STATE OF THE WORLDS FORESTS 2003
Foreword he State of the World s Forests reports every two years on the status of forests,recent major policy and institutional developments and key issues concerning the forest sector. This is the fifth edition of the publication, the purpose of which is to provide current and reliable information to policy-makers, foresters and other natural resource managers, academics, forest industry and civil society Development(WSSD), the last two years saw rich and stimulating discusson In line with the extensive preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable unfold in the international arena. The recent global economic downturn has contributed its own set of dynamics, and the forest and other sectors are struggling to absorb the impacts Choosing the topics for this edition of the State of the World 's Forests from among the many options was a difficult task. In the spirit of collaboration, we took a slightly different approach from in the past and asked external authors to contribute whole chapters on major issues. The result is contributions from key intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and from individuals contributing in their persona capacity, in addition to pieces researched and written by FAO staff. Such a mix is entirely consistent with the theme of the State of the World's Forests 2003-"partnerships in action"-and reflects how the forest sector must operate in todays environment. An effort has been made to cover many subjects that are especially relevant to discussions taking place in international fora today. Part I presents recent developments and areas of current attention in forest resources; the management, conservation and sustainable development of forests; the institutional framework; and the international forest policy dialogue. Part II contains five chapters, each addressing a particular subject in more detail. The first examines the links between forests and poverty alleviation, a topic now being widely discussed in response to renewed interest in exploring the full potential of forests to bring about positive change. The second chapter notes the importance of forests in managing freshwater resources, the scarcity of which is becoming an urgent issue, as recognized by the United Nations designation of 2003 as the International Year of freshwater. How the sustainable use of forests contributes to the conservation of biological diversity is dealt with in the third chapter as a supplement to ongoing and, at times, controversial deliberations. The fourth chapter examines issues related to imbalances in science and technology capacity between developing and developed countries and among different segments of the forest sector. The plight of Africa is given special attention in the last chapter, which describes trends in fiscal policies in forestry. The devastating impact of HIV/AIDS is also highlighted, as are recently published findings of the FAO Forestry Outlook Study for Africa
iii recent, forests of status the on years two every reports Forests s’World the of State The forest the concerning issues key and developments institutional and policy major provide to is which of purpose the, publication the of edition fifth the is This. sector resource natural other and foresters, makers-policy to information reliable and current .society civil and industry forest, academics, managers Sustainable on Summit World the for preparations extensive the with line In discussions stimulating and rich saw years two last the), WSSD (Development has downturn economic global recent The. arena international the in unfold to struggling are sectors other and forest the and, dynamics of set own its contributed .impacts the absorb the among from Forests s’World the of State the of edition this for topics the Choosing slightly a took we, collaboration of spirit the In. task difficult a was options many whole contribute to authors external asked and past the in from approach different and intergovernmental key from contributions is result The. issues major on chapters personal their in contributing individuals from and organizations governmental-non is mix a Such. staff FAO by written and researched pieces to addition in, capacity partnerships – “2003 Forests s’World the of State the of theme the with consistent entirely .environment s’today in operate must sector forest the how reflects and” – action in to relevant especially are that subjects many cover to made been has effort An developments recent presents I Part. today fora international in place taking discussions and conservation, management the; resources forest in attention current of areas and international the and; framework institutional the; forests of development sustainable particular a addressing each, chapters five contains II Part. dialogue policy forest poverty and forests between links the examines first The. detail more in subject in interest renewed to response in discussed widely being now topic a, alleviation second The. change positive about bring to forests of potential full the exploring scarcity the, resources freshwater managing in forests of importance the notes chapter designation Nations United the by recognized as, issue urgent an becoming is which of forests of use sustainable the How. Freshwater of Year International the as 2003 of chapter third the in with dealt is diversity biological of conservation the to contributes fourth The. deliberations controversial, times at, and ongoing to supplement a as capacity technology and science in imbalances to related issues examines chapter the of segments different among and countries developed and developing between which, chapter last the in attention special given is Africa of plight The. sector forest is AIDS/HIV of impact devastating The. forestry in policies fiscal in trends describes Outlook Forestry FAO the of findings published recently are as, highlighted also .Africa for Study Foreword
rying to strike a balance between including a sufficient number of key topics and doing them justice within the constraints dictated by length meant that coverage of some topics had to be general rather than exhaustive. In this regard, we would like to think that they provide grist for the mill for future editions of the State of the Worlds Forests The FAO Forestry Department is pleased to release the State of the Worlds Forests 2003 and hopes that readers will find it informative and thought provoking. Comments are most welcome, as are suggestions for the next edition. M. Hosny El-Lakan Assistant director -general FAO Forestry Department
iv doing and topics key of number sufficient a including between balance a strike to Trying topics some of coverage that meant length by dictated constraints the within justice them they that think to like would we, regard this In. exhaustive than rather general be to had .Forests s’World the of State the of editions future for mill the for grist provide 2003 Forests s’World the of State the release to pleased is Department Forestry FAO The are Comments. provoking thought and informative it find will readers that hopes and .edition next the for suggestions are as, welcome most Lakany-El Hosny. M General-Director Assistant Department Forestry FAO
Contents 111 Acknowledgements Summary PART THE SITUATION AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FOREST SECTO Forest resources Global forest resources assessment gricultural expansion and deforestation Mangrove conversion and conservation Management, conservation and sustainable development of forests Role of planted trees in developing countries with low forest cover findings from six case studies Mountain forests and sustainable mountain development Forests and wooded lands in the mediterranean basin Coordinated responses to fighting forest fires Hunting wild animals for meat: a threat to sustainability Recent developments in forests and climate change Institutional framework Forestry education: coping with new demands 32 Decentralization of public administration of forests Sharing benefits from forests The fight against illegal logging and illegal trade Improving cross-sectoral linkages with regard to forests International policy dialogue Collaborative Partnership on Forests International policy debate on forests and forest biological Update on forest-related international conventions and National Forest Programme Facility World Summit on Sustainable Development
v iii Foreword vii Acknowledgements viii Summary _______________________________ I PART_______________________________ SECTOR FOREST THE IN DEVELOPMENTS AND SITUATION THE 1 resources Forest 1 Assessment Resources Forest Global 3 deforestation and expansion Agricultural 4 conservation and conversion Mangrove 12 forests of development sustainable and conservation, Management :cover forest low with countries developing in trees planted of Role 12 studies case six from findings 20 development mountain sustainable and forests Mountain 22 basin Mediterranean the in lands wooded and Forests 23 fires forest fighting to responses Coordinated 24 sustainability to threat a: meat for animals wild Hunting 25 change climate and forests in developments Recent 32 framework Institutional 32 demands new with coping: education Forestry 33 forests of administration public of Decentralization 34 forests from benefits Sharing 36 trade illegal and logging illegal against fight The 38 forests to regard with linkages sectoral-cross Improving 42 dialogue policy International 42 Forests on Forum Nations United 44 Forests on Partnership Collaborative biological forest and forests on debate policy International 45 diversity and conventions international related-forest on Update 49 agreements 55 Facility Programme Forest National 56 Development Sustainable on Summit World Contents
PART‖ SELECTED CURRENT ISSUES IN THE FOREST SECTOR Forests and poverty alleviation Definition of terms Opportunities and obstacles in forest-based poverty alleviation Enabling conditions and strategies 127 ummary and conclusion Sustainable use and management of freshwater resources the role of forests Forests,atmospheric water and wateryield Forests, floods and debris flows Forests and sedimentation Forests and water quality Watersheds: recognizing upstream-downstream linkages Conclusions and recommendations How sustainable use of forests can contribute to conserving biological diversity Some key concepts in biological diversity conservation in relation to forests Critical issues in conserving forest biological diversity Interface between biological diversity and sustainable forest Criteria and indicators for conservation of biological diversity Science and technology in the forest sector: widening gaps and narrowing options 96 Changing forest sector priorities Widening gaps Narrowing options Concluding observations Recent trends in fiscal policies in the forest sector in Africa 108 New fiscal arrangements 112 Recommendations for improving fiscal policies 118 Broader implications for financing of sustainable forest management 119 ANNEXES Annex 1: Acronyms Annex 2: Data tables 126
vi _______________________________ II PART______________________________ SECTOR FOREST THE IN ISSUES CURRENT SELECTED 61 alleviation poverty and Forests 61 terms of Definition 62 alleviation poverty based-forest in obstacles and Opportunities 67 strategies and conditions Enabling 70 conclusion and Summary :resources freshwater of management and use Sustainable 74 forests of role the 75 yield water and water atmospheric, Forests 76 flows debris and floods, Forests 78 sedimentation and Forests 79 quality water and Forests 79 linkages downstream–upstream recognizing: Watersheds 81 recommendations and Conclusions conserving to contribute can forests of use sustainable How 86 diversity biological relation in conservation diversity biological in concepts key Some 86 forests to 88 diversity biological forest conserving in issues Critical forest sustainable and diversity biological between Interface 90 management 93 diversity biological of conservation for indicators and Criteria 94 Conclusions and gaps widening: sector forest the in technology and Science 96 options narrowing 96 priorities sector forest Changing 97 gaps Widening 101 options Narrowing 106 observations Concluding 108 Africa in sector forest the in policies fiscal in trends Recent 108 forestry on expenditure Public 112 arrangements fiscal New 118 policies fiscal improving for Recommendations 119 management forest sustainable of financing for implications Broader ANNEXES 122 Acronyms: 1 Annex 126 tables Data: 2 Annex
Acknowledgements T he State of the World's Forests 2003 is the result of extensive collaboration and teamwork among people from within and outside FAO. Special thanks go to R. McConnell, on loan to ho from the Canadian Forest Service. Natural resources Canada. As one of her assignments, she compiled and edited the document, working closely with authors and advisers Appreciation is also extended to J B. Ball, an FAO retiree, for his guidance, and to FAO staff and consultants who provided information, wrote pieces or reviewed drafts H. Abdel-Nour; GAllard; C Brown; C.M. Carneiro; F. Castaneda; J. Carle; A Contreras- Hermosilla; A del Lungo; ]. Douglas; O. Dubois; P. Durst; H. Gregersen; K. Govil; T Hofer P. Holmgren; W Killmann; D. Kneeland; P. Kone; L. Ljungman; M. Malagnoux; M. Martin A Mathias; D Mead; T Michaelsen; M. Morell; C. Palmberg-Lerche; E. Pepke; F. Romano V Sasse; S Sadio; E.-H. Sene; D Schoene; P. Sigaud; T. Vahanen; P van Lierop; S. Walter; A. Whiteman: M. Wlkie: D. williamson. FAO is also grateful to those who contributed chapters in Part II: W Sunderlin, A. Angelsen and S Winder, Center for International Forestry Research(CIFOR),for Forests and poverty alleviation" K Brooks, University of Minnesota, United States, and M. Achouri, FAO, for"Sustainable use and management of freshwater resources: the role of forests" J McNeely, World Conservation Union (IUCN), for"How sustainable use of forests can contribute to conserving biological diversity J. Burley, International Union of Forestry Research Organizations(IUFRO), and C.T.S. Nair, FAO, for"Science and chnology in the forest sector: widening gaps and narrowing options"; and A Whiteman FAO, for"Recent trends in fiscal policies in the forest sector in Africa". Thanks also to A Lipkis, TreePeople, who submitted the box on new partnerships in urban forest watershed management; and to C. Danks, for the box on community forestry in the United State FAO appreciates the dedication and valuable advice of members of the Internal and External Advisory Committees: M. Coulombe, H. Gregersen, J. Griffiths, C Holding Anyonge, D. Kaimowitz, G. Kowero, J.-P. Lanly, M. de Montalembert, C. Oliver, M. Paveri C Prins, A Razak, R. Seppala, M. Simula, O Souvannavong and T. Vahanen. A Perlis, L. Wearne, B. Moore and the staff of the FAO Publishing Management Service provided editorial and production support Layout and graphics were done by F Dicarlo
vii and collaboration extensive of result the is 2003 Forests s’World the of State The to go thanks Special. FAO outside and within from people among teamwork Resources Natural, Service Forest Canadian the from FAO to loan on, McConnell. R working, document the edited and compiled she, assignments her of one As. Canada .advisers and authors with closely FAO to and, guidance his for, retiree FAO an, Ball. B.J to extended also is Appreciation :drafts reviewed or pieces wrote, information provided who consultants and staff ;Hofer. T; Govil. K; Gregersen. H; Durst. P; Dubois. O; Douglas. J; Lungo del. A; HermosillaContreras. A; Carle. J; Castañeda. F; Carneiro. M.C; Brown. C; Allard. G; Nour-Abdel. H ;Martin. M; Malagnoux. M; Ljungman. L; Kone. P; Kneeland. D; Killmann. W; Holmgren. P ;Romano. F; Pepke. E; Lerche-Palmberg. C; Morell. M; Michaelsen. T; Mead. D; Mathias. A ;Walter. S; Lierop van. P; Vahanen. T; Sigaud. P; Schoene. D; Sène. H.-E; Sadio. S; Sasse. V .Williamson. D; Wilkie. M; Whiteman. A ,Sunderlin. W: II Part in chapters contributed who those to grateful also is FAO for), CIFOR (Research Forestry International for Center, Wunder. S and Angelsen. A and, States United, Minnesota of University, Brooks. K”; alleviation poverty and Forests“ role the: resources freshwater of management and use Sustainable “for, FAO, Achouri. M of use sustainable How “for), IUCN (Union Conservation World, McNeely. J”; forests of of Union International, Burley. J”; diversity biological conserving to contribute can forests and Science “for, FAO, Nair. S.T.C and), IUFRO (Organizations Research Forestry ,Whiteman. A and”; options narrowing and gaps widening: sector forest the in technology .A to also Thanks”. Africa in sector forest the in policies fiscal in trends Recent “for, FAO watershed forest urban in partnerships new on box the submitted who, TreePeople, Lipkis .States United the in forestry community on box the for, Danks. C to and; management and Internal the of members of advice valuable and dedication the appreciates FAO ,Paveri. M, Oliver. C, Montalembert de. M, Lanly. P.-J, Kowero. G, Kaimowitz. D, AnyongeHolding. C, Griffiths. J, Gregersen. H, Coulombe. M: Committees Advisory External .Vahanen. T and Souvannavong. O, Simula. M, Seppälä. R, Razak. A, Prins. C Service Management Publishing FAO the of staff the and Moore. B, Wearne. L, Perlis. A .Dicarlo. F by done were graphics and Layout. support production and editorial provided Acknowledgements
Summary PARTNERSHIPS IN ACTION forestation and the conversion and As the international policy dialogue continues, conservation of mangroves attention is now moving from words on paper In coming years, enormous population to action on the ground. Through innovative increases,combined with growing per capita partnerships and better linkages across sectors, consumption, will continue to result in governments, organizations and civil society are agricultural expansion on new lands, mostly collaborating more than at any time in the past through deforestation. Preliminary findings of to resolve issues of fundamental importance to an FAO study indicate that agricultural land is the environment and to the achievement of expanding in about 70 percent of countries, sustainable development. Alleviating poverty ing in 25 percent and roughly static in and improving food security are closely linked 5 perent In two-thirds of the countries where to these objectives, and forests are an integra agricultural land is expanding, forest part of the solution. decreasing, but in the other one-third forests are The United Nations Forum on forests expanding In 60 percent of the countries where (UNFF), established in October 2000, will meet agricultural land is decreasing, forests are for a third time in May 2003 to consider ways to expanding. In most of the rest (36 percent), facilitate and promote further sustainable forest forests are decreasing management worldwide, including through the Pressure from dense populations in coastal implementation of the proposals for action of areas has led to the conversion of many the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests(IPF) mangrove forests to other uses, and numerous and the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests case studies have described losses over time. It (IFF). At that time, participants will exchange appears that mangrove deforestation continues, experiences and lessons learned as they seek to albeit at a slightly lower rate in the 1990s than in overcome barriers to progress the 1980s, when large-scale conversion for The State of the World's Forests 2003 provides aquaculture and tourism infrastructure took an overview of major developments in the place in Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America sector in the past few years and focuses on Now, most countries require environmental selected key issues impact assessments prior to approving requests for conversion to other uses SITUATION AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FOREST SECTOR Management, conservation and sustainable Forest resources development of forests In 2001, FAO published the most As forests are complex ecosystems that must be comprehensive assessment of global forest managed in a balanced and sustainable way, one resources ever undertaken. Since the release of of the main challenges today is to reconcile the the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 often conflicting priorities of those who depend (FRA 2000), an international meeting of experts on forests for a variety of goods and services has concluded that future fao studies of this Trees are of critical importance in countries kind should remain broad and contain with low forest cover. in both urban and ru information on the range of forest goods and settings. Among other functions, they help services. The State of the World's Forests 2003 combat desertification, provide basic necessities elaborates on two related areas: the link and protect biological diversity, crops, between agricultural expansion and
viii ACTION IN PARTNERSHIPS ,continues dialogue policy international the As paper on words from moving now is attention innovative Through. ground the on action to ,sectors across linkages better and partnerships are society civil and organizations, governments past the in time any at than more collaborating to importance fundamental of issues resolve to of achievement the to and environment the poverty Alleviating. development sustainable linked closely are security food improving and integral an are forests and, objectives these to .solution the of part Forests on Forum Nations United The meet will, 2000 October in established), UNFF( to ways consider to 2003 May in time third a for forest sustainable further promote and facilitate the through including, worldwide management of action for proposals the of implementation (IPF (Forests on Panel Intergovernmental the Forests on Forum Intergovernmental the and exchange will participants, time that At). IFF( to seek they as learned lessons and experiences .progress to barriers overcome provides 2003 Forests s’World the of State The the in developments major of overview an on focuses and years few past the in sector .issues key selected IN DEVELOPMENTS AND SITUATION SECTOR FOREST THE resources Forest most the published FAO, 2001 In forest global of assessment comprehensive of release the Since. undertaken ever resources 2000 Assessment Resources Forest Global the experts of meeting international an), 2000 FRA( this of studies FAO future that concluded has contain and broad remain should kind and goods forest of range the on information 2003 Forests s’World the of State The. services link the: areas related two on elaborates and expansion agricultural between Summary and conversion the and; deforestation .mangroves of conservation population enormous, years coming In capita per growing with combined, increases in result to continue will, consumption mostly, lands new on expansion agricultural of findings Preliminary. deforestation through is land agricultural that indicate study FAO an ,countries of percent 70 about in expanding in static roughly and percent 25 in declining where countries the of thirds-two In. percent 5 is area forest, expanding is land agricultural are forests third-one other the in but, decreasing where countries the of percent 60 In. expanding are forests, decreasing is land agricultural ,(percent 36 (rest the of most In. expanding .decreasing are forests coastal in populations dense from Pressure many of conversion the to led has areas numerous and, uses other to forests mangrove It. time over losses described have studies case ,continues deforestation mangrove that appears in than 1990s the in rate lower slightly a at albeit for conversion scale-large when, 1980s the took infrastructure tourism and aquaculture .America Latin and Caribbean the, Asia in place environmental require countries most, Now requests approving to prior assessments impact .uses other to conversion for sustainable and conservation, Management forests of development be must that ecosystems complex are forests As one, way sustainable and balanced a in managed the reconcile to is today challenges main the of depend who those of priorities conflicting often .services and goods of variety a for forests on countries in importance critical of are Trees rural and urban both in, cover forest low with help they, functions other Among. settings necessities basic provide, desertification combat ,crops, diversity biological protect and six of summary A. watersheds and settlements
case studies carried out in low forest cover need to be resolved when negotiations for the countries (LCCS)in 2002 describes the next commitment period under the Kyoto challenges that LFCCs face in enhancing the role Protocol begin in 2005 of planted forests and trees outside forest outlines the causes and effects of forest Institutional framework degradation; identifies common issues; and In recent years, the forest sector has undergone suggests potential ways forward fundamental changes, largely as a result of Twenty-eight percent of the worlds closed restructuring, shifts in ownership patterns and forests are mountain forests, and their wider recognition of the multiple benefits that importance for sustainable mountain forests provide. It is expected that by 2050, development was highlighted during the of the worlds forests will be International Year of Mountains-2002. The need or owned by communities and individuals. The for better knowledge about their role in amount of support that groups and institutions mountain ecosystems was also emphasized, as receive to increase their human, physical and was the need for more integrated policies and financial capacity to take advantage of emerging management practices opportunities needs to keep pace A look at forests in the mediterranean basin Recent emphasis on environmental protection, reveals that measures must be taken to decrease food security and poverty alleviation calls for ne risk of wildfire in the northwest and to new approaches to, among other things, forestry reduce deforestation and forest degradation in education. With todays changing imperatives, the southeast. curricula need to be updated and modes of In a concerted effort to combat the negati delivery modernized. In response, groups of consequences of forest fires, environment universities are establishing consortia to offer ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian issue-driven programmes to audiences around Nations(ASEAN) signed an agreement, in June the world through courses, workshops, seminars 2002, to strengthen cooperation and reinforce and conferences preventive measures in the region. Its Decentralization of authority and other implementation will complement the efforts of responsibilities in the forest sector is expected to Project Fire Fight South East Asia, a joint increase considerably in the coming years. The initiative of the World Wide Fund for Nature State of the World,'s Forests 2003 identifies (WWF)and the World Conservation Union successful efforts to date. but also notes that (IUCN), to address harmful forest fires bette resulting changes bring risk and raise new through policy and law reforms issues In order to assess impacts more In tropical forests, the unsustainable hunting accurately, studies are under way to shed light of wild animals for meat and other products on conditions that favour and hamper remains an alarming issue. Preliminary data decentralization. Various promising approaches from ongoing studies support concerns that for sharing benefits from forest goods and wildlife, especially in Africa, is being drastically services are also highlighted, as are the reduced, posing serious threats to food security, challenges associated with their implementation. The State of the Worlds Forests 2003 emphasizes in the sector are being discussed more openy forests and their ecological integrity Issues related to illegal logging and corruption the major roles of forests in the context of climate than ever before. Governments, private industry change: as a source of carbon dioxide(co,) and non-governmental organizations(N when they are destroyed or degraded; as a are continuing their efforts to curb forest crime sensitive indicator of a changing climate; as a while policy research institutions and agencies source of biofuels for the substitution of fossil are stepping up analyses of its magnitude an fuels; and as a CO, sink, when they are managed impacts. Discussions around the world are ustainably. It also notes the many issues that generating additional pressure to take action
ix cover forest low in out carried studies case the describes 2002 in) LFCCs (countries role the enhancing in face LFCCs that challenges ;forests outside trees and forests planted of forest of effects and causes the outlines and; issues common identifies; degradation .forward ways potential suggests closed s’world the of percent eight-Twenty their and, forests mountain are forests mountain sustainable for importance the during highlighted was development need The. 2002 – Mountains of Year International in role their about knowledge better for as, emphasized also was ecosystems mountain and policies integrated more for need the was .practices management basin Mediterranean the in forests at look A decrease to taken be must measures that reveals to and northwest the in wildfire of risk the in degradation forest and deforestation reduce .southeast the negative the combat to effort concerted a In environment, fires forest of consequences Asian Southeast of Association the of ministers June in, agreement an signed) ASEAN (Nations reinforce and cooperation strengthen to, 2002 Its. region the in measures preventive of efforts the complement will implementation joint a, Asia East South FireFight Project Nature for Fund Wide World the of initiative Union Conservation World the and) WWF( better fires forest harmful address to), IUCN( .reforms law and policy through hunting unsustainable the, forests tropical In products other and meat for animals wild of data Preliminary. issue alarming an remains that concerns support studies ongoing from drastically being is, Africa in especially, wildlife ,security food to threats serious posing, reduced .integrity ecological their and forests emphasizes 2003 Forests s’World the of State The climate of context the in forests of roles major the CO2 (dioxide carbon of source a as: change ( a as; degraded or destroyed are they when a as; climate changing a of indicator sensitive fossil of substitution the for biofuels of source CO2 a as and; fuels managed are they when, sink that issues many the notes also It. sustainably the for negotiations when resolved be to need Kyoto the under period commitment next .2005 in begin Protocol framework Institutional undergone has sector forest the, years recent In of result a as largely, changes fundamental and patterns ownership in shifts, restructuring that benefits multiple the of recognition wider ,2050 by that expected is It. provide forests managed be will forests s’world the of percent 40 The. individuals and communities by owned or institutions and groups that support of amount and physical, human their increase to receive emerging of advantage take to capacity financial .pace keep to needs opportunities ,protection environmental on emphasis Recent for calls alleviation poverty and security food forestry, things other among, to approaches new ,imperatives changing s’today With. education of modes and updated be to need curricula of groups, response In. modernized delivery offer to consortia establishing are universities around audiences to programmes driven-issue seminars, workshops, courses through world the .conferences and other and authority of Decentralization to expected is sector forest the in responsibilities The. years coming the in considerably increase identifies 2003 Forests s’World the of State that notes also but, date to efforts successful new raise and risk bring changes resulting more impacts assess to order In. issues light shed to way under are studies, accurately hamper and favour that conditions on approaches promising Various. decentralization and goods forest from benefits sharing for the are as, highlighted also are services .implementation their with associated challenges corruption and logging illegal to related Issues openly more discussed being are sector the in industry private, Governments. before ever than (NGOs (organizations governmental-non and ,crime forest curb to efforts their continuing are agencies and institutions research policy while and magnitude its of analyses up stepping are are world the around Discussions. impacts .action take to pressure additional generating
Government policies in other sectors can have In response to a call from the international a profound impact on sustainable forest forest community to consider national forest management, often in unexpected ways programmes as an important means for Conversely, forests can provide an entry point to addressing key issues, a group of countries, resolve issues that cross sectors, such as poverty institutions and NGOs established the National alleviation, food security, corruption and illegal Forest Programme Facility. This focuses on activities. When external interventions are likely information exchange, knowledge sharing and to have undesirable effects on forests, the forest capacity building and seeks to link forest ommunity needs to participate in problem policy and planning with broader national solving before decisions are made. This requires strategies, particularly those related to povert institutional capacity building, empowerment of alleviation civil society and dissemination of the most The World Summit on sustainable current information to foster change Development(WSSD), held in Johannesburg in August/September 2002, recognized the International forest policy dialogue significant contributions that forests make to the with the establishment of unff in october health of the planet and its inhabitants by noting 2000, attention is now turning to issues the need for greater political commitment and surrounding the implementation of sustainable better linkages with other sectors through Prog effective partnerships. WSSD identified UNFF encouraging, difficult matters are yet to be and CPF as key mechanisms to facilitate the resolved such as financing, trade, capacity implementation of sustainable forest building, transfer of environmentally sound management at the national, regional and technology and future international global levels arrangements. In April 2001, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests( CPF)was launched to SELECTED CURRENT ISSUES IN THE support UNFF and to improve cooperation FOREST SECTOR Imong members on forest issues. Less than a Forests and poverty alleviation year later, it established the informal CPF An issue that has attracted renewed attention in Network to facilitate information exchange and recent years is the potential of forests to alleviate to assist Cpf in its work related to unFF poverty, particularly in developing countries especially pertaining to the IPF/IFF proposals The contribution that they make to poor for action households is often unrecorded in national The policy debate on forests and forest statistics so that much research needs to be done iological diversity has been unfolding in the to shed light on the ways in which forests can past few years in both the Convention on help rural people avoid, mitigate or rise out of Biological Diversity( CBD)and UNFE The two poverty. Research is also needed to show where fora consider their roles complementary and forest conservation and poverty alleviation recognize the need to collaborate In light of converge as policy goals, and where they recent decisions, there is growing concern over diverge potential duplication of efforts and lack of Changes that may favour a greater role for adequate resources to support extensive work forests in alleviating poverty include programmes. decentralization of authority and other The overview of the international forest policy responsibilities; more secure forest tenure; better ialogue includes a review of developments governance; increased access to markets; new over the past few years in forest-related technologies; and a greater willingness of society conventions and in processes related to criteria to pay for environmental services. Maximizing and indicators for sustainable forest this potential requires, among other approaches, management establishing a people-centred agenda; removing
x have can sectors other in policies Government forest sustainable on impact profound a .ways unexpected in often, management to point entry an provide can forests, Conversely poverty as such, sectors cross that issues resolve illegal and corruption, security food, alleviation likely are interventions external When. activities forest the, forests on effects undesirable have to problem in participate to needs community requires This. made are decisions before solving of empowerment, building capacity institutional most the of dissemination and society civil .change foster to information current dialogue policy forest International October in UNFF of establishment the With issues to turning now is attention, 2000 sustainable of implementation the surrounding is progress While. management forest be to yet are matters difficult, encouraging capacity, trade, financing as such resolved sound environmentally of transfer, building international future and technology Collaborative the, 2001 April In. arrangements to launched was) CPF (Forests on Partnership cooperation improve to and UNFF support a than Less. issues forest on members among CPF informal the established it, later year and exchange information facilitate to Network ,UNFF to related work its in CPF assist to proposals IFF/IPF the to pertaining especially .action for forest and forests on debate policy The the in unfolding been has diversity biological on Convention the both in years few past two The. UNFF and) CBD (Diversity Biological and complementary roles their consider fora of light In. collaborate to need the recognize over concern growing is there, decisions recent of lack and efforts of duplication potential work extensive support to resources adequate .programmes policy forest international the of overview The developments of review a includes dialogue related-forest in years few past the over criteria to related processes in and conventions forest sustainable for indicators and .management international the from call a to response In forest national consider to community forest for means important an as programmes ,countries of group a, issues key addressing National the established NGOs and institutions on focuses This. Facility Programme Forest and sharing knowledge, exchange information forest link to seeks and building capacity national broader with planning and policy poverty to related those particularly, strategies .alleviation Sustainable on Summit World The in Johannesburg in held), WSSD (Development the recognized, 2002 September/August the to make forests that contributions significant noting by inhabitants its and planet the of health and commitment political greater for need the through sectors other with linkages better UNFF identified WSSD. partnerships effective the facilitate to mechanisms key as CPF and forest sustainable of implementation and regional, national the at management .levels global THE IN ISSUES CURRENT SELECTED SECTOR FOREST alleviation poverty and Forests in attention renewed attracted has that issue An alleviate to forests of potential the is years recent .countries developing in particularly, poverty poor to make they that contribution The national in unrecorded often is households done be to needs research much that so, statistics can forests which in ways the on light shed to of out rise or mitigate, avoid people rural help where show to needed also is Research. poverty alleviation poverty and conservation forest they where and, goals policy as converge .diverge for role greater a favour may that Changes include poverty alleviating in forests other and authority of decentralization better; tenure forest secure more; responsibilities new; markets to access increased; governance society of willingness greater a and; technologies Maximizing. services environmental for pay to ,approaches other among, requires potential this removing; agenda centred-people a establishing
regulatory restrictions; creating partnerships Inequities in terms of who pays for and who between poor people and forest enterprises; and benefits from changes in upland and tegrating forestry into rural development and downstream resource use can be resolved poverty reduction strategies. through intersectoral cooperation and expanded At the dawn of the new millennium, certain economic analysis. The new water economy will abling conditions present cause for optimism, help justify land ges to enhance water although poor people are unlikely to benefit supplies. By the same token, inhabitants who substantially unless they achieve a degree of improve forests or reduce downstream losses political power and influence. Those who hrough other land uses will need to be depend on natural forests stand to suffer most adequately compensated from their d appearance and de dation Thus, such people could be an important How sustainable use of forests can contribute constituency in mobilizing conservation efforts. to conserving biological diversity The design of effective programmes will In the past few decades, the values that society depend on greater understanding of the attaches to the range of forest goods and relationship between forests and rural have changed more rapidly and profoundly than livelihoods; of ways to increase income from ever before. Such trends are expected to forests; and of the significance of cross-cutting continue, if not to accelerate, and call for diverse issues and political trends. roaches to forest management. The State of the Worlds Forests 2003 explores the relationship Role of forests in the management of between the sustainable use of forests and the freshwater resources conservation of biological diversity Warnings of freshwater scarcity put forth at the Forest practices can have different impacts on end of the twentieth century are proving to be various components of biological diversit accurate, to the point that lack of water now benefiting some while harming others. Given the threatens food security human health and variability of natural systems and the lack of any livelihoods. Forests can have an important role single measure of biological diversity, in supplying freshwater, but their management developing appropriate indicators to help must complement water management monitor the effects of forest management Mountainous forested watersheds require interventions with a view to improving special attention as they are among the most prevailing practices is a major challenge. Work is mportant freshwater-yielding areas in the under way, however, to design indicators for world but are also source areas for landslides application at the national and forest torrents and floods. Although land use and management unit levels freshwater are inextricably linked, they are If local people benefit from enterprises that rely managed in concert despite clear depend on the sustainable use of forest vidence of the connection between upstream resources they can reasonably be expected to and downstream uses of land and water support the conservation of these ecosystems While not a panacea, forests can provide real and the biological diversity contained in then economic and environmental benefits that can a study of 39 sites in Asia and the Pacific best be identified within a watershed concluded that a community-based enterprise framework. Treating water as a commodity strategy can indeed lead to conservation, as long rather than a free good can result in economic as it is linked to external factors such as market incentives that translate into better access and as long as the enterprise is able to management Policies and institutions can adapt to changing circumstances. provide incentives and means for achieving For sustainable forest management to include freshwater objectives, from the local watershed efficient conservation of biological diversity, level to the river basin level both firm government action and alliances with
xi partnerships creating; restrictions regulatory and; enterprises forest and people poor between and development rural into forestry integrating .strategies reduction poverty certain, millennium new the of dawn the At ,optimism for cause present conditions enabling benefit to unlikely are people poor although of degree a achieve they unless substantially who Those. influence and power political most suffer to stand forests natural on depend .degradation and disappearance their from important an be could people such, Thus .efforts conservation mobilizing in constituency will programmes effective of design The the of understanding greater on depend rural and forests between relationship from income increase to ways of; livelihoods cutting-cross of significance the of and; forests .trends political and issues of management the in forests of Role resources freshwater the at forth put scarcity freshwater of Warnings be to proving are century twentieth the of end now water of lack that point the to, accurate and health human, security food threatens role important an have can Forests. livelihoods management their but, freshwater supplying in .management water complement must require watersheds forested Mountainous most the among are they as attention special the in areas yielding-freshwater important ,landslides for areas source also are but world and use land Although. floods and torrents are they, linked inextricably are freshwater clear despite concert in managed rarely upstream between connection the of evidence .water and land of uses downstream and real provide can forests, panacea a not While can that benefits environmental and economic watershed a within identified be best commodity a as water Treating. framework economic in result can good free a than rather better into translate that incentives can institutions and Policies. management achieving for means and incentives provide watershed local the from, objectives freshwater .level basin river the to level who and for pays who of terms in Inequities and upland in changes from benefits resolved be can use resource downstream expanded and cooperation intersectoral through will economy water new The. analysis economic water enhance to changes use land justify help who inhabitants, token same the By. supplies losses downstream reduce or forests improve be to need will uses land other through .compensated adequately contribute can forests of use sustainable How diversity biological conserving to society that values the, decades few past the In services and goods forest of range the to attaches than profoundly and rapidly more changed have to expected are trends Such. before ever diverse for call and, accelerate to not if, continue of State The. management forest to approaches relationship the explores 2003 Forests s’World the the and forests of use sustainable the between .diversity biological of conservation on impacts different have can practices Forest ,diversity biological of components various the Given. others harming while some benefiting any of lack the and systems natural of variability ,diversity biological of measure single help to indicators appropriate developing management forest of effects the monitor improving to view a with interventions is Work. challenge major a is practices prevailing for indicators design to, however, way under forest and national the at application .levels unit management that enterprises from benefit people local If forest of use sustainable the on depend to expected be reasonably can they, resources ecosystems these of conservation the support .them in contained diversity biological the and Pacific the and Asia in sites 39 of study A enterprise based-community a that concluded long as, conservation to lead indeed can strategy market as such factors external to linked is it as to able is enterprise the as long as and access .circumstances changing to adapt include to management forest sustainable For ,diversity biological of conservation efficient with alliances and action government firm both
