Following its 42nd session at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, the ITTO has said that it intends to become firmly involved in the debate surrounding the destruction and degradation of forests, including the argument over whether developing nations should be financially reimbursed for protecting their tropical timber resources.
“There’s a huge debate going on now on somehow letting tropical countries benefit from maintaining and from keeping their forests healthy, rather than allowing them to be destroyed or degraded,” said ITTO spokesperson Steve Johnson. “Any steps that are taken in the international arena to slow down the rate of destruction of tropical forests will be strongly supported by our organisation.”
Mr Johnson added that the ITTO would look to inform all the parties involved in the tropical timber debate as to the benefits of keeping carbon locked up in forests through sustainable management schemes.
