FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jodi Bodner
JNF Director of
Communications
212-879-9305 ext. 221
jbodner@jnf.org
Afforestation Conference to Combat
Desertification to be held in
Jerusalem
March 29, 2007 --
New York,
NY -- In an effort
to bring together leaders in the science and practice of
afforestation and sustainable forest management in arid and
semi-arid zones, Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemeth
LeIsrael(JNF-KKL) will host a conference in
Jerusalem
from April 16-19.
The conference will be held at
the Crown Plaza Hotel,
Jerusalem,
Israel.
Also sponsored by The
International Union for Forest Research Organization
(IUFRO), Forests to Combat
Desertification Organization (FCD), and the United States
Forest Service (USFS), the conference will provide a
broad forum for the summary and synthesis of state-of-the-art
afforestation practices, as well as an introduction to the
achievements of the Israeli arid lands afforestation lead by
JNF-KKL during the last six decades.
Desertified land presently
covers around 36 million square km. of the world's total land
area. Desertification and land degradation is caused primarily
by human activities and climatic variations. It affects more
than 100 countries and regions with a combined population of
1.2 billion, and has become a global problem threatening the
subsistence and development of mankind.
At its 58th session, the United
Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/Res/58/211 which declares 2006 the
International Year of Deserts and Desertification. In
light of this declaration, JNF-KKL decided to hold the
upcoming conference.
Among the guest lecturers are
renowned academics and professionals and at least 200 people
from around the world will join as participants.
Topics to be covered during the
conference include: "Joint Efforts of Research and
Demonstration in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands”; “Nursery
Techniques and Forest Establishment in Arid Zones”;
“Trees in Towns Improving the Quality of People’s
Lives”; and “Livestock Grazing Management Tool vs.
Desertification Agent,” among others.
For information and to
register, please visit http://www.fcd.org.il/
or email eitan_s@edan.co.il
# # #
Jewish
National Fund is a non-profit organization founded in
1901 to serve as caretaker of the
land of
Israel, on behalf
of its owners—Jewish people everywhere. Over the past century,
JNF has planted over 240 million trees, built over 180
reservoirs and dams, developed over 250,000 acres of land,
created more than 1,000 parks, provided the infrastructure for
1,000 communities and educated students around the world about
Israel and the environment. Today, JNF is restoring northern
Israel,
making it home again to its residents, and is putting its
century of experience to work with Blueprint Negev,
supporting
Israel’s
newest generation of pioneers in developing the Negev Desert,
Israel’s last frontier. For more information on JNF or
to plant trees in
Israel,
call 800-542-TREE (8733) or visit support.jnf.org/trees
To contact your local office, please call 888-JNF-0099 or
visit support.jnf.org.
