Regional realities and challenges in sustainable forest management: Europe

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REGIONAL REALITIES AND CHALLENGES IN SUSTAINABLE
FOREST MANAGEMENT COOPERATIVE APPROACHES AND
ACTIVITIES IN EUROPE
MCPFE - Peter MayerUNECE/FAO - Kit PrinsPEBLDS
- Ivonne Higuero
UNECE
FAO
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Contents of the presentation

• Background
• Forest co-operation in Europe
• Main actors and activities
• Collaborative approaches
• Regional contribution to UNFF
• Lessons learned

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Background

• Forests cover 47 of land area
• Forest area increases about 0.1 per year
• Most forests are semi-natural, large scale
  natural forests only in Russia
• One fifth of trees damaged by defoliation
• More increment than fellings
• 9 million private forest owners,
• Public holdings predominate in Eastern European
  countries

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Forest co-operation in Europe the actors

• Ministerial Conference on Protection of Forests
  in Europe (MCPFE)
• UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)/Food
  and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• Environment for Europe/Pan-European Biological
  and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS)
• Many other organisations and stakeholders

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Ministerial Conference on the Protection of
Forests in Europe

• Regional high level forum to address common
  challenges and develop ministerial commitments
• Participatory approach
• Link to related global and regional processes and
  initiatives

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Fourth Ministerial Conference, Vienna, April 2003

• Vienna Declaration
• Resolutions on
• Cross-sectoral cooperation and nfps
• Economic viability of SFM
• Social and cultural dimensions
• Forest biological diversity
• Forests and climate change

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UNECE/FAO

• Partnership between regional (multi-sector)
  economic commission and global specialised agency
• Intergovernmental structure committees,
  subsidiary bodies, teams of specialists
• Focus on information, analysis, policy forum,
  technical cooperation

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UNECE/FAO work areas

• Markets and statistics
• Forest resource assessment
• Sector outlook studies
• Forest technology, management and training (with
  ILO)
• Policy and cross-sectoral issues

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Environment for Europe/PEBLDS

• Ministerial process Environment for Europe
• Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity
  Strategy coordinating framework for biodiversity
• Regional implementation of Convention on
  Biological Diversity
• UNEP and Council of Europe provide joint
  secretariat

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Environment for Europe/PEBLDS

• Fifth Environment for Europe Ministerial
  Conference, Kiev, May 2003
• Adoption of Kiev Biodiversity Resolution by 55
  European Ministers and Heads of delegation which
  includes a target on forest biodiversity
• Adoption of the Framework for Cooperation between
  the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of
  Forests in Europe and the EfE/PEBLDS

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Collaborative approaches

• Joint activities in respective work programme of
  each actor
• Joint MCPFE/PEBLDS Biodiversity Work Programme
  and Framework for Co-operation
• Mutual participation in meetings and close
  communication between secretariats
• Joint implementation of actions

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Regional contribution to UNFF and the global
dialogue

• Regional dimension recognised at WSSD and in
  other initiatives
• Role of regional cooperation
• Translate/implement global commitments (e.g.
  IPF/IFF, UNFF, CBD) at regional level
• Contribute to global commitments by sharing
  experience

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Regional contribution to themes of UNFF3

• Economic aspects of forests
• Forest health and productivity
• Maintaining forest cover to meet present and
  future needs
• National forest programmes
• Monitoring, assessment and reporting

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Economic aspects

• Vienna Resolution 2 Enhancing economic viability
  of SFM in Europe high level commitments
• UNECE/FAO, with partners, provides data, monitors
  markets, identifies long term supply/demand
  outlook

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Forest health and productivity

• ICP Forest, under ECE Convention on Long Range
  Transboundary Air Pollution, with EU, monitors
  and analyses (major contribution to UNFF SG note)
• Continuing policy commitment at MCPFE, in
  different resolutions
• Continuing regional work on forest fires and
  mountain forests

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Maintaining forest cover to meet present and
future needs

• European forest sector outlook studies since 1952
  have monitored trends and identified policy
  issues at regional level. EFSOS to be published
  2003
• Conservation of biodiversity through joint work
  programme between MCPFE and PEBLDS endorsed by
  both ministers for forests and environment
• Continuation of work on forest biodiversity
  through Framework for Co-operation between MCPFE
  and PEBLDS

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National forest programmes

• MCPFE Approach to National Forest Programmes in
  Europe adopted by ministers at the Vienna
  Conference
• Importance of cross-sectoral approach recognised
  by ministers at Vienna Conference challenge of
  forest sector to communicate with other relevant
  sectors in a pro-active way
• Kiev Biodiversity Resolution target to develop
  national forest programmes according to the MCPFE
  Approach

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Monitoring, assessment and reporting

• MCPFE - Pan-European Criteria and Indicators for
  Sustainable Forest Management adopted in 1998
• Pan-European indicators now improved in the light
  of experience
• Used twice as basis for data collection (TBFRA),
  in close consultation with data providers
• Regional forest resource, trade and markets data
  collected and validated regionally, input to
  global data sets

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Lessons learned

• Make best use of synergies
• Stakeholder participation and transparency
  important
• Permanent cooperation ensures continuity in
  forest policy development and implementation
• International cooperation encourages better
  internal national coordination