The Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), Mr Ross Hampton, has been reappointed for a third consecutive term to the international body which advises the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on matters relating to sustainable management of forest industries globally.
Mr Hampton sits with representatives from: South Africa, Canada, USA, Brazil, China, New Zealand, Argentina, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Russia and several other countries.
“I’m honoured to be reappointed to this body,” Mr Hampton said. “The FAO advises the global community on the best principles and practices to ensure we use the world’s resources in a way which means we are living on the interest rather than the capital of the planet. Australia is considered an exemplar in forestry, as we do not practice deforestation which occurs in so many parts of the world. Our native forest operators and plantation managers all replant or regenerate after harvest.
“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides the overarching approach which is promoted by global leaders who care about the environment and about sustainably using the earth’s resources as we battle the effects of a changing climate.”
The IPCC stated (4th Assessment) – “A sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, fibre or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained (carbon) mitigation benefit”.
“Global demand for timber products is expected to quadruple by 2050. The mission to ensure that all of these products are produced sustainably across the world, like they are in Australia, is vital and urgent,” Mr Hampton concluded.
