The The The The The The Republic of Seychelles Republic of South Africa Kingdom of Swaziland United Republic of Tanzania Republic of Zambia Republic of Zimbabwe RECALLING that the objectives of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) include achieving development and economic growth, poverty alleviation with the ultimate objective of its eradication, and achieving sustainable utilisation of natural resources and effective protection of the environment; RECOGNISING the intrinsic value of forests and their vital role in the functioning of the earth's ecological systems and the maintenance of all forms of life; CONVINCED that natural forests and the unique forms of life within them must be safeguarded independent of their usefulness to humanity; RECOGNISING the value of forests to humanity, including their role in maintaining the earth's climate, in controlling floods and erosion, as sources of clean water, food, wood and other forest products as well as having spiritual, cultural and aesthetic value to humans; MINDFUL of the special needs of small island States, which do not have transboundary forests; RECOGNISING that many people in the Region depend on forests for their livelihood and that sustainable forest management is essential to the alleviation of poverty; ACKNOWLEDGING the vital role played by forest communities and other communities in the conservation and sustainable management of forests by virtue of their traditional knowledge and practices; RECOGNISING the critical role which women play in activities that most directly affect forest management and the importance of involving women in forest management planning and implementation; ACKNOWLEDGING the important role played by the private sector in promoting sustainable forest management and in developing forest-based industries in the Region; UNDERSTANDING that forestry, conservation, agriculture, energy, trade, industry, tourism and environmental issues are inextricably linked, and that national and regional policies must reflect these links; RECOGNISING the transboundary nature of some forests within the Region and the resulting importance of transboundary management strategies; CONCERNED that some forests in the Region are being destroyed or significantly degraded due to poverty, ineffective planning and management and by other human activities; UNDERSTANDING that the sources of potential harm to forests are not limited by