This paper is written in fulfilment of the requirement of the Associate Regional Advisers (ARA) Programme which is run under the auspices of the Forest Industries Advisory Group (FIAG) for Africa. The objective of the Forest Industries Advisory Group is to assist African countries in promoting the growth of forest industries and their optimum contribution to economic and social development.

Un análisis del estado actual de las plantaciones forestales y las tendencias actuales de las mismas tanto a nivel global como a escala regional. Se examinan tanto los aspectos económicos, como los políticos relacionados al desarrollo de las plantaciones forestales. Luego se presentan las perspectivas de las plantaciones forestales a través de panoramas alternativos de acuerdo al futuro crecimiento de las áreas con plantaciones.

An international review of forestry and forest products

An international journal of forestry and forest industries

This thirty-page report is the third out of three reports written on forest resources in Madagascar. It is aimed at the collection, analysis of data related to the forest plantations sector in Madagascar. Different from the other two reports, it deals with issues related to village plantations and its uses by local families. The report is composed of six main topics dealing with the methodologies used, the surface of the plantations, total volume of these, the commercial aspects, the duration of rotation and the dynamics of reforestation and exploitation.

An international journal of forestry and forest industries

The survey of tropical forests reported here was developed and implemented with the aim of providing detailed and reliable information on the process of on-going chenges in the tropical forest cover, in order to meet the needs of researchers, policy makers and the public at large.

One of the greatest challenges faced by mankind is to satisfy the needs of the fast growing global population and at the same time preserve land, water, air and biodiversity resources. Livestock are a crucial element in this balancing process. Demand for livestock products is growing fast, especially in the developing world. Livestock, through their multiple functions, are a cornerstone of the livelihood of most of the rural population in the developing world.

Como muestran los artculos de este nmero, los bosques contribuyen a la seguridad alimentaria y al sustento sostenible de diversos modos, directa e indirectamente, sirviendo de apoyo a los sistemas agrcolas, correspondindoles un papel en el desarrollo rural y en el mantenimiento de la integridad ecolgica y en la creacin de oportunidades de empleo y generacin de ingresos.

La mayor parte de los nmeros de Unasylva se centran en un tema concreto. El objetivo de esa orientacin temtica es examinar de forma pormenorizada un aspecto determinado de las actividades y el desarrollo forestales, con el fin de resaltar su significado e importancia dentro de los confines ms amplios de nuestro universo. Sin pretender que los diferentes nmeros sean como un manual de una materia concreta, se propone presentar una serie de anlisis de cuestiones especficas que contribuyan a suscitar inters y a concienciar al lector.