Publication and Dissemination

In 1998, CIFOR’s output of internally published documents included two monographs, eight Occasional Papers and a compilation of research abstracts summarizing 84 articles and papers by CIFOR staff that appeared in major scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. As described in detail above, CIFOR also issued for the first time a CD-ROM containing the full text of all the centre’s technical and corporate publications published since 1993.

With the increased interest in electronic publications, CIFOR developed other CD-ROM products for various research projects, including the criteria and indicators and the non-timber forest products programmes.

The quarterly newsletter, CIFOR News, and the centre’s annual report continued to be produced in three languages: English, French and Spanish. A summary of the 1997 annual report was also published in Bahasa Indonesia.

All of CIFOR’s major scientific publications and public information materials were posted on the centre’s Web page. This resource, which was upgraded and expanded in 1998, has become a major channel for distribution of information about CIFOR, drawing an ever growing number of readers.

The Communications Unit produced a wide array of public awareness materials in 1998, including the CIFOR brochure in several languages, posters and exhibition panels for various conferences and events, an annual calendar and a compilation of briefs on major research achievements.

CIFOR’s headquarters complex is situated in a small forest, and in 1998 the centre completed a project to identify, classify and label about 90 tree species in the area for the benefit of visitors. A detailed pamphlet providing botanical and other interesting information about the forest is under preparation.

CIFOR’s electronic mailing list known as POLEX continued to attract additional subscribers in 1998. This cost-effective service has been a highly successful mechanism for circulating synopses of significant policy-related research findings from CIFOR and other organisations to policy makers, forest managers, government officials and NGOs.