Countries participating in CICI 2003 have identified a range of issues. Participants at CICI 2003 recommended that national and international institutions carry out research on criteria and indicators that are difficult to assess, including those listed in table 12. A need for a global or regional consensus on the harmonization of specific definitions related to C&I for SFM arises mainly if international data collection efforts are undertaken for common reporting by countries on these C&Is.
Table 12: Issues related to terms, definitions and classifications identified by CICI 2003 as well as C&I processes that already report on SFM using C&I (MCPFE, Montreal process, ITTO)
CICI 2003 |
- biological diversity - non-timber forest products - non-market values - soil and water conservation - carbon sequestration - social and cultural aspects and values |
MCPFE |
- forest type classification - cultural and spiritual values - non-wood forest products and related values - non-market values - forest management - landscape level patterns - expenditure for forest services |
Montreal process |
- biodiversity - non-timber forest products - soil and water conservation - carbon sequestration - total forest employment |
ITTO |
- biodiversity indicators - soil and water indicators - non-wood forest products indicators - socio-economic indicators - imprecision in subjective terms (i.e. “light”, “heavy”, etc.) |
Those C&I processes that have undertaken efforts to common regional reporting have usually had to overcome a longer list of issues related to the common use of concepts, terms, definitions and classifications. Chapter 5 has briefly outlined the outcomes of the recent progress made. Table 12 shows those areas that were identified by MCPFE, the countries collaborating in the Montreal process and ITTO, i.e. those C&I processes that already gained experience in the practical application of C&I as a basis for SFM-related reporting.
Those processes not yet reporting on their C&I have undoubtedly made progress in harmonizing terms and definitions by elaborating common guidelines and should be invited to identify areas and issues most in need of clarification and harmonization.
The process related to the FRA 2005 update has so far identified a list of sixteen tables, for 15 of which information is sought by countries (see chapter 5.1.2). The national correspondents training held by FAO in November 2003 has revealed valuable insight into the degree of a common understanding of concepts, terms and definitions in relation to the topics addressed by these 16 tables. It also helped to clarify which areas are in need of further work, and potential areas of priority of work. A subjective list is given in table 13.
Table 13: Preliminary overview of main issues and areas for possible work on harmonization of terms, definitions and classifications related to the 16 global reporting tables for the FRA 2005 update
Table |
Title |
Examples of open issues related to terms, classifications and definitions |
T1 |
Extent of forests and other wooded land |
Forest use vs. biophysical definition, “other land with tree cover”, trees outside forests |
T2 |
Ownership |
|
T3 |
Designation |
Predominant functions or management regimes related to forests, including different protection regimes |
T4 |
Characteristics |
"Naturalness” or related concepts and terms including “plantations”, “semi-natural”, “assisted planting”, “native”, “introduced”, |
T5 |
Growing stock |
|
T6 |
Forest biomass |
|
T7 |
Forest carbon |
|
T8 |
Disturbances |
Different forms of disturbances affecting forest health and vitality |
T9 |
Forest tree species |
|
T10 |
Forest composition |
|
T11 |
Wood removal |
|
T12 |
Value of wood removal |
|
T13 |
NWFP removal |
|
T14 |
Value of NWFP removal |
Classification systems and valuation methods for non-wood goods and services |
T15 |
Sites for social function |
Sites for social functions of forests - terms to use, definitions and classifications fully unclear, dropped for the FRA 2005 update |
T16 |
Employment |
Terms, classification systems and definitions for employment categories |
In addition to the issue areas listed in Table 13, to date several of the definitions proposed in the FAO document “Global Forest Resources Assessment Update 2005 – FRA 2005 – Draft Terms and Definitions”, FAO, Rome 2003, are not widely agreed or continue to create confusion or inconsistencies. Thus, the need for a process of further refining and agreeing on common classifications, terms and definitions is also evident from this draft document. It is therefore advisable to jointly analyze the set of definitions proposed in this document, identifying those that are solidly established and those that are disputed and prioritize areas of work on harmonization.
A further area for work concerns the harmonization of data collection formats and the development of data collection protocols as well as protocols for the adjustment of national data to a common agreed set of definitions and to a common reference year. In this context, the recommendations made at Kotka III in 1996 are still fully valid (see table 14).
On a longer time horizon, beyond 2005, further work on the harmonization and/or common agreement on the refinement and more detailed specification of the information sought for FRA 2010, based on the seven common thematic areas and the 16 global reporting tables identified in 2003, seems useful.
