Oil Trees for Energy in the Near East Region
Global concerns over climate change, soaring food prices and high oil price have prompted a number of countries to shift, although partially, from fossil fuel dependence to alternative sources of energy. Biofuel is one of these reliable sources of which oil trees offer a great potential. Considering the abundance of marginal lands and quantities of used waste water which poses considerable environmental challenges in the Near East, development of resilient oil tree species at large scale can mee t a significant part of the countries’ energy needs, improve their forest cover and provide many other environmental and social services. Large scale planting of oil-producing trees could also help reinforce the agricultural sector and play an indirect role in poverty reduction through contribution to employment in rural areas and facilitation of access to affordable and clean energy for communities. In response to the recommendation of the 18th session of the Near East Forestry Commission in 20 08, a symposium was held in Luxor- Egypt by FAO Regional Office to update information on Oil trees and exchange knowledge and know-how related to species and their utilization amongst the countries in the region. The results of the symposium were presented to the 19th session of the Near East Forestry and Range Commission held in Hammamet-Tunisia, 2010. The Commission underlined the need for studies to constitute solid information basis for decisions before large-scale afforestation or the intro duction of non-endemic oil tree species, including studies on economic feasibility and benefits as well as on environmental consequences such as on soils, and ecosystem dynamics. This document is an attempt to provide an overview of the current state and issues related to the growing of oil trees in the Near East. It examines the opportunities from/and benefits of oil trees that are thought of relevance to decision-makers, forest and range managers and other stakeholders and provides the type of information that can facilitate the decision making on policy options and strategies.
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| Format: | Book (stand-alone) biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
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2011
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| Online Access: | https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/I2559E http://www.fao.org/3/a-i2559e.pdf |
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