1. The Commission recognized that forestry institutions were still suffering from a range of difficulties, including lack of coordination with other institutions, low hierarchical status of public forestry administration, lack of institutional capacity and decentralization. It also stated that forestry institutions were facing new sectoral challenges and demands and therefore recommended that FAO conduct a detailed analysis of different administrative models in order to adapt institutions to present and future requirements. (para. 12).

FAO REPORTS

The national forest programmes in the Region

2. The Commission recommended that the four subregional groups should be used to the maximum extent possible as a support mechanism for the national forest programmes. (para. 35).

Technical Cooperation Networks

3. The Delegate of Cuba pointed out that dendroenergy was very important in his country, just as it was in other countries of the Region, and following consultations with energy officials in Cuba, recommended that the FAO Regional Office look into the possibility of continuing to sponsor the Latin American Technical Cooperation Network on Dendroenergy. (para. 39).

4 The Commission requested that FAO look into the merit of organizing the Third Latin American Congress on Watersheds within the framework of the International Year of Mountains. (para. 40).

TECHNICAL ITEMS

Prevention and control of forest fires

5. The Commission also declared that forest fires were mostly caused by humans and in most cases broke out in agricultural areas adjacent to forest land. The Commission therefore recommended that governments involve the ministries of agriculture in the subject of forest fires, when these ministries were not responsible for the Forestry Services. (para. 58).

International Year of Mountains - 2002

6. The Commission stressed that it was in mountain areas that the environmental benefits of forests were most manifest, and therefore recommended that FAO and the countries make efforts to enhance these benefits. (para. 71).

Forestry and the Kyoto Protocol

7. The Commission was pleased to note the information on FAO's activities under the FCCC and Kyoto Protocol, and recommended that it continue to provide support to countries in the technical and scientific discussions on the implications of including forests in the Clean Development Mechanism, through the strengthening of technical capacities, training and the clarification of forest-related definitions. (para. 77).

IN-SESSION SEMINAR: FORESTRY SECTOR INFORMATION PROJECTS AND OUTLOOK STUDY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

8. The Commission granted high importance to strengthening the local institutions involved in the compilation of forestry sector information by the Project of "Information and Analysis for Sustainable Forest Management in Latin America". It also recommended the inclusion of the private and public sectors and the need for the LACFC Subregional Groups to support the project. (para. 84).

9. The Commission recommended that the outlook study should include thematic issues such as environmental services of forests, interlinkage between society and forests, interrelationship between ethnic cultures and forests, non-wood forest products, trends in international trade, and the contribution of the forestry sector to national economies, to name only some of the themes of interest to the Region. It also recommended that the activities of the information and outlook projects be properly harmonized, so that the information projects can provide data for analysis in the outlook projects, including concepts and practicalities of production chain studies. (para. 86).

SATELLITE MEETING ON THE NATIONAL FOREST PROGRAMMES

10. The Commission recommended including the subject of the different elements of the production chain and the valuation of forest resources in the project package. It also underlined the need to consider installed technological capacity, both hardware and software, implementation using human resources and participation of the indigenous rural population. (para. 99).

REGIONAL ISSUES IDENTIFIED BY THE COMMISSION FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY

11. The Commission requested that the following issues be raised at the next session of the Committee on Forestry: (para. 102).

12. The importance of improving the quality and accessibility of forest information as the foundation for the planning, development and formulation of forestry policy. Emphasis was also placed on the importance of the FAO proposal to conduct the project of information and analysis for sustainable forest management and the Outlook Study for Latin America and the Caribbean. (para. 103).

13. The growing importance of national forest programmes as a comprehensive framework for the formulation, planning and application of the forestry process in the Region, especially for implementation of the proposal of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests. The Commission also noted that FAO's work in support of the national forest programmes in the Region constituted an excellent example of the invaluable cooperation it could provide to forest development in countries. (para. 104).

14. The importance of the forestry sector in the mountain areas of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the opportunity provided by the International Year of Mountains 2002 to raise awareness of these ecosystems. Also the need to integrate forest management into the general management of natural resources at catchment basin level, and to analyse and learn from country-level experiences in this regard. (para. 105).

15. Given the important role that forests can play in implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Commission requested that FAO help strengthen national technical capacities by providing information and training on the Convention and its instruments. (para. 106).

16. The importance of the Subregional Groups established under the Commission as mechanisms to facilitate the integration and exchange of information and experiences among countries in support of their national forest policies and programmes. (para. 107).

17. Given that public forestry institutions are essential coordination and execution bodies for sustainable forest development in each country, and that national and international initiatives could not be efficiently developed without strengthened public forestry institutions, the Commission recommended that the Committee on Forestry seek appropriate strategies to foster the development of the forestry institutions of the countries of the Region. (para. 108).

18. In view of the considerable uncertainties in the way our countries are addressing the management of native forests, the different positions adopted in this respect, the need to involve local communities and the need to generate local benefits and achieve sustainable development, the members of the Commission requested that FAO promote recognition of integrated natural resource management by communities as a valid strategy for the conservation of forests. (para. 109).

19. The Commission considered that it was vital to reinforce the action of FAO's Committee on Forestry to promote the forestry production chains in the projects it executed, as well as other actions implemented through the Programme of Support to the National Forest Programmes. (para 110).

INTRODUCTION

1. The Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (LACFC) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held its 21^st Session from 4 to 8 September 2000 in the city of Santa Fe de Bogotá, at the kind invitation of the Government of the Republic of Colombia. The session was attended by delegates from 16 Member States, representatives of United Nations specialized agencies and observers from five international, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. The agenda is given in Appendix A, the full list of participants in Appendix B, the list of documents submitted for the consideration of the Commission in Appendix C, and the reports of the Subregional Groups in Appendix D.

2. Mr Fidel Ramos, serving Chairman of the LACFC, presided over the inaugural ceremony. Other officials at the ceremony included Mrs María Angela Andrade Pérez, Technical Director of Ecosystems, Mrs Simonetta Grassi, FAO Representative a.i. in Colombia, Mr Kyran D. Thelen, Secretary of the Commission, Mr Wulf Killmann, Director of the FAO Forestry Department's Forest Products Division, who welcomed the participants on behalf of the Director-General of FAO, His Excellency Rodrigo Villalba Mosquera, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, who also addressed the assembly, and His Excellency Juán Mayr Maldonado, Minister of the Environment, who welcomed the participants on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Colombia and declared the session open.

ADOPTION OF AGENDA (Item 1)

3. The Provisional Agenda was adopted without change.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS (Item 2)

4. In accordance with articles II-1 and II-5 of its Rules of Procedure, the Commission elected a Chairperson, three Vice-Chairpersons and a Rapporteur. The following Members of the Commission were unanimously elected:

Chairperson: María Angela Andrade (Colombia), Amazon Subregional Group

Vice-Chairpersons:Víctor Sosa Cedillo (Mexico), Central America and Mexico Subregional Group

Jorge Luis Menéndez (Argentina), Southern Cone Subregional Group

Maximo Aquino Méndez (Dominican Republic), Caribbean Subregional Group

Rapporteur: Atilio Ligrone (Uruguay)

Mr Kyran Thelen, Senior Forestry Officer of FAO, served as Secretary.

STATE OF FORESTRY IN THE REGION (Item 3)

(a) Presentation of the state of forestry in the Region

5. The Secretariat introduced document FO:LACFC/2000/2 "State of Forestry in the Latin American and Caribbean Region", which had been prepared for the period 1998-1999 from the country reports that were available at the time of drafting, and other sources of information. The Secretariat note was therefore considered as provisional and would be updated and expanded after the meeting. Once all the reports had been received, and taking into account the outcome of the discussions at the meeting, a more detailed information document would be drafted and issued on the state of forestry in the Region.

6. The Secretariat reported that the natural forest area in the Region amounted to almost 1000 million hectares, with over 90% in South America, 8% in Central America and Mexico and the rest in the Caribbean.

7. The major problems included deforestation, forest fires and the need to make progress towards the sustainable management of natural forests. As regards deforestation, the main cause was the extension of agricultural frontiers and overexploitation, but the latest FRA 2000 figures indicated a declining trend in deforestation.

8. The Commission noted that still only a small proportion of the forests in the Region were being managed in a sustainable manner. Nevertheless, there were various instruments, including international conventions, criteria and indicators and model forests, that were building commitment towards, the need to improve forest management. It also noted that several countries were increasing the area of forest that was being certified according to the standards of the International Standards Organization (ISO) or the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

9. The Commission was informed that there were now 12 million hectares of plantations in the Region which were increasingly important for the forestry industry and that policies to promote related initiatives existed in many countries.

10. The Commission noted that there had been an improvement in forestry policy in many countries of the Region. Although explicit policies were still lacking in most countries, legislation, national forest programmes and forestry regulations indicated that implicit policy had had a positive impact on the state of forestry in the Region. Despite shortcomings in policy implementation, there had been greater participation in policy formulation and a greater integration of forestry policy with other sectors.

11. Major issues relating to forestry policy in the Region included sustainable management, forest degradation and uncontrolled logging, systems of concession and land-use planning.

12. The Commission recognized that forestry institutions were still suffering from a range of difficulties, including lack of coordination with other institutions, low hierarchical status of public forestry administration, lack of institutional capacity and decentralization. It also stated that forestry institutions were facing new sectoral challenges and demands and therefore recommended that FAO conduct a detailed analysis of different administrative models in order to adapt institutions to present and future requirements.

13. The Commission was also informed that Latin America accounted for 12% of global forest production and that 65% of this was for fuelwood. It also noted that the contribution of forests to Gross Domestic Product was still insignificant in many countries of the Region, and that non-wood forest goods and services were not included in the national accounts.

14. It had been noted in the Region that there was a more positive perception in society of the social and environmental importance of forest services, and that there were a large number of forest-related NGOs.

15. The environmental importance of forests is well recognized in all the countries and the Commission noted that there had been an increase in protected areas, which now represented 11% of the total area of the Region. Nevertheless, there were still shortcoming in the management of these areas and forest fires had constituted a major environmental problem in recent years.

16. The Commission recognized that making progress towards sustainable forest management in the Region would require a major research effort, especially regarding natural forests, and many countries acknowledged the need for changes in forest institutional structures to correct such shortcomings.

17. Several countries commented on the report on the state of forestry in the Region and some (Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela) requested that other missing aspects be included. The Secretariat took due note for these to be included in the final document.

b) Presentations by the Subregional Groups of the Commission

18. The subregional groups reported on the activities that they had conducted between sessions, in the framework of the Commission, and on the successes and changes that had occurred in their respective countries. These reports were then supplemented by contributions from the representatives of individual countries.

FAO REPORTS (Item 4)

a) Review of FAO Regular and Field Programmes, including follow-up to the recommendations and requests of the 20^th Session of the Commission

19. The Secretariat introduced document FO:LACFC/2000/3 "Review of FAO Regular and Field Programmes, including follow-up to the recommendations and requests of the 20^th Session of the Commission".

20. The Commission acknowledged the progress made in the implementation of the FAO Forestry Regular Programme. It called for greater attention to certain aspects, such as analysis of the regional situation as compared to the rest of the world.

21. The Commission was briefed on the second phase of the process of decentralization of the Field Programme which would now be administered by the FAO Representatives in each country, the aim being to enhance the efficiency of the Organization's resources and to take project administrative decisions closer to the beneficiary countries. In this connection, the Commission recognized that it would acquire greater importance from the process of decentralization of the Field Programme to the FAO Representations in the Region.

22. The Commission noted with satisfaction that the Field Programme had increased in the Region, in contrast to the trend in the other regions.

23. The Commission learned of and welcomed the results of the follow-up to the recommendations made at its 20^th session on support against forest fires to the countries in the Region, support for the CCAB-AP, emphasis on hitherto priority issues, project formulation and negotiation capacity, analysis of the future of the FAO technical cooperation networks in the Region, improved interlinkages between institutions and exchange of research information, follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and forest valuation, including training and methodologies.

b) Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA 2000)

24. The Secretariat introduced document FO:LACFC/2000/4 "The Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA 2000)".

25. The Commission was briefed on the Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) for the year 2000, which is part of an ongoing process that FAO updates every 10 years to report on the state of forest cover at regional, subregional and country level. On this occasion, the assessment was being conducted with the active participation of the countries involved, using a straightforward and transparent methodology that was essentially based on the compilation, evaluation and analysis of documentation produced by the countries themselves.

26. The Commission was also informed that the Expert Consultation of the FRA Programme, held in March 2000 in Rome, had put forward recommendations for the elaboration of the report for the year 2000. Prominent among these recommendations were: (i) the compilation and thorough analysis of all documentation available in countries on forest cover and changes in cover, with the participation of related experts at the level of each region. This information should be evaluated and gauged according to its relevance, age and contribution towards estimating forest cover and changes in forest resources; (ii) the mathematical model used for the 1990 report needed to be completely revised and should therefore not be used for the new report; (iii) the need to intensify sampling by using satellite images and to establish a stratified system of sampling according to ecological zone; and (iv) the development of a participatory and transparent process.

27. There was also a brief factual explanation of the method that FAO was using to assess forest resources at country and regional level, in consultation with countries and subject to their revision.

28. The Commission noted that the work to date had revealed a high level of disparity and frequent inconsistency in information produced in different periods and from different sources at country level, which called for the careful evaluation of documentation and a more heedful contribution on the part of the institutions providing the information.

29. The Commission expressed its satisfaction over FAO's efforts to monitor global forest cover through the FRA Programme-2000, and stated that any restrictions associated with the figures should be clearly indicated.

30. The latest figures for FRA 2000 indicate a downward trend in deforestation. However, the need was expressed for more information and debate on the annual rate of deforestation, as some countries queried the downward trend reported by the Secretariat given the reliability problems of past methodologies.

c) The national forest programmes in the Region

31. The Secretariat introduced document FO: LACFC/2000/5 "The National Forest Programmes in the Region".

32. The Commission was informed of the progress made by countries in the formulation, review and implementation of national forest programmes in the Region, and welcomed the support that these had been given by FAO and Project GCP/RLA/127/NET "Support to National Forest Programmes of Latin America and the Caribbean", which was financed by the Government of the Netherlands and implemented by FAO. The Commission thanked the Netherlands and requested that it continue to provide such support to the countries of the Region. It stated that FAO's work in support of national forest programmes constituted an excellent example of the effective cooperation that the Organization could bring to forest development in countries.

33. The Commission recognized the growing importance and recognition in the world of the national forest programmes as a comprehensive framework for the formulation, planning and implementation of sustainable forest development in the Region, especially for the implementation of the proposals of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) and as a very important component of the recently proposed United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF).

34. Some countries indicated that as part of their processes of decentralization, the national forest programmes should also be formulated at local government level and not solely at central government level. They also indicated the importance of involving local communities in policy formulation and of according due importance to gender. The Commission requested FAO support in both of these areas.

35. The Commission recommended that the four subregional groups should be used to the maximum extent possible as a support mechanism for the national forest programmes. Finally, the Commission indicated that national forest programmes and explicit forestry policies should be formulated with the long-term in mind and not within the perspective of a government's term of office.

d) Technical Cooperation Networks

36. The Secretariat introduced document FO:LACFC/2000/6 "Technical Cooperation Networks in the Forestry Sector sponsored by the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean".

37. The Commission was informed of the follow-up to the recommendation at its 20^th Session calling for examination of the future of the five technical cooperation networks in the forestry sector in the light of the problems they had in functioning, and noted that the Network on Watershed Management and the Network on National Parks, Other Protected Areas and Wildlife would remain operational. It welcomed the report on the activities conducted by these networks during the intersessional period.

38. The Commission recognized the importance of exchanging knowledge and experiences in the Region and requested FAO support to strengthen such exchange, which countries very often could not carry out alone. It also recognized that this action should be an important activity in the work of the Subregional Groups and that they should prepare projects to strengthen the exchange of information in the Subregion.

39. The Delegate of Cuba pointed out that dendroenergy was very important in his country, just as it was in other countries of the Region, and following consultations with energy officials in Cuba, recommended that the FAO Regional Office look into the possibility of continuing to sponsor the Latin American Technical Cooperation Network on Dendroenergy. This recommendation was endorsed by the Delegate of Argentina, who also stated that in subsequent meetings of the Commission the topic of Technical Cooperation Networks should be dealt with as a separate item and not under the review of the Regular Programme.

40. With regard to the Latin American Technical Cooperation Network on Watershed Management, the Commission requested that FAO look into the merit of organizing the Third Latin American Congress on Watersheds within the framework of the International Year of Mountains.

ACTIVITIES OF OTHER INTERNATIONAL, INTERGOVERNMENTAL, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE REGION (Item 5)

41. The Executive Director of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) gave a presentation on his Organization. He stated that the ITTO was an intergovernmental organization that facilitated debate, consultation and international cooperation on the different aspects of the international trade and use of tropical timber and the sustainable management of its resource base. The Organization had 56 members (producer and consumer countries) of whom 11 (producers) were in Latin America and the Caribbean. The total membership represented 95% of the world trade in tropical timber and accounted for 75% of the world's tropical forests.

42. Projects were an important feature of the work of the Organization and represented a fundamental means of helping the member countries to put into practice policy-related initiatives. Some US$ 20 million were spent annually for this purpose.

43. He stated that the ITTO had an excellent relationship with FAO and that it was his intention to broaden this cooperation in the Region.

44. The Director of Biodiversity of the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD) referred to the Central American Councils on Forests and Protected Areas (CCAB-AP) which, within their new structure, had formulated a plan of work that provided advice to the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Central America and for delivery on commitments required by the Alliance for Sustainable Development of Central America (ALIDES) and other international obligations. A specific activity for the Councils would be to support the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, which was a priority programme on the agenda of the Central American Commission on Environment and Development.

45. The Regional Coordinator for South America of the Forest Programme of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) spoke about his organization. He stated that it had been created in 1948 and that it brought together 77 states, 112 government agencies, 770 non-governmental organizations as well as 10 000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. Its vision was "A just world that values and conserves nature". Its mission was "To influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable".

46. The environmental problems receiving its attention in South America included deforestation, the degradation of water sources and wetlands, genetic erosion, desertification and the degradation of marine and coastal environments.

47. The Head of the Natural Forests Silviculture Project of the Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education Centre (CATIE) reported on the Management of Natural Forests Unit (UMNF) which was created in 1984 and which had so far played a fundamental role in enhancing the technical and operational base of forest management in the Central American Region, with regard to both primary and secondary forests. Its main achievements to date had been: (i) the generation of ecological and silvicultural understanding, which had led to the generation of practical forest management actions; (ii) the enhanced academic and technical competence of personnel in public institutions, NGOs and universities and of forest management operators; (iii) the generation of changes in national forest policies conducive to good management; (iv) the development of simplified models for the elaboration of forest management plans; (v) a contribution to the development and consolidation of the system of community forest concessions in Guatemala; and (vi) the transfer of technology to different levels and players. Its present activities were centred on the validation of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management, evaluation of the impact of forest harvesting on biodiversity, and the building of growth and yield models.

FOLLOW-UP TO UNCED AND IFF AS RELATED TO FORESTRY (Item 6)

48. The Secretariat introduced document FO:LACFC/2000/7 "Follow-up to UNCED and IFF as related to forestry".

49. The Commission was informed of the results of the fourth and final session (31 January - 11 February 2000) of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF-4) which had been held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and which had had two main objectives: to finalize discussion on the unresolved issues and to decide a text for Category III "International arrangements and mechanisms to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests".

50. The Commission was informed that the delegates had reached conclusions and made proposals on outstanding matters and had adopted a text for Category III entitled "International Arrangement on Forests", which outlined the objectives, purpose, functions, structure, working modalities and coordination and implementation mechanisms of a proposed international arrangement, whose objective would be "to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment to this end".

51. The Commission was also informed that, to implement the proposal of this arrangement, it had been proposed to create a new, high-level, intergovernmental body, known as the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), which would be established by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the General Assembly.

52. The Commission recognized that the IPF/IFF process had succeeded in raising the discussion of forests to the highest possible level and in consolidating the role of national forest programmes as tools to help achieve the set objectives.

TECHNICAL ITEMS (Item 7)

a) Prevention and control of forest fires

53. The Secretariat introduced document FO: LACFC/2000/8 "Prevention and control of forest fires".

54. The Commission was informed that extensive forest fires that had occurred in different parts of the world, and which had been aggravated by the intense droughts of 1997-1998, had deepened the concern of policy-makers, the general public, international organizations and the mass media, as such fires affected not only people but also property and natural resources, and consequently the human environment.

55. The Commission took note that the extent and impact of forest fires were linked not only to factors such as fuel resources, environment and climate, but also to national policy and legislation and to institutional objectives for critical issues, such as human settlement, land tenure, environmental regulations, forestry management and agronomical practices.

56. The Commission welcomed the fact that fire control cooperation between countries of the Region had increased significantly in the last decade, after the extensive forest fires that had occurred, examples being the countries of Central America which met periodically to decide common policies and strategies, and Argentina and Venezuela that had gone to the assistance of Brazil during the extensive fires that had broken out in the State of Roraima in 1998.

57. A number of amendments were suggested to the text of the Secretariat's report, which were noted for subsequent inclusion.

58. The Commission also declared that forest fires were mostly caused by humans and invariably broke out in agricultural areas adjacent to forest land. The Commission therefore recommended that governments involve the ministries of agriculture in the subject of forest fires, when these ministries were not responsible for the Forestry Services.

59. For this reason, rural and agricultural communities needed to be involved in the prevention of fires.

60. Some countries emphasized the need to improve the indices of danger of fire as a way of improving the forest fire warning and prevention services.

61. The Commission recognized the need to strengthen horizontal cooperation in this regard and requested that FAO act as facilitator in the exchange of technical know-how and experiences between countries.

62. Reference was made to the negative impact of forest fires from the emission of greenhouse gases.

b) International Year of Mountains - 2002

63. The Secretariat introduced FO:LACFC/2000/9 "International Year of Mountains-2002".

64. The Commission was informed that in 1998 the UN General Assembly had declared the year 2002 as the International Year of Mountains (IYM), thereby recognizing the importance of the sustainable development of mountain areas, and invited FAO to act as lead agency within the United Nations system, responsible for preparing for the observance of the IYM. Furthermore, the 115^th Session of the Council recommended that FAO look into the funding needs and suggested an observance with the characteristics of an important outreach programme, catalytic activities, and concrete local and national activities.

65. The Commission was informed of the objectives of the International Year of Mountains, which aimed to increase awareness and recognition of mountain ecosystems and of their importance in providing a large number of strategic and productive services to society, to promote the conservation and sustainable development of resources, and to promote and defend the cultural heritage of mountain communities.

66. The objectives of the IYM would need to be achieved through a selection of mechanisms, including the generation and exchange of information, awareness raising, education and extension, documentation on best practices, promotion of legislation and policy formulation, and follow-up at different levels.

67. The Commission was also informed of the preparatory steps that FAO had taken for the IYM and noted with satisfaction the activities that the FAO Regional Office was pursuing with the countries of the Region.

68. The Commission recognized the importance of the mountains of Latin America and the Caribbean, with special reference to their dimension, the large number of people living in mountain areas, their important cultures and their natural resources. It also acknowledged the degradation of mountain ecosystems, especially forests and biodiversity, the lack of planning and integrated management, and the lack of special policies for mountain areas and their implementation.

69. The Commission recognized the importance of the forestry sector in mountain areas, and stated that it should be integrated with the management of the other natural resources at watershed level.

70. Some countries related their experiences on this matter and recommended that FAO compile and analyse the information that had been generated over the years in order to identify the main problems and determine the best way to address them.

71. The Commission also stressed that it was in mountain areas that the environmental benefits of forests were most manifest, and therefore recommended that FAO and the countries make efforts to enhance these benefits.

c) Forestry and the Kyoto Protocol

72. The Secretariat introduced document FO:LACFC/2000/10 "Forestry and the Kyoto Protocol: key issues".

73. The Commission was informed of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) which was adopted in 1992 and which aimed to stabilize the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere in an effort to prevent human-induced deterioration of the global climate system.

74. The Commission was also informed of the Kyoto Protocol which constitutes a commitment towards reducing GHG emissions. The Commission recognized the importance of the Kyoto Protocol which will serve as a mechanism for implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Kyoto Protocol will help realize projects and activities that will contribute towards sustainable forest management and the utilization of alternative sources of energy.

75. The Commission recognized that forestry practices played an important role in helping stabilize CO₂ in the atmosphere: retaining the level of carbon in forests through forest protection, conservation and sustainable management; increasing net uptake of atmospheric CO₂ by expanding forest area; and reducing CO₂emissions by using biomass instead of fossil fuels.

76. The Commission also recognized the important role that forests can play under the Clean Development Mechanism which allows Annex 1 countries to use certified emission reductions resulting from project activities in countries not included in the Annex, as provided for under Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol.

77. The Commission was pleased to note the information on FAO's activities under the FCCC and Kyoto Protocol, and recommended that it continue to provide support to countries in the technical and scientific discussions on the implications of including forests in the Clean Development Mechanism, through the strengthening of technical capacities, training and the clarification of forest-related definitions. The Commission also recognized the importance of including local communities in discussions on the Clean Development Mechanism.

78. Several amendments were made to the report submitted by the Secretariat, which were duly noted for subsequent inclusion.

IN-SESSION SEMINAR: FORESTRY SECTOR INFORMATION PROJECTS AND OUTLOOK STUDY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (Item 8)

79. The Secretariat introduced document FO: LACFC/2000/11 "In-session Seminar: Forestry Sector Information Projects and Outlook Study for Latin America and the Caribbean".

80. The Commission was informed that the purpose of the In-Session Seminar was to provide an overview of European Commission (EC) and FAO Projects on forest information in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to introduce the concept of an outlook study for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Commission's decision and guidance.

81. The Commission recognized the importance of improving the quality and accessibility of forest information as a fundamental basis for the planning, development and formulation of policies related to the forestry sector. It drew particular attention to the need to strengthen the capacity of staff and institutions involved in the compilation, processing and analysis of forest data.

82. After numerous favourable interventions, the Commission representatives emphasized their support of FAO's proposal to conduct a project on information and analysis for sustainable forest management and for the conduct of a study of forestry sector trends and outlook in Latin America and the Caribbean.

83. The Commission agreed with the proposal to work jointly with national experts in conducting activities relating respectively to the forest information project and the trends and outlook study.

84. The Commission granted high importance to strengthening the local institutions involved in the compilation of forestry sector information by the Project of "Information and Analysis for Sustainable Forest Management in Latin America". It also recommended the inclusion of the private and public sectors and the need for the LACFC Subregional Groups to support the project.

85. The Commission was interested to note the efforts that the ITTO had made with regard to training in forestry statistics in a number of Latin American countries. It also welcomed ITTO's willingness to collaborate with the Commission in conducting the Forestry Sector Outlook Study for Latin America and the Caribbean.

86. The Commission recommended that the outlook study should include thematic issues such as environmental services of forests, interlinkage between society and forests, interrelationship between ethnic cultures and forests, non-wood forest products, trends in international trade, and the contribution of the forestry sector to national economies, to name only some of the themes of interest to the Region. It also recommended that the activities of the information and outlook projects be properly harmonized, so that the information projects can provide data for analysis in the outlook project, including concepts and practicalities of production chain studies.

WORKSHOPS OF THE SUBREGIONAL GROUPS OF THE COMMISSION ON PAST AND ONGOING ACTIVITIES AND PREPARATION OF WORK PLANS (Item 9)

87. The Secretariat introduced document FO:LACFC/2000/12 "Workshops of the Subregional Groups of the Commission on Past and Ongoing Activities and Preparation of Work Plans".

88. The Commission noted that at its 19^th Session (Panama, 1996), it had recommended the establishment of subregional working mechanisms. The Commission had established four Subregional Groups: Central America and Mexico, Caribbean, Amazon and Southern Cone, with the Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons of these Subregional Groups forming the Executive Committee of the Commission.

89. The Commission noted that during the previous period, Cuba had represented the countries of the Caribbean, Panama had represented Central America and Mexico, Peru had represented the Amazon Group, and Uruguay the Southern Cone. The LACFC Executive Committee had held intersessional meetings in Santiago, Uruguay and Rome, and the Subregional Groups had held meetings in Honduras, Granada and Cuba.

90. The Commission also noted that at its last session, the Subregional Groups had prepared work plans that included activities to be implemented during the intersessional period.

91. The Commission decided that the ongoing session would have the subregional groups review their previous plans of work and draw up new plans with priorities and activities that could be feasibly undertaken before its next session. Any support required from FAO or other bodies would be indicated. FAO priorities should be taken into account, including the national forest programmes, the International Year of Mountains and the Project Information and Analysis for Sustainable Forest Management. The resulting proposals are given in Appendix D.

SATELLITE MEETING ON THE NATIONAL FOREST PROGRAMMES

92. In follow-up to the Secretariat note on the national forest programmes (Item 4c), a satellite meeting was held to discuss this subject in greater depth.

93. The countries confirmed the importance they gave to the national forest programmes (nfps) as a comprehensive framework for sustainable forest development activities.

94. The meeting was informed of progress in the international dialogue on forests, of Colombia's Forestry Development Plan and Brazil's National Forest Programme, and of progress in implementation of the proposals for action of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) in seven Central American countries. There was also a presentation of the Forests, Trees and People Programme (FTPP) on the importance of community participation in the formulation and implementation of forestry policies.

95. A report was given on the support given by the FAO Regional Office's Forestry Group to national forest programmes in the Region, highlighting the creation of the Regional National Forest Programme Information and Documentation Centre, the four-monthly publication of the National Forest Programme Newsletter, the organization of workshops, seminars and courses in support of the nfps, which had trained more than 500 forestry officers from 30 countries in the Region, as well as the establishment and maintenance of a network of nfp contact points in the 33 countries of the Region to exchange information and support horizontal cooperation between countries.

SATELLITE MEETING ON THE INFORMATION PROJECT FOR LATIN AMERICA

96. FAO informed the Commission in a satellite meeting of the Project "Information and Analysis for Sustainable Forest Management: Integrating National and International Efforts in 13 Tropical Countries in Latin America".

97. This presentation stated the objectives and scope of the project, the information that it would need from countries and the various stages that it would follow. Particular attention was drawn to the thematic workshops that would be held during the first stage. Finally, the list of project national coordinators in respective countries was given.

98. The Commission was informed of the efforts that were being made to include the Southern Cone countries in the project's activities through Regular Programme funds or projects supporting such activities.

99. The Commission recommended including the subject of the different elements of the production chain and the valuation of forest resources in the project package. It also underlined the need to consider installed technological capacity, both hardware and software, implementation using human resources and participation of the indigenous rural population.

100. The Commission emphasized the importance of supporting staff training activities for the formulation of forestry policies and sectoral analysis.

101. The Commission stressed the need to integrate the recent forest information efforts made in the countries of the Caribbean into the Study of Forestry Trends and Outlook in Latin America and the Caribbean.

REGIONAL ISSUES IDENTIFIED BY THE COMMISSION FOR ATTENTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY (Item 10)

102. he Commission requested that the following issues be raised at the next session of the Committee on Forestry:

103. he importance of improving the quality and accessibility of forest information as the foundation for the planning, development and formulation of forestry policy. Emphasis was also placed on the importance of the FAO proposal to conduct the project of information and analysis for sustainable forest management and the Outlook Study for Latin America and the Caribbean.

104. he growing importance of national forest programmes as a comprehensive framework for the formulation, planning and application of the forestry process in the Region, especially for implementation of the proposal of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests. The Commission also noted that FAO's work in support of the national forest programmes in the Region constituted an excellent example of the invaluable cooperation it could provide to forest development in countries.

105. he importance of the forestry sector in the mountain areas of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the opportunity provided by the International Year of Mountains 2002 to raise awareness of these ecosystems. Also the need to integrate forest management into the general management of natural resources at catchment basin level, and to analyse and learn from country-level experiences in this regard.

106. iven the important role that forests can play in implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Commission requested that FAO help strengthen national technical capacities by providing information and training on the Convention and its instruments.

107. The importance of the Subregional Groups established under the Commission as mechanisms to facilitate the integration and exchange of information and experiences among countries in support of their national forest policies and programmes.

108. Given that public forestry institutions are essential coordination and execution bodies for sustainable forest development in each country, and that national and international initiatives could not be efficiently developed without strengthened public forestry institutions, the Commission recommended that the Committee on Forestry seek appropriate strategies to foster the development of the forestry institutions of the countries of the Region.

109. In view of the considerable uncertainties in the way the countries of the Region are addressing the management of native forests, the different positions adopted in this respect, the need to involve local communities and the need to generate local benefits and achieve sustainable development, the members of the Commission requested that FAO promote recognition of integrated natural resource management by communities as a valid strategy for the conservation of forests.

110. The Commission considered that it was vital to reinforce the action of FAO's Committee on Forestry to promote the forestry production chains in the projects it executed, as well as other actions implemented through the Programme of Support to the National Forest Programmes.

OTHER BUSINESS (Item 11)

111. The Delegation of Guatemala reported that the First Latin American Forestry Congress, held in Lima, Peru, in 1999, had agreed that the next Congress would be held in Guatemala in the year 2002.

112. Several delegations of mahogany-producing countries voiced the need to strengthen research and the exchange of information on this genus.

113. The Commission requested that FAO provide support for intersessional meetings of the Subregional Groups.

DATE AND PLACE OF THE NEXT SESSION (Item 12)

114. The Commission welcomed the offer of the Delegation of Argentina on behalf of the Secretariat of Sustainable Development and Environment Policy of the Ministry of Social Development and Environment to host the Twenty-second Session of the Commission in 2002.

APPENDIX A

AGENDA

1. Adoption of the Agenda.

2. Election of Officers.

3. State of forestry in the Region

a) Presentation of the State of Forestry in the Region
b) Presentations by the Sub-Regional Groups of the Commission

4. FAO Reports:

c) Review of FAO Regular and Field Programmes, including follow-up to the recommendations and requests of the twentieth session of the Commission
d) The forest resources assessment 2000 (FRA 2000)
e) National forest programmes in the Region
f) Technical cooperation networks

5. Activities of other international/intergovernmental/non-governmental organizations in the Region.

6. Follow-up to UNCED and IFF as related to forestry.

7. Technical items:

g) Prevention and control of forest fires
h) The International Year of Mountains - 2002
i) Forestry and the Kyoto Protocol

8. In-session Seminar: Forestry information projects and outlook study for Latin America and the Caribbean.

9. Workshops of the Sub-Regional Groups of the Commission on past and ongoing activities and preparation of work plans.

10. Regional issues identified by the Commission for the attention of the Committee on Forestry.

11. Other business.

12. Date and place of next session.

13. Adoption of report.

APPENDIX B

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

President:
María Angela Andrade (Colombia)

Vice-Presidents:
Víctor Sosa Cedillo (Mexico)
Jorge Luis Menéndez (Argentina)
Máximo Aquino Méndez (Dominican Republic)

Rapporteur:
Atilio Ligrone (Uruguay)

Secretary:
Kyran D. Thelen

MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION

ARGENTINA

Jorge Luis Menéndez
Director de Recursos Forestales Nativos
Secretaría de Desarrollo Sustentable y Política Ambiental
San Martín 459, piso 2
1004 Buenos Aires
Tel: (5411) 43488488
Fax: (5411) 43488486
Email: [email protected]

BRAZIL

Helio dos Santos Pereira
Gerente de Projetos de Reflorestamento
Programa Nacional de Florestas
Ministério do Meio Ambiente
Esplanada dos Ministérios, 722 Bloco B 7° andar
CEP 70.688-019, Brasilia D.F.
Tel: (5561) 3171496
Fax: (5561) 3237936
Email: [email protected]

Thelma Krug
Coordenadora Geral de Observação da Terra
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, INPE
Av. dos Astronautas 1758
C.P. 515
12210-097 São José dos Campos - SP
Tel: (5512) 3456450
Fax: (5512) 3456460
Email: [email protected]

Mariane Bravo Leilie
Primera Secretaria
Embajada de Brasil
Calle 93 # 14 - 20 8° Piso
Santa Fe de Bogotá
Tel: (571) 2180800
Fax: (571) 2188393
Email: [email protected]

Vitor Afonso Hoeflich
Chefe da Embrapa Florestas
Caixa Postal 319
CEP 83411-000 Colombo- PR
Tel: (5541) 6661299
Fax: (5541) 6661276
Email: [email protected]

COLOMBIA

María Angela Andrade
Directora Técnica de Ecosistemas
Ministerio del Medio Ambiente
Calle 37, N° 8-40, piso 2
Santa Fe de Bogotá D.C.
Tel: (571) 3323400
Fax: (571) 3406206, 3406207
Email: [email protected]

Lombardo Tibaquirá
Coordinador de Ecosistemas Forestales
Ministerio del Medio Ambiente
Calle 37, N° 8-40, piso 2
Santa Fe de Bogotá D.C.
Tel: (571) 3323400, extensión 342/343
Fax: (571) 3406207, 3406206
Email: [email protected]

Nelson Lozano Castro
Ministerio de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural
Coordinador Area de Cadenas Productivas Forestales
Av. Jimenez No. 7-65
Santa Fe de Bogotá D.C.
Tel: (571) 2822030 - 2845529
Fax: (571) 2831285
Email: [email protected]

Mónica Cuellar
Investigador
IDEAM
Diag. 97 No. 17-60 piso 7
Santa Fe de Bogotá D.C.
Tel: (571) 6356114
Email: [email protected]

David Ojeda
Subdirector de Ecosistema
IDEAM
Diag. 97 No. 17-60 piso 7
Santa Fe de Bogotá D.C.
Teléfono: (571) 6356114
Fax: (571) 6356003
Email: [email protected]

Gustavo A. Herrera Ch.
Presidente (E)
Corporación Nacional de Investigación y Fomento Forestal CONIF
Av. Circunvalar No. 16-20
Santa Fe de Bogotá D.C.
Teléfono: (571) 3429089
Email: [email protected]

Guillermo Londoño
Presidente
Junta Directiva ACOFORE
Cra. 8º No. 124-80 Int.1
Santa Fe de Bogotá D.C.
Tel: (571) 6129424,6125154
Fax: (571) 2158818
Email: [email protected]

COSTA RICA

Héctor Arce
Coordinador Area de Crédito Forestal
Fondo Nacional de Financiamiento Forestal, MINAE/FONAFIFO
C5 AV 7 y 9
San José
Tel: (506) 2578475
Fax: (506) 2579695
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

CUBA

Fidel Ramos Perea
Viceministro Area Forestal, Café y Cacao
Ministerio de Agricultura
Av. Independencia y Conill
La Habana
Tel: (537) 818313, 845214
Fax: (537) 335086, 819731
Email: [email protected]

Elías Linares Landa
Director Nacional Forestal
Dirección Nacional Forestal
Ministerio de Agricultura
Av. Independencia y Conill
La Habana
Tel: (537) 817875, 845476
Fax: (537) 817875
Email: [email protected]

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Máximo Aquino Méndez
Director General
Dirección de Reforestación y Manejo de Bosques
Secretaría de Estado de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
Calle Rodríguez Objío N° 15
Santo Domingo, D.N.
Tel: (1-809) 6852559, 2277332
Fax: (1-809) 2277334
Email: [email protected]

CHILE

Sr. Claudio Albornoz
Jefe, Oficina Estudios y Planificación
Corporación Nacional Forestal, CONAF
Av. Bulnes 259, Of. 606
Santiago
Tel: (562) 3900459, 3900451
Fax: (562) 6885589
Email: [email protected]

ECUADOR

Jorge Alberto Meza Robayo
Asesor Forestal
Ministerio del Ambiente
Avs. Amazonas y Eloy Alfaro, esq.
Edificio MAG, Piso 8
Quito
Tel: (5932) 563542, 506337
Fax: (5932) 506446, 506337
Email: [email protected]

GUATEMALA

Claudio Cabrera Gaillard
Gerente
Instituto Nacional de Bosques, INAB,
7a. Avenida 12-90 "A", Zona 13
Guatemala, C.A.
Tel: (502) 3618072
Fax: (502) 3618070
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

Gerardo Paiz Schwartz
Subsecretario Ejecutivo
Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas, CONAP
4a. Calle 6-17, Zona 1
Guatemala, C.A.
Tel: (502) 2201821 al 27
Fax: (502) 2201827 al 30
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Julio López Payés
Instituto Nacional de Bosques INAB
Coordinador Fomento y Desarrollo Forestal
7º Ave. 6 -80 Zona 13
Guatemala, C.A.
Tel: (502) 4402555, 4720746
Fax: (502) 4720746, 361010
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

HONDURAS

Angela Rosa Sevilla Mena
Unidad de Planeación, Evaluación y Gestión (UPEG)
Asistente de Planificación
Corporación Hondureña de Desarrollo Forestal (AFE/COHDEFOR)
Apartado Postal 1378
Tegucigalpa
Tel: (504) 2238810, 2237387, 2234997
Fax: (504) 2233348
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

MEXICO

Víctor E. Sosa Cedillo
Director General Forestal
Subsecretaría de Recursos Naturales
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca, SEMARNAP
Av. Progreso N° 5, Col. del Carmen - Coyoacán
04100 México, D.F.
Tel: (525) 5542690, 5540625, 5751767
Fax: (525) 5543599, 5540625
Email: [email protected]

Alejandra Nuñez Becerra
Directora General de Proyectos Especiales
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca, SEMARNAP
Periférico Sur 4209, piso 1,
Col. Jardines en la Montaña
14210 México, D.F.
Tel: (525) 6280845
Fax: (525) 6280877
Email: [email protected]

J. Alfredo Martínez Torres
Subdirector
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca, SEMARNAP
Av. Progreso N° 5, Col. del Carmen
Coyoacán
04100 México, D.F.
Tel: (525) 6595323, 6585918
Fax: (525) 5549275, 5549275
Email: [email protected]

NICARAGUA

Sandra Tijerino Mejía
Directora Ejecutiva
Instituto Nacional Forestal, INAFOR
Km. 12 ½, Carretera Norte frente a Zona Franca
Managua
Tel: (505) 2330013, 2631972
Fax: (505) 2330013
Email: [email protected]

PARAGUAY
Damiana Mann de Delgado
Asesor Técnico
Servicio Forestal Nacional, MAG
Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería
Ruta Mariscal Estigarribia Km 10 1/2
Asunción
Tel: (595-21) 575562, 570517
Fax: (595-21) 575562
Email: [email protected]

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Seepersad Ramnarine
Acting Conservancy Coordinator (North)
Ministry of Agriculture Lands and Marine Resourses
Forestry Division
Port-of-Spain
Tel: (1-868) 6225658, 6285503

URUGUAY

Atilio Ligrone
Director General de Recursos Naturales Renovables (RENARE)
Ministerio de Ganadería, Agricultura y Pesca
Cerrito 318, piso 1 y 2
11000 Montevideo
Tel: (5982) 9159878
Fax: (5982) 9156456
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

VENEZUELA

Orlando Ortegano Q.
Director General del Recurso Forestal
Dirección General del Recurso Forestal
Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales
Centro Simón Bolívar, El Silencio, Torre Sur, piso 22
Caracas
Tel: (582) 4081502, 4081501,4081011
Fax: (582) 4839158
Email: [email protected]

Renzo Silva
Director de Planificación del Recurso Forestal
Dirección General del Recurso Forestal
Ministerio del ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales
Centro Simón Bolívar, El Silencio,
Torre Sur, piso 22
Caracas
Tel: (582) 4081502, 4081011, 4081010
Fax: (582) 4839158
Email: [email protected]

Glevis M. Lorenzo Peñaloza
Especialista de Industria y Comercio
Ministerio de la Producción y el Comercio
Av. Libertador cc Los Cedros mzz3
La Florida
Caracas
Tel: (582) 7626848, 7625948,7612442
Fax: (582) 7629864
Email: [email protected]

REPRESENTATIVES OF UNITED NATIONS AND SPECIALIZED AGENCIES

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Daniel Emilio Fonseca Pérez
Gerente de Proyectos
Transv.15 No.119-89
Apartado Aéreo 091369
Santa Fe de Bogotá
Colombia
Tel.: (571) 2142200, 6004517
Fax: (571) 2140110
Email: [email protected]

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Alan Duncan
IOC Secretary for IOCARIBE
Apartado Aéreo1108
Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
Tel: (575) 6646399, 6600407
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

Tratado de Cooperación Amazónica (TCA)

Sergio Sánchez Ballivián
Secretario Pro Tempore
Secretaría Pro Tempore del Tratado de Cooperación Amazónica, TCA
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto
La Paz, Bolivia
Tel: (591-2) 310394
Fax: (591-2) 310394
Email: [email protected]

OBSERVERS FROM INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)

Manoel Sobral Filho
Executive Director
International Organizations Center
5F, Pacifico-Yokohama
1-1-1, Minato-Mirai, Nishi-Ku
Yokohama 220-0012, Japan
Tel: (81-45) 2231110
Fax: (81-45) 2231111
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

CONSEJO CENTROAMERICANO DE BOSQUES Y AREAS PROTEGIDAS (CCAB-AP / CCAD)

Bruno Busto Broll
Director Biodiversidad
Boulevard Orden de Malta N° 470
Urb. Santa Elena, Antiguo Custcatlán
San Salvador, El Salvador
Tel: (503) 2785515, 2896131
Fax: (503) 2896124
Email: [email protected]

Tropical Agricultural Research and Training Centre (CATIE)

Manuel Guariguata
Líder
Proyecto Silvicultura de Bosques Naturales
7170 Turrialba, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 5560401
Fax: (506) 5562430
Email: [email protected]

Forest Peoples Programme

Thomas Griffiths
Policy Advisor
1C Fosseway Business Centre
Stratford Road
Moreton-in-Marsh, UK GL56 9NQ
Tel: (44-1608) 652893
Fax: (44-1608) 652878
Email: [email protected]

OBSERVERS FROM INTERNATIONAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

World Conservation Union (IUCN)

Alvaro Luna Terrazas
Coordinador Regional Programa Bosques
UICN - Oficina Regional para América del Sur
Av. Atahuallpa 955 y República
Edif. Digicom, 4° piso
Casilla 17-17-626
Quito, Ecuador
Tel: (593-2) 466622, 466623
Fax: (593-2) 466624
Email: [email protected]

ORBE, Asesores Ambientales S.A.

Dimas Arcia
Consultor Forestal
Apartado Postal 2734
Balboa, Ancón
Panamá
Tel: (507) 2399397, 2398949
Fax: (507) 2399397
Email: [email protected]

TECHNICAL COOPERATION PROJECTS

Forests, Trees and People Programme, FTPP

Carlos Brenes
Facilitador Regional Para Centro América
100 al Oeste de la Casa Italia
San José, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 2802441
Fax: (506) 2254298
Email: [email protected]

Coordination and Implementation of the Forestry Action Plan

Luis Castello
Asesor Técnico Principal
GCP/BOL/028/NET
Edificio Ex Comibol, piso 4, Of. 403
Av. Mariscal Santa Cruz esq. Calle Oruro
Casilla 7485
La Paz, Bolivia
Tel: (591-2) 330717, 330686
Fax: (591-2) 330679
Email: [email protected], [email protected]

HOST COUNTRY SECRETARIAT

Carlos Eduardo Quintero Briceño
Técnico Administrativo
Ministerio del Medio Ambiente
Dirección General de Ecosistemas
Calle 37 No. 8-40 piso 2
Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia
Telefax: (571) 3406206
Email: [email protected]

Clara Cecilia Mora
Economista
Ministerio del Medio Ambiente
Dirección General de Ecosistemas
Calle 37 No. 8-40 piso 2
Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia
Telefax: (571) 3406206
Email: [email protected]

Flor Marina Perilla
Secretaria Ejecutiva
Ministerio del Medio Ambiente
Dirección General de Ecosistemas
Calle 37 No. 8-40 piso 2
Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia
Telefax: (571) 3406206

Viviana Alexandra García
Ingeniera Forestal - asistente
Diag.22 B No. 47-33 Ap.402
Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia
Teléfono: (571) 2684900
Email: [email protected]

Claudia Sofía Toledo T
Asistente
Calle 42 No.8-80 Ap.901
Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia
Teléfono: (571) 2872437
Fax: (571) 2320107
Email: [email protected]

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)

Wulf Killmann
Director
Forest Products Division
Forestry Department
FAO
Rome, Italy
Tel: (3906) 57053221
Fax: (3906) 57055618
Email: [email protected]

Simonetta Grassi
FAO Representative a.i. in Colombia
Apartado Aéreo 5773
Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia
Tel: (571) 3151512, 13
Fax: (571) 3151512
Email: [email protected]

Luis Jorge Pulido Yazo
Oficial de Programas
Representación de la FAO en Colombia
Apartado Aéreo 5773
Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia
Tel.: (571) 3151512
Fax: (571) 3151513
Email: [email protected]

Kyran D. Thelen
Senior Forestry Officer
COFLAC Secretary
Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
Casilla 10095
Santiago, Chile
Tel: (562) 3372214
Fax: (562) 3372101/2/3
Email: [email protected]

Torsten Frisk
Senior Forestry Officer
Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
Casilla 10095
Santiago, Chile
Tel: (562) 3372213
Fax: (562) 3372101/2/3
Email: [email protected]

Carlos Marx R. Carneiro
NFP Adviser
Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
Casilla 10095
Santiago, Chile
Tel: (562) 3372187
Fax: (562) 3372101/2/3
Email: [email protected]

Olman Serrano
Chief, Wood and Non-Wood Products
Utilization Branch
Forest Products Division
Forestry Department
FAO
Rome, Italy
Tel: (3906) 57054056
Fax: (3906) 57056661
Email: [email protected]

Jorge Malleux
Forestry Consultant FRA 2000
Forest Resources Assessment Programme, FORM
Forestry Department
FAO
Rome, Italy
Tel: (3906) 57056608
Fax: (3906) 57055137
Email: [email protected]

Claus M. Eckelmann
Forestry Resources Management Officer
Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean
P.O. Box 631-C
Bridgetown, Barbados
Tel: (1-246) 4267110, 4267111
Fax: (1-246) 4276075
Email: [email protected]

Becky Ortiz
Meetings Assistant
Forestry Department
FAO
Rome, Italy
Tel: (3906) 57056746
Fax: (3906) 57052151
Email: [email protected]

Michèle Millanès
Meetings Assistant a.i.
Forestry Department
FAO
Rome, Italy
Tel: (3906) 57053641
Fax: (3906) 57052151
Email: [email protected]

Jorge Morales
Oficial Forestal Nacional
Proyecto GCP/RLA/133/EC
Oficina Regional de la FAO para América Latina y el Caribe
Casilla 10095
Santiago, Chile
Tel: (562) 3372186
Fax: (562) 3372101/2/3
Email: [email protected]

Nancy Ayub A.
Secretaria Grupo Forestal
Oficina Regional de la FAO para América Latina y el Caribe
Casilla 10095
Santiago, Chile
Tel: (562) 3372215
Fax: (562) 3372101/2/3
Email: [email protected]

María Isabel Vergara
Asistente Administrativa
Proyecto GCP/RLA/127/NET
Oficina Regional de la FAO para América Latina y el Caribe
Casilla 10095
Santiago, Chile
Tel: (562) 3372188
Fax: (562) 3372101/2/3
Email: [email protected]

INTERPRETERS

Carmen Huneeus de Espinosa
Angélica Márquez
María Cecilia Navas
Paola Vasques

APPENDIX C

LIST OF DOCUMENTS

Agenda item	Code	Title
1	FO:LACFC/2000/1	Provisional Agenda.
3a	FO:LACFC/2000/2	State of forestry in the Latin American and Caribbean Region: Period 1998-1999.
4a	FO:LACFC/2000/3	Review of FAO Regular and Field Programmes, including follow-up to the recommendations and requests of the Twentieth session of the Commission.
4b	FO:LACFC/2000/4	The forest resources assessment 2000 (FRA 2000).
4c	FO:LACFC/2000/5	The national forest programmes in the Region.
4d	FO:LACFC/2000/6	Technical Cooperation Networks in the forestry sector sponsored by the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
6	FO:LACFC/2000/7	Follow-up to UNCED and IFF as related to forestry.
7a	FO:LACFC/2000/8	Prevention and control of forestry fires.
7b	FO:LACFC/2000/9	The International Year of Mountains - 2002.
7c	FO:LACFC/2000/10	Forestry and the Kyoto Protocol: Key issues.
8	FO:LACFC/2000/11	In-Session Seminar: Forestry Sector Information Projects and Outlook Study for Latin America and the Caribbean.
9	FO:LACFC/2000/12	Workshops of the Subregional Groups of the Commission on past and ongoing activities and preparation of work plans.

INFORMATION DOCUMENTS

FO:LACFC/2000/INF.1	Information Note.
FO:LACFC/2000/INF.2	Provisional timetable.
FO:LACFC/2000/INF.3	List of documents.
FO:LACFC/2000/INF.4	Extract of the Report of the Meeting on Forestry Research in Latin America, Curitiba, Brazil (23-26 November 1999).

COUNTRY REPORTS RECEIVED FROM:

Argentina
Belice
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
St. Lucia
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Trinidad & Tobago
Uruguay
Venezuela

APPENDIX D

PLANS OF WORK OF THE COMMISSION'S SUBREGIONAL GROUPS: CARIBBEAN, CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICO, AMAZON AND SOUTHERN CONE

REPORT AND WORKPLAN OF THE CARIBBEAN SUBREGIONAL GROUP

Countries participating in the meeting of the Group: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago. The Dominican Republic holds the Vice-Chair of the Caribbean Subregional Group
Conclusions of the Caribbean Subregional Group
As the countries of the Caribbean are not usually well represented at the LACFC sessions, two regional workshops had been used to convene meetings of the Subregional Group to draw up a workplan. The first meeting in Grenada, in November 1999, was attended by Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. The second meeting took place at CATIE in Turrialba, Costa Rica, in May 2000, with representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname. The conclusions and recommendations of these two meetings illustrate the form of cooperation that exists in the Subregional Group. Related activities were also suggested.
The Subregional Group's discussions during the 21^st Commission to determine its workplan were based on the conclusions and recommendations of the above meetings and on the contributions of Group member countries present.
There was approval of the recommendations made in Grenada, so the Group will function in future as the main mechanism for technical cooperation among member countries of the Commission. The Chairperson of the Caribbean Subregional Group and Vice-Chairperson of the Commission will serve as Group Coordinator, and the national focal points will be the directors of forestry of each country.
The Group decided to continue with the practice of holding meetings alongside other regional or subregional events.
It was agreed to set up thematic groups for countries interested in specific topics, such as the management of forest concessions and agroforestry systems.
The Subregional Group confirmed its plans to hold training courses on the following topics and requested FAO support for their implementation.
Short-term:

Techniques for the preparation of forest inventories.
Methodology and techniques of Geographic Information Systems.
Techniques for environmental impact assessment.
Techniques for the establishment of agoforestry systems.

Medium-term:

Forest management for non-wood forest products.
Management of forest resources for ecotourism.
Monitoring the growth and development of natural forests.
Environmental education.
Watershed management.
Participatory management of natural resources.
Principles and techniques for wildlife management.
Silvo-pastoral systems in dry forest areas.
Development of policies and strategies for the promotion of investment in forest plantations.

In addition, financial support was requested from FAO in the following areas:

Development and implementation of national forest programmes in Caribbean countries.
Preparation of vegetation maps.
Training and resources for the management of forest data.
Preparation of case studies for the International Year of Mountains.

REPORT AND WORKPLAN OF THE CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICO SUBREGIONAL GROUP:

Countries participating in the meeting of the Group: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Mexico holds the Vice-Chair of the Central America and Mexico Subregional Group.

1. Report on priority activities undertaken in the Subregion

a) Fostering coherent forest policies and giving practical effect to national forest programmes (nfps):

Evaluation study of the forestry sector in relation to the IPF action proposals in the seven countries of Central America.
Evaluation study of the impact of the nfps in Central America in the last ten years.
Course on the formulation and monitoring of forest policies under the nfps conducted in the Dominican Republic.
Course on the formulation of forest investment projects with the support of CATIE.
Two meetings of the LACFC Executive Committee: one in Santiago, Chile, the other in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Implementation of the forests, trees and rural communities project in the countries of Central America, in the framework of the CCAB.

b) Exchanging of experiences; training in fires and pests:

Regional workshop on forest fires conducted under the CCAB.
Regional workshop on forest fires conducted in Mexico in 1998.
Attendance at the Meeting on Public Policies affecting Forest Fires held in Rome, Italy, in 1998.
Report on the forest fire situation in Central America.

c) Validating regional criteria and indicators at country level to facilitate their adoption:

Workshop to examine the regional criteria and indicators under the Process of Lepaterique, held in Cuba.
The process of validation of criteria and indicators for forest management at country level is at different stages of progress, with considerable advance in Costa Rica.

d) Critically assessing the state of forest research and promoting the exchange of knowledge:

No progress has been recorded at regional level, although each country conducts its own national critical assessment.

e) Prioritizing and evaluating forest goods and services:

Two courses on the economic valuation of the environmental services, with the support of CATIE.
Workshop on the economic valuation of environmental services organized by the CCAB and held in Cuba.
Regional meeting on the importance of forests for the mitigation of climate change, organized by FAO/CCAB/Honduras, and held in Honduras.

2. Workplan of the Central America and Mexico Subregional Group

a) Forest policies and planning:

To support the completion of the forestry outlook study for Latin America and the Caribbean.
To take steps for the governments of member countries of the ITTO of the Subregion (Guatemala, Honduras and Panama) to seek financial support from the ITTO to implement the forestry outlook project and thus secure greater resources for the Subregion.
To support the linkage of the nfps with the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, with the support of FAO.
To promote community participation in the nfps with gender equality, and to report progress made at Subregion level at the next LACFC session.

b) Forest protection (fires and pests):

To hold a regional workshop on forest fires in support of the nfps, with FAO support.
Through the CCAB, to draw the attention of ministers to the need for closer collaboration with the ministries of agriculture in each country in order to coordinate actions to reduce the occurrence of forest fires.

c) Criteria and indicators of forest sustainability:

To conduct a specific regional meeting of national forestry directors to define the criteria and indicators under the Process of Lepaterique to be applied in the Subregion.
To hold meetings in each country to validate the criteria and indicators, with the participation of all forestry-related parties.

d) Identification of the state of forestry research:

To provide information on existing forestry research for this to be incorporated into the Mesoamerican Biodiversity Information System (SIMEBIO) administered by the CCAD with the technical support of CATIE.
To promote and facilitate the exchange of information among countries of the Subregion.

e) Forest products and services (valuation and markets):

To promote the exchange of experiences in the valuation of environmental services and markets.
To support implementation of the regional course to be organized by Costa Rica on the valuation and payment of water resource services provided by forests.

REPORT AND WORKPLAN OF THE AMAZON SUBREGIONAL GROUP

Countries participating in the meeting of the Group: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Colombia holds the Vice-Chair of the Amazon Subregional Group, in addition to the Chair of the LACFC.

3. Report on priority activities conducted in the Subregion

The report on the work of the Amazon Subregional Group in 1998-2000 was presented by Mr Jorge Malleux on behalf of the Vice-Chair held by Peru for the period in question.
The report needs to be supplemented with details from Brazil and Venezuela on work undertaken during this period, which will be made available by these countries.
The basic working strategy of the Group will be to maintain open communication through the Vice-Chair and to use international events attended by the countries of the Subregional Group to hold parallel meetings on topics identified by the Group as priorities. The countries will therefore provide a programme of international meetings where they will be present to identify those where parallel working sessions can be held.
The Vice-Chair of the Group undertook to draw up a workplan on the basis of this report and programmed attendance of international meetings, with a schedule for the implementation of activities linked to the topics below.

4. Work topics of the Amazon Subregional Group

The following work topics were identified for the next two years:

Criteria and indicators for the sustainable management of natural forests.
Ecological and economic zoning of forest areas.
Monitoring of deforestation and fires/burnings.
Formulation and implementation of forest policies and strategies.
Topics of the outlook study.

5. Objectives and activities

The Group determined a clear objective for each topic and identified activities to achieve each objective:
Topic 1: Criteria and indicators for the sustainable management of natural forests
Objective: To conclude the validation of the criteria and indicators of the TAC Process of Tarapoto.
Activities:

Monitoring the incorporation of the Process of Tarapoto criteria and indicators into national forest policies and legislative frameworks.
Exchange and dissemination of experiences among countries of the Subregion.

Topic 2: Ecological and economic zoning of forest areas
Objective: To define and safeguard the territorial extent of forest resources for purposes of conservation and production.
Activities:

Examination of forest zoning in countries.
Elaboration of a regional forest zoning project.
Participation in the workshop on participatory ecological and economic zoning and land-use planning of the Amazon Region, sponsored by the TAC.

Topic 3: Monitoring deforestation and fires/burning
Objective: To strengthen the capacity of countries to prevent and control deforestation, fires and burnings.
Activities:

Training of national technical staff in monitoring on the basis of the training programme of Brazil's National Institute of Space-based Research (INPE).
Organization of a regional workshop on this subject, with the support of FAO.

Topic 4: Formulation and implementation of forest policies and strategies
Objective: To support the consolidation of forest policies and strategies of the countries of the Subregion.
Activities:

Exchange of information and experiences on national processes of forest policy and strategy formulation and implementation.
Development of a permanent mechanism for dialogue on the topic.

Topic 5: Issues for the outlook study
Objective: To put forward issues considered priorities by the countries of the Subregion for the FAO outlook study.
Activities:

Definition of priority issues per country.
Agreement on the definition of priority issues for the Subregion.

Note: Issues already identified as Group priorities:

Trade and marketing of wood and non-wood forest products.
Economic, social and ecological valuation and recognition of the contribution of the forestry sector to national economies (consideration of forest goods and environmental services).

6. General recommendation

FAO needs to strengthen the operating capacity of the Vice-Chair of the Amazon Subregional Group for implementation of the workplan.

7. Deadlines for execution of key activities

Programming of events which will be attended by member countries of the Amazon Subregional Group. 90 days.
Establishment of priority issues for each country for the outlook study. 60 days.
Elaboration of the programme of work by the Vice-Chair of the Group. 90 days.

REPORT AND WORKPLAN OF THE SOUTHERN CONE SUBREGIONAL GROUP

Countries participating in the meeting of the Group: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Argentina holds the Vice-Chair of the Southern Cone Subregional Group.
The Subregional Group endorsed the need to continue working collectively on matters of common concern in the past, in particular:

Forestation and reforestation.
Forest protection.
Management of shared watersheds.
Conservation and genetic enhancement of species, especially in danger of extinction.
Programme to control desertification.
Gender issues related to forestry.
Collaboration on policy orientations and forest legislation.

Other activities to be implemented in the Subregion were also highlighted:

Forest inventory and land register.
National system of forest information.
Sustainable management of native forests.
Establishment of a post-graduate school.
Programme for the valuation of products and services of native and plantation forests contributing to the socio-economic and environmental development of the Subregion.

The following priority activities were suggested:

8. Project: Forest inventory and land register

General objective: To provide support to interested countries in the many activities relating to the inventory and land register.
Period: two years
Funding: Interested parties and international agencies.

9. Project: National information system

General objective: To acquire greater knowledge and integration between the public and private sectors of the countries of the Group.
Period: Permanent
Funding: Interested parties and international agencies or bodies

10. Project: Sustainable management of native forests

General objective: To determine models for the sustainable management of native forests of the Subregion.
Period: Three years
Funding: European Union - National Forestry Office of France

The Group also raised the following issues:

a) The need for co-managed participation in the forest information and outlook projects, with an effort to involve organizations such as the IUFRO and a focus on the following thematic areas:

Collection and dissemination of information;
Training in:
- Formulation and analysis of forestry policy instruments;
- Tools for land-use planning;
- Production chains with the characterization of the different agents involved.

b) The need to follow-up the sustainable native forest management project, in negotiation with the European Community.
c) The inclusion of methodology for forest production chain analysis and valuation of products and services of native and plantation forests contributing to the socio-economic and environmental development of the Region in the activities of the forest information and outlook projects.
d) The exchange of information on the forest sector (particularly on the valuation of native and plantation forest products and services) among the member countries of the Group.
e) The inclusion of topics of interest to the Subregion in the forest outlook studies coordinated by FAO.
f) Proposed changes to the agenda of future sessions, with more time allocated to Subregional Group discussions.
g) Strategy decision to use assorted national and international events to convene meetings of the Group.
h) Informing the focal points of ongoing projects of the above-mentioned topics of common interest to the countries, so that these may be included in the projects.

MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION

Argentina
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
France
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
United Kingdom
United States of America
Uruguay
Venezuela

Table of Contents

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND REQUESTS

STATE OF FORESTRY IN THE REGION

FAO REPORTS

TECHNICAL ITEMS

IN-SESSION SEMINAR: FORESTRY SECTOR INFORMATION PROJECTS AND OUTLOOK STUDY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

SATELLITE MEETING ON THE NATIONAL FOREST PROGRAMMES

REGIONAL ISSUES IDENTIFIED BY THE COMMISSION FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY

INTRODUCTION

ADOPTION OF AGENDA (Item 1)

ELECTION OF OFFICERS (Item 2)

STATE OF FORESTRY IN THE REGION (Item 3)

ACTIVITIES OF OTHER INTERNATIONAL, INTERGOVERNMENTAL, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE REGION (Item 5)

FOLLOW-UP TO UNCED AND IFF AS RELATED TO FORESTRY (Item 6)

TECHNICAL ITEMS (Item 7)

IN-SESSION SEMINAR: FORESTRY SECTOR INFORMATION PROJECTS AND OUTLOOK STUDY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (Item 8)

WORKSHOPS OF THE SUBREGIONAL GROUPS OF THE COMMISSION ON PAST AND ONGOING ACTIVITIES AND PREPARATION OF WORK PLANS (Item 9)

REGIONAL ISSUES IDENTIFIED BY THE COMMISSION FOR ATTENTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY (Item 10)

OTHER BUSINESS (Item 11)

DATE AND PLACE OF THE NEXT SESSION (Item 12)

APPENDIX A

AGENDA

APPENDIX B

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION

ARGENTINA

BRAZIL

COLOMBIA

COSTA RICA

CUBA

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

CHILE

ECUADOR

GUATEMALA

HONDURAS

MEXICO

NICARAGUA

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

URUGUAY

VENEZUELA

REPRESENTATIVES OF UNITED NATIONS AND SPECIALIZED AGENCIES

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Tratado de Cooperación Amazónica (TCA)

OBSERVERS FROM INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)

CONSEJO CENTROAMERICANO DE BOSQUES Y AREAS PROTEGIDAS (CCAB-AP / CCAD)

Tropical Agricultural Research and Training Centre (CATIE)

Forest Peoples Programme

OBSERVERS FROM INTERNATIONAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

World Conservation Union (IUCN)

ORBE, Asesores Ambientales S.A.

TECHNICAL COOPERATION PROJECTS

Forests, Trees and People Programme, FTPP

Coordination and Implementation of the Forestry Action Plan

HOST COUNTRY SECRETARIAT

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)

INTERPRETERS

APPENDIX C

LIST OF DOCUMENTS

INFORMATION DOCUMENTS

COUNTRY REPORTS RECEIVED FROM:

APPENDIX D

PLANS OF WORK OF THE COMMISSION'S SUBREGIONAL GROUPS: CARIBBEAN, CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICO, AMAZON AND SOUTHERN CONE

REPORT AND WORKPLAN OF THE CARIBBEAN SUBREGIONAL GROUP

REPORT AND WORKPLAN OF THE CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICO SUBREGIONAL GROUP:

REPORT AND WORKPLAN OF THE AMAZON SUBREGIONAL GROUP

REPORT AND WORKPLAN OF THE SOUTHERN CONE SUBREGIONAL GROUP

MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION