PERSPECTIVES OF FORESTRY IN THE REGION: NATIONAL PROGRESS REPORTS
1. The Commission stressed the importance of conducting national forest assessments and recommended that countries conduct such assessments and seek technical support from FAO and from regional and global funding agencies (para. 9).
2. The Commission stressed the importance of information exchange on the successful implementation of reforestation and sustainable forest management activities and recommended that FAO continue to support field level activities and facilitate information exchange, and that countries and FAO record and document success stories to be exchanged for presentation to the 2005 session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO) (para. 10).
3. The Commission recommended that countries formulate, update and revise their forest policies and prepare and implement national forest programmes (nfps) as workable frameworks for forestry development and seek support for that purpose from FAO and the nfp Facility (para. 11).
4. The Commission took note of the continued threats to forests and trees outside forests from overgrazing, forest fires and exotic invasive species. It stressed the importance of collaborative action in facing these threats and recommended that thematic studies be conducted on problems common to countries (para. 12).
FAO FORESTRY ACTIVITIES IN THE REGION: REVIEW OF FAO REGULAR AND FIELD PROGRAMMES, INCLUDING FOLLOW-UP TO THE REQUESTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 15TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION
5. The Commission emphasized the importance of support to mangrove forests and recommended that a sub-regional TCP be prepared for the rehabilitation and sustainable development of mangroves in some countries of the Region (para. 13).
6. The Commission took note of the importance of economic and monetary valuations of forest goods and services to help better reflect the contribution of forestry to national economies and to facilitate the sectors attempts to obtain greater attention and higher national budget allocations. It recommended that better valuation methods be established by FAO to identify these values (para. 14).
FORESTS AND WATER: THE ROLE OF FORESTS IN FOOD AND WATER SECURITY IN THE NEAR EAST
7. Water is a cross-sectoral and comprehensive issue, which should be integrated in national development strategies. The Commission recommended that FAO incorporate such strategies into its cross-sectoral projects and development programmes in the Near East Region and invited countries to do the same (para. 15).
8. The Commission expressed its interest and concern regarding management practices, including integrated watershed management. It recommended that FAO conduct thematic studies on the roles of forests and trees in regulating water flow and quality in watershed areas and along water courses, and submit to the 17th Session of COFO a proposal on the socio-economic linkages between highland and lowland dwellers and the impact of mountain tourism on water resources and that the results and recommendations of studies be presented to the 17th Session of the Commission (para. 17).
9. The availability of information on the protective role of forests, trees outside forests and forest plantations, and their role in poverty reduction, as well as on the evaluation of non-wood services of forests was essential for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and the management of water resources. The Commission urged FAO to make information available to countries and to facilitate the exchange of such information among countries (para. 18).
FOREST FIRES AGREEMENTS
10. The Commission recognized the validity of developing fire agreements and recommended that COFO 2005 discuss the principle of establishing bilateral and regional agreements for combating wild fires (para. 21).
IN-SESSION SEMINAR: IMPLEMENTING IPF/IFF PROPOSALS FOR ACTION, INCLUDING THROUGH NATIONAL FOREST PROGRAMMES (nfps)
11. The Commission called upon FAO, in collaboration with other partners, to continue to support implementation at the national level, and to assist countries in sharing experiences, in building national capacities in intergovernmental fora and to follow the progress of the Proposals (para. 23).
12. The participants recommended that the Commission provide a forum for strong regional forestry policy dialogue, including preparations for future global meetings and for national, and possibly regional, positions at UNFF-5 in 2005 (para. 24).
STRENGTHENING THE NEAR EAST FORESTRY COMMISSION TO HELP ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN THE REGION (Item 8)
13. The Commission recommended that the existing arrangement for inter-sessional activities be continued and broadened to include some regional organizations and non-governmental organizations, as needed. The Commission considered that FAO Member countries should be apprised at the highest level, through COFO, that forestry should receive greater prominence in national and regional development planning (para. 26).
REPORT OF THE FAO WORKSHOP ON FOREST RESOURCES ASSESSMENT 2005 (FRA 2005): REVIEW OF NATIONAL REPORTS
14. The participants requested FAO to translate basic FRA 2005 documents into Arabic, and recommended that FAO should give special consideration to Low Forest Cover Countries (LFCCs) in FRA 2005 (para. 28).
REPORT OF THE WORKSHOP ON FORESTRY OUTLOOK STUDY FOR WEST AND CENTRAL ASIA (FOWECA)
15. The participants requested FAO to increase technical support for the preparation of the country outlook papers (para. 32).
REGIONAL ISSUES IDENTIFIED BY THE COMMISSION FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY (COFO) (Item 10)
16. The Commission recommended that the following items be brought to the attention of the Committee on Forestry at its next session:
Recognizing the appreciable increase in forest and tree plantations as a result of the rising awareness of the importance of forests, increased political will and the availability of
treated waste water, the FAO Forestry Department should continue its technical support to field activities and in particular to national forest assessments, and facilitate information exchange and capacity building by working with countries to exchange document and success stories.
Recognizing the importance of collaborative action on forest fires and exotic invasive species, recommended that relevant thematic studies be conducted and regional information networks established to counter these threats.
Recognizing the importance of the rehabilitation and sustainable development of mangroves in some countries of the region, recommended that a sub-regional TCP be prepared to support such action.
Recognizing the interdependence between strategies for forest management, water resource management and poverty alleviation, particularly in rural areas, the FAO Forestry Department should incorporate these strategies into its projects and development programmes in the Near East Region.
Considering the importance of the need for technical assistance in capacity building on water management and use, particularly water harvesting, use of treated waste water and the selection of tree species with low water requirements, the FAO Forestry Department should conduct a study on the role of trees and forests located in watershed areas and along water courses in regulating water flow and quality, submit a proposal on upstream-downstream social and economic linkages and report to the 17th Session of the Commission.
Recognizing the importance of developing an institutional framework for implementing any proposed bilateral, regional or international fire agreements, COFO should discuss the principles of establishing such agreements for combating forest fires.
Recognizing the need for international processes to provide the means for the implementation of the IPF/IFF proposals for action and for the dissemination of information on the outcomes, the FAO Forestry Department, in collaboration with other partners, should continue to support implementation at the national level, assist countries in building national capacities in intergovernmental fora and to follow the progress of the Proposals.
In view of the insufficient attention assigned to forestry in most countries, the FAO Forestry Department should encourage countries to increase support to their forestry sectors, enhance their activities, improve national capacity building, contribute more effectively to global intergovernmental fora and follow the progress of debate in such fora.
Given the importance of the preparation of country papers for the FOWECA process and national forestry development, and the lack of appropriate expertise in several countries, the FAO Forestry Department should increase its technical support towards the preparation of such papers.
