Around ten years ago the government of the Gambia earmarked a strip of land along the Atlantic coast for tourism development. More recently, land in the same area is being used to provide affordable housing for civil servants. The chief of one village affected by these policies describes the problem of land shortage he now faces.

This first edition of a synthesis document, compiling a status of forest genetic resources in the Sahelian and North-Sudanian zone of Africa and a sub-regional action plan for the sustainable management of these resources, is the fruit of a process undertaken at the initiative of countries in the sub-region, towards a better consideration of the important but complex issues linked to forest gen

This regional study presents an overview of the socio-economic importance and ecological impact of the use of non-wood forest products (NWFP) in Africa.

The current publication «State of the Forest Genetic Resources in The Gambia» is issue of country national report presented at The Sub- Regional Workshop FAO/IPGRI/ICRAF on the conservation, management, sustainable utilization and enhancement of forest genetic resources in Sahelian and North-Sudanian Africa (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 22-24 September 1998).

This paper presents an overview of the various approaches that developed and developing countries have used in designing national forest funds. It is based on a study of legislation in over forty countries and a review of some of the few empirical studies of forest fund performance. The overview may serve as checklist of issues and options for policymakers who are designing funds.

This summary report synthesizes the central research findings of the Working Group on Resource Tenure and Land Use Planning and the Law Reform Commission of The Gambia, recommending a series of tenure policy options for both government and donor agencies. Specific programs and projects are also discussed.

In the search for effective natural resource management strategies, it has become apparent that local communities have a critical role to play in sustainable forest management. Community-based forest management has emerged in the past decade as an effective approach for the management of tree and forest resources.

Meeting symbol/code: ARC 00 5

Our goal in this article is to address methods of communicating agrometeorological information, which consists of disseminating and evaluating information, and to provide examples of these processes.