The aims of this workshop are to: (1) establish
the network/working group of statistical correspondents in the 13 member countries
of the EC-FAO Partnership Programme; (2) provide training on standardized
international definitions and tabular formats for completing the Joint Forest
Sector Questionnaire (JFSQ); (3) review current forest product statistics
at national and regional levels; (4) identify the main weaknesses and constraints
concerning forest statistics and to develop a set of alternative frameworks
for improving national statistical processes; (5) encourage information sharing
among countries and with international organizations.
This paper describes and reinforces the role and the
responsibilities of a national correspondent within and outside the correspondent’s
country as well as some daily aspects of a forestry statistical office and
its contribution to encouraging sustainable forest management.
The objective of a forestry statistical office
The main objective of a forestry statistical office
is to provide statistics that improve the effectiveness of decision-making. This can be achieved by (1) collecting data
of the highest quality and of the most use; (2) collecting data in a timely
and cost-effective manner; (3) producing the most appropriate and accessible
data products; (4) Teaching the benefits and methods of using statistical
information to potential data users to create more effective decision-makers.
The key component of a forestry statistical office is the organization of the
statistical information cycle, which can be structured in the following steps:
As soon as the need for a decision, action, policy, or programme is perceived:
any constraints and the information needed to implement it are defined
the information collection operation is designed, promoted, conducted and the
data are collected
the information gathered is processed
the information products are produced and released
the information products are promoted and disseminated to the user
using the knowledge gained from the information products, the user makes the
decision or initiates the action, policy or programme
based on information-use experience, new information needs are identified or
feedback is supplied on how to improve the existing information
For our type of data, we have annual cycles. This approach has to be repeated every time in order to keep statistical applications up to date and to respond to the needs of data consumers.
There is a need to build understanding and support
for statistical work. Some suggestions are:
Despite the data being in the form the consumer expects and wants, and being
in close proximity to the consumer’s required location, a conflict of interests
between the data producer and data consumer will always occur.
These dynamics generate constraints that sometimes
provide good opportunities to move forward. The solutions to constraints can
be integrated in the statistical information cycle with the support of the
forestry information centre, with appropriate hardware, software and human
resources.
As reported earlier, one of the main objectives of a forestry
statistical office is collecting data in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Figure 1. The relation between uncertainty and
the cost of statistics
The relation between uncertainty and the cost of statistics
(Figure 1) is reciprocal, but not linked linearly. Costs grow linearly, but
uncertainty decreases linearly; however zero is never reached. For national
correspondents, this leads to the issue of where the ideal point in the uncertainty curve is
found.
We should assume that in the individual decision-making process, facts and statistics
are not the only ingredients that are necessary to reach an effective
decision. In addition, other resources and skills are required such as knowledge
of the problems and specific experience, analysis and judgment
to reach decisions, possibly based on a consensus at local, national,
regional and global levels.
The kinds of products that a forestry statistical office should deliver are statistical,
methodological, analytical and geographic. These should be disseminated to
different users using different media such as publications, microfiche, computer
files, CD-ROMs, online databases, video tapes and the Internet.
Each has advantages and disadvantages according to
the type of user (general public, libraries, universities, government agencies,
private companies, local agencies, and freelance consultants). In addition a demand for the “goods” produced
has to be created by promoting and explaining the benefits of using statistics
and the benefits of planning. These benefits are:
Confidence and priority for sector statistics comes
when leaders demand accurate information and use it. The rewards of data dissemination
are diverse. There is a variety of improvements, which are difficult to quantify;
however statistics definitely create a form of culture that improves:
The heart of any institution is data.
Elaborated, this means:
With an integrated applications system, complete control is achieved for data access, management, analysis and presentation (see Figure 2). This is applicable to any user (new or old) and any environment (from the data centre to the desktop).
These four fundamental data-driven tasks, common to all applications, are the
foundation of an integrated information system.
Figure 2. The fundamental data-driven
tasks
The work of FAO on forestry statistics is
an important contribution to international approaches to improving the information
on forests and the contribution of the forestry sector to national and rural
economies. Adequate information is essential for a clear understanding
of the problems and the formulation of sound policies and programmes
which will ensure the conservation of forests and secure the benefits
of their products and services for people internationally.