PART ONE: RESEARCH FRAMEWORK

This document focuses on African compendium of environment statistics 1991. The topics covered in this edition include population density, land use, irrigation, round wood production, agro climatologically conditions, urbanization and disasters related to the environment.

This document focuses on African compendium of environment statistics. This is the first edition of the African Compendium of Environment Statistics. It is in many ways experimental and covers a limited range of topics but it is intended that future editions will cover a wider range of data and will include more comment and analysis. Environment statistics is a relatively new branch of statistics and very few African countries have yet started systematic data collection or have any statisticians trained in this branch.

As in the past, the Unasylva issue immediately preceding the World Forestry Congress examines a number of the broad challenges facing forestry. In an interview, FAO Director General Edouard Saouma considers the world forestry situation and highlights the Organization's priorities for work in forestry over the coming decade. The cutting edge of FAO's forestry activities is exemplified in the assistance provided to member countries; M.K. Muthoo, Director of the FAO Forestry Operations Service, describes the recent evolution of the department's field programme. M.R.

Al igual que con ocasin de los anteriores congresos, este nmero de Unasylva, que precede inmediatamente a la inauguracin, est dedicado a algunos de los principales problemas relativos a la materia forestal. En una entrevista, el Director General de la FAO, E. Saouma, comenta la situacin de los bosques en el mundo y pone de relieve las actividades forestales prioritarias de la Organizacin en el presente decenio. Respecto de la asistencia a los pases miembros, M.K. Muthoo, Director del Servicio de Operaciones Forestales, describe la reciente evolucin del programa de campo; M.R.

Para que produzcan los resultados apetecidos, las actividades de ordenacin de cuencas hidrogrficas han de incorporar hidrologa forestal, conservacin de suelos y aguas y planificacin del uso de la tierra en un marco lgico ms amplio que tome en consideracin no slo los fenmenos fsicos, sino tambin los factores econmicos, sociales e institucionales. En este nmero, Unasylva examina varios aspectos de la ordenacin de cuencas hidrogrficas.