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Numéro du projet : HOR/B76201/IB/1998/0704 |
Direction : D | |
Pays/région : Horizontal ALA-MED-ACP.... |
Intitulé : The Forestry Compendium - Global Phase | |
Ligne budgétaire : B76201 |
Resp. géog. : | |
Numéro direction : 1998/0704 |
Resp. tech. : J. Bazill | |
No SEM/ALA : |
Resp. fin. : |
A. Objectif de l'action envisagée :
The overall objective is to promote sustainable management and conservation of natural resources worldwide, through the provision of a knowledge platform directed at achievement of proper choice and management of tree species in plantation, agroforestry and natural forest systems.
The project objective is to improve the uptake of knowledge on forest tree species in the tropics, through the production of a comprehensive electronic Forestry Compendium on CD-ROM, suitable for use on personal computers.
B. Description :
The project expands the scope of the first phase Forestry Compendium, which covered tree species found in Asia (produced in November 1998) to include Latin America and Asia. The duration is of 21 months.
The main output of the project will be an encyclopaedic information resource on CD-ROM containing species reviews of the 1300 most commonly used species in the tropics, illustrations and photographic images, distribution maps, taxonomic and terminological databases, bibliographies, abstracts and other features and in addition an advisory system to aid decisions on choice of species for use in forestry and agroforestry systems worldwide.
Through the project CABI will compile and synthesise relevant technical information and ensure quality control by editing and by review by senior scientists worldwide. Some software development will be required (using Visual Basic)to enable the presentation of the information through an interactive menu. Part of the project will involve the collection and scanning in of images of the main tree species and their botanical features.
Beta testing of the product is envisaged before final production, as is incorporation of feedback from the first phase of the project.
C. Justification :
The EC has already funded part of the cost of the first phase of the Compendium, which covered tree species found in Asia through project B76021/IB/96/015 (total commitment 502,669 ECU). At the request of the EC a user survey was carried out using the beta test version of the CD. The results were positive, including a review by the EC Jakarta Representation. The first phase product has been produced within the overall budget and on schedule.
The project complements research activities funded by the EU in tropical forestry by synthesising state of the art technical knowledge on the most commonly used tree species in the tropics and presenting it in an easy to use and durable product.
The project is an appropriate project for the Commission to support as there is a relatively high level of co-funding (48 %), the CD-ROM represents a resource which will serve the global forest research and particularly education community and, as an up-to-date product of high technical quality, will provide good visibility to the Commission.
Sustainability, ie. continued updating and production of the Forestry Compendium, will be ensured through the sale of the CD-ROM, with a lower price for developing countries and a further reduced price for orders from the EC (CABI is a not-for-profit organisation).
D. Modalités d'exécution :
The project will be executed by CAB International - a not-for-profit intergovernmental organisation based in the UK, whose main objective is to deliver scientific information on agriculture and related fields such as forestry.
The project will be managed by a Steering Committee which will meet every six months and on which the donors will be represented, in addition to representatives of CABI itself, the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the International Centre for Agroforestry Research (ICRAF) and the Oxford Forestry Institute.
National and regional institutions such as EMBRAPA in Brazil will collaborate in the compilation of relevant information.
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