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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Workshop participants recognized the importance of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management and development. Noting that national forestry programs can play an important role in the implementation process, the meeting recommended that countries incorporate criteria and indictors in ongoing national forestry planning and projects by using these forest management tools as a guide to facilitate implementation of sustainable forest management.

2. The meeting agreed on a "reference" set of criteria and indicators (Annex 6) and recommended that member countries continue to further refine and improve the set to fit national ecological, economic and socio-cultural conditions. Participants further recommended that these efforts be properly organized and put into context of current perceptions, based on the set of criteria and indicators proposed during the workshop.

3. The meeting recognized the expertise of FAO, UNEP, and ITTO in assisting countries implement their national-level criteria and indicators, and academic and research institutions in testing such tools at the forest management unit level. The meeting also highlighted the lack of necessary technical and financial capacities to develop and implement these criteria and indicators in some Asian countries. The need for more regional-level training so that implementation may be harmonized and achieved in a more effective and speedy manner gave rise to two recommendations. Firstly, support from the respective government is necessary to strengthen the technical and logistic capabilities of national forestry institutions. Secondly, these countries should reinforce ties and working relationships with academic and research institutions that can provide assistance in technical and professional training. Assistance from the FAO, UNEP, ITTO and other cooperating agencies can also be sought.

4. Participants acknowledged that one way to ensure sustainability of implementation over time is to incorporate this into forestry curricula. Therefore, the workshop recommended that participants and national forestry authorities in Asia encourage forestry educational institutions to include the issue of criteria and indicators as part of their curricula.

5. The meeting recognized that political commitment and endorsement of the criteria and indicators, public awareness and people's participation are essential for the effective implementation of national-level criteria and indicators. The meeting recommended that national participants (a) inform other colleagues and national forestry authorities of the results of this workshop, and (b) approach national forestry authorities and other relevant agencies so that the measures can be undertaken to assure follow-up support.

6. Participants concluded that the development and implementation of criteria and indicators for the sustainable management of dry forests in Asia are still in their early stages. To assure further development, the workshop recommended countries to encourage national institutions to conduct more research and testing on the subject. In addition, participating countries should exchange relevant information, methodologies and experiences and urged FAO, UNEP, ITTO and other international organizations to continue supporting countries in this respect.

7. To maintain the momentum, and to discuss and report on progress and problems related to the implementation of criteria and indicators, participants recommended FAO, UNEP, ITTO and other international organizations to support a follow-up meeting before the end of 2001.

8. Participants recommended that this initiative be recognized as the "Regional Initiative for the Development and Implementation of National-level Criteria and Indicators for the Sustainable Management of Dry Forests in Asia."


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