§ 3 p.m.
The Earl of BessboroughMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they accept the conclusions of the international forestry conference held recently in Paris under the presidency of President Mitterrand and whether the Overseas Development Administration will support the "Tree 2000" campaign concerning afforestation in desert lands of certain developing countries.
§ Baroness YoungMy Lords, we have accepted the conference's solemn appeal and resolutions. We agree that continuing destruction of forests leading to the spread of deserts in the drier African countries is a most serious problem. We also share the widespread concern about air pollution and damage to European forests. My right honourable friend the Minister for Overseas Development sent a message of encouragement for the launching of the "Tree 2000" appeal on 9th April, and wished it every success.
The Earl of BessboroughMy Lords, I thank my noble friend for that most encouraging reply and declare an interest as president of the Men of the Trees, which is promoting this campaign. May I ask whether 1077 she thinks that the ODA would be in a position to make a financial contribution to the campaign and also whether the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) may not also have a role to play in reclaiming the deserts?
§ Baroness YoungMy Lords, a cash donation is not envisaged, but my right honourable friend the Minister for Overseas Development would be ready to consider proposals from the Men of the Trees organisation, which is mounting the appeal, for support of specific projects under the joint funding scheme (sometimes known as a pound-for-pound scheme) which is the ODA's source of support for development projects put forward by many NGOs such as Oxfam and Christian Aid. We welcome the support of the FAO for the "Tree 2000" campaign and the other FAO activities which help to preserve and develop vitally important forest resources in developing countries.
Lord OramMy Lords, we must all recognise the many competing claims on the all too limited resources of the Overseas Development Administration, but has not the noble Earl called attention to one of the most urgent problems in developing countries? For instance, do not peasants in many parts of Africa face a great dearth of wood fuel for cooking? Is not the problem of soil erosion closely connected with the rapid deforestation that is going on in many parts of the world? With these problems in mind, will not the Overseas Development Administration put more capital resources into this rather than just the pound-for-pound support of a voluntary agency?
§ Baroness YoungYes, my Lords, I was answering specifically the question raised by my noble friend Lord Bessborough, but I entirely take the point of the noble Lord. Indeed, we are providing substantial amounts of aid in different countries for forestry. We are doing so in Ghana and in the Sudan, and in India we put £15 million into a social forestry project. We also give high priority to the training of technical staff. As well as direct bilateral aid, the Community is providing some 30 million ecus under the European Development Fund 4 and 5. As the noble Lord will be aware, Britain's contribution to that is 18 per cent.
§ Lord John-MackieMy Lords, is the noble Baroness aware that Europe is deficient in wood and sufficient in food? The areas being cleared to grow food would be much better used for forestry. Can we not swap food that we can grow in Europe for the trees which we are short of but which they can grow?