Foresters seek union support for African projects A group of African-Canadian pro- fessional foresters is attempting to raise funds and public awareness for various restoration projects on the continent of Africa. Very few Canadians realize that the rapid deforestation taking place in Africa is threatening over half of the entire continent. The removal of tree cover, for necessities such as fuel wood and construction materials, is caus- ing a massive increase in desertifica- tion. Desertification, or the loss of pro- ductive lands to desert, is a major factor in soil and crop loss, and envi- ronmental degradation. The results are hunger, disease, and poverty. Representatives from the Van- couver-based Canada-Africa Interna- tional Forestry Association (CAIFA), founded in 1987, are seeking support from labour, industry, individuals, and the government of Canada in order to fund agroforestry and anti- desertification projects in rural Africa. Currently, the non-profit, charita- ble organization is seeking funding for a project in north-central Zim- babwe. A proposal for joint funding with the non-governmental organiza- tion division of the Canadian Interna- tional Development Agency (CIDA) should result in 50:50 funding for this agroforestry pilot project in forty rural communities. The purpose of the $64,000 project is to deliver agroforestry techniques to the people in order to improve fuel wood supplies, increase animal fod- der, protect top soils, increase soil fertility by the planting of nitrogen fixing trees, and increase income gen- eration through minor forest products trade. John (Rama) Masai, Executive Director of CAIFA, says that his orga- nization is only involved in com- munity-based forestry projects. Community based forest projects are the opposite of industrial based forestry projects where the maximiza- tion of profit is the key goal. Masai sees the benefits of a prop- erly administered community based program as including improvements to health, water supplies and in- creased soil preservation. This should yield greater crop production. He says that traditional agricul- tural methods used in parts of Africa and Asia in decades past are now considered as “agroforestry” which combine the cultivation of fuel woods and agricultural crops. “Better trees are now being intro- duced into agroforestry practices,” says Masai. “One of the goals of agroforestry is to preserve and enhance the genetic pool of native trees.” The Zimbabwe project will include the planting of more than 100,000 multi-purpose trees on farms and school compounds in the first year which should benefit about 2,000 chil- dren and farmers. Coordination of the project will be done with the Associa- tion of Women’s Clubs based in Harare, Zimbabwe. Mr. Masai feels that the fuel wood crisis in Africa and various third world nations has not received the amount, of publicity that it should. In some areas of rural Africa, over 95% of wood is used for heating, cooking, and water purification. The pressure of growing popula- tions and dwindling timber resources is causing an alarming change to the face of Africa. As droughts continue and forest lands disappear, the loss of productive land to desert is becoming increasingly catastrophic. More than twenty African coun- tries south of the Sahara Desert are suffering from-ongoing drought. One hundred and fifty million people are affected and at least thirty million African lives are now threatened by the drought. In the Sahel Region (sub-Saharan), nomadic and agricultural people are being driven to cities as conditions in rural regions are becoming increas- ingly unbearable. It is estimated that the Sahara Desert is advancing southwards at the rate of five kilometres per year across the width of the continent. In the last fifty years it has covered an additional area the size of Manitoba. DESERTIFICATION IN AFRICA SAHELIAN ZONE (Area of worst drought) [Jorseer SECONDARY DROUGHT AREA NOT AFFECTED BY DROUGHT © Map shows encroaching deserts moving southwards. The Sahara desert is moving at a rate of 5 km per year. DY ERSMERR 1, i © Children in South Nyanza, Kenya hold coffee and leucaena seedlings. A CIDA funded agroforestry project in the area aids in soil preservation and fuelwood production. CAIFA is helping to seek a long- term solution to the continental desertification. John Masai says that CIDA now realizes that forestry and soil preser- vation are major items for the survi- val of African peoples. He also says that recent public and political awakenings for environmen- tal issues are positive signs for his organization. “The United Nations’ (Bruntland) Commission on the environment showed Canadians that we have sim- ilar concerns to Africans about pro- tecting the long term sustainability of the global environment,” says Masai. FURTHER INFORMATION For further information on CAIFA, please write or call: CANADA-AFRICA INTERNATIONAL FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 2995 Waterloo Street Vancouver, B.C. V6R 334 Telephone (604) 731-2545. Munro appointed to Forest Commission (continued from page 1) forestry and land conflict resolu- tions. This province needs to develop dispute settling mecha- nisms as soon as possible.” The Commission is mandated to consult with the public and make. any recommendations or informa- tion it gathers public. Forests Minister Parker readily admits that the new body was set up because public confidence in BC. forest policy is lacking. He also claims the Commission will be broader and have more power than a Royal Commission of Inquiry, although the power of inquiry granted to the Commission will need cabinet approval. “This Commission must operate openly and may often require pow- ers of subpoena to gain the public’s respect,” commented Brother Munro. Other members of the Commis- sion include: e Peter Burns, Dean at Faculty of Law, University of British Col- umbia. e Roger Freeman, Chairman of the Recreation and Conservation Committee of the Federation of Mountain Clubs of British Col- umbia, Co-chairman of the For- est and Land Use Liaison Com- mittee and Director of the Out- door Recreation Council. © Joyce Harder, Mayor of Lillooet and Businesswoman. e Bob Kennedy, Dean at the Fac- ulty of Forestry, University of British Columbia. e Carmen Purdy, Industrial Rela- tions Manager (Pulp) of Forest Crestbrook Industries, President Kootenay Wildlife Heritage Fund, and a former President of the B.C. Wildlife Federation. © Bob Rogers, former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. © Cyril Shelford, former MLA and businessman. e John Szauer, registered profes- sional forester and a former regional manager, Cariboo For- est Region of the BC. Forest Service. © Matt Vickers, executive director of Gitskan Wet’suwe’ten govern- ment commission in Hazelton. —_ 20/LUMBERWORKER/SEPTEMBER, 1989 One of the first projects the newly established Commission will work on will be to advise Minister Parker on the effectiveness of the Tree Farm Licence tenure system. In their examination of this sys- tem, the Commission will look at a summary report of input at public hearings held by the Ministry in February and March of this year. © IWA President Jack Munro accepts two-year appointment to Forest Re sources Commission. The summary report contains infor- mation based on more than 300 submissions at the hearings. Hear- ings in February and March were designed to provide information on the TFL system and a proposed government plan to replace Forest Licences with additional tree farm licences, more than doubling the amount of provincial forest lands under that system of tenure. “During the hearings, the public showed the Minister and his col- leagues that they are extremely concerned about the mess our for- ests are in,” adds Munro, “The Ministry won't act until we go over the effectiveness of Tree Farm Licencing and make some pretty serious recommendations.” Other issues the Commission will advise the Forest Minister on will be on how to improve public partic- ipation in forest management and planning and how to improve for- est practices, focusing on the impact of clear cut harvesting methods. The Commission will be free to establish its own procedures, including the formation of sub- committees that can act as “task forces” on individual topics. ene enceeianeeee Y