11 November 2011: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has released its latest newsletter, Tropical Forest Update, on promoting the conservation and sustainable use of tropical forests. The latest issue focuses on ITTO’s role in capacity development in its member countries through a fellowship programme for young and middle-level forest professionals.The newsletter reports the results of a survey of fellowship recipients, indicating a significant impact on capacity development in tropical forestry, timber industries and related disciplines. Other articles in the issue illustrate samples of work funded by the fellowships, prepared by recipients from Cambodia, Cameroon, Gabon, Nepal and Peru, on non-timber forest products, sustainable forest management and community participation. The Newsletter calls for a widening of the funding base of the Fellowship Programme and reducing administrative costs, which amount to more than a quarter of the funds pledged to the Programme.

According to a note in the Newsletter, the current issue is shorter than usual, it will not be distributed to its 15,000 subscribers and it has been produced less frequently in 2011, due to funding constraints. [Publication: Tropical Forest Update 21, No. 1]