international development cooperation

Developing as well as transit countries are characterized by massive deforestation – further on endangered by desertification and reduced water supply on the one hand and/or by floods, soil erosion and sedimentation on the other. Remaining forests are subject to many different interests and in most cases degraded strongly. Wood harvest is not based on function-oriented management criteria. Nobody cares about biodiversity in forests. Environmental protection is left behind in general. Totally, this development has created danger worldwide in terms of global climate change, which is becoming visible more and more. In contrast Central Europe – represented by Austria within a leading group – has more than 150 years experience in interdisciplinary forest science and sustainable forest management at its disposal. The University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, and especially it’s Institute of Silviculture, since many decades is gaining experience in different forest regions worldwide and contributes strongly to the silvicultural know-how-transfer into these countries. Long-term research cooperation as well as scientific advisory of implementation projects are contributing significantly to the establishment and territorial spreading of multipurpose mixed forests instead of just wood producing forest monocultures.