Experts discuss criteria and indicators
An Expert Consultation was held at FAO headquarters in November 2000 to review and discuss current processes regarding the development and implementation of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management.
In the light of continuing deforestation and forest degradation in many countries and regions, improved field-level forest management practices are urgently needed. Criteria and indicators, which characterize the environmental, economic, social and cultural dimensions of sustainability, are a useful tool towards this end. Establishment of common or mutually acceptable concepts and terms enables regular assessment of the status and trends in forestry conditions and management. On the basis of information on trends at the national level, and on forecasts for the future based on these, policy and decision-making can be rationalized and action can be adjusted and improved. More than 140 countries are currently involved in one or more international criteria and indicators processes.
The Expert Consultation on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management, held in Rome from 15 to 17 November 2000, was organized by FAO in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO). In attendance were 18 experts in the field of criteria and indicators, representing 14 countries, and resource persons from all of the co-sponsoring organizations, including FAO.
In addition to reviewing recent progress, the expert consultation recognized the need to promote further coordination and cooperation among the processes and institutions involved - at the national level, among countries within processes, among processes, and between processes and initiatives in other sectors. The experts discussed the reasons and possible remedies for the slower progress of some countries in implementing criteria and indicators. They especially stressed the need to encourage countries that are not participants in any criteria and indicators process to become involved.
In support of collaborative efforts, the expert consultation recommended that an international conference on criteria and indicators with broad stakeholder involvement be organized not later than early 2002.
The report of the meeting is available from the Forest Resources Division, FAO Forestry Department, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.
Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 results released
The global rate of net forest loss has slowed to 9 million hectares per year, 20 percent lower than the previous figure reported in 1995, according to recently released results of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA 2000). FRA 2000, a broad assessment covering a range of forestry subjects and assembling the inputs of technical specialists across the various forestry disciplines, is nearing its completion. The main results, consisting of global data tables by country, global maps of forest cover and ecological zones, and country profiles, were released in January 2001.
The 12 global data tables present types of information that FAO has not published before; they report the forest cover state and change, volume and biomass, extent of plantations, forest fire statistics, management status, removals and non-wood forest products. The tables can be consulted on the Web (www.fao.org/forestry/fo/fra/index.jsp).
Country profiles have been developed for all countries and published on the Web (www.fao.org/forestry/fo/country/nav_world.jsp). These profiles link the results of FRA 2000 with information collected by other Forestry Department activities (e.g. information on products and trade statistics) and with information provided by partners (e.g. legal texts). Currently, more than 10 000 pages are available on line containing texts, maps and statistics for all countries. These pages receive about 1 000 external hits every day.
The current survey is the latest of the global forest assessments by FAO spanning a 50-year period and the first of its kind to be implemented using a uniform global definition of forest. The findings reveal a diverse picture, where some countries still have very high levels of deforestation (mainly conversion of forests to other land uses) while others show significant increases in forest cover through plantations or natural regrowth. The FRA 2000 results indicate that forests are disappearing most rapidly in Africa and Latin America, whereas in Asia the reduction of natural forests is largely compensated by new plantation forests. In Europe and North America the forest area is increasing, according to the survey.
A final report of FRA 2000 results is planned for June 2001, and the assessment results will be the subject of a future issue of Unasylva.
"Building Confidence" seminar on certification
FAO, the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) hosted a seminar in Rome on 19 and 20 February to encourage improved dialogue and linkages among organizations that have an interest in forest certification.
Voluntary certification of forest management and labelling of forest products are recognized as potential tools for promoting sustainable forest management. However, opinions differ as to whether the current proliferation of certification and/or labelling schemes is helping or hindering the process. Despite the differences of opinion, there have been increasing calls for efforts to achieve some degree of international comparability and to consider the equivalency of different certification schemes.
The seminar "Building Confidence Among Forest Certification Schemes and their Supporters" was organized in order to improve dialogue and contact, to clarify the positions of the different stakeholder groups, to increase understanding and to initiate a broad-based dialogue for more effective collaboration. It also sought to extend the discussions of earlier meetings to a broader range of stakeholders, especially the developing countries and civil society. A central issue was comparability and equivalence among credible forest certification schemes.
Some 85 stakeholders from 33 countries presented their expectations for certification, discussed current cooperation and efforts towards mutual recognition and assessed the requisites for credible forest certification schemes. Producers (large and small), companies, trade associations, unions, social and environmental non-governmental organizations, buyers, certification schemes, governments, academics, international organizations and certifiers were represented. The following were some of the issues discussed:
The divergent views on many of these questions reflected the contrasting interests, values and goals of the various groups. The importance of recognizing both similarities and differences if certification is to be made more effective was highlighted. It was clear that the development of mutual trust is an important first step for dialogue and cooperation among the different certification processes.
Developing countries indicated that, while they may not have difficulty in participating in the international dialogue on forest certification, their constraints in achieving improved standards of forest management and in meeting the requirements of some of the certification schemes are frequently overlooked. Small-scale forest owners and forest communities expressed particular concern regarding respect for their rights and views in the certification of their forests and the sharing of any benefits that certification might provide.
The seminar highlighted the fact that there is still a considerable distance to go before the different stakeholders reach real consensus on many issues, and that further work is needed to bridge the divide that exists. Participants agreed that further direct dialogue is desirable among stakeholder groups, at both the national and international levels, and that neutral organizations such as FAO, GTZ and ITTO should continue to facilitate this dialogue.
Committee on Forestry documentation available to the public
As this issue of Unasylva went to press, final preparations were under way for the biennial meeting of the Committee on Forestry (COFO), FAO's principal statutory body in the field of forestry. COFO is the Organization's most important vehicle for facilitating dialogue in the forestry sector. It brings together heads of forest services and other senior government officials to identify emerging policy and technical issues, to seek solutions and to advise FAO and others on appropriate action. Other international organizations and, increasingly, non-governmental groups participate in COFO.
Topics on the agenda of the fifteenth session of COFO, 12 to 16 March 2001, include:
Background documents for these presentations are available on the Web at: www.fao.org/forestry/fo/statbod/cofo/cofo-e.stm
