
| Editorial | by David Nabarro |
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| | Forests are an integral part of our lives; our survival depends on them. But for many years they have been taken for granted while in fact they have been lost and degraded. As Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Food Security and Nutrition, it is immensely satisfying to see forests accorded their rightful place at the first major conference on forests for food security and nutrition ... | |
International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition The International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition, held at FAO headquarters last month, concluded that “the role of forests and trees outside forests in the fight against hunger demands much greater attention and should be integrated with strategies for food security and nutrition”. |
Innovative thinking on insects to help feed the world Two young FAO staff members were commended recently for their proposal to use urban food waste to raise insects, which could then be processed into feed for poultry and aquaculture and transformed into fertilizer and biogas. Afton Halloran and Camelia Bucatariu were among winning entrants in a competition run by FAO and others to encourage young professionals to think innovatively about feeding the world. See Afton being interviewed about edible insects |
Better coordination needed in timber trade Better coordination among nations in tackling illegal logging and applying anti-illegal timber legislation is needed to ensure a move to responsible trade in timber products, according to participants at the first-ever Global Timber Forum, which was co-organized by FAO, the Forest Trust/Timber Trade Action Plan and the European Timber Trade Federation and held at FAO headquarters last month. |
Saving the future, drop by drop High-level officials and dignitaries met in Milan, Italy, for the launch of the Expo Milano 2015 Water Strategy, an initiative of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation and Expo 2015. Eduardo Rojas-Briales, Commissioner-General for UN participation in Expo 2015, described FAO’s vision for meeting future global food and water challenges. (FAO statement from 1hr.10) |
United Nations news: further UN recognition of illicit trafficking in wild fauna and flora as a serious crime A draft resolution (IV) encouraging UN members to make illicit trafficking in wild fauna and flora a serious crime when organized criminal groups are involved has been endorsed by the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and referred to the UN Economic and Social Council for adoption. The draft also requests support for implementing the Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit. |
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| Regional news | 
| | | Latin America progresses in national forest monitoring for REDD+ 
Increased knowledge on forest monitoring and UNFCCC requirements for REDD+ was a key outcome of the 1st Regional Workshop on National Forest Monitoring Systems for REDD+ in Latin America, held in Ecuador in April with 11 participating countries. The event covered satellite monitoring, forest inventories and forest management indicators, and will guide FAO and UN-REDD activities in the region. | | |
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| Upcoming meetings and events | 
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Unasylva: a stroll down memory lane |
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| Forest conservation and freedom from want N.E. Dodd, FAO Director-General, 1948
"During the last two or three years, the world's gravest economic problem has been that of food shortages. FAO, in consultation with its member governments and other international organizations, has consequently given special attention to solving this problem. The emphasis laid upon it may have suggested that the production and distribution of food are the sole field of FAO's activities. This is not so. The Constitution of FAO makes this clear. Its task is to raise the standards of living of the peoples of the world – in other words to provide them with "Freedom from Want".
"Freedom from Want" does not mean only "enough food for everybody"; it means sufficient food, clothing, and shelter to enable human beings to live happy, healthy, prosperous lives. That is why the nations of the world, in establishing FAO, placed forestry and forest products within its responsibilities. The successful prosecution of forestry and the proper use of forest products not only contribute largely to the homes and clothes the world needs, but also conditions in the long term the world's output of food. Unasylva 2(5): September–October 1948 | 
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| | | | | Sustainable management of Pinus radiata plantations |
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| Edible insects Future prospects for food and feed security |
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| FAO and the Mau Forest
 Tracing our Timber
 Edible insects
 Changing landscapes of the Mediterranean
 How people use the forests in Tanzania
 Tree planting in Algeria
 Mapping forests: path to green growth
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