Publication

Forests for the New Millennium is based on the activities of the Special Project on World Forests, Society and Environment of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). 

Since 2002, the project has been working with experts from around the world on a major analysis of the changes which are taking place in the world’s forests, and the links between forests, human society and the wider environment. Over 100 authors - foresters, ecologists, economists, anthropologists, policy scientists - have contributed to the project’s main output, a book titled Forests in the Global Balance - Changing Paradigms. This policy brief, Forests for the New Millennium, is the result of a long creative debate, and it provides a consensus view of the policies which are required if forested land is to be managed more sustainably for the benefit of both people and nature.

The proposals contained in this policy brief are based on research into a broad range of topics related to the welfare and survival of forest ecosystems and the people who depend on them. By putting this information into the hands of decision-makers - at the international, national and local levels - we hope that the booklet will contribute, albeit in a modest way, to better forest management. We also hope that it will help to close the gap between policy and research.