3rd Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity
6-10 September, Trondheim, Norway

Photos and RealAudio, Thursday, 9th September '99

Ecosystem approach in forest resource use.

Peter J. Schei, Conference Chair, in discussion with Thor S. Larsen,Noragric, prior to the opening of the session.

Richard Steiner, University of Alaska, spoke of the global forest crisis and the tragedy of government inaction. He stressed that the forest/biodiversity crisis is one of the most important issues of today, citing coastal temperate rainforests as one of the most extensively degraded ecosystem types in the world.

Conference displays by NINA - NIKU, Foundations for Nature and Cultural Heritage Research. and the National Atlas of Norwegian Vegetation.

Sten Nilsson, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, spoke on boreal forests and biodiversity in Russia.

Jeff McNeely, IUCN, spoke about incentives and constraints related to communities dependent on sustainable use.

Globalisation vs. de-centralisation.

Jan-Eirik Sørenson, World Trade Organization (WTO), addressed the compatibility between the WTO framework and environmental agreements.

Panel Debate: What Chance for Local Resource Management in the Times of GATT and the WTO? The panel debate, moderated by Kjetir Gravir (NRK Radio), included Ricardo Melendez-Ortiz (ICTSD), Jan-Eirik Sørenson (WTO), Jose Sarukhan (Mexican National Committee for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity), Holly Dublin (WWF), Subramonia Ananthrakrishna (Forum) and Robert Monro (Zimbabwe Trust).

The old town bridge of Trondheim acted as a customs and excise checkpoint into the city. Original construction began in 1681 but what remains today is the work of Carl Adolf Dahl, municipal officer in charge of public works, 1861.