116 STATE OF THE WORLD'S FORESTS 2001 achieving sustainable forest management and for Sustainability of the Amazon Forest; the Dry- poverty alleviation. The audience for the Zone Africa Process: the Near east Process: the knowledge generated by PROFOR inchudes the Lepaterique Process of Central America; the programme's national partners, donor agencies, Regional Initiative for Dry Forests in Asia; and governments, non-governmental and community. ATOs identification and testing of criteria and based organizations, researchers and the private indicators for sustainable forest management in its sector. The future direction to be taken by member countries. b While each process differs ROFOR is currently under discussion-the somewhat in specific content or structure, they are current situation is reported on the UNDP all conceptually similar in objective and approach Web site 15 Criteria of all the international, regional and national processes and initiatives centre around Criteria and indicators for sustainable forest seven globally agreed elements of criteria for Over the past several years, initiatives implication of this is that there is potential for undertaken by governments and other onvergence or mutual recognition, so that over institutions, NGOs and the private sector to time a common global approach may be used to develop and implement criteria and indicators assess sustainable forest managemer for sustainable forest management have helped While initially focusing on the assessment of to develop a better and a comr sustainability at the national level, most of these understanding of what is meant by sustainable processes have subsequently developed criteri forest management. Criteria and indicators were and indicators to be adapted and applied by developed in response to countries' demands for participating countries at the level of the forest practical ways of assessing and monitoring management unit. The national-level indicators sustainable forest management at the national contribute mainly to the development and regular level and as benchmarks to measure and report updating of policy instruments (laws, policie progress towards sustainability. regulations), while the indicators at the The criteria define the essential elements or management unit level help to improve forest les against which sustainability is judged, and the indicators help policy-makers and forest established national goals. There are now some managers monitor the effects of forest known cases of the use of criteria and indicators management over time. Currently, about 150 for the forest management unit by industry and countries are participating in nine major criteria forest communities (in both tropical and non- and indicator processes, although the degree to tropical countries) to assess and monitor their which the criteria and indicators are used varies forest management activities. considerably from country to country. The Criteria and indicators, as neutral assessment initiatives include ITTO's criteria for sustainable tools, and the certification of forest products, as a management of tropical forests; the Pan-European market-based instrument to encourage improved Process on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable forest management, represent different approaches Forest Management(the"Helsinki Process"); the to achieving a similar objective. In certain Montreal process on criteria and Indicators fo countries they have been closely linked. For the Conservation and Sustainable Management of example, some countries have used intermational Temperate and Boreal Forests Outside of Europe; criteria and indicators(e.g. those of Irro, the the Tarapoto Proposal for Criteria and Indicators 16Additionalinformationisavailableatwww.fao.org/ Iwww.undp.org/seed/forest. orestry/FODA/Infonote/en/T-CRIT-estm116 STATE OF THE WORLD’S FORESTS 2001 achieving sustainable forest management and poverty alleviation. The audience for the knowledge generated by PROFOR includes the programme’s national partners, donor agencies, governments, non-governmental and community￾based organizations, researchers and the private sector. The future direction to be taken by PROFOR is currently under discussion – the current situation is reported on the UNDP Web site.15 Criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management Over the past several years, initiatives undertaken by governments and other institutions, NGOs and the private sector to develop and implement criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management have helped to develop a better and a common understanding of what is meant by sustainable forest management. Criteria and indicators were developed in response to countries’ demands for practical ways of assessing and monitoring sustainable forest management at the national level and as benchmarks to measure and report progress towards sustainability. The criteria define the essential elements or principles against which sustainability is judged, and the indicators help policy-makers and forest managers monitor the effects of forest management over time. Currently, about 150 countries are participating in nine major criteria and indicator processes, although the degree to which the criteria and indicators are used varies considerably from country to country. The initiatives include ITTO’s criteria for sustainable management of tropical forests; the Pan-European Process on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management (the “Helsinki Process”); the Montreal Process on Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests Outside of Europe; the Tarapoto Proposal for Criteria and Indicators for Sustainability of the Amazon Forest; the Dry￾Zone Africa Process; the Near East Process; the Lepaterique Process of Central America; the Regional Initiative for Dry Forests in Asia; and ATO’s identification and testing of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management in its member countries.16 While each process differs somewhat in specific content or structure, they are all conceptually similar in objective and approach. Criteria of all the international, regional and national processes and initiatives centre around seven globally agreed elements of criteria for sustainable forest management. An important implication of this is that there is potential for convergence or mutual recognition, so that over time a common global approach may be used to assess sustainable forest management. While initially focusing on the assessment of sustainability at the national level, most of these processes have subsequently developed criteria and indicators to be adapted and applied by participating countries at the level of the forest management unit. The national-level indicators contribute mainly to the development and regular updating of policy instruments (laws, policies, regulations), while the indicators at the management unit level help to improve forest management so as to contribute to meeting established national goals. There are now some known cases of the use of criteria and indicators for the forest management unit by industry and forest communities (in both tropical and non￾tropical countries) to assess and monitor their forest management activities. Criteria and indicators, as neutral assessment tools, and the certification of forest products, as a market-based instrument to encourage improved forest management, represent different approaches to achieving a similar objective. In certain countries they have been closely linked. For example, some countries have used international criteria and indicators (e.g. those of ITTO, the 15 www.undp.org/seed/forest. 16 Additional information is available at: www.fao.org/ forestry/FODA/Infonote/en/T-CRIT-e.stm