A wildlife newsletter for Asia
Biosphere reserve areas agreed to by United States and U.S.S.R.
For those planning seed collection expeditions
Indonesian policy on tree seed acquisition
The return of the beavers in Sweden
Two-year stop to hunting in Venezuela to preserve wildlife and allow scientific research
Growing concern over effect of acid rain on agriculture and forestry
The status and whereabouts of the tiger
New Malaysian national park
A guide to the birds of Thailand
Wildlife census in the Republic of Korea
The monkey-eating eagle in the Philippines
The vicious circle in which migratory birds are disappearing
National parks being developed regionally in Central America
The Tiger Paper, an informal newsletter on the wildlife resources of Asia, is being issued by the FAO Regional Office for Asia in Bangkok. It was created in answer to requests from the delegates of 12 countries at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission meeting in Canberra in September 1973.
The Tiger Paper aims at informing and establishing contact and dialogue with individuals concerned with wildlife in governments, universities, research organizations, regional or international organizations and others in this field.
The FAO Regional Office for Asia is also anxious to learn about various game census techniques in use in moist tropical forests, a subject on which there is little unified information.
Those interested should write to:
Mr. Peter Enderline, Editor,
"The Tiger Paper,"
Wildlife and National Parks Management,
FAO, Maliwan Mansion,
Phra Atit Road,
Bangkok 2, Thailand
Complementary natural areas are being set aside as "biosphere reserves" by the United States and the U.S.S.R. The areas are to be used for scientific study of particular ecosystems as part of the Man and Biosphere programme of Unesco. The results of such research will be shared so that both nations may act more effectively to protect the integrity of the world environment.
In the Bering Sea area United States and U.S.S.R. scientists are exchanging information concerning the effects of pollution on the wildlife and habitats of their respective shores.
Unesco hopes that many of the 65 nations which joined the programme will set aside similar research areas.
Forest services or institutes planning seed-collecting expeditions or similar activities, and particularly those looking for partners for joint expeditions or pooled resources, may have notices to this effect published in the FAO Forest Gene Resources Bulletin and Unasylva.
Notices should be typewritten, double-spaced, in either English, French or Spanish. Both these publications are also interested in receiving reports of results of such expeditions.
Because of frequent requests from abroad for forest tree seed, the Forest Research Institute at Bogor, Indonesia, has issued a statement of guidelines:
- Government regulations permit the sending of only small quantities of forest tree seed on an exchange basis to be used for research purposes.- For certain tree species permission from the Minister of Agriculture is required.
- All requests to Indonesia for forest tree seed or seedlings should be channelled through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Foreign Economic Relations, Djakarta.
The number of wild beavers in Sweden is currently 12 000-15 000, according to the National Swedish Environment Protection Board. This compares with some 7 500 five years ago and only 2 000 in 1 960.
Beavers were virtually exterminated in Sweden during the 1870s. The animal was later given official protection and in the course of the 1920s a number were imported and released in suitable surroundings. A few dozen captive pairs are still released each year.
In spite of complaints arising from damage caused by beaver dams, the animal is still protected in Sweden.
By decree of the Venezuelan Ministry of Agriculture, recreational hunting has been suspended for two years beginning in April 1974. The Government gave as reasons for the ban the "alarming diminution of wildlife" and "the desire to increase scientific research to achieve better conservation."
In the past 20 years there has been a trend toward increasingly acid precipitation. Concern is now being voiced in Sweden and the United States.
In a report to the National Swedish Environment Protection Board, Prof. Nils Malmer warned of damaging effects on forestry, particularly in the southern parts of the country where rainfall contains acids about 40 percent stronger than 20 years ago. There have been increases in the acid content of precipitation in northern Sweden as well, but at a slower rate.
According to a study in the northeastern United States, the annual acidity of precipitation is about pH 4, but values as low as pH 2.1 have also been recorded.
Increased acid results in lower pH values - hydrogen ion concentration - in water, and the buffer capacity of certain lakes in western Sweden is now considered so low than even minor increases in sulfuric acid fallout could seriously erode their pH values.
The Swedish report said that negative effects of sulfuric acid are most marked on certain types of brown earth in southern Sweden.
A century ago there were estimated to be about 40 000 tigers in the Indian subcontinent. In 1972 an Indian government census found about 1800. Destruction and disturbance of habitat have caused the tiger to disappear from its traditional homeland, but hunting, poaching and commercial exploitation have all taken their toll.
Alarmed by this situation, India, with assistance from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the World Wildlife Fund (IUCN/WWF), started Project Tiger, a six-year programme to save these rare animals from extinction. Nine tiger reserves have now been extended and placed under management, and measures have been taken to prevent poaching and to improve the habitat. A budget of more than US$6 million has been approved and IUCN/WWF have been raising money through an international campaign.
It is estimated that there are now less than 5 000 tigers in the world, of which some 2 000 are believed to be scattered throughout West Malaysia, Thailand and other parts of Indochina. Small populations exist near the Caspian Sea, in the easternmost U.S.S.R., in China and in Indonesia.
Palua Gaya, an island of great natural beauty located a short distance from Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah, Malaysia, has been declared a national park. It covers more than a thousand hectares.
A new field guide to the birds of Thailand, written by Boonsong Lekagul and Edward W. Cronin, Jr., has been published by the Association for the Conservation of Wildlife, 4 Old Customs House Lane, Bangrak, Bangkok.
The results of a five-year census of wildlife resources have been published by the Republic of Korea.
Animal counts were made twice each month in 36 areas of observation throughout the country between January 1969 and December 1973 using line transect sampling techniques. The report, entitled Wildlife population census in Korea, No. 5, contains a brief summary in English and distribution maps for the various species involved. It may be obtained from:
Mr. Park Kil Hong,
Chief, Section for Protection,
Bureau of Forest Administration,
Office of Forestry,
111 Hapdong, Seodaemunku,
Seoul, Republic of Korea
The monkey-eating eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) of the Philippines is the world's largest eagle, with wing spans as wide as 3 metres, There are about 40 of these birds surviving. The Philippines Government and IUCN/WWF are engaged in research and protection efforts. The reduction of the forest habitat by logging, together with illegal hunting and trapping, are responsible for the near extinction of the eagle.
Information on this and other species of wildlife in the Philippines may be found in the magazine Conserving for tomorrow, which can be obtained from:
Mr. Jesus B. Alvarez, Jr.,
Assistant Director of Forestry for Parks,
Range, Wildlife and Research,
Bureau of Forest Development,
Parks and Wildlife Office,
Quezon City, the Philippines
Unless strong measures are taken at an international level to protect European migratory birds many species may disappear entirely within a few years, according to the head of the Federal Republic of Germany's Forest Service, Karl-Heinz Oedekoven.
Dr. Oedekoven gave the warning to representatives of 62 national forest services attending a meeting of the FAO Committee on Forestry in Rome in May.
He said that the German Forest Service receives complaints daily from various wildlife conservation societies and that he considered the problem of disappearing species of migratory birds particularly serious in Germany.
"Some species have already been reduced by 70 to 80 percent," he said, "and may be extinct within a few years." This is certainly the case for the redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) and the hedge sparrow (Prunella modularis). It is estimated that about 200 million migratory birds of all kinds are killed each year in their journeys between the Mediterranean area, the Near East, Africa and northern Europe.
A large number of these migratory birds are netted and shot in Mediterranean countries, Dr. Oedekoven said, but extensive use of pesticides and herbicides throughout Europe is also responsible for their depletion. Since many of these birds are insect eaters, the increased number of insect pests resulting from their loss causes a vicious circle of increased use of pesticides, which in turn kills more birds.
Support for Dr. Oedekoven came from the delegates of Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands and Cuba.
"The forest," said Emile Clicheroux, Director-General of the Belgian Forest Service, "is the last shelter for many wild animals and experts are concerned by the disappearance of many species. International mechanisms should be created to ensure protection of this most important part of our common heritage."
A regional system of national parks and other protected areas is being created by the countries of the Central American isthmus, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
The move is in response to a recommendation of the Second World Conference on National Parks, with the assistance of the United Nations Environment Programme, FAO, Unesco, UNDP, the Rockefeller Brothers' Fund and the World Wildlife Fund. The project aims to examine the national parks within the area in order to link them together regionally.
Documentation World Consultation on Wood-Based Panels, New Delhi, 6-16 Feb. 1975
The following are the basic papers and some of the more than 140 background studies which constitute the working documentation for the World Consultation on Wood-Based Panels to be held in New Delhi from 6 to 16 February 1975. The five basic papers, prepared by the consultation secretariat, are designed to serve as a guide for discussion. They draw largely on the background studies.
BASIC PAPERS
I |
PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION AND TRADE IN WOOD-BASED PANELS - PRESENT SITUATION AND ALTERNATIVE OUTLOOKS FOR THE FUTURE |
IA |
WORLD CAPACITY SURVEY OF WOOD-BASED PANEL INDUSTRIES |
II |
RAW MATERIALS FOR WOOD-BASED PANELS |
III |
MARKETING OF WOOD-BASED PANELS |
IV |
TECHNOLOGIES AND TECHNIQUES IN MANUFACTURE AND USES OF WOOD-BASED PANELS |
V |
ECONOMICS OF INVESTMENT AND PRODUCTION IN THE WOOD BASED PANEL INDUSTRIES |
BACKGROUND PAPERS
Author and affiliation |
Title |
F.L.C. REED & ASSOCIATES LTD. |
Study of present and potential markets for wood-based panels from developing countries |
PÖYRY & Co. |
Economics of investment and manufacture in wood-based panels in Europe and selected developing regions |
VAJDA, P. |
A comparative evaluation of the economics of wood-based panel industries |
KUSUNOKI, S. |
The present situation and trends in the development of the Japanese plywood industry |
BRATT, LARS C. |
Economic aspects of hard board manufacture from mixed tropical hardwoods |
GRAN, GUNNAR |
Development and prospects of the fibreboard industry |
QUINNEY, DEAN N. & MICK-LEWRIGHT, J.T. |
Markets and marketing of wood-based panels in North America |
HUMPHREYS, K. |
Trends in the availability, production and price of synthetic resin adhesives for panels based on wood and other fibrous raw materials |
WALLIN, T.O. |
Transportation in the marketing/distribution context: basic economics and major issues in the technological, institutional and environmental setting |
YAVORSKY, JOHN M. |
Maritime and domestic transportation costs for imported wood-based panels in the U.S.A. |
JAUDON, J.-L. |
Rôle des travaux de qualification dans le développement des panneaux dérivés du bois |
CHOPRA, N.N. |
International standardization in the field of wood-based panels |
PLOMLEY, K.F. |
The development of wattle tannin-formaldehyde adhesives for wood by CSIRO |
GEORGE, J. |
Tannin adhesives for WOOD based panels |
OLAVINEN, O. Oy. |
Technologies and techniques in plywood manufacture in Finland |
BRONS, F. |
Technical and economic aspects of manufacturing and utilizing particle board in the tropics |
WNUK, M. |
Suitability of pine sawdust and planer shavings for the production of general use particle board |
VERMAAS, C.H. |
The economics of the con sinuous BISON-MENDE system for thin particle board manufacture |
DRLJE REYNALDO M. |
El extracto de quebracho como materia prima pare adhesivos de paneles basados en madera |
VERBESTEL., J.B. |
Matières premières autres qua le bois pour la fabrication de panneaux |
MARÉCHAL, B. |
Comment et pourquoi avons nous choisi le recyclage intégral? |
KADERKUTTY, A.K. |
Experience in the use of mixed hardwood species in the manufacture of fibreboards |
DOFFINÉ, H. |
Development and prospects of the plywood industry in Europe |
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN PARTICLE BOARD MANUFACTURERS |
Present situation and trends in development of the European particle board industry |
FROEDE, OTTO |
Synthetic resin adhesives for wood-based panels |
KHAITAN, B.K. |
Economics of investment and production of the wood-based panel industry in India |
SANVICTORES, B. |
The Philippines wood-based panel industry - development, problems and prospects |
VITAL, B.R. |
Effects of species and board densities on properties of exotic hardwood particle boards. |
KLEIN, J.F. |
Problems in using mixed species in wood-fibre products |
SAUNDERS, R.J., SNODGRASS, J.D. & MCKEAN, H.B. |
Structural panels from aligned wood elements |
VAN SICKLE, CHARLES C. |
Raw materials for wood-based panels produced in North America |
McDONALD, CLARK E. |
Changes in manufacture and use of decorative hardwood plywood since 1963 and possible trends in the next ten years |
CARROLL, MURRAY |
Waferboard in Canada |
ROSIC, ANTE Secretariat for Forestry, Wood Processing Industry & Printing Industry, Chamber of Economics of Yugoslavia, Belgrade, Yugoslavia |
Review of the Yugoslavian wood-based panel industry |
EVENSEN, TORE |
Cost aspects of shipping of wood products, with special emphasis on wood-based panels |
CHITTENDEN, A.E., HAWKES, A.J. & HAMILTON, HILARY R. |
WOOD cement systems |
OSIKA, S. |
The development of the fibreboard industry in Poland |
BACK, ERNST & NORÉN, BENGT |
The role of research in the development of wood-based panel industries |
EDLUND, H.-E. & BRATT, LARS |
Economic aspects of plywood manufacture from coniferous species in Sweden |
FRIEDRICH, KARL |
Experience in fibreboard manufacture from eucalyptus in Brazil |
HEILBORN, G.P. |
Hardwood plywood industry in developing countries - technical and economic considerations |
HECKER, L.I. |
Trends and prospects of the Brazilian particle board industry |
MASON, H.C. |
The economic impact of integrated board and other building products in the development of a forest products industry |
BONNEY, J.B. |
Marketing of medium-density fibreboard |
YAGISHITA, M. |
New adhesive in Japan |
UNIDO |
The requirements and use of wood-based panels in furniture manufacture |
PÖYRY CONSULTANTS |
Prefeasibility study on wood based panel industries for four countries - Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and India |
SÖDERLIND, MARTIN |
The prospects of the European fibreboard industry |