The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) is an
intergovernmental organization
Globalization is social change associated with increased connectivity among societies and their elements and the explosive evolution of transportation and telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various typ ...
that promotes
conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...
of
tropical forest
Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds.
Some tropical fores ...
resources and their
sustainable management, use and trade.
Organization
The organization was established under the
International Tropical Timber Agreement
The International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), 1983) is an agreement to provide an effective framework for cooperation between tropical timber producers and consumers and to encourage the development of national policies aimed at sustainable ...
(ITTA), which was sponsored by the
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...
and was ratified in 1985.
Its mandate was renewed by the
International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
and again by the
International Tropical Timber Agreement, 2006
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* International (Kevin Michael album), ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* International (New Order album), ' ...
, which aims to promote sustainable management and legal harvesting of forests that produce tropical timber, and to promote expansion and diversification of international
timber trade There are multiple market layers for wood products. Each country has its own domestic market that may be connected to a regional or global market. Timber supply to domestic markets in many tropical forest countries is largely provided by informal lo ...
from these forests.
The governing body is the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC). Half the votes on the ITTC are assigned to producing countries and half to consumers. Within each block, votes are assigned based on market share.
[
]
Mandate and activities
The ITTO was at first primarily a commodity
In economics, a commodity is an economic good, usually a resource, that has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them.
The price of a comm ...
organization, regulating the international trade in tropical timber
Tropical timber may refer to any type of timber or wood that grows in tropical rainforests and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and is Harvester (forery), harvested there. Typical examples of worldwide industrial significance inclu ...
. The original mandate mentioned conservation but did not give any details. In 1990 the ITTC proposed that by 2000 all exports of tropical timber would come from sustainably managed sources, and this goal was adopted.[
In 1987 the ITTO commissioned the ]Harvard Institute for International Development
The Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) was a think-tank dedicated to helping nations join the global economy, operating between 1974 and 2000. It was a center within Harvard University, United States.
Foundation and leadership ...
to prepare a review of current knowledge of multiple-use management of tropical forest
Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds.
Some tropical fores ...
s. Of interest was the potential for non-timber forest product
Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are useful foods, substances, materials and/or commodities obtained from forests other than timber. Harvest ranges from wild collection to farming. They typically include game animals, fur-bearers, nuts, see ...
s and services that could assist in sustaining the forests. HIID completed the study in 1988 and issued updated versions in 1990 and 1992.
The ITTO publishes a quarterly newsletter, ''Tropical Forest Update'' (), available also online.[ITTO. ''Tropical Forest Update'' 22(1):2.]
See also
* List of forestry ministries
A forestry ministry (also called a forestry agency, forestry department, or forest service) is a high, often cabinet-level government ministry charged with forestry. The ministry is often headed by a minister for forestry. Specific duties may rel ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Sustainable forest management
International forestry organizations
Intergovernmental environmental organizations