XIIIe congrès forestier mondial 2009 Buenos Aires, Argentine Développement forestier : un équilibre vital Résultats et actions stratégiques

Abstract

The 13th World Forestry Congress met in Buenos Aires with more than 7000 participants. It remains a crossroads of ideas, a focal point for confronting the visions from all over the world of forests, their future and the products and services they can be expected to supply. A message was addressed to the heads of states who planned to attend the Copenhagen COP 15 of the UNFCCC stating that forests are more than carbon. They harbor two thirds of all land-based biodiversity, and generate critical ecosystem goods and services. They sustain the cultural and spiritual identity of billions of men and women. The three main conclusions reached in Buenos Aires promote a more open approach towards society: the forest industry sector is encouraged to gain greater recognition and so be able to impact the various policies that may affect their sector of activity. Furthermore, forests cannot be maintained if they are seen as being a hindrance to development. Their sustainability hinges on the activities they can generate including, but not only, wood production. Comprehensive utilisation of forest resources deserves through investigation, study, and implementation, often through a territorial approach. Financial transfers in favour of proper forest management are essential to win the contest against land clearing for agricultural use. Demand for forest products is expected to build up in the future and foresters speculate about the role of forests in the world economy and in society.