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:

Jamaican country report was projected in plenary, and discussed, comments and suggestions were given by the participants of the meeting. After finalizing the Jamaica table by table report, each country presented their own status, share the findings, their existing and gaps of information to compile each table. Questions and answers were given in relation to the process of analysis of the national data: references and source of information, national classes, original data, analysis of data, calibration, estimation, forecasting and reclassification.

Specific problems and difficulties faced during the analysis or the compilation of the draft report were discussed, special attention was given to consistency among related reporting tables.

After the revision of the fifteen tables, a planning of submission of final drafts of national reports was established. It was agreed that all countries will submit complete table number one by the end of the month, so that the FRA Secretariat may have the information before the COFO meeting. The complete report is to be delivered in March.

4.2 National data coverage and quality

• French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Jamaica. he have rather accurate forest cover information based on satellite vegetation information and was generated after 1995.

• Many of the smaller Islands: Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada have forest inventories or at least forest cover maps prepared in the mid 1990.

• For some countries there is no recent forest cover information available, this includes Trinidad and Tobago (from 1981), Barbados, Montserrat and St. Kitts and Nevis.

• Information may be held by other sector ministries and access to such data may be difficult because the NCs do not have formal mandates to request inter-sector collaboration.

• FRA activities are seen as additional burdens on Ministries’ normal work programmes, thus causing conflict for staff time, logistics and resources, this is the constraint for country reporting.

• Several countries had changed nominations of their NC for participation in this meeting, thus causing those individuals to be delayed on the preparation of country reports.

4.2.1 Frequently asked questions

Questions were raised by the participants during the meeting. Most of them were already made during other meetings, therefore the answer was easily address in plenary; a set of frequently asked questions were distributed during the meeting. (See appendix number 3)

Some new issues were brought out to the attention and presented as follows:

How should a “bauxite reserve” needs to be re-classified

Bauxite reserves should be classified taking into consideration the actual vegetation cover and land use of the area. This means that if the area is cover by forest, it should be classified as forest without considering the future use of the land. Land use of the area will change, when the bauxite is exploited.

How to be considered abandoned plantations?

Abandoned plantations should be classified as forest.

Hurricanes are devastating events, to report them in a five year period reduce the level of impact of the event, how to report in order to highlight the real negative impact they have?

Five year averages are important for seeing the long term trends. Countries should report annual data under the section of original data. That also shows the annual differences. If there is additional quality information that CC consider relevant to inform, please include it on the section of comments.

Where to report on visitors to protected areas, as there is a high percentage of income for the country?

Countries can report on visitors to protected areas as a thematic report.

How to re-classified “Taungya” systems, where land area is designated for plantation but before the trees reach certain high the land is used for agricultural purposes?

Agroforestry systems always constitute a difficult grey zone between Forest and Other land. Sometimes the forestry component is dominating, sometimes the agriculture component is the most important.  The Taungya system is an example where forestry usually is the main objective/land use and the land is only used during a relatively short period for growing crops or fodder.  So in the case of Taungya agroforestry systems is to be re-classified as forest.

When a forest area was affected by fires, but the trees were not damaged, are these areas to be reported in table 8?

If the forest area (and trees) were not damage, these areas should not be included.

4.3 Other issues related to FRA 2005 reporting process

Most of the countries have information that refers to land ownership and it is not divided between forest and other wooded land. Participants were advised to report on forest and other wooded land with a note saying that it is impossible to divide the information.

In relation to forest fires, there was confusion as some CC reported on fires (in agriculture land). CC were advised to report on forest fires areas, or forest fires/other wooded land fires, other land category should be excluded. Other disturbances that affected forest areas in the Caribbean are mudslides, these should be reported in other disturbances.

Several countries informed that IUCN list are not compatible with national list. CC were advice to report IUCN data, and include national list in the comments sections.

Caribbean countries have very low consumptions of charcoal and fuel wood, as kerosene fuel is used in the country side. CC find FRA 2005 report an opportunity to update FAO statistics with this new information.

Most of the countries informed that it is possible to report on wood removal from state forest, but there is no information on private owned land. CCs were advised to make a note informing that information refers just to state owned forests.

Countries have good information in relation to visitors in protected areas, ecotourism, wildlife specially birds information, botanic information, forest management, they will provide this information in the section of thematic reports as it is relevant for their national economy.