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I. Current agricultural situation - facts and figures

1. TRENDS IN UNDERNOURISHMENT

2. CROP AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

3. FOOD SHORTAGES AND EMERGENCIES1

4. WORLD CEREAL SUPPLY SITUATION2

5. EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE TO AGRICULTURE3

6. FOOD AID FLOWS5

7. COMMODITY PRICE TRENDS

8. FISHERIES: PRODUCTION, DISPOSITION AND TRADE

9. PRODUCTION AND TRADE OF FOREST PRODUCTS

BOX 1

THE GLOBAL FOREST RESOURCES ASSESSMENT 20001

FAO has carried out periodic global forest assessments since 1947, at intervals of approximately ten years. The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA 2000) was a joint endeavour of FAO, its member countries and many other partners. Some of the major results are summarized in the following.

  • The world has about 3 870 million ha of forests, of which 95 percent are natural forests and 5 percent are forest plantations. This global forest cover estimate is higher than those made by the previous two forest resources assessments (Global Forest Resources Assessment 1990 [FRA 1990] and the interim 1995 assessment). However, this does not reflect a real increase in forest area but the use, for the first time, of a common definition for all forests worldwide and the incorporation of new forest inventory data.
  • About 30 percent of the world's land area is under forests. Of these forests, 47 percent are tropical, 9 percent subtropical, 11 percent temperate and 33 percent boreal.
  • The world's natural forests continued to be converted to other land uses at a very high rate during the 1990s. An estimated 16.1 million ha of natural forest were lost each year (14.6 million ha through deforestation and 1.5 million ha through conversion to forest plantations). Around 15.2 million ha of the forest area lost were in the tropics. Against this loss could be offset a gain of 3.6 million ha as a result of natural forest expansion, leading to a net loss of 12.5 million ha. Much of the gain in natural forest area was caused by natural forest succession on abandoned agricultural land. Forest expansion has been occurring for several decades in many developed countries.
  • Gains in forest area also occurred through the expansion of forest plantations. Indeed, about half of the 3.1 million ha of new plantation area per year worldwide has been on land recovered from natural forest, i.e. representing reforestation on cleared natural forest land.
  • The overall net change in forest area during the 1990s (i.e. the sum of changes in natural forests and forest plantations) was an estimated -9.4 million ha per year, or 0.2 percent of total forests. This was the net result of a deforestation rate of 14.6 million ha per year and forest increase of 5.2 million. Net deforestation rates were highest in Africa and South America. The loss of natural forests in Asia was also high, but was significantly offset (in terms of area) by forest plantation establishment. In contrast, the forest cover in other regions - mainly industrialized countries - increased slightly.
  • According to the reported figures, the estimated net loss of forest area was lower in the 1990s than in the 1980s. Indeed, net annual forest change was estimated at -9.4 million ha for the period 1990-2000, -11.3 million ha for 1990-95 and -13.0 million ha for 1980-1990.2
  • Forest management over the past decade has focused increasingly on sustainable forest management in accordance with the "Forest Principles" agreed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992. As of 2000, 149 countries were involved in international initiatives to develop and implement criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management, although the degree of implementation varies considerably. The area of forests worldwide under formal or informal management has increased. Furthermore, interest in forest certification has increased; a number of forest certification schemes were established during the 1990s, and the total global area of certified forests grew to reach 80 million ha by the end of 2000.

1 For more detailed information on the Global Forest Resources Assessment, see FAO. 2001. State of the World's Forests 2001. Rome.
2 Although the figures for the two decades are not directly comparable, there is reasonable evidence that the net rate of forest loss has indeed decreased.


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