motorboat was getting closer to them, thedolphins stopped fishing for a while. When localboatmen of motorboats notice the mutualisticfishing operation, they change their course andtry not to disturb the fishing. But captains of largerpassenger boats and cargo boats seem not to care.

Mandalay, the second largest city of Myanmar, isabout 10 km south of the southernlimit of this dolphin habitat. As thecity is the important point ofwaterborne transportation, thesurface and the riverside of theAyeyarwadyi River are congressedwith many boats. Many pleasureboats also sail up to the famousancient city of Mingun, which islocated near the southern limit of thisdolphin habitat. All of the fishermenand captains said that dolphins nevermove downstream lower thanMingun.

Some illegal fishing methods reducethe fish population and also maydirectly hurt the dolphins. The mostterrible fishing method is the so-called“shock fishing”. The illegal fisherman uses apowerful battery or generator to send a highvoltage electrical current into the water. Then, hecollects the shocked fishes. Legitimate fishermensaid that one dolphin was electrocuted by this illegalmethod in 2005. Now, the government is trying tocontrol such illegal actions, but they are stillcontinue secretly.

The reason why fishermen and dolphins can sharefish catches is that there are enough fish in theriver. Fish can energetically propagate as long asthe river water is not too polluted and is filled withnutrition. The nutrition can be constantly suppliedby the rich forest of the vast catchment area. Ifsuch a balance becomes upset, the fish populationwill decrease. Then, fishermen and dolphins willbe rivals chasing a limited fish stock. Moreover,

the fishermen could begin to chase the dolphinsthemselves as prey. Some modernized fishingmethods can be a factor in upsetting the balancearound the river. It is risky to sharply decrease thefish population.

The government lists the Irrawaddy Dolphin inthe completely protected animals list. TheDepartment of Fishery, Ministry of Livestock &Fisheries, with WCS, has the system to issueidentification cards to cooperative fishermen torequest their participation for the conservation ofthe Irrawaddy dolphin and their joint fishing culture.

They cooperate in the patrolling,the research and spreading theeducation program. But somefishermen still won’t agree tohold the license. They may notwant to be restrained byanybody.

If someone wants to be rich,who can stop it? If someonewants to chose an easier way,who can stop it? We should notthink that the traditionalfisherman’s lifestyle is inferior.Actually, as long as they keepto this fishing style, they can besatisfied with enough fish on asustainable basis. We shouldcommend the fishermen so that

they can proudly keep on with their own lifestyle.

What I can do now is to introduce this amazingrelationship between animals and humans, and tolet people notice how noble they are and howharmless to the earth their actions are.

The author is a nature photographer. His addressis: 314 Minatomachi, Iyo-city, Ehime prefecture,Japan 799-3115.

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WETLANDS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

by Muhammad Rais

Earth came into existence and became part ofthis universe almost four billion years ago;

however, it took ages for any life forms to evolveon this planet. The main hindrance was the harshand unfavorable conditions, e.g., hightemperatures, the accumulation of poisonous gasesand lack of oxygen in the atmosphere, andultraviolet radiation from the sun reaching the earthunchecked. Still, the major constraint to the origin,evolution and diversification of life was theunavailability of water. Water totally dominatesthe chemical composition of all organisms. Theratio of water and solid mass is roughly 70:29% inall organisms. Moreover, at the cellular level waterconstitutes the same percentage. Seventy-onepercent of the earth’s surface is covered withwater. Most of earth’s water is held in the oceans

(97.61%), some is frozen in polar glaciers (2.08%),and some is present as ground water (0.29%).Less than 1% is available in the form of freshwater lakes and rivers. (Kalinin, 1969). But howand where did the water come from? We nowknow that the earth was continuously burning andcarbon dioxide and water vapors were given offas a result of combustion. These were believed toextinguish the fires and deep trenches on theearth’s surface were filled with this water. In thismanner, wetlands came into existence. Wetlandsare those lands that are inundated with surface orground water with a frequency sufficient tosupport plant and animal communities whosesurvival depends on saturated or seasonallysaturated soil. The estimated global area coveredwith wetlands is 12.8 million km².

Haleji Lake, Thatta, Sindh, Pakistan

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favorable conditions for life are now facing manythreats, but the major one is “global warming”.The burning of fossil fuels, changes in land coverand land use, etc. have resulted in increases inglobal temperatures, which inevitably results inchanges in the precipitation, the melting of polarice caps, and rises in the sea level, all of whichwill have serious implications for the wetlands.

Impact of climate change on wetlands

Alterations in the climatic pattern will have farreaching, deleterious consequences on the healthof wetlands and their dependent life forms.Climatic changes may bring about changes inhydrological regimes, in the pattern of evaporation,biogeochemical cycles, the cycling of nutrients andsuspended particles.

Without wetlands, the coastal, inland and highaltitude areas will all have to bear the consequencesequally. As for lakes and streams, a climate changewould result in the reduction of the polar ice cover,decreased availability of dissolved oxygen in deepwater, and an increase in the frequency of extremeevents, e.g., floods in some areas and drought inothers.

Effects on wildlife associated with wetlands

Rises in the temperature increases the duration ofhot days. In fact, some wetland-dependent wildlife,e.g., amphibians and reptiles, are sensitive to heatand would find it difficult to adjust to prolongedspells of heat. Some of them have alreadydisappeared, which has disturbed the food chainand is affecting those placed higher in the foodchain. Likewise, as parasites are unable toprocreate in cold environmental conditions, fewerfrost days could increase the incidence of diseasesand epidemics to an unprecedented level.

Changes in the ice cover duration and icethickness

Higher global temperatures would undoubtedlydecrease the ice cover and ice thickness in thepolar regions, and non-polar glacial retreat wouldbe favored. Consequently, wildlife in the polarregions such as polar bears, arctic foxes, etc. will

be affected. Moreover, processes regulated by icecover, for instance, gas exchange with theatmosphere, erosion, nutrient cycles, biodiversityand primary productivity, will be seriously affected.

Effects on fisheries

It is generally believed, and been proven by somestudies, that some fish species respond to highertemperatures by showing rapid growth.Nonetheless, the negative implications of this areseldom taken into consideration, such as that rapidgrowth demands more food, places to live and thechance of diseases escalates.

Alteration in species abundance, diversity andcomposition

Wetland-dependent species that do not haveexcellent mobility will face extinction ifenvironmental conditions change beyond theirtolerable limits. Even those with greater mobilitywill also be affected; for example, cold waterfishes would be restricted in their range whilewarm water fishes would expand their range.

Ecological succession

Climate change and higher temperatures favor thereplacement of original wetland communities suchas swamps and fen peat land communities withother types like bog peat land.

Salt water intrusion

Rises in the sea level may severely affect the low-lying wetlands. For instance, flood plains andswamps in low-lying regions could be displacedby saline habitat due to the cumulative effects ofsalt water intrusion, intense rainfall, storm surges,etc. Plant communities that cannot tolerate highsalinity and inundation become replaced withmangroves and other salt-tolerant plants.

Altered bird migration pattern

Changes in the wetlands that could be used asstaging, wintering and breeding sites for bird speciesthat migrate continent to continent, and even thosemigrating within country, will put the birds at risk.

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Conclusion

Climate change and global warming poses a greatdanger to the wetlands and their dependentwildlife. With each passing day the amount ofgreen house gases being emitted is increasing,which contributes to the rise in the global meantemperature, which in turn causes other deleteriouschanges in the environment such as prolonged heatspells, fewer cold days, the melting of ice masses,rises in sea level, etc. Now is the time to takeaction to protect the wetlands and preserve their

values and functions. This could be achieved bydeveloping a comprehensive structural frameworkat global and regional levels to minimize theemission of green house gases, by restoring peatlands and natural carbon sinks, and by launchinga public awareness campaign before it is too late.

Author’s address: Muhammad Rais, Lecturer,Department of Wildlife Management, Faculty ofForestry, Range Management and Wildlife, PirMehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University,Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

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Introduction

Sri Lanka is a biodiversity hotspot rich inherpetofaunal assemblages (Bossuyt et al.,

2004; Meegaskumbura et al., 2002). Favorableenvironmental factors such as high rainfall andhumidity and the high density of undergrowthfound in this region support a rich diversity ofherpetofauna. A total of 103 species of amphibianshave been recorded (De Silva, 1996; Dutta &Manamendra-Arachchi, 1996; Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 1998; Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2001a; Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2001b; Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005; Meegaskumbura& Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005) and 87 speciesbelonging to 16 genera are endemic to the island.Among those genera, Lankanectes, Nannophrys,and Adenomus have been considered as relic genera(Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2006;Pethiyagoda et al., 2006).

The Sri Lanka amphibian diversity is very highdue to the varied geology, altitude, climate,geography and habitats which support a widedistribution. Sri Lanka has various ecological zones,i.e., dry zone, intermediate zone and wet zone.Most of the species are recognized by lowland wetzone rain forest and vegetational floristic region(Bambaradeniya et al., 2003; Gunatillake &Gunatillake, 1990). The Sri Lanka amphibian faunamay also be grouped by their habitats, such asarboreal, burrowing, terrestrial and aquatic.According to the De Silva (1994) and Wijesinghe& Dayawansa (2002), the endemic speciesbelonging to these four groups are found in thewet zone rain forest. Sri Lanka has been fortunateas a fair proportion of their natural habitats arefound throughout the wet zone rain forest.

AMPHIBIAN FAUNAL DIVERSITY OF BERALIYAMUKALANA PROPOSED FOREST RESERVE

by D.M.S. Suranjan Karunarathna, U.T. Indika Abeywardena, A.A. Thasun Amarasingha, D.G.

Ramyanath Sirimanna and M.D. Chandana Asela

Sri Lanka’s natural forest areas still constitute over12% of the total land area (Tan, 2005). The naturalforests in the island are rapidly diminishing as aresult of the expansion of settlements andagricultural land, leading to adverse impacts onthe rich biodiversity (Bambaradeniya et al., 2003).The loss of natural forests over the past 100 yearshas led to the extinction of seventeen species ofscrub frogs Philautus spp. (Manamendra-Arachchi& Pethiyagoda, 2005). One of the biggestdrawbacks for conserving amphibian fauna of thecountry is the lack of knowledge of their distributionand ecology. Therefore, we believe this paperwould contribute to and enhance the currentknowledge of amphibian diversity within theBeraliya Mukalana Proposed Forest Reserve.

Study area

The Beraliya Mukalana Proposed Forest Reserve(BMPFR) area belongs to Alpitiya and Niyagamasecretariat divisions of Galle District, between thenorthern latitudes 6º14' and 6º18' and easternlongitudes 80º11' and 80º14' (Somasekaran, 1988).The study area is accessible via the Alpitiya –Pitigala main road in the northern part and theAlpitiya – Waturuvila main road in the southernpart (7 km from Alpitiya town junction). TheBeraliya Mukalana forest covers 4,639 hectaresand falls in the southwestern wet zone. This areahas a several small mountains, Atuwagala Kandabeing the highest mountain at 540 feet, and theforest area is 400 feet above sea level. The forestreserve receives the southwestern monsoon andthe annual rainfall is 3,660 mm and the averageannual temperature is 28ºC. The BMPFRvegetation can be categorized as lowlandevergreen rain forest (Gunatillake & Gunatillake,1990) and has a rich biodiversity like any other

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rain forest in the area. The study area has a richfloristic diversity and its composition is a very goodevidence for identifying a primary rain forest

(Ashton et al., 1997).

Methodology

The present study was carried out during 2004and 2005. A total of 16 days were spent forfieldwork during the two years. General areasurveys were carried out in different habitat typeswithin the BMPFR. Surveys were conducted bothday and night. All amphibian habitats such as waterbodies, under rocks, logs and decaying vegetation,and in trees and bushes for arboreal amphibianswere thoroughly searched for the presence ofspecimens. All collected species were examinedcarefully and noted down before being releasedback to the same habitats. The diagnostic keysgiven by Dutta and Manamendra-Arachchi (1996),Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda (1998),Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda (2005)and Manamendra-Arachci and Pethiyagoda (2006)were used for species identification. Basicenvironmental parameters were recorded at thelocations where specimens were collected.

Results

During the survey, 22 species of amphibiansbelonging to four families consisting of 14 genera,including 11 endemic amphibian species, wererecorded in BMPFR. Species from the endemicgenus Lankanectes, Nannophrys, Adenomus werefound in BMPFR. Most of the species wererecorded during the rainy season, especially in thewell-shaded canopy covered areas. Severalspecies were also recorded within the homegardens dominated by Areca-nut plants (Arecacatechu). Among the 22 species, only one speciesrepresented the caecilians.

The most common and abundant species presentin BMPFR are: Bufo melanostictus, Microhylarubra, Limnonectes limnocharis, Euphlyctiscyanophlyctis, E. hexodactyla, and Hoplo-batrachus crassus. Caecilians were the leastabundant (5%). Atukorale’s Toad (Bufoatukoralei), Bufo noellerti, Philautus cavirostris,Polypedates cruciger, Polypedates longinasus and

Yellow Banded Caecilian (Ichthyophisglutinosus) are also occasionally found within theforest. Ten species recorded from BMPFR areconsidered as nationally threatened in IUCN-SriLanka’s 1999 Red List of Threatened Faunaand Flora of Sri Lanka national status report.

Discussion

Adinomus kelaartii was observed during bothday and night, usually in close proximity tostreams. It is a semi-arboreal species and inhabitsrock boulders in streams (Manamendra-Arachchi,2000). They were mostly found at ground level.Three specimens of Bufo atukoralei were recordedfrom a single locality in a home garden habitat.The common house toad Bufo melanostictus is awidely distributed and commonly found nocturnalspecies in the study area. It is mainly seen in clearedor disturbed habitats in home gardens, and rarelyfound inside the forest. Two specimens were seeninside the forest and 17 specimens were observedoutside the forest near decaying logs and withrocky surfaces. Bufo noellerti is a terrestrialspecies and is rarely recorded near humanhabitations (Manamendra-Arachchi &Pethiyagoda, 1998). We also observed thisspecies in trees about 1m above ground level inwet barks.

Common bull frog Kaloula taprobanica is acommonly seen species and it is recorded fromhuman settlements such as in home gardens andagricultural lands. Microhyla rubra andRamanella variegate appear to be uncommonin this forest, as they were recorded from a singlelocality. Their calls were heard near a temporarypool during the rainy season. Many of them wereheard calling from the grass. About 13 specimensof Red narrow mouth frog were recorded in thisarea. Kandamby (2001) recorded 22 amphibianspecies from Galle District. However, twoPhilautus species were mistakenly identified asthese two species are extinct in Sri Lanka. TheWhite-bellied pug snout frog is an uncommonMicrohylid frog that was recorded in the survey,and is mostly seen during the night time. Threespecimens were recorded in the home gardensunder rocks and inside the houses.

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Hoplobatrachus crassus is the largest of the SriLankan frogs and very common in this area. Nineadults and 10 juveniles were seen near the streams.A juvenile with a yellowish green color line on thevertebral area and around the eyes was observedcrossing a forest path at night. A smaller percentagewas recorded from the paddy field. Fejervaryalimnocharis is another very common speciesrecorded from the grassland near temporary smallponds, pools and paddy fields. They are seen inlarge numbers everywhere in the study area.Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis and Euphlyctishexodactyla are very common species and wererecorded from temporary rain water pools andponds inside the BMPFR; 24 specimens wererecorded from this area. The Sri Lanka wood frogRana gracilis is rare in this area; it is terrestrial orpartly arboreal in habit and occasionally seen insmall numbers sitting on the sides of the paddyfields and inside the wells. It is active during thenight and during the daytime is seen resting underthe rocks.

Rana temporalis was found in rocky habitats withstreams and in the leaf litter in the rain forestthroughout the wet zone. Lankanectes corrugatushas been recorded on the margins of slow flowingsteams, in rocky areas of streams as well as inleaf debris. This species is essentially a sub-montane one, being recorded from the lowerfoothills. Nannophrys ceylonensis was rare andits distribution is restricted to the low country wetzone forest. They were found mainly underboulders and on wet flat rocky surfaces (Cascadehabitats). Rana auratiaca is a semi-arboreal specieswhich was seen under wet logs and on the leaflitter layer. It was also recorded near slow flowingstreams and pools surrounding very dampsubstrates.

The tubercle shrub frog Philautus cavirostris wasrecorded three times resting inside the monasterylavatory. In addition, this species was recorded inDediyagala, Kanneliya in Galle District (Kandamby& Batiwita, 2001). Philautus hoipolloi is acommon species in this area and the male’s callcan be heard 1-2m above ground level. Thenesting behavior of this species was alsodocumented; 17 eggs were laid in a 1- 2 cm holedug by the female. Common Hourglass Tree FrogPolypedates cruciger was frequently recorded

within the human settlements but was not observedwithin the forest areas. The Chunam Tree FrogPolypedates maculates is also recorded from thehome gardens. Their calls were heard at night fromthe trees adjoining the small pools about 10 feetabove ground level. A total of 18 specimens wererecorded from the study area. Ichchiophisglutinosus is very rare in this area; it was foundonly one time near Deniya Oya. This species isusually found in daytime under big wet logs.

Conclusions and recommendations

Preliminary indications are that the BMPFR siteis of high amphibian diversity interest andimportance. However, the survey period was shortand it is recommended that similar more long-termsurveys be conducted. Habitat loss anddeterioration remain the predominant threats toBMPFR amphibian populations. Tree frogs,especially of the genus Philautus and Polypedateslonginasus, show patchy distribution due to theirspecificity of habitat. The slash and burn techniqueof shifting cultivation involves the cutting of forestpatches for agricultural practices, which destroysthe habitat of Philautus.

This and other human activities involving cuttingof trees will contribute to decline of such arborealspecies of anurans. An advantage which has perhapsbeen overlooked as regards monitoring by membersof the local communities is that it helps to raiseawareness of the value of species and habitats. Ifthis awareness can be integrated into conservationand management effects, then the likelihood ofbiodiversity conservation is higher than otherwisemight be the case.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Dr. ChannaBambaradeniya, Mr. Mendis Wickramasinghe,Mr. Naalin Perera, Mr. Dilup Chandranimal,Mr. Sarath Ekanayake, Mr. BathiyaKekulandala, Mr. Roshan Rodrigo, Mr.Prasanna Samarawickrama, Mr. SandunPerera, Mr. Suranjan Fernando and Mr.Nalinda Peiris, Mr. Vimukthi Weerathunga, Mr.Pradeep Samarawickrama and Mr. SampathGoonatilake (IUCN – The World Conservation

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Union, Sri Lanka) for their valuableassistance. We would also like to thank Mr.Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi (WHT – WildlifeHeritage Trust of Sri Lanka) for his commentson this article. Finally, we thank Mr. ChamilaSoysa, Mr. Toshan Peiris, Mr. Panduka Silva,Mr. Asanka Udayakumara and Mr. DevakaJayamanna (YZA – Young Zoologists’Association of Sri Lanka) for their kind helpduring the field visit and other work in

BMPFR.

References

Ashton, M., Gunatileke, C.V.S., De Zoysa, N.,Dassanayake, M.D., Gunatileke, N. and S.Wijesundara. 1997. A field guide to thecommon trees and shrubs of Sri Lanka.Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka.

Bambaradeniya, C.N.B., Perera, M.S.J., Perera,W.P.N., Wickramasinghe, L.J.M.,Kekulandala, L.D.C.B., Samarawickrema,V.A.P., Fernando, R.H.S.S. and V.A.M.P.K.Samarawickrema. 2003. Composition offaunal species in the Sinharaja worldheritage site in Sri Lanka. Sri LankaForester. 26: 21-40.

Bossuyt, F., Meegaskumbura, M., Beenaerts, N.,Gower, D.J., Pethiyagoda, R., Roelants, K.,Mannaert, A., Wilkinson, M., Bahir, M.M.,Manamendra-arachchi, K., Ng, P.K.L.,Schneider, C.J., Oommen, O.V. and M.C.Milinkovitch. 2004. Local endemism withinthe Western Ghats – Sri LankaBiodiversity Hotspot. Science. 306: 479 –481.

De Silva, A. 1994. The Amphibia of Sri Lanka:a review. Loris. 20(3): 121-126.

De Silva, A. 1996. The Herpetofauna of SriLanka: a brief review. Graphic Land,Kandy. Published by Author.

Dutta, S.K. and K.N. Manamendra-Arachchi.1996. The Amphibian Fauna of Sri Lanka.Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka.

Gunatilleke, I.A.U.N. and C.V.S. Gunatilleke.1990. Distribution of floristic richness andits conservation in Sri Lanka.Conservation Biology. 4(1): 21-31.

IUCN Sri Lanka. 2000. The 1999 Red ListThreatened Fauna and Flora of Sri Lanka.IUCN Sri Lanka.

Kandamby, D.S. and S. Batuwita. 2001. Someobservation on the distribution ofRhacophorus cavirostris (Gunther, 1868)endemic tree frog from Sri Lanka.Lyriocephalus. 4(1&2): 93-94.

Kandamby, D.S. 2001. Some Amphibiansobserved in Galle District. Lyriocephalus.4(1&2): 89-92.

Manamendra-Arachchi, K. and R. Pethiyagoda.1998. A synopsis of the Sri LankanBufonidae (Amphibia: Anura) withdescription of two new species. Journalof South Asian Natural History. 3: 213–248.

Manamendra-Arachchi, K. 2000. Know yourfrogs. Sri Lanka Nature. 2(5): 4 – 16.

Manamendra-Arachchi, K. and R. Pethiyagoda.2001a. Ramanella nagaoi, a new tree-holefrog (Microhylidae) from southern SriLanka. Journal of South Asian NaturalHistory. 5: 121–133.

Manamendra-Arachchi, K. and R. Pethiyagoda.2001b. Polypedates fastigo, a new tree frog(Ranidae: Rhacophorinae) from SriLanka. Journal of South Asian NaturalHistory. 191-199.

Manamendra-Arachchi, K. and R. Pethiyagoda.2005. The Sri Lankan shrub-frogs of thegenus Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Ranidae:Rhacophorinae) with description of 27 newspecies. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology,Supplement No. 12: 163-303.

Manamendra_Arachchi, K. and R. Pethiyagoda.2006. Amphibians of Sri Lanka (text insinhala). Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka.

Meegaskumbura, M., Bossuyt, F., Pethiyagoda,R., Manamendra-Arachchi, K., Bahir, M.M.,Milinkovitch, M.C. and C.J. Schneider. 2002.Sri Lanka: an amphibian hotspot. Science.298: 379.

Meegaskumbura, M. and K. Manamendra-Arachchi. 2005. Description of eight newspecies of shrub-frogs (Ranidae:Rhacophorinae: Philautus) from Sri Lanka.The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, SupplementNo. 12: 305-338.

Pethiyagoda, R., K. Manamendra-Arachchi,M.M. Bahir and M. Meegaskumbura. 2006.Sri Lanka Amphibians: Diversity,

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Uniqueness and Conservation. Fauna ofSri Lanka: Status of Taxonomy, Researchand Conservation. IUCN Sri Lanka. 125-133.

Somasekaran, T. 1988. The National Atlas ofSri Lanka. Surveys Department Sri Lanka.

Tan, B.C. 2005. New species records of SriLanka Mosses. The Raffles Bulletin ofZoology, Supplement No. 12: 5-8.

Wijesinghe, M.R. and P.N. Dayawansa. 2002. Theamphibian fauna at two altitudes in theSinharaja rainforest, Sri Lanka.Herpetological Journal. 12: 175–178.

Author’s addresses: No: B-1/ G-6, De SoysapuraFlats, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka; The YoungZoologists’ Association of Sri Lanka, NationalZoological Gardens, Dehiwala, Sri Lanka.

Table 1: List of Amphibian species recoded from the Beraliya Mukalana Proposed Forest Reserve.(Abbreviations: TR – Threatened Species and E – Endemic species)

Family and Scientific name Common name Status Family :- Bufonidae 01 Adenomus kelaartii Kelaart's dwarf toad E / TR 02 Bufo atukoralei Atukorale's dwarf toad E / TR 03 Bufo melanostictus Common house toad 04 Bufo noellerti Nollert's toad E / TR Family :- Microhylidae 05 Kaloula taprobanica Common bull frog 06 Microhyla rubra Red narrow mouth frog 07 Ramanella variegata White-bellied pugsnout frog Family :- Ranidae 08 Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis Skipper frog 09 Euphlyctis hexadactylus Sixtoe green frog 10 Fejervarya limnocharis Common paddy field frog 11 Hoplobatrachus crassus Jerdon's bull frog 12 Lankanectes corrugatus Corrugated water frog E / TR 13 Nannophrys ceylonensis Sri Lanka rock frog E / TR 14 Rana aurantiaca Small wood frog TR 15 Rana gracilis Sri Lanka wood frog E / TR 16 Rana temporalis Common wood frog 17 Philautus hoipolloi Home Garden’s Shrub frog E 18 Philautus cavirostris Tubercle shrub frog E 19 Polypedates cruciger Common hour-glass tree frog E / TR 20 Polypedates longinasus Sharp-snout saddled tree frog E / TR 21 Polypedates maculatus Chunam tree frog Family :- Ichthyophiidae

22 Ichthyophis glutinosus Common yellow-band caecilian E / TR

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DRY MATTER AND ORGANIC VALUE OF CUSCUS DIETIN WEST PAPUA

by Sepus Fatem, Diana Sawen and Matheus St. E. Kilmaskossu

Introduction

One of the endemic animals of Papua is thecuscus. The cuscus is generally well known

by society as it is hunted for its meat to fulfillpeople’s nutritional needs. In addition, its fur canbe used for many high value ornaments andhandicrafts such as bags, caps, hats and purses.However, uncontrolled hunting, rapid developmentand increases in the human population willendanger the cuscus.

One effort to overcome these pressures is raisingcuscus in captivity (cuscus farming). An importantfactor in successfully raising cuscus is knowing itsdiet, as the farm conditions should imitate theirnatural habitat, both the climate and food species.In captivity, the food should be similar to that foundin their natural habitat. The cuscus feed on plantsthat mostly consist of harsh fiber, although theyalso often feed on small vertebrates such as lizards,insects, etc.

The food value or diet of cuscus is very importantand needs to be known, as this can prevent thefailure of conservation activities. The correct dietor food is very important for growth anddevelopment, e.g. to replace the old dead cells byproducing new cells, for reproduction, etc.(Widayati et al., 1996).

Menzies (1991) mentioned that in cuscus farmingin Papua New Guinea, cuscus that are fed plantsof low harsh fiber content (generally fruits) mostlydie due to intestinal ailments (e.g., infections).

Based on the above, the ex situ conservationefforts for cuscus should pay more attention tothe dietary factors and provide food or feedingplants derived from the native habitat. Therefore,research is needed to determine the nutritional

values (i.e., the dry matter content and organicmatter content) of cuscus feeding plants in thenorthern shore area of Manokwari district, Papua.

Research method

This research study was conducted in Mandopi,Asai, Mubri, and Warbefor in the northern shorearea of Manokwari district, and at the Nutritionand Food Laboratory of Livestock of FPPKUNIPA, from November 5-26, 2005. The methodused is a descriptive method with field observationtechniques, semi-structured interviews andlaboratory analyses. Analyses of the organic anddry matter followed the steps referred to in theprocedure of Apriyantono, Fardias, Puspita Sari,Sedarwati and Budiyantono (1989). Variablesobserved and noted were: type of feeding plants,parts of plants consumed, plant structure, and thenutritional values of dry and organic matter.

The observations showed that vegetation diversityis evenly distributed along the northern shore orcoastal area of Manokwari district. This includesthe cuscus feeding plants. The cuscus feeding plantsare easily found as they almost form a forestcomplex along the coast inlands up to 50 m abovesea level. They are found in beach or littoral forestas well as in the lowland tropical rain forest.

About 34 plant species from 28 families areconsumed by cuscus. These include 6 agriculturalcrop/plants and 28 forest plants. The results alsoindicate that among the two cuscus species thatlive in this area – Gray cuscus (Phalangerorientalis) and Short-tailed spotted cuscus(Spilocuscus maculates) – there is no differencein terms of the type of food consumed. The partsof plants being consumed are young leaves orshoots, ripe fruits, husk of fruits and inflorescence.

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of fiber and water, which favors digestion.

Ripe fruits from 26 plant species and the leavesand shoots from another 8 species are consumed

by cuscus. For some food plants the cuscus onlyfeed on the young leaves or ripe fruits. However,there are other plants of which the cuscusconsumes the young shoots and ripe fruits or youngshoots and inflorescence.

Table 1: Plant species and parts of plants consumed by cuscus

Family Latin name Parts of plant consumed

Mimosaceae Leucaena glauca Young leaves/shoots Myrtaceae Eugenia sp1 Ripe fruits Myrtaceae Eugenia sp2 Ripe fruits Myrtaceae Psidium guajava Ripe fruits Sterculiaceae Theobroma cacao Ripe fruits Gnetaceae Gnetum gnemon Ripe fruits and Young leaves Combretaceae Terminalia cattapa Ripe fruits and Young leaves Convolvulaceae Merremia peltata Young leaves Fabaceae Intsia bijuga Young leaves Papilionaceae Pongamia pinnata Young leaves Sapindaceae Spondias dulcis Ripe fruits and Young leaves Sapindaceae Pometia pinnata Ripe fruits and Young leaves Lauraceae Persea americana Ripe fruits Zingiberaceae Globa sp1 Ripe fruits Zingiberaceae Globa sp2 Ripe fruits Caricaceae Caricca sp Ripe fruits Musaceae Musa sp Ripe fruits and Young leaves Muntingiaceae Muntingia calabura Ripe fruits Anacardiaceae Mangifera indica Ripe fruits Myristicaceae Horsfieldia globularis Ripe fruits Moraceae Ficus sp Ripe fruits Moraceae Ficus septica Ripe fruits Moraceae Ficus trachypison Ripe fruits Moraceae Ficus macrothyrea Ripe fruits Meliaceae Lansium domesticum Ripe fruits Pandanaceae Pandanus polycephalus Ripe fruits Clusiaceae Calophyllum inophyllum Young leaves Clusiaceae Morinda citrifolia Ripe fruits Flacourtiaceae Flacourtia inermis Ripe fruits Aracaceae Philodendron sp Ripe fruits Apocynaceae Lepinopsis ternatensis Young leaves Sapotaceae Palaquium amboinensis Young leaves Sapindaceae Geniostoma sp Ripe fruits Sapindaceae Nephelium lapaceum Ripe fruits

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Figure 1: Food plants of cuscus

Pongamia pinnata Philidendron sp. Palaquium ambionensis

Pandanus polychepalus Horsfeldia globularis Ficus macrothyera

Ficus trachypison Meremia peltata Globa sp.

Ficus sp. Calophyllum inophyllum Globa sp.

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Nutritional value

Dry matter content

The water content of food is calculated by thedifference between the foodstuff’s weight beforeheating and after heating, divided by foodstuff’sweight before heating.

The dry matter content of the plant part consumedby cuscus, in this case ripe fruits, ranges from7.81%-57.78%, while for young shoots it rangesfrom 14.99%-49.6%. The highest dry mattercontent is that of Globak fruits (Globa sp.) 57.78% and red Globak (Globa sp.) 51.37 %. Theripened fruits usually show a high dry mattercontent; however, some, like Jambu (Eugenia sp.),show a low dry water content.

The high dry matter content of Globa sp. isperhaps due to a high carbohydrate content and itcan be seen that the fruits are more solid, have alow water content, and taste sweet (can also beconsumed by humans). According to Salisburyand Ross (1995), the main component of dry matteris the polysaccharides and lignin of the cell walls,added to the cytoplasm components like proteins,lipids, amino acids, organic acids and certainspecific minerals like potassium.

The nutritional status of plants is very muchdetermined by the dry matter content, because drymatter contains much nutrition; thus, dry mattercan show which parts of a food plant can beconsumed by cattle or wildlife (Subagyo andKusmartono, 1988). This matches the opinion ofReksohdiprodjo (1988), who stated that the drymatter content of a food species determines thenutritional content of the species, where the higherthe dry matter content, the higher its organic matterwill be.

The dry matter content of young leaves or shootsis sufficiently high as shown by matoa shoots(49.60%). This might be due to the fact that it isin the leaves where photosynthesis occurs andproduces a lot of protein and energy. This is inline with Salisbury and Ross (1995), who mentionedthat, in general, the leaves contain much morenitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Organic matter content

In a food-stuff analysis, the organic matter contentis considered to be the total amount of nutrition,protein, fat, harsh fiber, and energy. Therefore, itdoes not show or indicate the types of food. Thisresult is derived from the analysis of the ash contentafter the incineration process.

The organic matter content of forest plants andagricultural plants varies depending on the partsof the plant being consumed. The highest organicmatter content is that of globa (Globa sp)(52.31%), while for young leaves or shoots it isPometia pinnata shoots (46.6%).

The high organic matter content of Globa sp maybe due to its solidness. Physically, when the fruitis ripe, the flesh is more compact and not watery.This differs from other fruits which when ripe havea high water content. The dry matter content isparallel or has a linear relation to the organic mattercontent, which means that if a certain food planthas a high dry matter content, then the organicmatter content tends to also be high.

Young leaves or shoots also have a high organicmatter content. This might be due to the fact thatit is in the leaves where photosynthesis takes place.This fits with the statement of Djoseputra (1992)that in the photosynthesis process, plants will usethe carbon from the air to change it into organicmatter and distribute it to other parts of the plant.

Conclusion

The total number of plant species consumed bycuscus in the northern shore area of Manokwaridistrict consists of 34 species from 28 families; 6families are agricultural plants and 28 families areforest plants.

The highest dry matter content of food plantsconsumed by cuscus comes from ripe fruit ofGloba sp (57.78%), while the lowest is from ripeJambu fruit (Eugenia sp) (7.81%). Among youngleaves or shoots Matoa (Pometia sp) has the highestdry matter content of 49.6%, while the lowestcontent is from shoots of Kedondong (Spondiasdulcis) with 14.19 % dry matter content.

The highest organic matter content is found in thefruit of Globa sp. (52.31%), while the lowest

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COMMUNITY-BASED ECO-TOURISM: A CASE STUDY OFTAMAN SAFARI INDONESIA

by Govindasamy Agoramoorthy

organic matter content is found in ripe fruits ofSpondias dulcis (4.39%). Among young leaves orshoots, Pometia sp. has the highest organic mattercontent of 46.6 %, and the lowest is found in thevine Meremia peltata with 4.38 %.

References

Anggorodi, R. 1979. Ilmu Makanan TernakUmum. Gramedia, Jakarta.

Apriyantono, A., D. Fardiaz, N. I. Puspitasari,Sedarnawati dan S. Budiyanto. 1989.Petunjuk Laboratorium Analisis Pangan.PAU-Pangan dan Gizi, Institut PertanianBogor, Bogor.

Conservation International. 1997. The Irian JayaBiodiversity Conservation Priority-SettingWorkshop. Conservation International.Washington DC 20037.

Djoseputra, D. 1978. Pengantar FisiologiTumbuhan. Gramedia, Jakarta.

Flannery,T.F, 1995. Mammals Of New Guinea.Australian Museum. Revised edition.

Menzies, J. 1991. A Handbook Of New GuineaMarsupials & Monotremes. Kristen PressInc. Madang, Papua New Guinea.

Reksohadiprodjo, S. 1988. Pakan TernakGembala. BPFE Universitas Gajah Mada,Yogyakarta.

Ryanto, Baharuddin Nurkin, J.L.Palenewan, Ny.Halijah Jogjo dan Suwondo. 1995. EkologiDasar I dan II. Badan Kerjasama PerguruanTinggi. Indonesia Bagian Timur.

Salisbury, F.B. and C. W. Ross. 1995. FisiologiTumbuhan. Jilid I. Edisi Keempat. InstitutTeknologi Bandung, Bandung.

Subagyo, I and Kusmartono. 1988. Ilmu KulturPadangan. Nuffic-Universitas Brawijaya,Malang.

Tillman, A. D., H. Hartadi, S. Reksohadiprodjo,S. Prawirokusumo and S. Lebdosoekojo.1991. Ilmu Makanan Ternak Dasar. UGMPress, Yogyakart

Authors’ addresses: Sepus Fatem and Matheus

St.E. Kilmaskossu, Forest Conservation Dept.,Diana Sawen, Nutrition and Animal Dept.,Papua State University of Manokwari, WestPapua; Email: sepus_fatem@yahoo.com;sawendian@yahoo.com

Introduction

Ecotourism involving wildlife and nature hasbeen considered one of the fastest growing

sectors of the tourism industry in recent decades.It has been promoted widely to complement theconservation of highly endangered species andhabitats in developing countries in Asia, Africa andSouth America (Campbell, 1999, 2002). SoutheastAsia is considered a major biodiversity hotspot andis known to harbor immense diversity of faunaand flora, including several highly endangered andendemic species (Myers et al., 2000). Thus,sustainable tourism to promote the local economy

and to upgrade the socio-economic status of therural people is essential so that people can beeducated about conservation and hopefullyeventually safeguard the dwindling naturalresources. In this paper, information is providedregarding the role of a wildlife safari park inIndonesia in promoting sustainable development,education and nature conservation in thecommunity.

Materials and methods

Taman Safari Indonesia (1992) is a wild animaltheme park and was opened in 1986 as the first

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| open wildlife park in Indonesia. It is located inCibeureum village (Cisarua town, Bogor, WestJava), in the northern part of the Gede PangrangoNational Park (Harris, 1994). The mountainousterrain was a tea plantation during the Dutchcolonial period. The park lies about 80 km fromJakarta city. The cool climate offers relief fromthe capital’s often oppressive heat. Year-roundtemperatures at the park vary between 18-24o C.

The park displays about 2,300 wild animals and ispartly a modern zoo with a back-to-nature themewhere animals are allowed to roam freely inspacious exhibits. It also operates a Night Safari(established in 2000) four days a week, and aSafari Trek (established in 2001) that operatesdaily. Visitors trek through the rainforest for 8 kmand it promotes appreciation of nature andendangered species. It is also a conservationcenter with an emphasis on ensuring the long-term survival of indigenous wildlife. The parkserves as a buffer zone for the adjoining GedePangrango National Park where wild leopards,Javan gibbons and Javan deer roam freely. ThePangrango Mountain is a World Heritage site.

Taman Safari Indonesia was visited 6 timesbetween 15 November 2004 and 20 April 2005(4-6 days per visit) to collect data related to wildlifetourism, sustainable community development andconservation education. Data on the number ofvisitors were pooled from the park’s archives.Cibeureum village was visited to compile data onthe community. A questionnaire survey wasconducted and 2,800 visitors were surveyed togather data on the role of the safari park as aneducational institution and to promote sustainabledevelopment for the local community. The surveytargeted the following basic questions to thevisitors: (i) Age of visitors; (ii) origin of visitors(name of village, town, city); (iii) monthly incomeof visitors; (iv) educational background of visitors;(v) number of visits to the park by visitors peryear; (vi) transportation used to reach the park;(vii) best attraction at the park; (viii) reason forvisiting the park; (ix) visitors’ opinion about animalshows; (x) visitors’ opinion about staff andresponse; (xi) visitors’ opinion about the park’senvironment; (xii) whether or not visitors gainednew knowledge about wildlife and conservation;(xiii) whether or not visitors satisfied about their

visit; (xiv) visitors’ opinion on future attractions;and (xv) whether or not visitors contribute forconservation in future. The directors of the parkwere interviewed to collect information using ad-libitum sampling (Lehner, 1996) on thecontributions of the park to the local community.The questionnaire responses of visitors wereanalyzed qualitatively (Sudman and Bradburn,1982).

Results and discussion

The majority of the visitors to the park belongedto the age group between 31 and 50 years,followed by young adults in the age group 18 to 30years (37%). This indicates that young and middle-age adults were eager to learn about wildlife ingeneral. People over 50 years and youngerindividuals below the age of 18 comprised thelowest proportion of park visitors (7% each). Thepark attracted mostly local visitors (99%) with fewforeigners. This may be due to the media coverageof social, ethnic and religious unrest, includingpotential terrorism, that often discourages foreigntourists to visit Indonesia (Leggat & Leggat, 2004;Simon, 2005). The majority of the local visitors,however, came from Jakarta city (37%), followedby outside the Jakarta area (29%), Bogor (25%),and Bandung. For the urban dwellers of Jakartaand other major cities in Indonesia, pollution is anapparent health hazard (Duki et al., 2003). Visitingthe park is usually a day-trip where tourists spendtheir time in a pollution-free natural environmentto view a variety of wildlife and also to learn aboutanimals.

The majority (44%) of the visitors to the parkearned on the average USD 100 to 200 per month,followed by visitors earning an average USD 200per month. Those who earned less than USD 100per month constituted only 24% of the visitorpopulation. In addition, park visitors generally hadminimum education qualifications of senior highschool (44%) and university education (35%). Thisindicates that people from the upper-and middle-class who earn a reasonable income were willingto spend their time and money to visit the park tolearn about wildlife and nature. Interestingly, 35%of the visitors had been to the park more than 3-5times and 91% of them own automobiles. Thus,the park attracts repeat visitors who have a unique

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opportunity to learn about wildlife conservationwhich might eventually promote conservationawareness. Educating visitors about wildlife hasin fact increased awareness and contributionstowards wildlife conservation in the world (Luck,2003).

When asked what part of the park attracted thevisitors most, the response was mainly the diversityof the animal collection (47%). This was followedby animal shows (29%) and recreational activities(13). A lot of visitors were attracted towardsvarious shows that involve animals such as cowboyshows, dolphin shows, elephant shows and variousanimals shows. When asked about their interestin such shows the majority responded that theyattended the shows to increase their knowledgeabout wildlife (74%). Although showing animalsin zoos and safari parks, especially non-humanprimates, often involve abuse and animal suffering(Agoramoorthy and Hsu, 2005), the park’s animalinteraction programs are aimed at educating thepublic about animal welfare and the urgent needto protect and preserve the dwindling wildlifepopulations in Indonesia. Some answered that theycare about wildlife (15%), while others respondedthat they would like to contribute to theconservation of wildlife (11%). This indicates thatthe park in fact is serving as a vehicle to promotenature and wildlife conservation to the localcommunity. It supports the notion that conservingthe biological resources of our planet can comeabout only through informed and educated citizenswho are able to place conservation into social,political and economic contexts at local andinternational levels (Agoramoorthy, 1997). Aspointed out by Jacobson (1995), conservationeducation and communication at all levels areperhaps our only hope for the future to safeguardthe diminishing natural resources.

When asked whether they thought the parkmaintained a clean and garbage-free environment,the majority responded by stating that the parkwas ‘very good’ (60%), while others said ‘good’(37%) and only 3% stated ‘not really good’. Itindicates that the visitors perceive that the parkmaintains a pollution-free natural environment ingeneral, which is essential to educate the localpeople since cities such as Jakarta sufferenvironmental degradation and pollution (Duki et

al., 2003). 98% of the visitors said that they gainedknowledge about wildlife after visiting the park,which indicates that the park serves as aneducational institution to spread the natureconservation message. The majority of the visitors(78%) were also satisfied with the money theyspent to visit the park to learn about wildlife. Whenasked what new attractions the visitors would liketo see in the future, the responses ranged fromimproving the animal collection (55%), followedby increase in amusement activities for children(19%), to adding more animal shows for recreation(26%). This indicates that local people want tosee a variety of animals in a natural environmentso that they can increase their knowledge aboutthe natural history of wild animals.

The park is located near a small village namedCibeureum, adjoining the town of Cisarua nearBogor city. The village has an area of 112,862 hawith 11,674 residents, including 5,954 men and5,720 women. The safari park has contributed tothe sustainable development of Cibeureum villageand Cisarua town in general for a decade. Itcontinues to provide social aids each year and alsosupports educational, religious, public utilities andcommunity programs. The park has a total of 648employees, of which 305 come from CisaruaDistrict adjoining the park. An additional 88 staffcome from Bogor city, while 263 come from otherparts of Indonesia. The park assists in thedevelopment of religious service houses such asmosques and gives donations and gifts to the localMuslim community during the feast day ofRamadan each year. It also assists the localgovernment and community to build and maintainpublic roads, streets, street lights, toilets, andsecurity posts. It provides transportation servicesfor the countryside, donates uniforms for publictransport drivers and jackets, vests and helmetsto motorcycle drivers in the community. Moreover,it supports building new classrooms, renovatingschool buildings, providing furniture and computersannually to local schools. Students and teachersare allowed to visit the park free of charge. Thissupports the fact that wildlife tourism involving asafari park can also benefit the local communitysimilar to protected area ecotourism, which isbecoming common in developing countries(Heinen, 1993; Fiallo and Jacobson, 1995;Walpople and Goodwin, 2001).

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The park receives thousands of visitors during theday and also at the night safari. Many visitorsparticipate in trekking through the natural forest.Since a large number of visitors come to the parkboth during the weekdays and weekends, it providesan opportunity for the community to sell locallygrown vegetables and fruits that can be used asanimal feed at the park. Local people also sellhandicrafts and souvenirs to visitors and assist inthe traffic control of automobiles, clean cars, andalso provide parking facilities. During weekends,students find part-time work at the park or in otherbusinesses outside the park. All these activitiesprovide additional income for the local community.Furthermore, the park provides loans to merchantswho sell vegetables and fruits through the localBank of Danamon. The park played a major rolein the establishment of the Indonesian Forum forWildlife Conservation in 1998, which is non-profitagency whose members are journalists,bureaucrats, researchers, entrepreneurs,academicians, activists and officials from both thepublic and private sectors. The activities includeadvocacy, conservation campaigns and promotingconservation awareness among public.

Many wildlife species native to Indonesia arerepresented in the park’s collection, including twoanimals that are only found on the island ofSulawesi. They are the anoa, a dwarf waterbuffalo, and the babirusa, which appears to haveevolved from wild pigs some 30 million years ago.The park serves as a conservation center to breedvarious local species, including the highlyendangered Sumatran tigers and Sumatranorangutans. The park had a total of 35 breedingSumatran tigers as of 2005 and has a repository ofthe sperm of seven others for the future use tomake sure that inbreeding does not occur. The parkhas also managed to re-introduce the highlyendangered Bali starlings back into the wild. Overa hundred species of wild birds can be seen in thesafari park and some fifteen species are classifiedas very rare and are on the endangered specieslist. The adjoining forest also harbors one of therarest primates, the Javan or silvery gibbon, whichis considered one of the top 25 highly endangeredprimates in the world (Conservation International,2002).

In developing countries, natural habitats have beenfast disappearing due to the increase in humanpopulation density, continued habitat destruction,agricultural expansion, industrial development, andother man-made disturbances (Cincotta et al.,2000). The tropical islands in Southeast Asia thatharbor a vast diversity of natural resources aremore vulnerable to habitat destruction leading tospecies extinction (Agoramoorthy and Hsu,2001a). This is mainly due to the fact that theAsia-Pacific region has 23% of the world’s landarea and 58% of the world’s population(Agoramoorthy and Hsu, 2001b). If countries suchas Indonesia that harbor high human density (121million people; 914 people/km2; (Badan PusatStatitik, 2004)) need to conserve natural habitats,fundamental changes are necessary to integratenature conservation through the kind ofsustainable tourism that has been outlined in thispaper to promote the local economy and to upgradethe socio-economic status of the rural poor.

Tourism as a wildlife conservation and sustainabledevelopment tool can be promoted, and from acommunity perspective it is expected to providebenefits that ultimately enhance local support forthe conservation of natural resources (Goodwin,1996). The results of the study did not reveal anynegative attitudes about tourism at Taman SafariIndonesia, but patterns of attitude involving tourismand wildlife conservation may change in the futureas tourism develops (Doxey, 1975). Therefore,further studies will be needed in the future togather quantitative data on the performance oftourism at the safari park in terms of ecological,socioeconomic, and community conservationlevels.

In the case of Taman Safari Indonesia, the localcommunity certainly benefits from the parkthrough employment and other benefits to boostinfrastructure, including alleviating poverty in therural village community. Furthermore, the parkprotects the adjoining Gede Pangrango NationalPark from encroachment and destruction by localvillagers. It also promotes conservation awarenessamong the rural and urban community in Java,which has a long history of cultivation anddeforestation.

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Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the Directors of TamanSafari Indonesia, especially Drs. JansenManansang, Frans Manansang and TonySumampau, for their wonderful hospitality andfor sharing their experiences on sustainablewildlife tourism.

References

Agoramoorthy, G. 1997. Conserving wildlife,international education andcommunication approaches. Jacobson, S.K.(Ed.). Book review. Journal of WildlifeManagement 61:1442-1443. ColumbiaUniversity Press.

Agoramoorthy, G. and M.J. Hsu. 2001a.Conservation should be a high priority inSingapore. Nature 410: 144.

Agoramoorthy, G. and M.J. Hsu. 2001b. India’simminent water scarcity is a concern forpeople and environment. Current Science81: 1155-1156.

Agoramoorthy, G. and M.J. Hsu. 2005. Use ofnonhuman primates in entertainment inSoutheast Asia. Journal of Applied AnimalWelfare Science 8: 141-149.

Badan Pusat Statistik. 2004. Populationstatistics. http://www.bps.go.id/sector/population.

Campbell, L. 1999. Ecotourism in RuralDeveloping Countries. Annals of TourismResearch 26: 534–553.

Campbell, L. 2002. Conservation Narrativesand the ‘‘Received Wisdom’’ ofEcotourism: Case Studies from CostaRica. International Journal of SustainableDevelopment 5: 300-325.

Cincotta, R.P., Wisnewski, J. and R. Engelman.2000. Human population in thebiodiversity hotspots. Nature 404: 990-992.

Conservation International, 2002. Primates inperil: The world’s top 25 mostendangered primates. ConservationInternational Publication, Washington, D.C.

Doxey, G.V. 1975. A causation theory of visitor-resident irritants: methodology and

research inference. Travel ResearchAssociation Conference no. 6, San Diego, CA.

Duki, M.I.Z., Sudarmadi, S. and S. Suzuki. 2003.Effect of air pollution on respiratory healthin Indonesia and its economic cost.Archives of Environmental Health 58:135-143.

Fialo, E.A. and S.K. Jacobson. 1995. Localcommunities and protected areas:attitudes of rural residents towardsconservation and Machalilla NationalPark, Ecuador. EnvironmentalConservation 22: 241-249.

Goodwin, H. 1996. In pursuit of ecotourism.Biodiversity and Conservation 5: 241-249.

Harris, K. H. 1994. Mt. Gede PangrangoNational Park. Information Book Series Vol.I. Grafimatra Press, Jakarta.

Heinen, J.T. 1993. Park-people relationshipsin Kosi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Nepal:a socio-economic analysis. EnvironmentalConservation 20: 25-34.

Jacobson, S.K. 1995. Conserving wildlife,international education andcommunication approaches. ColumbiaUniversity Press, New York.

Leggat, P.A., and F.W. Leggat. 2004.Emergency assistance provided abroadto insured travelers from Australiafollowing the Bali bombing. TravelMedicine & Infectious Disease 2: 41-45.

Lehner, P.N. 1996. Handbook of ethologicalmethods. Cambridge University Press,Cambridge.

Luck, M. 2003. Education on marine mammaltours as agent for conservation—but dotourists want to be educated? Ocean &Coastal Management 46: 943-956.

Myers, N., Mittermeier, R.A., Mittermeier, C.G.,da Foncesa, G.A.B. and J. Kent. 2000.Biodiversity hotspots for conservationpriorities. Nature 403:853-858.

Simon, C.A. 2005. Nationalism and ethnicconflict in Indonesia. Terrorism & PoliticalViolence 17: 666-668.

Sudman S. and N.M. Bradburn. 1982. AskingQuestions. San Francisco, Josey-Bass.

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Taman Safari Indonesia. 1992. InformationBooklet. Taman Safari Publication, Bogor.

Walpole, M.J. and H.J. Goodwin. 2001. Localattitudes towards conservation andtourism around Komodo National Park,Indonesia. Environmental Conservation 28:160-166.

Author’s address: Professor GovindasamyAgoramoorthy, Tajen University, Yanpu,Pingtung 907, Taiwan;Email: agoram@mail.tajen.edu.tw

Figure 1. Local villagers and children sell carrots to the visitors to be fed to herbivores at Taman SafariIndonesia

Table 1: Number of visitors to Taman Safari Indonesia between 2000 and 2004

Year No. of Visitors 2000 1,601,977 2001 1,667,206 2002 1,556,264 2003 1,629,243 2004 1,373,965

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Community information Area/Number Land area 112,862 ha Human population 11,674 Male 5,954 Female 5,720 Rice field 4 ha Hill 125 ha Fish pond 1 ha Horse 6 Sheep 300 Rabbit 169 Chicken 4,750 Cattle farm 112 Co-operative market 2 Grocery shops 5 Small shops 514 Mini-market 2 Traditional market 2 Recreational park 1 Real estate 1 Hotel 16 Restaurant 5 Car service 6 Motorcycle service 2 Telecommunication 31 Tennis court 16 Badminton court 5 Volleyball court 1 Football court 2 Swimming pool 25 Mosques 17 Small mosques 22 Islamic organizations 22 Church 1

Hindu temple 1

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Clinic 1

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RESIGHTING OF INDIAN OR GREATER FALSE VAMPIREIN KODINAR, JUNAGADH DISTRICT OF GUJARAT

by L. Muthu Andavan, Manojkumar Pardeshi, Justus Joshua and S.F. Wesley Sunderraj

The Indian or greater false vampire(Megaderma lyra) belongs to Family

Megadermatidae and is distributed throughoutIndia. It is not uncommon in the Himalayas anddeserts, in caves, forests, and near humandwellings with a range extending to Mumbai(Menon, 2003). In Gujarat, this species has beenreported to be found in Amdavad district,Banaskantha district (Ryley, 1914), Dangs district,Kheda district and Surat district (Sinha, 1981) andthroughout the mainland of India (Baqri, 2000).

The presence of this species in Junagadh districtin Gujarat was reported by Brosset (1962), buthas not been reported from any part of the forestof this region since then. During our environmentalimpact assessment survey in the Kodinar area ofJunagardh, we sighted 15–25 individuals of greateror false vampire near Tordi village at 6:18 pmbetween the geographic co-ordinates 20º47’ 28.6"N, 70º35’ 58.0" E, at 16 m above msl in the cavysacred grove. The grove was partially surroundedby agricultural land and trees species such asAcacia, Ficus bengalensis, F. religisco,Prosopis, etc., and sparse shrub and groundvegetation.

A photograph taken by the authors helped toconfirm the identity and presence of this speciesin this region. Our sighting of the greater false

vampire is the first report of its presence fromthis region since 1962. It would also be ofsignificance from the biodiversity conservationpoint of view as this would aid in updating thedistribution of this species.

References

Baqri, H.Q. 2000. Fauna of Gujarat, Part-I. StateFauna Series 8. Zoological Survey of India.30pp.

Brosset, A. 1962. The bats of central andwestern India. Part 2. Journal of theBombay Natural History Society, 59, 583-624.

Menon, V. 2003. A Field Guide to IndianMammals. Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt.Limited, New Delhi. 162pp.

Ryley, K.V.1914. Bombay Natural HistorySociety’s Mammals of India, Burma andCeylon. Report No.12. Journal of theBombay Natural History Society, 22, 684-699.

Sinha, Y.P.1981. Studies on bats of Gujarat. Rec.Zoological Survey of India. 78: 101-112.

Authors’ address: Gujarat Institute of DesertEcology, Post Box 83, Opp. ChangleshwarTemple, Mundra Road, Bhuj– Kachchh,Gujarat - 370 001, India.

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Asia-Pacific forestry community gathers for landmarkevent in Hanoi

Ever think that you’re too small to make adifference in forestry? According to world famousecologist, Norman Myers, anyone who thinks thathas never been in bed with a mosquito! Arguingfor both individual and collective action, ProfessorMyers told the first-ever Asia-Pacific ForestryWeek that tropical forests are facing a “super-crisis…an appalling crisis, one of the worst crises sincewe came out of our caves.”

Dr. Sunita Narain, Director of the Centre forScience and Environment, reinforced ProfessorMyers views, noting that the extraordinaryecological and social challenges confronting forestrywill need extraordinary responses. She pointed outthat climate change is heading towards catastrophe

and we have only a small window of opportunityto address the problem – by reinventing the wayswe do business and the way we define economicgrowth.

These two keynote addresses launched afascinating array of discussions, events andpresentations comprising the first-ever Asia-Pacific Forestry Week.

The event

Asia-Pacific Forestry Week was convened inHanoi, Vietnam, 21-26 April 2008, inconjunction with the 22nd Session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC). The

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main objective of Forestry Week was to provideopportunities for diverse stakeholders and forestmanagers to share perspectives and seek solutionsto the most challenging issues facing forests andforestry in the Asia-Pacific region.

The event attracted over 700 participants, from57 countries. More than 50 partners supportedForestry Week through financial and in-kindcontributions. Thirty events, including four plenarysessions and the 22nd Session of APFC, wereorganized by FAO and partner organizations aspart of Forestry Week.

Coupled with the high level of interest, andexcellent local arrangements provided by theGovernment of Vietnam, Asia-Pacific ForestryWeek was proved a great success. By all accounts,it was one of the most significant forestry eventsin the region in recent years.

Plenary sessions

Asia-Pacific Forestry Week was officially openedby Mr. Hoang Trung Hai, Deputy Prime Ministerof Vietnam. The opening session featured severalhigh-level speakers, including Mr. Jan Heino,Assistant Director-General of FAO’s ForestryDepartment; Ms. Frances Seymour, Director-General of the Center for International ForestryResearch (CIFOR); Ms. Sunita Narain, Directorof the Centre for Science and Environment; andProfessor Norman Myers, Fellow of the SaïdBusiness School, Oxford University.

Special plenary sessions were organized on threeseparate mornings of Forestry Week, focusing on:forests and human well-being; forests and climatechange; and trade, forest law compliance andgovernance.

The plenary session on forests and human well-being was organized by the Regional CommunityForestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific(RECOFTC), with support from the Asia ForestNetwork (AFN). Dr. Yam Malla, Director ofRECOFTC, opened the session by remindingparticipants that “forestry is about people.”Subsequent presentations analyzed the complexityof poverty dynamics, brought out a range of casestudies and provided a synthesis of the issues facing

indigenous groups managing forests undercustomary law. In summarizing the discussions,Mr. Ken Piddington from the Institute of PolicyStudies at Victoria University, concluded that thepreconditions for sustainable forest managementunfortunately do not exist at the present time, withthe exception of isolated cases wherecircumstances have combined with political willto create effective insulation from the pressure ofcommercial interests. The following pointsemerged from the session:

there is a crucial need to clearly identify andunderstand the poor (i.e., differentiate socially,spatially and by resource base);solutions should target specific groups andarise from the standpoint of the target group;rights-based approaches may be even moreeffective than participatory approaches orconsultative processes;risk management should be a component offorests and poverty alleviation efforts; andsupport for small-scale forest enterprises andvalue-adding activities at village levels can beeffective in reducing poverty.

The importance of effective governance structures,conducive to equitable sharing of benefits, wasstressed throughout the session.

The session on forests and climate change,organized by the Center for International ForestryResearch (CIFOR) and FAO, provided a platformfor a range of stakeholders to discuss key issuesrelated to climate change mitigation and adaptation.Ms. Susan Braatz, FAO Forestry Officer,introduced the session by stressing that forests arecurrently high on the global agenda and forestersshould be capitalizing on this opportunity. Therewas a consensus among participants that forestersneed to be more actively engaged in developingclimate change strategies. It was highlighted thatmitigation and adaptation need to be tackledholistically within a broader policy context as wellas within existing development and forestry plans.Equitable distribution of rewards will be crucial ifopportunities presented by climate change are toeffectively contribute to reducing poverty.Participants felt that there is sufficient knowledgeabout what needs to be done, but pointed to theurgent need to synthesize existing knowledge andimplement actions.

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The session dialogue on trade, forest lawenforcement and governance was organized by theAsia Forest Partnership (AFP), CIFOR, UKDepartment for International Development (DFID),Institute for Global Environmental Strategies(IGES) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Thesession was brilliantly moderated by Mr. RicoHizon, BBC Asia Business and FinanceCorrespondent. Lively and sometimes heateddiscussions followed presentations representing theperceptions of communities, the private sector andconsumer countries. Among the areas of consensuson this controversial topic was the recognition thatmarkets are changing in ways that encourage legaland sustainable forest management and trade. Thistrend should assist legal producers by excludingunfair competition from illegal producers. Thegovernment’s role in assisting this process wouldbe to streamline regulations and provide moredirect incentives for producers to adopt legal andsustainable production practices. All stakeholderswere urged to work together to support acceleratedcapacity building for both community andcommercial enterprises seeking to move towardslegal and sustainable production.

Parallel events

Numerous parallel events organized by partnerorganizations dealt with various timely topics.Many of the events generated so much interestthat late-comers were left standing at the back ofthe rooms! The pre-Forestry Week and parallelevents included the following:

Pacific Workshop for FRA NationalCorrespondents and Focal Points

Organizer: FAORisk-based Targeted Surveillance for ForestInvasive SpeciesOrganizer: Asia-Pacific Forest Invasive SpeciesNetwork (APFISN)Facilitating and Promoting National ForestProgrammes in the Asia-Pacific RegionOrganizer: FAOThe Potential of Bamboo in the CleanDevelopment MechanismOrganizer: International Network for Bambooand Rattan (INBAR)TEAKNET Steering Committee meetingOrganizer: Asia-Pacific Network on Researchand Development of Teak (TEAKNET)

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Workshop on NFP UpdateOrganizer: FAOWorkshop on NFP MatrixOrganizer: FAOMeeting of the Regional Model ForestsNetworkOrganizer: International Model ForestsNetwork Secretariat (IMFNS)East Asia Forest Law Enforcement andGovernance MeetingOrganizers: World Bank, Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN), PhilippinesDepartment of Environment and NaturalResources (DENR)APAFRI Executive Committee MeetingOrganizer: Asia Pacific Association of ForestryResearch Institutions (APAFRI)Book Launches (“Lessons from ForestDecentralization”; “Managing ForestResources in a Decentralized Environment”)Organizer: CIFORREDD: Financing Options and SocialImplications

Organizers: Netherlands DevelopmentOrganization (SNV), German TechnicalCooperation (GTZ), Forest Sector SupportPartnership, Viet Nam (FSSP)Workshop on Proposed Asia PacificUniversities Forest Education NetworkOrganizers: University of Melbourne,Southeast Asian Network for AgroforestryEducation (SEANAFE)Promoting Responsible Asia Forestry andTrade (RAFT)Organizers: TNC, USAIDBook Launch (“Forest faces: hopes and regretsin Philippine forestry”)Organizers: Environmental Science for SocialChange (ESSC), FAOForestry Research and Education in aChanging World: Vision for Asia-Pacific RegionOrganizers: Indian Council of ForestryResearch and Education (ICFRE), APAFRICafé Scientifique: Money does grow on trees!Organizer: British CouncilProtected Areas, Equity and Livelihoods

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Organizers: International Union forConservation of Nature (IUCN), AFN, FAOTowards Responsible Management of PlantedForests in the Asia PacificOrganizer: FAODisseminating Scientific Information for Policyand ManagementOrganizer: International Union of ForestResearch Organizations (IUFRO)Workshop on Implementing Fire ManagementVoluntary GuidelinesOrganizer: FAOBook Launch (“Payment for environmentalservices: experiences and lessons in Vietnam”)Organizer: World Agroforestry Centre(ICRAF)Poverty Reduction through Forestry-relatedActivities in Asia: A Seminar on IFAD-Supported Forestry-related ProgrammesOrganizers: International Fund for AgriculturalDevelopment (IFAD), CIFOR, InternationalCentre for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD), ICRAFMeeting of National Focal Points: Asia-PacificForestry Sector Outlook StudyOrganizer: FAO

Innovative features

There were several innovative and successfulfeatures of the Forestry Week that contributed toits success. Daily newsletters with stories andpictures from the previous day’s events and theprogram for the day were distributed each morning.Professional video recordings of the sessions weremade and video clips were uploaded on theForestry Week website. In addition, a “videocollage” of the week was produced and shownduring the closing ceremony. A high-profile mediaperson (Mr. Rico Hizon from BBC) moderatedone of the plenary sessions as well as the closingceremony. A Young Professionals’ Essay contestand a photo contest were organized in conjunctionwith Forestry Week and the winners were invited

to attend the event. Media coverage of the eventwas excellent, due to several media briefingsorganized by various Forestry Week partners.

As part of the Information Market, 25 organizationsset up organizational displays to share informationand highlight their forestry-related activities andprojects in the region. More than 50 posters weredisplayed, as were the 17 winning photographs ofthe photo contest. Participants found the displaysinteresting and informative, and appreciated theopportunity to learn about ongoing forestrydevelopments in the region.

One-day field excursions to three differentdestinations were organized by the Governmentof Vietnam. Excursion 1 travelled to Tam DaoNational Park, which had one of the highest levelsof species richness of any tropical forest in itsoriginal state. Participants observed parkmanagement practices and enjoyed visiting severaldistinct forest ecosystems within the park.Excursion 2 travelled to Hoa Binh Province, withits large areas of natural and planted forests. Theprovince holds promise for agroforestry productionand processing. Participants visited interestingprojects on community forestry, forest plantationsand watershed protection being implemented in theprovince. Excursion 3 was a trip to Bac NinhProvince, located in a key economic growth area.Participants appreciated the opportunity to visitvarious village enterprises producing handicrafts,timber and non-timber forest products.

The video clips from event can be viewed byaccessing the website: http://www.fao.org/forestry/48155/en/

For a copy of the Forestry Week CD containingthe presentations, reports and more from theevent, please contact Mr. Patrick Durst (Tel: +662 697 4139 ; fax: +66 2 697 4455 ; email:Patrick.Durst@fao.org)

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Benefits from Forestry Week Inputs

A record number of delegates and participantsattended the 22nd Session of the Asia-PacificForestry Commission, held 21-25 April 2008 inHanoi, Vietnam. The session was convened asthe core event of Asia-Pacific Forestry Week,which was a landmark forestry event in the Asia-Pacific region.

More than 250 participants, including delegatesfrom 31 member countries and 7 United Nationsorganizations; representatives from 3 non-membercountries and 36 regional and internationalorganizations attended the session. Ministers fromLao PDR, Nepal and Vietnam participated as wellas the Heads of Forestry from 18 membercountries.

The objectives of the session were to:discuss and assess technical and policy issuesand trends of relevance to forestry in the region;develop and advance mechanisms for regionaland sub-regional cooperation in addressingforestry problems; andadvise FAO on policy formulation and onpriorities for its forestry programmes in theregion.

Forestry in a changing world

The Commission noted the growing influence ofclimate change, threats to food security, escalatingenergy prices, and increasing demands for waterand forest products in shaping forest managementpolicies and land use. Delegates recognized thatemerging forestry challenges pose the greatestthreats to vulnerable, impoverished, forest-dependent people.

The Commission recognized that rapid change andthe emergence of new forestry challenges requirenew responses from within and outside the forestrysector. The importance of developing multi-sectoralapproaches and holistic policies was emphasizedas necessary to avoid inconsistencies and conflictsamong sectors and within the forestry sector itself.

Delegates agreed that effective engagement of awide range of stakeholders through participatoryprocesses is necessary to develop practicalsolutions for the emerging challenges at global,regional, national and local levels.

The Commission requested FAO to provide policysupport to member countries in assessing thepotential social, economic and environmentalimplications of biofuels production.

The Commission also requested FAO to give highpriority to building and strengthening capacities forthe transfer of skills and information, and topromote international and inter-sectoralcooperation and collaboration in developingresponses to emerging forestry challenges.

Forests and people: challenges andopportunities

Delegates recognized that people-centereddevelopment is increasingly the focus of forestrypolicies. The Commission further noted that manycountries are creating institutional structures thatemphasize decentralization, participatory decisionmaking, benefit-sharing mechanisms andempowerment of people who live in and aroundforests.

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The Commission requested FAO to continueproviding support for: (i) enhancing community-based forest management and forestry initiativesthat help reduce poverty; and (ii) effectiveimplementation of national forest programs.

The Commission requested FAO to: (i) assistcountries in developing effective mechanisms, asappropriate, to collect and equitably distributepayments for environmental services; and (ii)develop guidelines to assist countries in developingpolicies and practices relating to social aspects ofsustainable forest management and povertyalleviation.

FAO/APFC activities in the region

Delegates acknowledged the importance of policy-related initiatives and requested FAO’s continuedsupport for executive training in forest policy,forestry education networks, the regional forestpolicy initiative, follow-up to the second Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study, nationalforest programs, and monitoring, assessment andreporting for sustainable forest managementactivities.

The Commission noted increased costs associatedwith implementation of sustainable forestmanagement and requested FAO to studymechanisms that might enable the realization of“green premiums” for sustainable forestmanagement.

The Commission emphasized the importance ofactivities that maintain and strengthen capacitiesin forestry agencies and in the broader forestrysector, including local communities, and it urgedFAO to maintain a strong emphasis on capacitybuilding.

Forests and climate change: adaptation andmitigation

The Commission recognized the need for a holisticand multi-sectoral approach to effectively addressforestry issues related to climate change. It furthernoted that forest policies and national developmentplans must be realigned in response to climatechange developments. The Commission urgedFAO to strengthen efforts to help countries

integrate policies and strategies on climate changemitigation and adaptation into national forestprograms (NFPs).

Noting that readiness for reducing emissions fromdeforestation and degradation (REDD) requirescapacity and resources beyond those currentlyavailable in developing countries, the Commissionrequested FAO to: (i) support work onmethodological issues related to REDD, includingthe definition of “forest degradation”; and (ii) assistwith REDD-readiness and demonstration activitiesin developing countries, including technical supportand assistance in securing financial resources.

The Commission recognized that lack ofinformation and data, and insufficient analyticalcapacity, currently constrain countries’ abilities torespond to climate change challenges. It thereforerequested FAO to: (i) enhance sharing ofinformation and experiences, and to improve accessto data, related to forests and climate change; (ii)strengthen countries’ analytical capacities, and toassist by summarizing and clarifying thecomplexities of forest-related climate changemechanisms; and (iii) prepare guidelines fordeveloping national forest climate changeadaptation plans.

Institutional arrangements and internationalagreements

Delegates welcomed the reported progress relatedto various international forestry agreements andarrangements, including the development of thenon-legally-binding instrument on forests, increasedlinkages with regional forest-related organizationsand the multi-year programme of work in theUnited Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF); thepending entry into force of the InternationalTropical Timber Agreement 2006; the review ofCBD’s Programme of Work on Forest Biodiversity;and the United Nations Convention to CombatDesertification’s (UNCCD) adoption of a 10-yearstrategic plan.

Trade, forest law compliance and governance

The Commission emphasized the importance offorest law compliance and acknowledged thenegative social, environmental and economic

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consequences of illegal logging and associatedtrade. Delegates recognized the need for all actors(including producers, processors, and consumers)to share responsibilities in addressing illegal forestryactivities by jointly developing collaborativemodalities, including exchanging information,sharing data and experiences, and facilitatingbilateral and multilateral dialogue. The Commissionrequested FAO to implement a stock-taking reviewof national forest law compliance and governanceactivities and initiatives.

The Commission noted the importance of regionalprocesses in forest law enforcement andgovernance and the limited coordination and slowprogress with these processes. The Commissionurged member countries and FAO to strengthendiscussion and collaborative action to enhanceregional and national actions to combat illegallogging and associated trade.

Delegates stressed that combating illegal forestryactivities entails significant financial and humancosts. The Commission urged FAO and otherinternational partners to assist countries instrengthening capacity and securing financialresources to enable effective implementation ofmeasures to combat illegal logging and improveforest law compliance.

The Commission requested FAO and otherinternational partners to assist member countriesin developing and implementing simple andpractical tools and mechanisms for combating illegallogging and associated trade, including voluntaryforest and chain-of-custody certification (andmutual recognition), legality verification systems,national standards and codes of practice, criteriaand indicators for sustainable forest management,and reviews of legislation and governance-relatedinitiatives.

Changing roles of forestry agencies

The Commission recognized that significantchanges in the forestry landscape are creatingrapidly evolving expectations, necessitating reviewof forestry agency functions and structures. TheCommission requested that FAO assist forestryagencies to review structures, policies and functions

to better align these with new demands, objectivesand expectations.

Delegates emphasized that forestry agencies willneed to develop capacities to respond to many newchallenges related to climate change, including theability to respond quickly to natural disasters,manage the ecological impacts of climate change,and conduct planning in an atmosphere of increaseduncertainty. This will require forestry agencies todevelop institutional adaptive capacities andimprove coordination with other agencies andinstitutions.

The Commission emphasized that strong linkagesexist between the emerging roles of forestryagencies and the Asia-Pacific Forestry SectorOutlook Study. It urged countries to ensure thatthe findings of the outlook study are incorporatedinto strategic planning processes and used to guidereform and re-invention of forestry agencies. TheCommission further requested FAO to supportmember countries in maximizing the use of thefindings of the Asia-Pacific Forestry SectorOutlook Study and the APFC study on re-inventingforestry agencies.

Information items

The Commission was informed of the upcomingXIII World Forestry Congress to be held in BuenosAires, Argentina, 18-25 October 2009; the ongoingprocess to formulate a new FAO Strategy forForestry; launch of the Forest ResourcesAssessment 2010 (FRA 2010); and upcoming FAOpublications, including State of the world’s forests2009 and State of the world’s forest geneticresources (2013).

Other business

The Commission welcomed a report on theestablishment of the Asia-Pacific Network forSustainable Forest Management and ForestRehabilitation, endorsed at the APEC EconomicLeaders’ Meeting in September 2007, in Sydney,Australia. The network will address challenges onforests and climate change, and promotesustainable forest management in the region.

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The Commission also recognized the revisedmodalities of the United Nations Forum on Foreststo facilitate enhanced linkages with regional forest-related organizations, and the opportunity toenhance input from regional forest-relatedorganizations into the Multi-Year Program of Workagenda items to be discussed at the eighth sessionof the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF8).

Recognizing the importance of professional forestryeducation in developing skills for sustainable forestmanagement and forest policy analysis and

development, the Commission welcomed theestablishment of the Asia-Pacific Universities’Forest Education Network and urged FAO andmember countries to promote investment inforestry education and to support collaborativeefforts such as this network.

Date and place of the next session

The Commission noted with appreciation the offerof the delegation from China to host its twenty-third session.

A one-day workshop on Protected Areas, Equityand Livelihoods (PAEL), was held 25 April, jointlyhosted by IUCN, the Asia Forest Network (AFN),the Regional Community Forestry Training Centerfor Asia and the Pacific (RECOFTC), and FAO.Close to 100 participants joined the workshop. Themain purpose was to feed into the ongoing workof the global Task Force on PAEL by providinginsights and highlighting key issues relevant to thesocial implications of managing Protected Areasin the Asia-Pacific region.

The workshop was divided into four main sub-sessions, focusing sequentially on: (i) an overviewof the Task Force and case studies highlightingsome of the main issues related to PAEL; (ii)lessons learned from relevant projects in the Asia-Pacific region; (iii) potential policy options and toolsfor managing protected areas (PAs) in an equitableand socially sustainable way; and (iv) generalrecommendations on the best ways of addressingthe challenge of incorporating equity and livelihoodconcerns in the management of PAs.

Proceedings

Sub-session one – An overview of PAELMr. Ronnakorn Triraganon, of RECOFTC,provided background information on the PAELTask Force, and highlighted the urgent need tointegrate PA management into broader sustainabledevelopment objectives and ensure that equity andpoverty concerns are properly addressed.

Linkages between PA management and sustainabledevelopment objectives were further elaborated byMs. Nguyen Thi Yen of IUCN Vietnam, who drewfrom experience in Vietnam to highlight generallimitations to pro-poor PA management, such aslimited contribution of PAs to poverty reduction,unequal distribution of costs and benefits, andlimited market access for marginalizedcommunities.

Modesto Ga-ab, member of the Applai Sub-Tribeand Planning & Development Officer for the BesaoMunicipal Government in the Philippines,

During Forestry Week numerous parallel events were organized by partner organizations. Following are summaries of some of the events.

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discussed constraints to equitable and sociallysustainable implementation of PA management, andadvocated multi-stakeholder partnership processesthat fully recognize the cultural diversity of PAs.

In the open forum following the three presentations,participants debated various opportunities for amore pro-poor management of PAs. The issue ofcompensation to local communities was often seenas being complex, and risked being highlyinequitable unless sufficiently equitable participationwas assured. Eco-tourism in PAs was presentedas an opportunity, but it was cautioned that large-scale enterprises could potentially marginalize localcommunities. The issue of land rights was alsoevoked as a significant hurdle to the equitabledistribution of benefits from PAs management.

Sub-session two – Lessons learned: Strategies andmethodsThe second sub-session began with a presentationby Dr. Kadi Warner (IUCN) on the problem of“paper parks” and “paper partnerships” in theGreater Mekong Subregion (GMS). Dr. Warnerrevealed findings from three case studies that borewitness to the cost to local livelihoods of the ongoingdegradation of PAs in the GMS. Lessons learnedfrom these experiences highlighted the urgent needto bring closer attention to the underlyinginstitutional factors that undermine the effectiveand sustainable management of PAs.Professor Shanta K. Hennayake (IUCN) drewfrom experiences with the “Strengthening Voicesfor Better Choices” (SVBC) initiative in Sri Lankato show that effective and sustainable forestgovernance arrangements are a necessary conditionfor the enhancement of local livelihoods. Hehighlighted strategies to build trust among keystakeholders as a critical element of equitable andsocially responsible PAs management planning. Toachieve the requisite level of trust for effectivegovernance arrangements in the KnucklesConservation Zone, the SVBC project set up anoffice at the project site and ensured that projectstaff were present to meet with communitymembers and answer any questions about theproject 24 hours/day. The project also employedlocal youth in the initial research component as amechanism to build trust. He also noted theimportant role of the private sector in supportingsmall-scale entrepreneurial activities.

Mr. Ho Manh Tuong, of the Vietnamese ForestInventory and Planning Institute (FIPI), discussedthe integration of local communities in theestablishment of PAs, showing how they wereeffectively included in the consultation processwhile acknowledging their limited participation inthe ensuing conservation activities.

The open discussion with the participants focusedon the relationships between PA managers and localcommunities. The existing “disconnect” betweenPA policy and practice was often mentioned as areality in the Asia-Pacific region, where localcommunities are often unaware of existingrestrictions and regulations.

Sub-session three – Policy options andimplementation toolsDr. Arvind Anil Boaz of the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP)discussed regional collaboration in environmentalmanagement. He highlighted efforts to controlillegal trade in wildlife and emphasized how suchefforts can help empower local communities andprovide livelihood opportunities.

Kimberly Marion Suiseeya (IUCN, Lao PDR)discussed various policy interventions for a moresustainable approach to managing PAs in Lao PDR,including participatory management, sustainablefinancing and clarifying the current managementsystem by designating specific managementcategories to different PAs depending on theappropriate conservation objectives.

David Huberman (IUCN) presented “Paymentsfor Ecosystem Services (PES)” as a potential toolfor integrating conservation objectives into ruraldevelopment. Mr. Huberman stressed theimportance of having incentive-based instrumentsfit into a broader landscape-level strategy ofsustainable development that fully addressed the“equity-efficiency” trade-off.

Grace Villamor (CI/ICRAF) elaborated on the useof economic incentives by discussing howoptimizing the delivering of ecosystem servicescould help to conserve biodiversity in multi-functional landscapes.

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The issue of participation was the central topic ofthe open discussion. What exactly is participation?What is its purpose? Different approaches toincreasing participation in decision-making relatedto land-use and PAs, as well as the value ofparticipatory processes were questioned anddiscussed. It was generally acknowledged thatthere was a need to bring the focus down to thehousehold level to address problems such as elitecapture and equitable benefit sharing (e.g. genderinequality).

Sub-session four – Recommended actionsIn the final session, the discussion highlighted keyissues to be addressed by the PAEL Task Force.Firstly, the urgency of action was emphasized. Thesustained loss of biodiversity despite the increasein PAs in the region was seen as an indication thatPAs could become “dinosaurs” (as illustrated bythe widespread existence of “paper parks”). Onthe livelihoods side, the urgency of action was seenas being no less significant, demonstrated notablyby the fact that most of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals are highly unlikely to beachieved. It was acknowledged that PAs werecurrently in a period of crisis, and that newapproaches and initiatives were needed to ensure

that PAs are not merely expanded, but enhancedand made consistent with the livelihood needs oflocal communities.

One potential avenue discussed for generating newopportunities for local livelihoods in PAs was toencourage greater private sector involvement,although it was acknowledged that such interestsrisk undermining the equitable sharing ofconservation benefits. On the subject of equity, itwas strongly stated that this is a very context-dependent issue, and cannot be addressed througha “one-size-fits-all” approach. PES and newopportunities through carbon finance were alsoseen as potential opportunities for the pro-poormanagement of PAs. However, without properrecognition of traditional land tenure and ownershipsystems, such incentive-based mechanisms wereseen as being “out of reach” for many localcommunities.

The workshop acknowledged that many localcommunities wish to preserve biodiversity simplybecause they depend on it for their livelihoods,and it was generally agreed that greaterempowerment at the local level could go hand-in-hand with wider conservation efforts.

The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan(INBAR) held a session on the potential of bambooin the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) on21 April. Over 110 participants attended the sessionand six speakers gave presentations, which werefollowed by a brainstorming discussion session.

Presentations included:Promote bamboo for CDM. Lou Yiping(Programme Director, EnvironmentalSustainability Programme, INBAR)Bamboo dominated secondary successionafter shifting cultivation in Northern LaoPDR: opportunities and constraints in thecontext of forest management and carbonmitigation. Bernhard Mohns (GTZ-Laos)

Bamboo plantations and their potential forCDM in the northern mountainous region ofVietnam. Dr. Ha Trn Thi Thu (ForestryUniversity of Vietnam)Bamboo – Value-added products. Dr. C.N.Pandey (Indian Plywood Research and TrainingInstitute)Bamboo research and development in thePhilippines. Aida Lapis (EnvironmentResearch and Development Bureau,Philippines)The next steps. Andrew Benton (Manager,Networking and Partnerships Unit, INBAR)

OutputsThe workshop recommended that INBAR andpartners proceed with development of its

Potential of bamboo in the Clean Development Mechanism

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network of CDM partners, leading to specificpartnerships for implementing “bamboo in theCDM” projects. It confirmed that a technicaladvisory group should be established, and thatthis would report to the CDM workshop inBejing in late 2008.A better and broader understanding of thefeasibility of bamboo for CDM was gainedthrough presentations and discussion at theworkshop.

Awareness was raised and interest stimulatedto develop pilot bamboo projects for CDMamong the stakeholders.Potential interested partners were surveyedthrough questionnaires, which will form thebasis for developing the technical group andpilot project network.The workshop increased awareness ofstakeholders in the bamboo sectors in the Asia-Pacific region.

Disseminating scientific information for policy and management

Over the past several years, the International Unionof Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) hasimplemented a number of initiatives that aim topromote interactions between forest science andpolicy, and the dissemination of scientificknowledge to forest stakeholders. Towards thisend, a one-day seminar was organized by IUFROat the first Asia Pacific Forestry Week in Hanoi,Vietnam, on 25 April 2008. The event was made

possible through generous funding by the KoreaForest Research Institute (KFRI) and contributionsfrom various members of the CollaborativePartnership on Forests (CPF).

Professor Don K. Lee, President of IUFRO,informed participants about IUFRO’s currentinvolvement in three global initiatives promotingthe interaction between forest science and forest

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policy and management. These initiatives are: (a)Capacity Building on Science Policy Interfacing;(b) Joint CPF Initiative on Science and Technology;and (c) the Global Forest Information Service(GFIS) initiatives The program of the seminar wasorganized in three sessions based on theseinitiatives.

Session 1: Capacity Building on Science PolicyInterfacingThe need for sound scientific information in thedevelopment of public environmental and forest-related policies at the local, national andinternational levels has grown significantly in recentyears. So, too, has the need for such informationwithin the private forestry sector and among non-governmental organizations, whose role in thedevelopment, sustainable management andconservation of forest resources in all regions ofthe world is steadily increasing in importance.Although it is commonly accepted that scientificinformation is indispensable for policy andmanagement, linking substantive knowledge andauthoritative political decision making is achronically difficult task. The IUFRO Task Forceon the Science Policy Interface has compiled abest practices guide on “Effectively working at theinterface of forest science and forest policy.” Theseguidelines are available online on the IUFROwebsite at http://www.iufro.org/publications/series/occasional-papers/. Based on the work of this TaskForce, IUFRO’s Special Programme for DevelopingCountries (IUFRO-SPDC) has developed a trainingmodule on science-policy interfacing for scientistsand research managers in developing countries inAfrica, Asia and Latin America. The aim of thistraining is to provide concepts and methods forresearchers on how to plan, conduct, and organizeresearch activities, so that results can more quicklyand easily be transformed into usable informationfor problem-solving and policy-making. Over thepast three years several training workshops havebeen organized in all three regions and the demandfor such training continues to remain high.

Session 2: Joint Initiative on Science andTechnologySince 2001, IUFRO, through its Special Projecton World Forests, Society and Environment(WFSE), has been actively involved in globalnetworking focusing on the broad interrelationship

between forests, society and the environment. TheWFSE network shares scientific knowledge andparticipates in forest-related policy processes,synthesizes research findings on topics of globaland regional importance and publishes the resultsin books, scientific synthesis reports and policybriefs. The core group of WFSE is composed of 9leading research institutions coordinated byIUFRO.

Over the past four years, the work of IUFRO atthe international level has intensified significantlywith representations of IUFRO in sessions of theUnited Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), theConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD), andthe Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC). One of the results of these efforts isa new Joint Initiative of the CollaborativePartnership on Forests (CPF), coordinated byIUFRO. This Joint Initiative supports internationalforest-related processes by assessing availablescientific information and by producing reports onforest-related issues of high concern. The mainprinciples of the work of the Joint Initiative includethe incorporation of scientific results generated byexperts from all regions of the world, theassessment of existing information withoutconducting new research, and communicatingeffectively with policy makers at the right time(http://www.iufro.org/science/science-initiative/).

Session 3: Global Forest Information Service(GFIS)The third session of the IUFRO event focused onthe Global Forest Information Service (GFIS).GFIS, an IUFRO-led CPF Initiative, provides theframework for sharing forest-related data andinformation through a single gateway. The mainobjectives of this session were to: a) introduce theGFIS concept; b) invite current informationprovider partners from the regions to share theirexperiences with GFIS; c) invite new potentialpartners to discuss their expectations of globalinformation sharing; and d) demonstrate under realworld conditions how easy it is to create thenecessary information feeds (RSS) and link themto the GFIS gateway at http://www.gfis.net/.

The presentations made during this session can bedownloaded from the IUFRO website at http://www.iufro.org/science/gfis/.

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The British Council organized a series of events toraise awareness of climate change issues, in supportof the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week.

“Climate Cool” booth

The British Council managed a booth duringForestry Week to promote the Climate Securityactivities by the British Council in the East Asiaregion. The British Council’s new regional projectis called “Climate Cool” and will be run in 12countries in the Asia-Pacific region. To help runthis booth and draw attention to the regional natureof the project, the British Council invited five youngdelegates from Indonesia, Thailand, Korea andJapan who are members of the British Council’s

Asian Young Leaders Climate Forum, foundedlast year in Bali, Indonesia, during the IPCCCConvention on Climate Change. Visitors to thebooth were able to talk to the five young delegatesand learn more about what young people are doingin other countries in the region.

Money does grow on trees!

Science Café panel discussions on the theme ofClimate Change with the discussion “Money doesgrow on trees!” took place at the NationalConvention Centre on 24 April. The discussionfocused on the link between forests and globalwarming and how forests can help to providesolutions to global warming.

Money does grow on trees!

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Another of the side events of Forestry Week wasa workshop held on 23 April on the proposed Asia-Pacific Universities Forest Education Network.The meeting was attended by more than 50representatives of institutions from 12 countriesand 7 international organizations. The objectivesof the workshop were as follows:

To identify major issues facing thedevelopment of forest education in the AsiaPacific region;To discuss potential solutions to these issues;To discuss the development of a formalnetwork of tertiary forest education institutions,how it might operate, what kind of resourceswould be required to make it effective andwhere these might come from; andDecide on next steps and future actions.

Issues and outcomes

Workshop participants identified the followingcommon key issues of concern:

The need for universities to become moreinternationally connected and to developinternational collaboration;The need for curriculum review and updatingto reflect current forest managementchallenges;Declining student interest in forestry as a studyoption (the exception being Republic of Korea,where there were many students but few jobsin forestry or land management);The increasing cost to students and institutionsof education;The need to more effectively link teaching withindustry needs and making graduatesemployment-ready;The need to more effectively link and reinforcethe research-teaching-policy chain;

More effectively maintaining and utilizinguniversity forests; andIncorporating general educational goals (e.g.,creative thinking, ICT, research skills) intoprofessional forestry programs.

It was agreed that a formal network of tertiaryforest education institutions should be pursued, butthere were varying opinions about whether or notthe network should be developed separately fromrelated existing networks (e.g., APAFRI,SEANAFE), noting the advantages anddisadvantages of both options.

The following top priorities for collaboration wereidentified:

Sharing of information on curriculum, teachingdevelopment activities and library resourcesand staff expertiseExchange arrangements for staff and studentsDevelopment of benchmarking, peer reviewand common standards (perhaps a ‘state offorestry curriculum’ report)Joint teaching programs for specialist subjectareasJoint research activitiesPromotion of forestry as an exciting andinnovative career optionProposals to fund specific actions

The importance of keeping the curriculum relevantand enhancing links with “the industry” were alsoemphasized. Toward this objective, the followingwere stressed:

Frequent curriculum review, involving otherinstitutions and external partnersMechanisms for linking graduates withemployersFurther development of internships andindustry placements.

Asia-Pacific universities forest education network

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Co-organized by the National Forest ProgrammeFacility and the FAO Regional Office for Asia andthe Pacific, a workshop on “Facilitating andPromoting National Forest Programmes in theAsia-Pacific Region” was held 20 April, in Hanoi,Vietnam, as a parallel event of the Asia-PacificForestry Week. The main objective was to bringtogether all national focal points of the Facilitypartner countries in the Asia-Pacific region to shareexperiences on national forest programmes (nfps)and to discuss the role of the Facility in theseprocesses. Twenty-five participants attended theworkshop, including 11 National Focal Points frompartner countries.

Presentations were made by experts from IUFRO,GTZ and the Facility staff, providing backgroundinformation on nfps and guidance on theseprocesses. Through a facilitated debate, issues wereclarified, information exchanged, lessons learnedand recommendations formulated. The FacilityFocal Points from China, Indonesia, Mongolia,Pakistan and the Philippines made presentationsabout their nfp processes and the roles of theFacility therein. The major outputs and impactsof the Facility support are summarized as follows:China:

Public participation is promoted throughapplication of testing tools/approachesInformation flow and sharing between globalexperiences and national practice is enhancedthrough establishment of a website on ChinaSustainable Forestry ManagementThe results of various studies on land tenurecontributed greatly to improve institutional andtenurial arrangements in the stake-owned andcollective forest areas of China

Indonesia:Community-based forest management(CBFM) is developed in several regionsForestry Long-Term Development Plan 2006-2025; Forestry Mid-Term Development Plan2005-2009; Master Plan Forest and LandRehabilitation are developedForestry management becomes moretransparent

Vision, mission, policy, plan, and program offorestry development for SFM at national andsub-national levels are more harmonized andsupported by stakeholders

Mongolia:National capacity on the sustainable use offorest resources for income generation andrural development has been strengthenedThe institutional set-up of the forestadministration is reviewed for improvementAwareness on the possibility to form naturalresources user groups is increased

Pakistan:Strategy is established for public-privatepartnership in Pakistan’s forest sector“National Vision 2025 for Forest BiodiversityConservation – A Strategy for Action” isdevelopedA forum for forest policy analysis, formulationand monitoring its implementation has beenestablishedAwareness on forestry issues is increased anda communication strategy on forestry andrelated issues is developed

Philippines:Community-based Forest Management(CBFM) Strategic Plan and Regional Plan aredeveloped by stakeholders, with wider senseof ownershipEnhanced participation of all stakeholders,particularly NGOs, as the Government’spartners in undertaking the whole planningprocess and also sharing of financial resourcesin key activitiesCBFM contributes to attain the goals andobjectives of the Forestry Sector Master Plan,which identified CBFM as a cross-cuttingconcern, and to achieve the goals of the MDG

The key recommendations from the partnercountries to the Facility regarding priorities andareas for future actions and improvement includethe following:

Establish networks among partner countries,while enhancing cooperation with national andinternational partners, stakeholders and donors

National Forest Programmes in Asia and the Pacific

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Strengthen capacity building of humanresources through trainingClarify the procedure for continued FacilitysupportPromote participation of NGOs in bothdecision making and policy implementationprocess of forest related matters

FAO is conducting a series of sub-regional andregional workshops as part of the preparatory workfor the country reporting to the Global ForestResources Assessment 2010 (FRA 2010). Theworkshops are in response to requests by manyNational Correspondents (NCs) to increase FAO’ssupport and capacity building at sub-regional andregional levels.

The regional workshop for the Pacific region washeld at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi,Vietnam, as a pre-event to Asia-Pacific ForestryWeek (21-26 April 2008). The workshop wasjointly organized by the FAO Forestry Departmentin Rome, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community(SPC), and co-funded by the StrengtheningMonitoring, Assessment and Reporting onSustainable Forest Management in Asia (MAR)Project.

Eighteen participants from 11 countries attendedthe meeting, including National Correspondents(NCs) and focal points for the FRA 2010 countryreporting process.

Workshop objectives

The main objectives of the workshop were toprovide technical assistance and guidance to ensurehigh-quality reporting for FRA 2010, through:

detailed discussions on the 17 NationalReporting Tables, including the process ofidentification, selection and documentation ofnational data and data sources;

ensuring the correct application of processesof data transformation, estimation andforecasting to generate information for FRAcategories and reference years;ensuring consistency among different tables;identifying problems and data gaps, if any, foreach of the 17 tables in each participatingcountry and suggesting ways to address these;andseeking clarifications and additionalinformation from countries on their draftreports.

Content

The first session was dedicated to introductorypresentations on the workshop, includingorganization of the workshop, presentation of theFRA 2010 reporting process and reportingmethodology. Participants were also briefed on theFRA 2010 remote sensing survey. After theintroductory presentations the participantspresented the current status of their countryreports and problems or data gaps they face.

The remaining sessions of the workshop werededicated to clarification and discussion on the 17national reporting tables and on addressinginformation gaps and how to handle varioustechnical issues related to the reporting and thereporting tables. Many of the issues identified bythe countries were clarified during the meeting,and the remaining issues were forwarded to theFRA secretariat to be clarified and included in the

Collect base line data for evaluating theachievements of the nfp process and tocontinue the monitoring and evaluation duringthe whole process.

Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA 2010)

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“Frequently Asked Questions” on the FRA website.The “Guidelines for country reporting to FRA2010” and “Specifications of National Reporting

The Steering Committee of Teaknet met on 21April 2008, in Hanoi, Vietnam. The meeting wasattended by 18 participants. One of the majorissues discussed was the proposed relocation ofthe Teaknet Secretariat. It was agreed to seekconfirmation of the Kerala Forest ResearchInstitute’s willingness to host the Secretariat andprovide the needed support, including space,material and staff-time, to manage it. The ForestDepartment of Myanmar will continue to be theReferral Centre for natural teak management. TheMinistry of Forestry, Myanmar, will endorse theabove decision and provide full support by sendingthe relevant documents/constitution, bylaws, etc.to the new host, for a smooth transition.

Dr. K M Bhat, Teaknet Coordinator Designatefrom Kerala Forest Research Institute, gave adetailed presentation on the activities and initiativesto be taken after the establishment of the TeaknetSecretariat with support from FAO/RAP. Themajor activities envisaged in the program include:

Collection of all literature pertinent to the teakdevelopment and dissemination of relevantinformation by publication of quarterlynewsletters/information bulletins and abstractsof applied research findings to cater to theneeds of international stakeholders;Facilitation of the organization of trainingprograms on teak cultivation, managementand processing for value-added products;Development of a database/directory oninternational teak resources, price and tradetrends, including a directory of teak experts/researchers and scientific literature/world teakbibliography on the website.

Facilitate the exchange of expertise among thecountries/institutions which are members ofthe network.Facilitation of the exchange of geneticmaterial/wood samples, as well as improvedplanting stock for plantation trials;Organize a regional/international seminar at theend of Phase I (after 3 years);Identification of country-level coordinator andfocal points;Publication of news bulletins (electronic andhard copy) and information dissemination; andFormation of Working Groups andcoordination of collaborative studies in criticalareas, and holding of international reviewmeetings.

Composition of the Steering Committee

Discussion was held on the composition of theSteering Committee to represent different sectorsfor supporting TEAKNET activities. The generalconsensus was that the membership may beexpanded to accommodate the supporting donoragencies, active NGOs of teak developmentconcerns, the private sector, and other teak-growing regions such as Latin America, subject tothe approval by FAO.

Support from donor agencies to TEAKNET

A number of options for securing funding tosupport TEAKNET were discussed. Preliminaryexpressions of support were indicated by theInternational Tropical Timber Organization(ITTO), Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA), the Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape& Planning (DANIDA), FAO and others.

Tables” were also presented in detail, as werereferences to relevant thematic studies carried outin FRA 2005.

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Asia-Pacific Forestry Outlook Study: making progress

APFSOS: Where are we now?

It is almost one and a half years since the Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study (APFSOS)was launched with a view to outline what the futureholds for the sector in the context of the largerchanges. Steady progress has been made since itsinception and a number of important stepscompleted. Country outlook papers preparedthrough a consultative process involving all the keystakeholders form the foundation of the study.Nearly half of the 30 countries participating in thestudy have prepared the draft outlook papers.These outline the current status of forests andforestry, the driving forces and emerging scenarios,what may lie ahead in the future and what can bedone to improve the situation. Other countrieshave also made substantial progress and theiroutlook papers are expected within the next 1-2months.

Thematic studies on topical cross-cutting issuesare another important component of the outlookstudy. These synthesize the current state ofknowledge and indicate how the issues may unfoldin the future. Topics for the thematic studiesinclude: demographic changes in the Asia-Pacificregion, macro-economic trends, forests and povertyalleviation, indigenous people and forests, futureof non-wood forest products, agriculture-forestinterface issues, trends in wood energy use,globalization in the forest sector, etc. Of the 20topics identified at the start of the study, eight havebeen completed and another 8 are in progress. Theremaining are in the initial stages of implementation.A number of these studies have been undertakenby young professionals in the region, providing anopportunity to tap the upcoming talents in theregion.

The International Conference on the Future ofAsia-Pacific Forests, organized in Chiang Mai,Thailand, in October 2007, was another milestonein the study process. More than 250 peopleattended the conference and about 65 paperscovering different aspects of forests and forestrywere presented. This provided a unique

opportunity for a wide range of stakeholders toarticulate their views about the emerging future.

What next?

The Asia-Pacific Forestry Week, held in Hanoi,Vietnam in April 2008, provided an opportunityfor a broad-based discussion on emerging changesand their implications on forestry in the Asia-Pacific. The very theme of Forestry Week,“Forestry in a changing world”, aimed to drawattention to the need to better visualise how thefuture is unfolding and to prepare the forestrycommunity to understand, adapt to and shape thefuture. During Forestry Week the Asia-PacificCommission discussed the emerging issues and theprogress made in the implementation of the outlookstudy. Also, a meeting of the national focal pointswas held to discuss the development of sub-regionaland regional scenarios, drawing upon the scenariosidentified in the country outlook papers.

APFSOS products and follow up activities:

The main products from APFSOS include oneoverview regional outlook report and 4 sub-regionaloutlook reports. Preparation of these reports willbe commencing soon and after thorough peerreviews these are expected to be available by April2009. Production of these reports is just one stepin the pursuit of helping the forest sector to adaptto the future. A number of follow up measures,particularly aimed at mainstreaming the findingsin the national forest programme, are envisaged.Substantial efforts are also required to improvethe strategic planning capacity in the forest sector.

The challenge

Understanding the larger changes is probably themost critical step in describing the future of forestsand forestry. However, we are dealing withcontinuous changes and events have been unfoldingfast since the launch of the study. We have seen asignificant escalation of fuel prices and aconsequent scaling up of efforts to producebiofuels. The report of the IPCC and the follow

Vol. XXII: No. 2 April-June 2008

2020

FOREST NEWSFOREST NEWS

10-12 June 2008. Dili, Timor-Leste. FNPP Project Wrap-up Workshop “Promoting Sustainable ForestManagement, National Economic Development, and Poverty Reduction in Timor Leste.” Contact: S.Appanah, NFP Advisor for Asia and the Pacific, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra AtitRoad, Bangkok 10200, Thailand; Tel.(662) 697-4136; Fax: (662) 697-4445; E-mail:Simmathiri.Appanah@fao.org

25-27 September 2008. International Symposium on Sustainable Forest Management. Beijing, China.Contact: Patrick Durst, Senior Forestry Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra AtitRoad, Bangkok 10200, Thailand; Tel.(662) 697-4139; Fax: (662) 697-4445; E-mail: Patrick.Durst@fao.org

14-18 October 2008. Beijing, China. 23rd Session of the International Poplar Commission. Contact:Jim Carle, Senior Forestry Officer, FOMR, FAO Forestry Department, Via della Terme di Caracalla,00100, Rome, Italy; E-mail: Jim.Carle@fao.org

18-21 November 2008. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2nd International Plantation Industry Conferenceand Exhibition (IPiCEX 2008). Contact: Patrick Durst, Senior Forestry Officer, FAO Regional Office forAsia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand; Tel.(662) 697-4139; Fax: (662) 697-4445; E-mail: Patrick.Durst@fao.org

25-29 November 2008. Islamabad, Pakistan. 29th FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific.Contact: B.K. Nandi, Secretary APRC, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road,Bangkok 10200, Thailand; Tel.(662) 697-4143; Fax: (662) 697-4445; E-mail: Biplab.Nandi@fao.org

March 2009. Rome, Italy. Committee on Forestry (COFO) - 19th Session. Contact: Douglas Kneeland,Chief FOEL and Secretary COFO, FAO Forestry Department, Via della Terme di Caracalla, 00100,Rome, Italy; E-mail: Douglas.Kneeland@fao.org

FOREST NEWS is issued by the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific as part of TIGERPAPER. This issueof FOREST NEWS was compiled by Patrick B. Durst, Senior Forestry Officer, FAO/RAP.

FAO ASIA-PACIFIC FORESTRY CALENDAR

up discussions on climate change have broughtforestry to the center stage with an opportunityfor playing an important role through reducingdeforestation and forest degradation. Volatility inthe financial markets, plus the woes in the UShousing sector, is affecting the world’s economyas a whole. Recent months have seen an escalationof food prices, largely reflecting the past neglectof the agriculture sector. While some of the changestend to have short term impacts, others may have

much longer term impacts, including shifting thepath of development. The impacts of these andother potential developments will be assessed toprovide probable scenarios of forestry developmentin the region.

For more details about APFSOS, please contact:Patrick DurstSenior Forestry OfficerFAO Regional Office for Asia and the PacificE-mail: Patrick.Durst@fao.org

FORESTRY PUBLICATIONS: FAO REGIONALOFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (RAP)

For copies please write to: Senior Forestry Officer for Asia and the Pacific,FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand.

Or visit the FAO website for an electronic version: http://www.fao.or.th/publications/publications.htm

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