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An introduction to four overviews: Arid and semi-arid lands; soil loss; tropical forests and woodlands; water quality
Agro-Ecosystems, 3(1977)183--184
183
© Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands
AN I N T R O D U C T I O N TO F O U R OVERVIEWS: Arid and Semi-arid Lands; Soil Loss; Tropical Forests and Woodlands; Water Quality
M.K. TOLBA
Executive Director, The United Nations Environment Programme
One of the major tasks assigned by the United Nations General Assembly to the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme, in the aftermath of recommendations made at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment convened at Stockholm in 1972, was to "keep under review the world environmental situation in order to ensure that emerging environmental problems of wide international significance receive appropriate and adequate consideration". To assist in carrying out this task, the Executive Director was requested by the Governing Council of UNEP, at its second session in 1974, to prepare each year reviews of one or more of the priority subject areas of the Environment Programme, in addition to preparing an annual State of the Environment Report which summarizes the most important and the major emerging issues that affected the environment during the preceding year. This task carried with it the responsibility for UNEP to be constantly looking for ways to improve its performance in carrying o u t a catalytic role within the wo~ld c o m m u n i t y and to show ways of improving performance for governments in their vital environmental considerations. The overviews seek to display issues in relation to the activities undertaken or planned to deal with them, and thus to help governments to identify gaps in action, establish and revise objectives and priorities, and allocate responsibilities for action. They constitute the basis for subsequent elaboration of the system-wide United Nations Environment Programme, including those parts of it which receive financial support from UNEP. Therefore, the first overviews prepared in the requested series are those forming the subjects that are n o w being presented by Agro-Ecosystems. Overviews were prepared with the assistance of selected consultants and in close co-operation with sister organizations of the United Nations family. Since the preparation of these overviews in 1974, a number of other overviews dealing with various areas of the environment have been written. These studies include the subjects of: Marine Pollution, Marine Living Resources, Genetic Resources, Ecosystems -- Sites and Samples (Parks and Reserves), and Wildlife and Endangered Species, which were submitted to UNEP's Governing Council in 1976; and overviews covering Natural Disasters, Human Settle-
184 ments, Human and Environmental Health, and Pest Management Systems, which are to be submitted to the UNEP Governing Council in 1977. These overviews are, and will be available at the Headquarters of UNEP. The overviews "in t o t o " are n o t presented to the Governing Council of UNEP in the form of official documents. Up to the fourth session of the Governing Council of UNEP, they were presented in an abridged form, and the full text of overviews was used as background material. For the fifth session, brief summaries of all overviews so far prepared by UNEP were included in the main programme d o c u m e n t to show to the Governing Council of UNEP the gaps or insufficiencies in knowledge or in action to help in elaboration of programmes for future action. It is anticipated that the following overviews will be available for the sixth session of the Governing Council of UNEP, in 1978: Environmental Management, Environmental Education and Training, and Environment and Development. It is my hope that these overviews effectively highlight the major issues confronting man and his environment, with the goal of assisting national decision-makers to formulate action plans in the fields covered by the overviews. We especially appreciate the opportunity offered to the United Nations Environment Programme by Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, for the publication of these first four overviews, ensuring, as a result, a wider circulation to the scientific c o m m u n i t y at large than would otherwise have been possible.
183
© Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands
AN I N T R O D U C T I O N TO F O U R OVERVIEWS: Arid and Semi-arid Lands; Soil Loss; Tropical Forests and Woodlands; Water Quality
M.K. TOLBA
Executive Director, The United Nations Environment Programme
One of the major tasks assigned by the United Nations General Assembly to the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme, in the aftermath of recommendations made at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment convened at Stockholm in 1972, was to "keep under review the world environmental situation in order to ensure that emerging environmental problems of wide international significance receive appropriate and adequate consideration". To assist in carrying out this task, the Executive Director was requested by the Governing Council of UNEP, at its second session in 1974, to prepare each year reviews of one or more of the priority subject areas of the Environment Programme, in addition to preparing an annual State of the Environment Report which summarizes the most important and the major emerging issues that affected the environment during the preceding year. This task carried with it the responsibility for UNEP to be constantly looking for ways to improve its performance in carrying o u t a catalytic role within the wo~ld c o m m u n i t y and to show ways of improving performance for governments in their vital environmental considerations. The overviews seek to display issues in relation to the activities undertaken or planned to deal with them, and thus to help governments to identify gaps in action, establish and revise objectives and priorities, and allocate responsibilities for action. They constitute the basis for subsequent elaboration of the system-wide United Nations Environment Programme, including those parts of it which receive financial support from UNEP. Therefore, the first overviews prepared in the requested series are those forming the subjects that are n o w being presented by Agro-Ecosystems. Overviews were prepared with the assistance of selected consultants and in close co-operation with sister organizations of the United Nations family. Since the preparation of these overviews in 1974, a number of other overviews dealing with various areas of the environment have been written. These studies include the subjects of: Marine Pollution, Marine Living Resources, Genetic Resources, Ecosystems -- Sites and Samples (Parks and Reserves), and Wildlife and Endangered Species, which were submitted to UNEP's Governing Council in 1976; and overviews covering Natural Disasters, Human Settle-
184 ments, Human and Environmental Health, and Pest Management Systems, which are to be submitted to the UNEP Governing Council in 1977. These overviews are, and will be available at the Headquarters of UNEP. The overviews "in t o t o " are n o t presented to the Governing Council of UNEP in the form of official documents. Up to the fourth session of the Governing Council of UNEP, they were presented in an abridged form, and the full text of overviews was used as background material. For the fifth session, brief summaries of all overviews so far prepared by UNEP were included in the main programme d o c u m e n t to show to the Governing Council of UNEP the gaps or insufficiencies in knowledge or in action to help in elaboration of programmes for future action. It is anticipated that the following overviews will be available for the sixth session of the Governing Council of UNEP, in 1978: Environmental Management, Environmental Education and Training, and Environment and Development. It is my hope that these overviews effectively highlight the major issues confronting man and his environment, with the goal of assisting national decision-makers to formulate action plans in the fields covered by the overviews. We especially appreciate the opportunity offered to the United Nations Environment Programme by Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, for the publication of these first four overviews, ensuring, as a result, a wider circulation to the scientific c o m m u n i t y at large than would otherwise have been possible.