The Future of Teak. What policy makers and managers need to consider. Summary Report of the Expert Group Meeting on Teak. Vienna, December 5th to 7th, 2016

The report “State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources” published by FAO in 2014 lists tree species that are considered a national priority by the reporting countries for the conservation and management of forest genetic resources. Teak (Tectona grandis) takes the top rank in this list in more than 20 countries. Economic value (including value of timber, pulp, food, wood energy, and non-wood forest products) is one of the main reasons for nominating the species as a priority for conservation and management.
The international partners IUFRO, FAO, and TEAKNET acknowledge this priority and promote the initiation of a large-scale international research, development and cooperation program. Its goal is to strengthen the conservation and sustainable use of teak genetic resources for the benefit of teak growers, the forest industries, investors and local communities in different country contexts in Africa, Asia/Oceania and Latin America.
The following summary and policy recommendations are based on an ITTO-supported project on the evaluation of global teak resources and have been developed and formulated on the occasion of a group meeting of 13 experts1 from 12 countries that was organised and held by IUFRO and FAO in Vienna, Austria, in December 2016.