A new United Nations report released Thursday in Rome says better management of the world’s forests is crucial to reducing conflict and avoiding war. The report takes a look at why there is so much violence in forested regions and what can be done about the problems.

The new U.N. reports focuses on the problem of violence linked to forested regions around the world. Many of these areas are populated by poor and isolated populations who are ignored or mistreated and easily convinced to take up arms or resort to violence to obtain what they want.

Une étude réalisée pour le compte de l’ONU met pour la première fois en évidence un lien entre les conflits armés, voire le terrorisme, et une gestion défaillante des régions forestières, notamment sous les tropiques.

Sustainable use of the world’s forests not only creates employment and generates income but also can help avert the emergence of conflicts and promote rehabilitation where conflicts have erupted, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today. On the other hand, marginalization of forestry in social and economic development may actually fuel armed conflicts, FAO said in the 2005 edition of The State of the World’s Forests (SOFO 2005), a report presented to the Ministerial Meeting on Forests in Rome.

ROME (AP) – Governments could save lives and money by better managing the world’s forests – areas where conflict is common and armed groups can find shelter and income, said a U.N. report released Thursday. More than 40 percent of the world’s tropical forests are in countries that have seen wars over the last 20 years, a report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says.

SUATU saat, republik ini memiliki Departemen Kehutanan tetapi tidak memiliki hutan. Kementerian ini lalu hanya mengurusi kawasan hutan yang sudah tidak memiliki tegakan, alias tidak berpohon. Peristiwa aneh bin ajaib ini akan terjadi apabila bangsa ini tidak mampu menghentikan laju kerusakan hutan yang menurut Badan Planologi Departemen Kehutanan sudah mencapai 3,8 juta hektar per tahun. Padahal, kawasan hutan berdasarkan hasil padu serasi tata guna hutan kesepakatan-rencana tata ruang wilayah provinsi (TGHK-RTRWP) tahun 1999 luasnya sekitar 120.353.104 hektar, dan 101,79 juta hektar di antaranya dinyatakan rusak.

Opini: Hariadi Kartodihardjo dan Sudarsono Soedomo

PENCURIAN kayu di Pulau Jawa terjadi sejak tiga abad yang lalu, yaitu sejak dilarangnya masyarakat menebang pohon jati oleh kongsi dagang Belanda pada tahun 1670. Pelarangan itu tidak pernah menghentikan masyarakat lokal memanfaatkan hutan, dan terus menimbulkan konflik antara penguasa hutan dan masyarakat, sedemikian klise dan rutinnya hingga akhirnya menjadi suatu tradisi sampai kini.

JAKARTA – Pusat Pelaporan dan Analisis Transaksi Keuangan (PPATK) akan mengidentifikasi bisnis para cukong pembalakan liar dengan menelusuri melalui aliran dana mereka di rekening perbankan. Dalam identifikasi itu PPATK menjalin kerja sama dengan Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), sebuah lembaga multinasional di bidang penelitian kehutanan.

The Campo-Ma’an forest reserve remains one of the rare attractions of the South Province. The influx of conservators and the zeal of stakeholders to have a say in its management bears testimonies of the important role the reserve plays in the whole process of forest management in Cameroon. The growing interest in the forest cannot be better described than in the following words of a local traditional chief in Campo; "they have been coming in waves and saying the same thing. We do not know what they really want in our forest, who is speaking the truth and who is not.