News & views

• Introduction
• FAQs
• Resources
• Videos
• Glossary

International Conference on Participatory Forest Management, Biodiversity and Livelihoods in Africa is Officially Opened

Download this press release as a PDF

His Excellency Ato Girma W/Giorgis, President of the Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, opened the International Conference on Participatory Forest Management, Biodiversity and Livelihoods in Africa, today - March 19, 2007.

The conference has brought together experts and practitioners to discuss, debate and present recent findings on a range of issues associated with the establishment of Participatory Forest Management (PFM) as a successful approach to managing forest resources effectively.

The expected outcomes of the conference include information sharing, cross learning, relationship building, improved and increased promotion and recognition of PFM, and unified policy lobbying for PFM. In addition, inputs based on experiences of different countries during the last day discussion on Challenges and Opportunities of PFM in Ethiopia, are expected to significantly contribute to PFM development in Ethiopia.

The conference focused on PFM as linked to sustainable livelihoods, equity and local governance, policy and institutions, as well as biodiversity conservation and climate change.

Appreciating the timeliness of the conference, the president stated the need for sustainable natural resource management for sustainable development. For this, the Government of Ethiopia has issued various policy statements and proclamations to mainstream environmental sustainability. He further expressed his hope that relevant actors will take up the lessons from this conference to strengthen the development of PFM in Africa.

Participants are coming from different parts of the world including Australia, Cameroon, Cote d' ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Niger, Tanzania, Mali, Sudan and the UK. Participants from Ethiopia include Regional Bureaus, research centres and non-governmental organisations. A total of 200 individuals are expected to participate in the three-day conference.

The conference is taking place in the hall of the Government of the National State of Oromia, Addis Ababa and will last for three days, 19-21 March 2007.

It was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ethiopia, in collaboration with the Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Regional Governments, the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (IBC), Federal Environmental Protection Authority, the Participatory Forest Management Programme of FARM-Africa and SOS Sahel Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Foresters' Association, Non-Timber Forest Product Research and Development Project, GTZ, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Ethiopian Coffee Forest Forum, and Forum for Environment; and funded by the European Union.

Further information on the conference can be found on the FARM-Africa and SOS Sahel Ethiopia Participatory Forest Management Programme's website at: www.pfmp-farmsos.org.

Comments

There are currently no comments on this post

Post a Comment

Your comment will have to be approved by a site administrator before it is shown on the site so please be patient.