PART II SELECTED CURRENT ISSUES IN THE FOREST SECTOR 93 the use of economic incentives diversity within a reasonable length of time, arrangements, land exchange and other obtaining the necessary data may require mechanisms to promote conservation of substantial investment in monitoring programmes. In addition, many of the greatest the development of administrative and threats to biological diversity are caused by technical capacities which will encourage local policy measures that may be instituted from a stakeholders. universities, research institutions distance so that the effects are hard to measur and public agencies to harmonize efforts Despite such challenges, several organizations A programme for sustainable forest ive developed criteria and indicators that management that encompasses conservation of generally fit within a pressure-state-respon biological diversity needs to include both firm framework, where pressure is the cause of government action and alliances with biological diversity loss, state is the current stakeholders. Inasmuch as national governments status of biological diversity and response is the cannot delegate their role as guarantors of the set of measures taken to address the pressure conservation of their countries' natural heritage, These criteria and indicators are designed to be authorities need to build the capacity to fulfil applied by resource managers at the forest their regulat nagement duties management unit level, where the responsibility responsibilities. However, civil society can share lies for their implementation. Each indicator certain rights nee management of living natural resources, as long relevant, relating to an explicit objective as the ground is carefully prepared and the rights representative, covering the most important and responsibilities are adequately defined aspects of sustainability: Given the interests of NGOs, industry accurate, correctly reflecting the extent to indigenous people and local communities who ch the objective is met; live within or close to protected areas and other feasible in terms of data availability and forested regions, alliances should be created that collection costs, enable each stakeholder to have a role according credible, analytically sound and replicable to clear government policies and laws using standardized measurements sensitive, showing trends over time; CRITERIA AND INDICATORS FOR responsive, reflecting changes in conditions CONSERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL and differences among places and groups of DIVERSITY people(Prescott-Allen, 1998) In view of the great variability of natural systems Indicators appropriate for assessing and the lack of any single measure of biological conservation of biological diversity as part of diversity, developing appropriate criteria and sustainable forest management might include indicators to guide management interventions is the area of forest under sustainable a challenging task. This variability also makes it management regimes; mine the percentage of the human population in management measure on biological diversity and around the forest that is involved in Any forest management action is likely to have a sustainable production activities; range of effects on the vario population trends for certain designated biological diversity, benefiting some while species of plant or anima damaging others. In addition, it is often difficult the extent to which fragmentation remains to show a correlation between changes in within the limits of natural variation different components, even in those rare cases in the influence of invasive alien species which changes can be detected within relatively One comprehensive set of criteria and indicators short time frames. Even where it is possible to has been prepared by the Center for International demonstrate specific changes in biological Forestry Research(CIFOR, 1999)93 SECTOR FOREST THE IN ISSUES CURRENT SELECTED II PART tax, incentives economic of use the• other and exchange land, arrangements of conservation promote to mechanisms ;diversity biological and administrative of development the• local encourage will which capacities technical institutions research, universities, stakeholders .efforts harmonize to agencies public and forest sustainable for programme A of conservation encompasses that management firm both include to needs diversity biological with alliances and action government governments national as Inasmuch. stakeholders the of guarantors as role their delegate cannot ,heritage natural’ countries their of conservation fulfil to capacity the build to need authorities and duties management and regulatory their share can society civil, However. responsibilities the regarding responsibilities and rights certain long as, resources natural living of management rights the and prepared carefully is ground the as .defined adequately are responsibilities and ,industry, NGOs of interests the Given who communities local and people indigenous other and areas protected to close or within live that created be should alliances, regions forested according role a have to stakeholder each enable .laws and policies government clear to FOR INDICATORS AND CRITERIA BIOLOGICAL OF CONSERVATION DIVERSITY systems natural of variability great the of view In biological of measure single any of lack the and and criteria appropriate developing, diversity is interventions management guide to indicators it makes also variability This. task challenging a any of impact specific the determine to hard .diversity biological on measure management a have to likely is action management forest Any of components various the on effects of range while some benefiting, diversity biological difficult often is it, addition In. others damaging in changes between correlation a show to in cases rare those in even, components different relatively within detected be can changes which to possible is it where Even. frames time short biological in changes specific demonstrate ,time of length reasonable a within diversity require may data necessary the obtaining monitoring in investment substantial greatest the of many, addition In. programmes by caused are diversity biological to threats a from instituted be may that measures policy .measure to hard are effects the that so, distance organizations several, challenges such Despite that indicators and criteria developed have response–state–pressure a within fit generally of cause the is pressure where, framework current the is state, loss diversity biological the is response and diversity biological of status .pressure the address to taken measures of set be to designed are indicators and criteria These forest the at managers resource by applied responsibility the where, level unit management indicator Each. implementation their for lies :be to needs ;objective explicit an to relating, relevant• important most the covering, representative• ;sustainability of aspects to extent the reflecting correctly, accurate• ;met is objective the which and availability data of terms in feasible• ;costs collection replicable and sound analytically, credible• ;measurements standardized using ;time over trends showing, sensitive• conditions in changes reflecting, responsive• of groups and places among differences and .(1998, Allen-Prescott (people assessing for appropriate Indicators of part as diversity biological of conservation :include might management forest sustainable sustainable under forest of area the• ;regimes management in population human the of percentage the• in involved is that forest the around and ;activities production sustainable designated certain for trends population• ;animal or plant of species remains fragmentation which to extent the• ;variation natural of limits the within .species alien invasive of influence the• indicators and criteria of set comprehensive One International for Center the by prepared been has .(1999, CIFOR (Research Forestry