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Food and Agricultural Organization FAO
- information gathering and dissemination
- program supervision, and
- policy development.
The FAO Forestry Department is responsible for producing a wide variety of reports on forestry issues ranging from technical papers and case studies, analysis of data and policy papers. It also supervises on the ground program activity, particularly in developing countries involving research, the applications of existing research, provision of training and promoting better or alternative approaches to forest management. The FAO also provides a forum for policy discussions on forestry issues in its biennial Committee on Forestry and APFC meetings.
APFC is one of six FAO regional Forestry Commissions and comprises countries in south and north Asia (ranging from India in the west, through central Asia and up to China and South Korea) and all South Pacific countries. The APFC is served by the FAO regional office in Bangkok which recently put together a series of studies on the outlooks for forestry, forest industries and forests in the region to 2010.
Australia contributes to FAO through our Agriculture Counsellor in Rome and through participation in COFO and APFC meetings. Through the BRS, Australia contributes actively to the forest data collection and reporting activities of the FAO. BRS has been actively engaged in the FAO's Global Forest Resource Assessment. At the regional level the APFC is currently focusing on invasive species as well as undertaking a study on Incentives for Forest Plantations.