4. Main issues and reporting problems addressed

4.1 Review of the reporting template

Fifteen reporting tables have been developed for FRA 2005 covering the following topics:

During the discussion session, the participants suggested that FAO should develop methodologies and processes to capture the non-formal sector e.g. traditional healers rely on the forest for their source of raw material, as do people involved in basketry crafting and pottery making. For FRA 2010, therefore, a table on socio-economics issues should be considered and included in the list of tables.

Participants discussed the issue of livelihoods and informal employment in the forestry sector. It was noted that Table 15, dealing with employment in forestry, is limited to the formal sector. Participants therefore agreed to request FAO to formulate proposals for capturing informal employment data as early as possible considering the enormous importance attached to such information by the member countries.

Each National Correspondent was requested to present his/her draft country report to the other members of the group and share the findings, progress and constraints. Three working groups were established to review the 15 global tables of the draft country reports with respect to:

• Availability and quality of national data;

• Process of analysis of the national data: calibration, estimation, forecasting and reclassification. Specific problems and difficulties faced during the analysis or the compilation of the draft report;

• Consistency check: Using a country having sufficient amount of data, a consistency check using the excel template was undertaken. Eventual inconsistencies were discussed and possible solutions identified;

• Planning of submission of final drafts of national reports.

The review was done of all the country reports in each working group. The following points were key outputs of the working group discussions:

4.2 National Data Coverage and Quality

• Overall, no country has complete data coverage for Tables T1-T15;

• Information for the first five tables (T1-T5) was generally available with acceptable data quality, although some countries were unable to fill Table T5;

• Only one country had attempted Tables T6, T13, T14 & T15, and that was with low reliability of data;

• For Tables T13, T14, and T15 only Somalia recorded the presence of scanty data with quiet low reliability. For other countries the data is not readily available but is being sought from other institutions;

• In all countries, there are some tables for which data is not routinely generated owing to lack of national priority (e.g. NWFPs or areas of other wooded land);

• Data that does exist is often obsolete, in some cases dating back 30 years;

• Even when data exists, it may be inaccurate or simply reliant on subjective and potentially biased expert opinion; and

• General lack of data for 1990-2000.

4.3 Data Accessibility

• Information may be held by other sector ministries but access to such data is difficult because the NCs do not have formal mandates to request intersectoral collaboration;

• Information may also be held by stakeholder groups or donor projects, but interaction requires incentive funding for meetings, etc, which has not been forthcoming from FAO.

4.4 FRA Process

• The “short” time line between the FAO request and deadlines is seen as a constraint on quality and/or reason for FAO support;

• Funding assistance is necessary in order to meet deadlines.

4.5 Institutional Weakness

• FRA activities are seen as additional burdens on Ministries’ normal work programmes, thus causing conflict for staff time, logistics and resources (extreme case is one absent country which requested FAO to remunerate its NC);

• Problems of civil strife and institutional breakdown have meant no activity and loss of data in a number of countries;

• Several countries had changed nominations of their NC for participation in this meeting, thus causing those individuals to be inadequately prepared.

4.6 Analytic Aspects

• Reclassification of national data to FRA 2005 definitions and adjusting data to reference years was not properly understood;

• Difficulties were reported with adjusting data for differing reference years;

• All countries reported that they have data for forecasting for 2005 and that they have the capacity to use the FRA 2005 Reporting Template.

4.7 Submission of final report

• All countries agreed to submit their reports by December 2004, while some indicated earlier dates (e.g. Mozambique by October).

4.8 Proposals by National Correspondents to facilitate reporting

The working groups identified key needs to facilitate the completion of their reports and to improve the FRA process in their countries:

• Provision of technical assistance by FAO;

• Provision by FAO of relevant documents and background materials on CD ROMs for NCs where internet downloads are difficult;

• Motivation (i.e. incentives) for national correspondent;

• Financial resources to assist in mobilizing stakeholders and information sources;

• Access for NCs to communications facilities (Fast download Internet and E-mail);

• Improved networking and collaboration among NCs;

• Linking FRA to national planning mechanisms of member countries;

• Establishment of national data base activities throughout planning process.