Abstract

The International Tropical Timber Organization is an intergovernmental organization that promotes policy coordination and information exchange on tropical timber production and trade. One of its primary functions is to sponsor forestry-related research, development, and market-oriented projects in the field. Most of the organization's projects deal with timber production and trade. But in recent years, nontimber forest projects have been well funded and even received funding before many traditional timber production and trade projects. These trends could prove instructive to member countries as they renegotiate a new International Tropical Timber Agreement in 2003 and 2004.