Perspective from the forest industry

摘要

In Africa, as in many tropical countries, "Sustainable Development" is our first and foremost challenge. This is not a new notion for us, African industrial foresters, and we did not wait for Johannesburg to understand that there could be no environmental sensitivity and care without first ensuring food safety and health. As a result, sustainable development is a race between two competitors: First of all, the primary enrichment needs, reinforced by poor governance, unlawfulness, civil wars and needsthat nowadays are often met at the expense of the environment. I therefore compare these needs to a hare that runs very fast and skilfully.