Enhancing Access to Forestry Information in Africa to Ensure Sustainable Forest Management

• Autores: Margaret Sraku Lartey
• Localización: Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, ISSN-e 1092-1206, Nº. Extra 46, 2006
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • That access to and provision of high quality forest-related information is crucial to the sustainable management of the world's forest resources was by recognized by both the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), and seen as a priority for the implementation of Agenda 21 and the UNFF/IFF proposals for action. However, addressing this priority is a great challenge for developing countries, especially Africa, where significant investment in information and communication technologies (ICT) and information management strategies is urgently needed. This paper discusses one effort, Global Forest Information Service (GFIS), which is attempting to improve access to forestry information in Africa, and reviews the potential of using ICT to manage forestry information on the African continent. The impact of ICT in meeting the needs of researchers and other forest stakeholders, and on the quality of research in Africa, in particular, Ghana, is also discussed. Inadequacies and weaknesses in infrastructure, skills, linkages and finance are some of the challenges that need to be addressed in order to realize this potential. Achievements in creating partnerships on the African continent to improve skills and transfer knowledge about information management are also described