Article 61: Forest Management and Development

  1.         The Community shall, in  collaboration with competent national, regional and international agencies and organisations, promote the development, management and conservation of the forest resources in the Member States on a sustainable basis.
  1.         The Community shall effect the promotion and facilitation referred to in paragraph 1 by formulating policies and programmes for:

(a)        the management of its forest resources;

(b)        the integration of forest development in rural communities;

(c) enhancing the institutional capabilities of the Member States to design and implement forest management systems;

(d) establishing, facilitating and strengthening programmes for research and for human resource development at the professional, technical and vocational levels;

(e) encouraging public and private sector participation in the development and application of technology;

(f)         providing incentives for forestry development to stimulate domestic, regional and foreign investment in the forestry sub-sector;

(g) harmonising standards for quality assurance, compatible with international specifications;

(h) promoting commercialisation of natural forest products in a sustainable manner; and

(i)         undertaking national forest inventories.

  1.         For the purposes of this Article, “forest resources” are those natural assets of forest lands, including timber and other forest products, biological diversity, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, wilderness, flora and fauna, air, water and soil.