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Memorandums From the President on World Forests

August 02, 1979

Memorandum for the Secretary of State

In my Environmental Message of August 3,1 1979, I expressed concern about the rapid disappearance of the earth's forests, especially in the tropics and subtropics. I believe there is much that the United States can do in cooperation with other nations to contribute to environmentally sound care and management of the earth's forests and to the well-being of people affected by them.

I am directing you to give high priority to the following matters in your budget and program planning:
• improved monitoring of world forest trends, particularly tropical forests, including use of satellite observations;
• research on necessary preservation of natural forest ecosystems and their rich complex of plant and animal life;
• research on multiple uses of highly diverse tropical forests, including management of natural stands, development of ecologically sound forest plantations, and combined agriculture and forestry;
• studies on increasing yields in family scale tropical agriculture, to relieve pressures on forest lands that are not suitable for cultivation;
• demonstration of integrated projects for reforestation, more efficient fuelwood use, and alternative energy sources;
• examination of how U.S. citizens and U.S.-based corporations may be encouraged to support sound forest management practices.

I am asking you to ensure that the interagency task force on tropical forests, chaired by the Department of State, submit to me by November 1979 its report and recommendations on U.S. goals, strategies, and programs to help protect and conserve world forests.

I am asking you to work with the Department of Agriculture, the Council on Environmental Quality and other relevant federal agencies, and with other nations and international organizations, to give full support and assistance to the international program of activities for conservation and wise utilization of tropical forests to be developed under the sponsorship of the United Nations Environment Programme.

I am also asking you to encourage and support high-level international conferences on forest problems in regions where forest losses are severe, to raise awareness and understanding both of the complex problems and possible solutions.

Finally, I am asking you and the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality to report to me within six months on the best ways to designate "ecological and natural resources of global importance" under Executive Order 12114, so that proposals for major federal actions significantly affecting these resources will be reviewed before a decision is made.

Please give these assignments your immediate attention.

JIMMY CARTER

Memorandum for the Secretary of Agriculture

In my Environmental Message of August 2, 1979, I expressed concern about the rapid disappearance of the earth's forests, especially in the tropics and subtropics. I believe there is much that the United States can do in cooperation with other nations to contribute to environmentally sound care and management of the earth's forests and to the well-being of people affected by them.

I am therefore directing you to give high priority to the following matters in your budget and program planning:
• improved monitoring of word forest trends, particularly tropical forests, including use of satellite observations;
• research on necessary preservation of natural forest ecosystems and their rich complex of plant and animal life;
• research on multiple uses of highly diverse tropical forests, including management of natural stands, development of ecologically sound forest plantations, and combined agriculture and forestry;
• studies on increasing yields in family scale tropical agriculture, to relieve pressures on forest lands that are not suitable for cultivation;
• demonstration of integrated projects for reforestation, more efficient fuelwood use, and alternative energy sources;
• examination of how U.S. citizens and U.S.-based corporations may be encouraged to support sound forest management practices.

I am also asking you to work with the Department of State, the Council on Environmental Quality, and other relevant federal agencies, and with other nations and international organizations, to give full support and assistance to the international program of activities for conservation and wise utilization of tropical forests to be developed under the sponsorship of the United Nations Environment Programme.

Please give these assignments your immediate attention.

JIMMY CARTER

Memorandum for the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality

In my Environmental Message of August 2, 1979, ! expressed concern about the rapid disappearance of the earth's forests, especially in the tropics and subtropics. I believe there is much that the United States can do in cooperation with other nations to contribute to environmentally sound care and management of the earth's forests and to the well-being of people affected by them.

I am therefore asking you to work with the Departments of State and Agriculture and other relevant federal agencies, and with other nations and international organizations, to give full support and assistance to the international program of activities for conservation and wise utilization of tropical forests to be developed under the sponsorship of the United Nations Environment Programme.

In addition, I am asking you and the Secretary of State to report to me within six months on the best ways to designate "ecological and natural resources of global importance" under Executive Order 12114, so that proposals for major federal actions significantly affecting these resources will be reviewed before a decision is made.

Please give these assignments your immediate attention.

JIMMY CARTER

Memorandum for the Director of the National Science Foundation

In my Environmental Message of August 2, 1979, I expressed concern about the rapid disappearance of the earth's forests, especially in the tropics and subtropics. I believe there is much that the United States can do in cooperation with other nations to contribute to environmentally sound care and management of the earth's forests and to the well-being of people affected by them.

I am therefore requesting that you give high priority in your budget and program planning and research support programs to forests and to the following areas of basic and applied research:
• research on the ecology of tropical forests;
• improved monitoring of world forest trends, particularly tropical forests, including use of satellite observations;
• research on necessary preservation of natural forest ecosystems and their rich complex of plant and animal life;
• research on multiple uses of highly diverse tropical forests, including management of natural stands, development of ecologically sound forest plantations, and combined agriculture and forestry;
• studies on increasing yields in family scale tropical agriculture, to relieve pressures on forest lands that are not suitable for cultivation;
• identification of research methods to define the ecological disturbance in tropical forests from human activities, and to predict recovery of stressed forest systems.

Please give this assignment your immediate attention.

JIMMY CARTER

Memorandum for the Administrator of the Agency for International Development, the Director of ACTION

In my Environmental Message of August 2, 1979, I expressed concern about the rapid disappearance of the earth's forests, especially in the tropics and subtropics. I believe there is much that the United States can do in our development assistance to other nations to contribute to environmentally sound care and management of the earth's forests and to the wellbeing of people affected by them.

I am directing you to evaluate your development assistance programs in light of the following objectives and to give high priority to programs which would advance these objectives:
• necessary preservation of natural forest ecosystems and their rich complex of plant and animal life;
• multiple uses of highly diverse tropical forests, including management of natural stands, development of ecologically sound forest plantations, and combined agriculture and forestry;
• increasing yields in family-scale tropical agriculture to relieve pressures on forest lands that are not suitable for cultivation;
• developing integrated projects for reforestation, more efficient fuelwood use, and alternative energy sources.

Please give this assignment your immediate attention.

JIMMY CARTER

1

EDITOR'S Note: The correct date is August 2.

Jimmy Carter, Memorandums From the President on World Forests Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/250023

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