15.12.2023
The AFT, created in 2018 on the basis of an amicale, is an association under French law of general interest (law of 1901) of "advocacy" in favor of a balanced forestry integrating the three economic, environmental and social components of sustainable development.
AFT brings together foresters from France and French-speaking countries, particularly in Africa, who have worked to contribute to the sustainable management and conservation of forest ecosystems in hot regions, both in the field and in national and international institutions.
The association is open to all those in France and elsewhere who share this vision and can contribute to it in the French language; it thus wishes to make its contribution to the ecosystem of organizations working in the service of tropical forests and the countries and populations linked to them.
These foresters, many of whom have worked in close collaboration with CIRAD, CIFOR and the FAO, with national African research organizations, and with forestry administrations and companies, have amassed a considerable body of knowledge, acquired field experience, an understanding of the issues and a long-term vision, which they feel it is their duty to make available to the debate on sustainable forest management and restoration. In particular, they wish to highlight the multifunctional nature of tropical and North African forests, and their functions, which are not only environmental, but also social and economic.
With some fifty members, including a number of legal entities, AFT has an executive board (President, Bernard Mallet; Treasurer, Jean Paul Lanly; Secretary, Michel Malagnoux) and a board of directors. AFT's activities include publishing, information and awareness-raising, and "friendship" activities.
Recent editorial activities include:
The publication of works by l'Harmattan: three books have been published, coordinated by Jean Paul Lanly, "Vivre et travailler en forêt tropicale" (2016), "Vivre et travailler en forêt au Maghreb" (2019, co-publication AFT and IAMF) and "Travailler au service des forêts tropicales, regards croisés de forestiers" (2021). The latter is a collection of testimonials from twenty French-speaking foresters, half from tropical dry and humid African countries and half from French foresters who have worked in the tropics.
Publication of the "Bulletin d'information" and "Informations forestières" (quarterly analysis by Jean Paul Lanly of forestry-related articles in the press, averaging 300 articles/issue) for AFT members;
The production of the "Feuilles du Flamboyant" (co-production with the NGO Silva of articles on specific themes, grouping together articles by different authors), widely distributed, the latest issue having been devoted to "the new challenges of forest plantations";
Preparation and presentation of papers at conferences such as the World Forestry Congress ("Les dispositifs de recherches forestières à long terme en Afrique: un patrimoine à soutenir et à valoriser pour relever les défis mondiaux ; Mallet & al", Corée 2022) and the World Agroforestry Congress ("Do not forget that agroforestry can also provide wood, be it fuelwood or timber, for the benefit of populations ; examples in West and Central Africa " Mallet & al ; Québec, 2022).
AFT contributes to various French bodies concerned with tropical forests (in particular CSTF, Comité Scientifique et Technique Forêt), to convey messages on the multiple functions of forests and their contribution to the social and economic development of countries and populations, and on "sustainable management" of these forests, their resources and their functions.
AFT and its members maintain close relations with CIRAD teams working on tropical forests, whether "natural", planted or agroforestry forests, and on timber; they also exchange information with various organizations and associations concerned with the multiple challenges of agricultural and forestry development.
In autumn, AFT organizes annual meetings, combining tourism and forestry outings, in conjunction with ONF (Office national des forêts). These meetings bring together around thirty participants, forestry colleagues and spouses, with the 2022 meetings taking place in the Jura and the 2023 meetings in the Lubéron.
Contacts : bernard.mallet@cirad.fr; jean-paul.lanly@orange.fr
