Issue 22
September
2006
The Mountain Partnership Newsletter
'Peak to Peak' is an opportunity to keep you up-to-date with the latest news, activities and events related to the Mountain Partnership. This monthly newsletter, prepared by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, is sent by e-mail to all members and other interested partners and can be read on-line at www.mountainpartnership.org. Help us share news, information and features with members by sending a message to: info@mountainpartnership.org.
Membership
As of September 2006, there are 137 members of the Mountain Partnership: 47 countries, 14 IGOs and 76 major group organizations.
Update on Partnership Activities
Decentralized cooperation
Local authorities in developed countries are increasingly involved in cooperation activities in poorer countries to help tackle poverty and improve lives and livelihoods. This joint action between local authorities in rich and poor countries --or ‘decentralized cooperation’ -- often includes sharing of knowledge, expertise and traditional practices and helps to promote widespread participation in development. The mechanism of decentralized cooperation can provide an important complement to the cooperation activities undertaken by the national central authorities and can promote the development of alliances and long-lasting partnerships among local authorities from developed and developing countries. In some cases, it can also provide poorer countries with interesting sustainable mountain development models that have been applied in Europe, and that have contributed to economic and social progress in European mountain areas, through the promotion of self-governance, decentralization and empowerment of local authorities.
There is growing interest amongst Mountain Partnership members for information about these models of development and indeed there is great potential to develop alliances between local authorities in the developed and developing world within the framework of the Mountain Partnership. As a preliminary step, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat is holding a workshop ‘Local Authorities and Decentralized Cooperation for Sustainable Mountain Development’ (FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy, 18 October 2006), in collaboration with a group of members such as the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountain Regions Project (SARD-M), the European Association of Elected Representatives from Mountain Areas (AEM), the Unione Nazionale Comuni Comunità Enti Montani (UNCEM) and EUROMONTANA.
The one-day workshop will focus on the potential of decentralized cooperation and the role of local authorities for promoting sustainable mountain development at the local level. Participants will include representatives from European mountain local authorities, who are involved or interested in developing decentralized cooperation activities with other mountain local authorities from developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and look in particular at the issue of better coordinating activities for promoting sustainable mountain development. This activity builds on the results of a questionnaire completed by selected local authorities (2005), and on their strong interest in holding a follow-up face-to-face meeting on this topic. For further information on this activity, please contact Rosalaura Romeo, Programme Officer, Mountain Partnership Secretariat at: rosalaura.romeo@fao.org.
Research
'Who is who in mountain research?' This was the question that leading members of the Research Initiative asked themselves in a survey conducte d earlier this year to determine members current priorities in mountain research -- their regional involvement, type of involvement and thematic focus -- in order to identify potential collaborative activities and steer the Research Initiative forward. The leading member, the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Berne, prepared and analysed the results of the survey which highlight some interesting trends amongst the 23 respondents. Research work as understood by the members of the Research Initiative includes disseminatingcapacity development, policy advice, and sensitization. Members also use transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches in research (more than the classical disciplinary approach) and their research work covers a wide range of topics -- over 50 themes in 7 broad realms which include socio-culture, policy and institutions, biophysics, land use, energy, economics, and infrastructure/services. These and other findings are outlined in more detail in the final synthesis report, now posted in the Research Initiative section of the Mountain Partnership Web site.
CDE is now compiling the results of a subsequent survey 'What future for mountain research?' that was disseminated to all members of the Mountain Partnership. Convinced that this question should not be answered by the research community alone, CDE invited members to share their thoughts on the core problems of sustainable development that need to be addressed by mountain research in the future, the opportunities and potentials for mountain development that need to be addressed by mountain research and factors that create an environment conducive to research. The results of this survey will be shared with members in coming months. For further information about activities under the Research Initiative, please contact Thomas Kohler, CDE at: Thomas.Kohler@cde.unibe.ch
Biodiversity 
The first collaborative activity on biodiversity within the framework of the Mountain Partnership is underway. As reported in the April issue of ‘Peak to Peak, the special side event on mountains, ‘From Paradise to the Roof of the World: mountain biodiversity -- partnership for implementing the CBD’ during the Eighth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)– COP 8 (22 March 2006), demonstrated the importance of sub-regional partnerships and conventions to implement the CBD. During the event, the Gran Paradiso, the oldest national park in Italy, launched a partnership with the Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal to explore future technical cooperation and exchange. Both parks are the highest in their respective regions and noted for their outstanding biodiversity. Park representatives are now set to meet in Torino and Cogne (Italy) to finalize an agreement that will involve Gran Paradiso providing professional training for people working in the Sagarmatha Park and the mutual exchange of technical and scientific knowledge. This three-day meeting (11-13 October) is being organized within the context of the Mountain Partnership by members, the European Academy (EURAC), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with the support of the Italian Ministry of Environment and EURO COOPERATION. For more information, please contact: PierCarlo Sandei, European Academy (EURAC) at: piercarlo.sandei@eurac.edu.
New on the Mountain Partnership
Web site
Members - Information on the research priorities of the 23 members who completed the Research Survey, ‘Who’s who in Mountain Research’ have been incorporated into their membership database profiles. Visit the Research Initiative section for the list of these members research focus, with links to their respective expanded membership profiles.
Countries. New profiles on country members, Ecuador, Guinea, Macedonia and Turkey have been posted in the country section. The country section is currently under revision and we look forward to input from our 47 country members to make this on-line area a useful tool for information exchange and dialogue in the near future. Watch this space for news of this activity.
Discussion on-line (Gender) - Jeanette Gurung of Women Organising for Change in Agriculture and NRM (WOCAN) in her capacity as one of the leading members of the Gender Initiative, has drafted a paper on ‘Gender in mountains’ as a basis for producing some communications material and mainstreaming the gender equality concept into the activities of the Mountain Partnership and into the membership in general. Visit the Gender section of ‘Discussion on-line’ to help finalise the paper and add your comments and suggestions.
Discussion on-Line (Microfinance) – Notice: Mountain Partnership member, PlaNet Finance is organizing a training session « Financial analysis and sustainability of Microfinance Institutions » (PlaNet Finance Microfinance Training Center, Paris, France, 28- 29 September 2006). Besides a short presentation on financial analysis, this training will enable people to understand the purpose of financial analysis in microfinance institutions, to encourage new ways of analyzing and studying methodologies to write efficient proposals.
Andes Initiative. A summary report of the Andean Initiative Meeting (in Spanish only) has been posted in the Andes Initiative section. This meeting of leading members of the Initiative (Lima, Peru, June 2006) agreed to organize the first Initiative-wide meeting of the members of this Initiative during 2007 and started drafting a preliminary agenda. Argentina kindly offered to host such an event. Next steps include concrete discussions and pre-identification of priority areas for action, possibly including an e-consultation, in order to be able to move into the operational phase immediately after the meeting in 2007
News highlights from around the world
Local development in the Caucasas
The Caucasus mountains in the eastern borders of Europe face similar problems to many other mountain regions of the world: increasing poverty, outmigration to lowla nds and the loss of traditional cultures, livelihoods and agricultural practices. This is despite the fact that the region has the potential to develop a modern economy with small- and medium-term enterprises, tourism and alternative energy sources. But how is this potential tapped? As we reported in the July 2005 issue of ‘Peak to Peak’, The Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus (REC Caucasus) believes that solutions lie in developing a Local Agenda 21 for the Caucasus region. Originating at the Earth Summit (1992), Local Agenda 21 recognizes that local governments, and the wider communities they represent, are ideally positioned to take the lead in achieving ecologically sustainable development through integrating environmental, social and economic goals on a local level. In response, REC Caucasus has developed “Pilot Projects for Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions of the Caucasus – Local Agenda 21”. Financed by the ministries of Environment of Germany and the Principality of Liechtenstein, the projects aim to develop Local Agenda 21 for the mountain regions of the Caucasus by involving a maximum number of villagers in planning processes. In its ‘zero phase’, the REC project selected eight pilot villages in four Caucasus countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the Russian Federation), undertook preliminary analysis, collected information and implemented preliminary activities in the villages. This has involved close cooperation with local authorities, local self-governments and national governments.
One year on, how is the project taking shape? Silvia Reppe from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in Germany has contributed the following update for Mountain Partnership members:
Mountain communities in the Caucasus adopt memorandum on the establishment of a transboundary community network modelled on "Alliance in the Alps".
In the framework of the project "Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions of the Caucasus – Local Agenda 21", representatives from the eight mountain villages from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia met on 6 August 2006 in the mountain village of Chiora in Georgia and decided to establish a transboundary network of mountain villages in the Caucasus. During the two-year project (2004-present), the eight villages have devised development programmes for their communities based on the local Agenda 21 model, with the support of trainers and national experts from the four Caucasian countries.
These programmes must now be implemented. The programmes cover all areas of sustainable development and are primarily aimed at developing the economic potential (mountain agriculture, tourism, traditional crafts) of remote mountain regions which are often neglected in development work. The representatives of each of the communities concluded that they all face very similar problems and that effective solutions can be facilitated through transboundary exchange of experience. They based this conclusion on the the example and experiences of the community networks, the Alliance of Central Asian Mountain Communities (AGOCA) , which was established in 2003 as a result of a mountain partnership with the Alps, as well as The Alliance in the Alps, a network of around 160 local authorities covering the whole of the Alpine region, from France to Slovenia.
This ‘Local 21’ project in the Caucasus, supported by the ministries of environment of Germany and Liechtenstein since 2004 and coordinated by the Regional Environment Centre for Caucasus (REC) and the Russian Regional Environment Centre (RREC), not only contributes to the sustainable development of these mountain regions but also helps to stabilise the conflict-ridden Caucasus region in the context of ‘environment and security’.
Read the memorandum of the communities in the Central Asia Initiative section of the Mountain Partnership Web site. For further information on the project, contact Silvia Reppe at: reppe@bmu.bund.de. Find out more about Agenda 21, Chapter 28, “Local Authorities' Initiatives In Support of Agenda 21” here.
Traditional watershed management boosts conservation in the Philippines
Watershed management is more than natural science methods and tools. It is a continuous and participatory process that recognizes and involves local people -- in both upstream and downstream areas -- and aims to help them improve their livelihoods without harming their environments. This was demonstrated recently in the Philippines, where the Manobo indigenous people have recently joined with local government officials to sign a co-management agreement for a high biodiversity watershed area on the slopes of Mt. Magdiwata in the Philippines biodiversity hotspot. The Livelihood Enhancement in Agro-forestry Foundation (LEAF), a local nongovernmental organization (NGO), has been working with the Manobo tribal organization Omaubao, along with municipal and provincial authorities, to develop sustainable watershed management as a means of conserving lowland forest. LEAF’s work has been supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), as part of its strategy in the hotspot to build the capacity of civil society to advocate for better corridor and protected area management and against development harmful to conservation. The area’s lowland forests, home to species such as the Critically Endangered Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons), are under threat from unsustainable hunting and tree felling, encroachment, and slash-and-burn agriculture. The 1,600-hectare watershed will help to protect what remains,” said LEAF’s president Roberto A. Dormendo, “The area lies in the Manobo ancestral domain claim and many of the principles in the co-management agreement are based on traditional practices of Manobo land tenure. For more information, contact Roberto A. Dormendo, President, LEAF.
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) enables conservation action and builds capacity for sustainability in biodiversity hotspots, the Earth’s biologically richest and most endangered regions. As of August 2006, CEPF had supported more than 630 civil society groups in conserving hotspots in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. For further information, visit the CEPF Web site.
Opportunities for funding and support
Seed Awards - Inspiring and supporting entrepreneurial partnerships
Do you have an innovative idea for a partnership project that could promote sustainable development? A new concept that brings together people and
organisations from different backgrounds, pools resources and adds value to sustainable development goals? Applications are now open for the Seed Awards, an international biennial competition designed to support on-the-ground action for innovative, entrepreneurial partnerships. The Awards are not monetary but a comprehensive package of tailor-made services from a range of organizations. Rather than simply rewarding successful partnerships financially and then walking away, the Seed Awards appreciate that funding is only one part of a successful partnership and that nascent partnerships often lack access to experienced people and institutions that can provide them with guidance and practical input. The Seed Awards thus publicly recognize promising, entrepreneurial ideas and, using the connections, knowledge and experience of Seed partners make available the most appropriate direct assistance to help turn these ideas into reality.
The Seed Awards are run by the The Seed Initiative (Supporting Entrepreneurs in Environment and Development), which aims to inspire, support and build the capacity of locally-driven entrepreneurial partnerships to contribute to the delivery of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. The Initiative is an international partnership involving national governments, including the United States, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom and South Africa; international organizations, such as the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the UN Environment Programme and the UN Development Programme (all Mountain Partnership members); and the business company Swiss Re. For further information about the Seed Initiative, and full entry details and on-line application for the Seed Awards (deadline: 15 October 2006), visit the Web site.
UNDP. Nominations for the 2006 Equator Prize
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched the official call for nominations for the 2006 Equator Prize, which recognizes outstanding community projects that reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the developing world. The biennial Equator Prize honours community-based organizations, biodiversity-based businesses, indigenous groups and NGOs located within the Equatorial belt who are achieving remarkable results in their grassroots efforts to promote sustainable economic development and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Prize winners receive international recognition for their work and an opportunity to help shape international policy and practice in the field, as well as a monetary award of US$30,000 each. The closing date for nominations is 31 October 2006. Details on the criteria for the Equator Prize, information on the award process, and the online nomination system can be accessed through the Equator Initiative Web site.
Past Events
E-consultation: Ecotourism in the Andes
(1-20 August 2006)
Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people. As reported in the July issue of ‘Peak to Peak’, Mountain Partnership member, the Consortium for Sustainable Development in the Andes Ecoregion (CONDESAN), has recently been coordinating feasibility studies on the potential of ecotourism as a means to improve the livelihoods of mountain communities in four Andean countries -- Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The work, conducted in the context of the Andean Initiative of the Mountain Partnership, involved assessing the potential for ecotourism in these countries, exploring the activities necessary to exploit such potential and identifying key actors. The recent three-week e-consultation attracted a total of 190 participants, not only from countries in the Andean region (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) but also from Europe, Central Asia, Central America and North America. Using a series of real-life case studies and commentaries to guide discussions, the participants exchanged experiences, insight and recommendations on ecotourism approaches and activities that could be promoted to make meaningful contributions and livelihood opportunities to rural populations in the Andes. The e-consultation was a valuable networking opportunity ecotourism and it is hoped that the dialogue will continue. Read the postings and the closing report of the e-consultation, along with useful related links here.
Future Events
World Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD)
(Rome, Italy, 25-27 October 2006)
The first World Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD) aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of communication in helping meet today’s most pressing development challenges. Supported by the Government of Italy, and organized by the World Bank’s Development Communication Division, FAO’s Sustainable Development Department, and the Communication Initiative.
The Congress will bring together 500 policymakers, practitioners and researchers to showcase the wealth of communication for development experience from around the world. It will also lead to recommendations, strategies and tools for incorporating -- and advocating for -- communication in development policy and practice. Read more at the dedicated WCCD Web site.
International Symposium on Sustainable Mountain Development through Local Governments
(Maseru, Lesotho,11-15 October 2006) 
The predominantly mountainous country of Lesotho, known as the ‘kingdom in the sky’, has recently mandated local authorities to manage the country’s natural resources. The forthcoming ‘International Symposium on Sustainable Mountain Development through Local Governments’ in Lesotho next month, organized under the auspices of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH and co-hosted by FAO, the World Bank, the Participatory Ecological Land-Use Management (PELUM) Association and the National University of Lesotho, will focus particularly on the roles that local governmental authorities can play in resource management and resource access control and highlight some good examples of local authority- user interactions in these activities from Lesotho and abroad. For further information please contact: Ms Kirsten Roettcher, GTZ Lesotho at: kirsten.roettcher@gtz.de.
International Mountain Day 2006. "Managing Mountain Biodiversity for
Better Lives."
The UN General Assembly declared 11 December from 2003 onwards as ‘International Mountain Day’, and designated FAO as the lead agency to coordinate worldwide observance. This special UN Day serves to highlight the global importance of mountain ecosystems and to promote ongoing attention to the unique needs of mountain communities. In particular, International
Mountain Day presents an excellent opportunity to create awareness of mountains, their diverse people and their natural resources and the challenge they face in attaining sustainable development, for a wide audience – the public, governments, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, UN agencies, the private sector and the media. "Managing Mountain Biodiversity for Better Lives" is the theme of UN International Mountain Day 2006 -- an opportunity for us all to raise awareness about the need to manage mountain biodiversity in a sustainable manner, to highlight promising models and to build partnerships at all levels to promote biodiversity management that will reduce poverty, improve livelihoods, and protect mountain environments for us all. FAO is currently working with partners to develop communication products on this theme for use at the country level. For further information on International Mountain Day 2006, contact: alemneh.dejene@fao.org.
For more information on future mountain-related events around the world, browse the Mountain Calendar, managed by the Mountain Forum.
Publications
The Mountain Research Initiative (MRI). GLOCHAMORE Research Study
The GLOCHAMORE (Global Change and Mountain Regions) Research Strategy is the product of a 2-year negotiation between global change scientists and managers of UNESCO-MAB Mountain Biosphere Reserves. The printed Research Strategy was finalized in August 2006 and is now at the disposal of researchers and managers. To order the print version of the strategy, please contact the Mountain Research Initiative at: mri@snat.ch.
Mountain Forum Bulletin. ‘Deserts and desertification in high altitude areas’
Desertification is one of today’s major environmental challenges, with serious impacts at the local and global level. Human activities, such as over-cultivation, deforestation and poor irrigation practices, combined with climate change, are turning once fertile soils into barren patches of land. Indeed, arable land per person is shrinking throughout the world, threatening food security, particularly in poor rural areas, and triggering humanitarian and economic crises. ‘Deserts and desertification at high altitudes’ is the theme of the latest issue of the Mountain Forum Bulletin, which features case studies of how desertification impacts on mountain environments and communities in Europe, Latin America, North Africa and Central Asia. The issue also includes an interview with Professor Joachim Boorner, Director of the Collegium for Management and Design of Sustainable Development (KMG) that has been involved in combatting desertification in Rio Hurtado, an mountain valley bordering the Atacama Desert in Chile. Read the Mountain Forum Bulletin here.
African Mountain Forum. African Mountains
African Mountain Forum -- part of the global Mountain Forum community -- strives to build partnerships and cooperation among communities, practitioners and development agencies in the African region through the exchange of knowledge, information, ideas and experiences. In line with the objectives of Mountain Forum, the African node also works to raise awareness and advocate towards creating and enabling social, economic and political environments for
sustainable mountain development. An important new supporting tool for this work in Africa is the recently launched ‘African Mountains’ -- a quarterly on-line newsletter covering news, events, technologies, innovations and all other developments within mountain areas on the continent. To read ‘African Mountains’ and find out more about membership, activities and services of the African Mountain Forum, visit the Web site or contact Moses Musinguzi (Node Manager, African Mountain Forum) at: moses@mtnforum.org or amf@mtnforum.org.
SARD-M Project. Results of policy assessments on the strengths and weaknesses of mountain policies for SARD in the Carpathians
The Project for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountain Regions (SARD-M project), a Mountain Partnership member, aims to facilitate the design, implementation and evaluation of new policies for sustainable agriculture and rural development in mountain regions, taking into consideration the essential linkages between mountain and lowland populations. A four-page information sheet and a brief summary on the SARD-M Project activities in the Carpathians are now available. The documents include 22 recommendations for SARD-M at the global level and highlight some major issues for the Carpathians such as biodiversity conservation, sustainable land-use, income generation and diversification of rural activities, as well as proposals for follow-up activities.
These materials present the main results of the policy assessments for SARD-M conducted in Romania, the Slovak Republic and Ukraine by UNEP Vienna-Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention (ISCC) in 2005, as well as the results of an expert workshop, ‘Strengthening SARD-M Policies for the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians’ (Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovak Republic, 24 October 2005), which was organized by UNEP Vienna – ISCC, together with the SARD-M Project and EUROMONTANA. Read the information sheet and summary here.
Panos, UK. Going the Last Mile: What's Stopping a Wireless Revolution?
"For many people in the world, communication facilities are unreliable, slow and costly. The use of wireless technology is one way in which this situation could be transformed. So why are some governments restricting its wider use?" This is the leading question raised by Panos London in a 6-page briefing paper, Going the Last Mile: What's Stopping a Wireless Revolution?’, the latest in a series of briefing documents for non-specialists on different aspects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the information society. It indicates that, despite significant advances in technology, more than two-thirds of the world's population remains without access to communication facilities. In Africa only 2.6% of the population have internet access and 3.7% have access to either a fixed line or a mobile telephone. According to Panos, use of wireless technology could bring low-cost, accessible ICTs to those who have so far been left on the "wrong side" of the digital divide. However, in many countries, particularly in the developing world, governments have been slow to reduce restrictions that limit the use of this technology (despite the fact that some governments reportedly see the potential of wireless applications and are using them to communicate their own messages). The Panos paper argues that governments could do more to encourage the wider use of wireless technology in everyday life by opening up the market to greater competition and allowing users to provide their own infrastructure, establishing forward-looking national plans for frequency allocation (including non-licensed use for some bandwidths and applications); establishing low taxes, import duties and licence fees; establishing regional type-approval procedures for importing equipment; working toward better infrastructure such as stable power supply and creation of local cadres of technicians. Click here for the full document in PDF format. For further information about Panos, visit the Web site.
Library services
Accessing the latest development knowledge is a key challenge for many researchers in developing and transition countries. Recognizing these challenges, the Global Development Network and the British Library of Development Studies (BLDS) have teamed up to create the GDN/BLDS Document Delivery service to meet the information needs of research institutes in developing countries. The GDN/BLDS Document Delivery Service allows you to search the large BLDS online catalogue of development related resources from your desktop, then request copies of articles you and your research colleagues need at the click of a button. A 'real-life' BLDS librarian receives requests, then photocopies or scans the article or book chapter before sending via post or email. The costs of delivering the documents are covered by GDN. The BLDS collection holds Europe's largest research collection on economic and social change in developing countries, with over 1,000 journals, 4,000 serials and over 80,000 monographs concerned specifically with development. A particular strength of the BLDS collection is also its extensive coverage of publications from developing countries, particularly those in Africa and South and East Asia. For further information, visit the Global Development Network Web site.
Web site
Women Organising for Change in Agriculture and NRM (WOCAN) 
Mountain Partnership member, Women Organising for Change in Agriculture and NRM (WOCAN), is a network of women engaged in the agriculture and natural resource management (NRM) professions who are committed to organizational change for gender equality and environmentally sustainable development. WOCAN currently has a membership of over 300 professional women and men working in a diverse range of natural resource management sectors, such as forestry, energy, water resources, fisheries, livestock, agriculture and rural development. WOCAN’s redesigned Web site is both a source of information and a network of support to this growing community. Its new Member section allows users to learn about one another, share research results and find potential collaborators through a search feature (by region, gender, age, language, field (sector), degree, needs and contributions to WOCAN), as well as post announcements, events, and publications that are relevant to the goals of WOCAN. For further information about WOCAN and how to join, visit the Web site.
Photo contest
FAO. Forestry Photo Contest 
A photo contest to recognize the beauty of forests and the people who use them has been launched by the Forestry Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The photos will be evaluated according to how well they depict forests and trees and their place in people’s lives, conceptually and artistically. A panel of foresters and photographers will select the best 20 photos for display at an international conference on forests, the 18th session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO, Rome, March 2007). Selected photos will also be published on the FAO Forestry Web site and in Unasylva, FAO’s international journal of forestry. The deadline for submissions of photos, which may be in black and white or colour, is 31 October 2006. For further entry details, visit the special Forestry Photo Contest Web page.