Increasing world population and the depletion of natural resources due to imbalances in development necessitates a new approach to development and the use of natural resources. Controlled adaptive planning, design, and judicious management of these precious resources seem to be a more logical approach towards resource conservation and sustainable development. This requires careful consideration and understanding of all attributes of a proposed site in order to suggest the appropriate form of development that will be in harmony with existing natural forces acting on the site.

The article investigates the power relations that emerged around a CBNRM programme and a land claim by the Makuleke community of the Northern Transvaal Province of South Africa. The land from which the Makuleke were forcibly removed in 1969 was incorporated into the Kruger National Park. Under post-apartheid land tenure reform legislation the community was now able to reclaim the land that they had lost.This paper describes the process of bargaining that took place between the community and the National Park authorities.

Los intentos de transferir funciones y facultades en materia de ordenacin pueden adoptar formas distintas en una escala progresiva que va desde el control central total de los recursos forestales hasta la plena descentralizacin y transferencia de la autoridad y las facultades, aunque las soluciones en cualquiera de los dos extremos de la escala suelen ser inadecuadas. En ests pginas se examinan diversos temas relacionados con la redistribucin de la autoridad y las facultades sobre los bosques y la actividad forestal.

This issue of Unasylva contains, as promised in the previous edition, additional articles on sustainable mountain development. These articles help to complete the focus on the topic and should also help to promote interest in the recently declared International Year of the Mountain (2000) for which FAO has been designated lead agency status within the United Nations system.

The range of efforts required to develop the full potential of NWFPs is wide indeed. Land-use and forest policies need to be evaluated and where necessary adapted to ensure that potential impacts on non-wood forest resources and products are taken into consideration. Increased research on the abundance, distribution, biology and ecology of non-wood forest resources is essential. Of particular importance are investigations into ways to improve the employment- and income-generating potential of NWFPs through better harvesting, storage, transport, processing, manufacturing and marketing.

En conclusion, des informations actuelles, fiables et transparentes sur le secteur forestier sont un ingrdient vital du processus d'amnagement durable. Toutes les organisations et institutions engages dans la gestion durable des forts devraient exploiter les moyens offerts par Internet pour coordonner et relier les serveurs et optimiser ainsi la valeur des informations disponibles. Comme promis dans la prcdente dition, ce numro d'Unasylva contient de nouveaux articles sur le dveloppement durable des montagnes, qui viennent ainsi complter le tour d'horizon de la question.

La gamme d'efforts ncessaires pour dvelopper tout le potentiel des PFNL est trs tendue. Les modes de faire-valoir et les politiques forestires doivent tre valus et, le cas chant, adapts afin de prendre en compte leurs impacts potentiels sur les ressources et les PFNL.

FAO Investment Centre environmental reports are directed to environment and natural resources specialists. They address environmental issues associated with the formulation of investment projects for the agricultural/rural sector. This report describes an environmental assessment that contributed to improvements in the project design for the Aberdares Natural Resources Development Project in Kenya. The objective of this six-year project was to conserve and develop the natural resources of the Aberdares region based on an integrated management approach involving local communities.