PART III INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE AND INITIATIVES RELATED TO FORESTS 117 Pan-European Process and the Montreal Process) estate in many countries, a greater degree of as the basis or starting point for their certification consultation with local communities and an ncouraging trend in many countries to produce From the outset various international more value-added exports. Nevertheless, the institutions, including FAO, UNEP and ITTO, have review found that a lack of trained personnel and collaborated with these criteria and indicators finance still impedes progress in the forest sector processes and initiatives, and have helped promote and that even the best-performing countries have compatibility among them. IUFRO and the Center not yet fully achieved the objective for International Forestry Research(CIFOR) have In a statement issued in may 2000, IttO also helped countries review the scientific basis affirmed its full commitment to"moving as for action. The most recent effort was the rapidly as possible towards achieving exports of convening of the Expert Consultation on Criteria tropical timber and timber products from and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management sustainably managed sources". It has established a by FAO, in collaboration with UNEP, ITTO set of priority actions that the Organization and CIFOR and IUFRO, in support of ongoing its members must take to continue progressing processes. The meeting, held in Rome in towards sustainable forest management, and it is November 2000, provided a forum for discussing reviewing the role of the Year 2000 Objective in progress, future plans and options for further ncouraging the timely implementation of these enhancing comparability among processes at the actions international level. Model and demonstration forests The Year 2000 Objective Over the past few years, there has been an ITTo adopted the Year 2000 Objective in 1991 as increase in the number of model and the strategy by which all of its member countries demonstration forest initiatives designed to would progress towards achieving trade in demonstrate sustainable forest management in tropical timber from sustainably managed forests tice and to promote the implementation of by the year 2000. The baseline for assessing national forest programmes in the field. progress was a 1988 ITTO report, which found The model forest concept was developed in that fewer than 1 million ha of tropical rain forest Canada in the early 1990s. The concept, which is were under "sustainable"forest management for applicable to all types of forests, promotes the timber production. building of partnerships of stakeholders for the ItTo has been placing considerable emphasis on development, testing, implementation and assessing the extent to which the objective has been demonstration of innovative, sustainable achieved, and on identifying how to assist approaches to the management of forests fo countries in moving more rapidly towards the goal. A recent review (Tto, 2000b) showed that st Principles. Model forests are generally member countries have come a long way towards relatively large in size(existing sites range from lieving the Year 2000 Objective, although much 60 000 to 2.7 million ha) and forestry is the main, more needs to be done. The review, undertaken in but not necessarily the only, land use. Important early 2000, found"a very considerable activities in model forests include defining improvement over the situation recorded in 1988... sustainable forest management in locally relevant land] it is possible to affirm that significant terms, developing and monitoring local-level indicators to measure progress towards sustainable legislative reform in almost all producer countries forest management, sharing information and in all three continents". Other improvements experiences through demonstrations and include the establishment of a permanent forest working, and establishing active feedbackPART III INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE AND INITIATIVES RELATED TO FORESTS 117 Pan-European Process and the Montreal Process) as the basis or starting point for their certification activities. From the outset, various international institutions, including FAO, UNEP and ITTO, have collaborated with these criteria and indicators processes and initiatives, and have helped promote compatibility among them. IUFRO and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) have also helped countries review the scientific basis for action. The most recent effort was the convening of the Expert Consultation on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management by FAO, in collaboration with UNEP, ITTO, CIFOR and IUFRO, in support of ongoing processes. The meeting, held in Rome in November 2000, provided a forum for discussing progress, future plans and options for further enhancing comparability among processes at the international level. The Year 2000 Objective ITTO adopted the Year 2000 Objective in 1991 as the strategy by which all of its member countries would progress towards achieving trade in tropical timber from sustainably managed forests by the year 2000. The baseline for assessing progress was a 1988 ITTO report, which found that fewer than 1 million ha of tropical rain forest were under “sustainable” forest management for timber production. ITTO has been placing considerable emphasis on assessing the extent to which the objective has been achieved, and on identifying how to assist countries in moving more rapidly towards the goal. A recent review (ITTO, 2000b) showed that member countries have come a long way towards achieving the Year 2000 Objective, although much more needs to be done. The review, undertaken in early 2000, found “a very considerable improvement over the situation recorded in 1988 … [and] it is possible to affirm that significant improvement has been made in policy and legislative reform in almost all producer countries in all three continents”. Other improvements include the establishment of a permanent forest estate in many countries, a greater degree of consultation with local communities and an encouraging trend in many countries to produce more value-added exports. Nevertheless, the review found that a lack of trained personnel and finance still impedes progress in the forest sector and that even the best-performing countries have not yet fully achieved the objective. In a statement issued in May 2000, ITTO affirmed its full commitment to “moving as rapidly as possible towards achieving exports of tropical timber and timber products from sustainably managed sources”. It has established a set of priority actions that the Organization and its members must take to continue progressing towards sustainable forest management, and it is reviewing the role of the Year 2000 Objective in encouraging the timely implementation of these actions. Model and demonstration forests Over the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of model and demonstration forest initiatives designed to demonstrate sustainable forest management in practice and to promote the implementation of national forest programmes in the field. The model forest concept was developed in Canada in the early 1990s. The concept, which is applicable to all types of forests, promotes the building of partnerships of stakeholders for the development, testing, implementation and demonstration of innovative, sustainable approaches to the management of forests for a range of benefits in accordance with UNCED’s Forest Principles. Model forests are generally relatively large in size (existing sites range from 60 000 to 2.7 million ha) and forestry is the main, but not necessarily the only, land use. Important activities in model forests include defining sustainable forest management in locally relevant terms, developing and monitoring local-level indicators to measure progress towards sustainable forest management, sharing information and experiences through demonstrations and networking, and establishing active feedback