Frogs aren't well known for their sense of humour, but they might need to develop one in coming decades. Perhaps more than any other order of animals, frogs and toads are under threat--from phenomena like climate change and habitat destruction and a mysterious fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Several rainforest species have gone missing in recent years and others are becoming rarer: according to the recent Global Amphibian Assessment, 1653 of the 5067 known frog and toad species globally are either threatened or extinct.
This edition of the TFU is not about frogs. But these moist and vocal creatures are as good a symbol as any of the challenges facing advocates of natural tropical forests.
Tropical Forest Update

Issue 15 No 1
Why so glum?
Photo: C. Vega, Conservation International
Contents
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Cambodia's challenges
An ITTO mission to Cambodia recommends the cautious resumption of timber-harvesting
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Why don't trade numbers add up?
Photo: A. Sarre
Discrepancies in tropical timber trade data highlight the continuing need to strengthen capacity for data collection and analysis
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Private concession certified in Malaysia
Photo: MTCC
Samling Plywood's Sela'an Linau forest management unit in Sarawak is the first private operation to be certified in Malaysia
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More negotiations in June
The second part of a United Nations negotiating conference made progress on–but didn't conclude–a successor to the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994
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What will we want from the forests?
Estimating the current and future demand for forest products and services
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ITTO's new projects
The projects summarised here were financed at the 37th session of the International Tropical Timber Council in December 2004
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Japan: the slumbering giant
Photo: M. Adams
While growth in the Chinese timber sector captures the headlines, Japan is still a major player
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Out on a limb
Photo: A. Sarre
The Kyoto Protocol took effect last February. What sort of opportunity does it present for tropical forestry?
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Fellowship report
Photo: Bhim Nath Acharya
Clear policies on the marketing of products from community forests are needed in Nepal to maximise the contribution of forests to sustainable development
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On the conference circuit
Reports on the Summit on Forests for Heads of States of Central Africa, the Forestry Congress in Venezuela, and a regional coordination workshop on the rehabilitation of tsunami-affected forest ecosystems
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Recent editions
New books and reports
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Noticeboard
Announcement of the ITTO international conference on tropical plywood in Beijing, study tour on sustainable livelihoods and community forestry, and more
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Courses
Short training courses for professionals in forestry and related disciplines
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Meetings
A comprehensive listing of coming conferences relevant to sustainable tropical forest management

Full edition
The ITTO Tropical Forest Update is published quarterly in English, French and Spanish.
The French and Spanish editions are usually posted about one month after the English.
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Content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of ITTO. ITTO holds the copyright to all photos unless otherwise stated. Articles may be reprinted without charge providing the Tropical Forest Update and author are credited and the editor notified (tfu@itto.int).