0980-B4
M.L.Wilkie, H. Abdel-Nour, C.M Carneiro, P. Durst, D. Kneeland, P.D. Kone, C.F.L. Prins, C. Brown and T. Frisk *
Recent developments focusing on progress towards sustainable forest management have stimulated positive changes in forest policies and management practices in many countries. However, few attempts have been made to estimate the extent of forests under sustainable management in the world as a whole. This paper provides updated information on the global status and trends in forest management planning by reporting on one selected national-level forest management indicator: the area of forest covered by a management plan. The information compiled on this indicator for the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 has been supplemented and updated with data provided to the six FAO Regional Forestry Commissions in 2002 and information obtained through a literature search and contacts with individual countries. The results indicate that 89%of forests in industrialized countries are currently being managed "according to a formal or informal management plan" or have been designated as areas where no active management should take place. National information is missing for many developing countries. Preliminary data indicate that at least 255 millionha, or about 12 percent of the total forest area of developing countries, were covered by a "formal, nationally approved forest management plan covering a period of at least five years" as of the end of 2002. Information gaps and the use of different definitions prevent a direct comparison of the situation in industrialized and developing countries and the calculation of a global total. Inconsistent interpretation of the definitions used was also noted, suggesting a need for further refinement and consistency of approaches in future reporting on this indicator. Notwithstanding the inherent difficulties in comparing the present results with those from past studies - due to differences in definitions and geographical coverage - the present study indicates that, overall, the situation as regards forest management planning has improved in most regions within the past 20 years.
Developments in forest management over the past decade have focused on progress towards sustainable forest management, an approach that balances environmental, socio-cultural and economic objectives of management in line with the "Forest Principles"1 adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992. These efforts have stimulated changes in forest policy and legislation and in forest management practices throughout the world. Public participation in forest management has increased in many countries and broader approaches to forest management, such as ecosystem management and landscape management, are becoming more widely accepted and applied. Integrated strategies for forest conservation, in which conservation of forest resources and biological diversity entails management both inside and outside forest protected areas, are increasingly being developed. (FAO 2001b)
Despite indications that there may be cause for cautious optimism, reliable information on status and trends in forest management worldwide is not readily available. Few attempts have been made in the past to estimate the extent of forests under sustainable management in the world as a whole. Given the number of countries and the wide variety of forest types, local conditions and management objectives, this is, perhaps, not surprising. Previous attempts have, as a consequence, focused on specific regions and on specific management objectives and definitions of sustainable forest management.
Past studies providing useful points of reference include the FAO Forest Resources Assessments of 1980, 1990 and 2000 (FAO 1988, 2001a, FAO/UNEP 1982 and UNECE/FAO 1985, 1992, 2000) and a study undertaken by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) in 1988 (Poore et al. 1989). A recent assessment of progress towards the ITTO Year 2000 Objective (Poore and Thang 2000) provided valuable qualitative information on the status of forest management in all ITTO producer and consumer countries.
The present study does not attempt to estimate the total area of forests under sustainable forest management worldwide, since this would entail extensive field visits to provide a reliable estimate. Rather, it includes updated information on one selected indicator: the area of forest covered by a forest management plan - irrespective of management objective.
To obtain updated information on the area of forests under management plans, the topic was included in the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA 2000). The Guidelines for assessments in tropical and subtropical countries, which were sent to all developing countries, included a table for recording the area of forest subject to a forest management plan2 according to national forest type classification and main management objective where possible. For the industrialized temperate/boreal countries, information was requested on area of "managed forest"3 broken down according to ownership status. No distinction was made among forest types or management objectives. All industrialized countries provided national level information on this indicator for FRA 2000 and this is the main source of information for these countries. Conversely, few developing countries provided such data. Additional information was sourced from national reports to the meetings of the FAO Regional Forestry Commissions in 2000 and 2002 and from other published sources. Partial data was e.g. obtained through records of forest areas certified by third parties where the existence of a management plan is one of the requirements for certification. All forest areas referred to are those estimated as part of FRA 2000 and reported in FAO 2001a.
In Africa, seven countries provided national statistics on forest area under management plans for FRA 2000. Other sources yielded national level information for an additional nine countries. Together these 16 countries represent about 41 percent of the total forest area in the region. The percentage of the forest area under a formal, nationally approved forest management plan in these countries ranged from 0.2to86percent of the total forest area in each country, as of the end of 2002, with a weighted average of 14 percent.
Partial figures were obtained from an additional seven countries. All available figures added up to 39.5million hectares of forests under management plans, equivalent to 6 percent of the total forest area of Africa. It should be noted that national information was lacking from 40 of the 56 countries, representing 59 percent of the total forest cover. Furthermore, many of the reporting countries did not include information on the area of forest in protected areas subject to a management plan.
In Asia, national level information was provided by 22 countries accounting for 49 percent of the total forest cover in the region. The percentage of the forest area under a forest management plan in these countries ranged from 23 to 100 percent4. While countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), where figures ranged from 82 to 100 percent, reported on the area subject to management with a formal or informal management plan and included forest areas where a decision had been made not to manage the area at all5, non-industrialized countries used a definition limited to forest areas subject to a formal management plan. Nine countries in South and Southeast Asia6 provided comparable, national level information on the area of forests under formal management plans with the total area equalling 167 million ha or 82 percent of the combined forest area of these countries. The total area in the region reported as being subject to forest management plans (including partial results from two countries, and with the two different definitions used kept in mind) equalled 231 million hectares or 42 percent of the total forest area in the region.
In Oceania, only three of the 20 countries and areas provided national data on the area of forest under management plans. However, these three countries (Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea) together accounted for 98 percent of the total forest area in the region. The figure for Papua New Guinea was limited to formal forest management plans, whereas the definition used for Australia and New Zealand included forest areas under informal plans and those where a decision had been made not to manage the area at all. Including the partial results from Solomon Islands, and with the use of two different definitions kept in mind, the total forest area reported as being under management plans was 167 million hectares or 84 percent of the total forest area in the region.
In Europe, 39 countries and areas provided national information on areas of forest managed, including areas subject to informal management plans and forest areas where a decision had been taken not to manage the area at all. With the exception of Italy, which reported only on areas subject to a formal, nationally approved management plan, the figures ranged from 33 to 100 percent of the total forest area in each country. Quite a large number of countries (19) reported that all their forests were managed according to the definition above, including the Russian Federation, which alone accounted for 82 percent of the total forest area in this region. Looking at the region as a whole, 98 percent of the total forest area was reported as being managed.
Thirteen of the 34 countries and areas reported in North and Central America provided national information on the area of forest under management for FRA 2000 or for the meetings of the FAO Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission in 2000 and 2002.7 The total forest cover of these countries equalled 99 percent of the combined forest area of the region. Canada and the United States, accounting for 86 percent of the total forest area in this region, included areas under informal forest management plans and areas where a decision had been taken not to manage the area at all. The remaining countries reported on areas subject to a formal management plan. Most of these excluded forest plantations from their reporting. The reported figures ranged from 2 to 74 percent of the total forest area. The total area reported as being under management plans in the region (including partial data and with the two different definitions in mind) equalled 310 million hectares or 56 percent of the total forest area.
Eleven of the 14 countries and areas reported on in South America provided information on the area of forest subject to a formal management plan. Most of them included only natural forests. The area varied between 0.2 and 25percent of the total forest area in each country. Partial data were available for two additional countries. For the region as a whole, 26 million hectares, or 3 percent, of the total forest area was reportedly subject to a formal management plan. Given that the countries that provided national level information accounted for 94percent of the combined forest area in the region, this figure may seem low. However, it should be kept in mind that many countries in this region have large expanses of forests that are located in remote areas with lack of access or with very limited human use, which may not require a management plan. It is also uncertain whether all countries included protected forest areas in the figures provided.
The detailed results are available at http://www.fao.org/forestry/sfm or from the corresponding author.
All industrialized countries reported on the area of forest managed. The results indicate that 89 percent of the forests in these countries are being managed subject to a formal or informal management plan or have been designated as areas where no active management should take place.
Disparities in replies from these countries, which are not entirely explicable by differences in national situations, suggest that there is a lack of uniformity in the way in which the definition of forest area managed was interpreted and applied - notably in the distinction between management for wood supply only and for all forest functions, and between management according to approved management plans and less formal forms of management. There was also uncertainty as to whether all countries included areas where a decision had been made not to manage them at all in the "managed" category, as was recommended by UNECE/FAO (2000). Figures may thus not be directly comparable between countries.
National figures on forest area covered by management plans were lacking from a fairly large number of developing countries, including many of the larger countries in Africa and some key countries in Asia. Nevertheless, results obtained so far indicate that of a total forest area of 2139 million hectares in non-industrialized countries, at least 255 millionhectares, or about 12 percent of the total forest area, were managed in accordance with a formal, nationally approved forest management plan with a duration of at least five years as of the end of 2002. This figure is likely to change significantly when information from additional countries becomes available.
The definition used for developing countries appeared to cause fewer difficulties in interpretation and application but precludes a direct comparison of results with those from industrialized countries. As noted above, many developing countries neglected to report on forests in protected areas, which were often among the first areas for which forest management plans were formulated, and some countries excluded plantations.
It must be stressed that the total area reported to be subject to a forest management plan is not necessarily equivalent to the total area of forest under sustainable forest management. The present study does not indicate whether the plan is appropriate, being implemented as planned or having the intended effects. Some areas reported as being covered by a management plan may thus not be under sustainable forest management. Conversely, other forest areas may well be under sustainable management without the existence of a formal management plan. Furthermore, remote forest areas with lack of access or very limited human use may not require a management plan or management activities to achieve a management objective of being safeguarded for the future.
A direct comparison with previous estimates of the forest management status in tropical and temperate/boreal regions is not possible because of differences in definitions used. However, it is worth noting that in 1980 an estimated 42 million hectares of forest in 76 tropical countries were reported to be subject to "intensive management for wood production purposes"8 (FAO 1988, FAO/UNEP 1982). Information received so far indicates that, by 2002, at least 246 million hectares9 of forests in these countries were "managed in accordance with a formal, nationally approved forest management plan of a duration of at least five years". Most, but not all, of these forests were managed for wood production purposes. A reported 5.6 million hectares of production forests in these countries had obtained forest certification by third parties by the end of 2002 (FSC 2002, MTCC 2002).
The ITTO study referred to earlier estimated that in 1988 a maximum of 1 million hectares of forest in 17 of the then 18 tropical timber producing member countries10 were being managed sustainably for wood production purposes11 (Poore et al. 1989, Poore 1990). Judging from the area under management plans and/or certified in the same 17 countries in 2002, a considerably larger area may now be under sustainable management for wood production purposes. Currently, more than 141 million hectares of forests in these countries are reportedly "managed in accordance with a formal, nationally approved forest management plan of a duration of at least five years" for a variety of management purposes and 4.2million hectares of production forests have been certified by third parties. A recent ITTO study concluded that six tropical countries (Cameroon, Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar), with a combined forest area of 206 million hectares, appeared to have established all the conditions needed to enable them to manage their forests sustainably "in the near future" (Poore and Thang 2000). To what extent these countries will be able to translate this into sustainable forest management practices at the field level remains to be seen.
The situation in temperate and boreal forests appears to have remained stable or to have improved over the past 20 years. In the early 1980s, all areas classified as closed forests in the former Soviet Union were reported as being "managed according to a forest management plan" (UNECE/FAO 1985). In 2000 the Russian Federation and most of the States of the CIS reported that all forests were being "managed according to a formal or informal plan". Nineteen countries in Europe provided information on the forest management situation in the early 1980s, 1990 and 2000 (UNECE/FAO 1985; UNECE/FAO 1992; UNECE/FAO 2000). The proportion of closed forests "managed according to a forest management plan" in 1980 was 64percent; in 1990, the proportion of forests "under active management" was 71 percent; and in 2000, 95 percent of the forest area was reported to be "managed in accordance with a formal or informal management plan" (FAO 2001a). Refer to Figure 1 below.
The percentage of the forest area under management in Canada and the United States increased from 60 and 41 percent respectively in 1990 to 71 and 56 percent respectively in 2000 (FAO 2001a).
Source: FAO 2001c based on UNECE/FAO 1985, 1992 and 2000
All industrialized countries (accounting for 45percent of the total forest area in the world, most of it in the temperate and boreal zones) reported on the area of forest managed as part of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000. The results indicate that 89 percent of the forests in these countries are being managed subject to a formal or informal management plan or have been designated as areas where no active management interventions will be undertaken. National figures on forest area covered by management plans were missing from a fairly large number of developing countries, including many of the larger countries in Africa and some key countries in Asia. Nevertheless, results obtained so far indicate that of a total forest area of 2139 million hectares in non-industrialized countries, at least 255 millionhectares, or about 12 percent of the total forest area in these countries, are currently managed in accordance with a formal, nationally approved forest management plan with a duration of at least five years. This figure is likely to change as information from additional countries becomes available e.g. as part of their reporting on criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management.
The lack of comprehensive information from developing countries and the use of two different definitions prevent a direct comparison between industrialized countries and developing countries and the calculation of a global total.
Some industrialized countries interpreted the definition used in different ways and many developing countries excluded plantations and/or forests in protected areas - often among the first areas for which management plans were formulated - in the area reported as under management. Comparison with previous studies was constrained by the use of different definitions. These problems suggest a need for further refinement and consistency of approaches in future reporting on this indicator.
It must be emphasized that the total area reported to be subject to a formal or informal forest management plan is not necessarily equivalent to the total area of forest under sustainable forest management. The present study does not indicate whether the plan is appropriate, being implemented as planned or having the intended effects. Some areas reported as being covered by a management plan may, therefore, not be sustainably managed, while other areas not currently under a formal management plan may be. Remote areas with lack of access or limited human use, as found in some of the larger forest-rich countries, may not require active management. Care should thus be taken when interpreting the results.
Notwithstanding the above difficulties and caveats, the study indicates that, overall, the situation as regards the existence of forest management plans has improved in most regions over the past 20 years.
FAO. 1988. An interim report on the state of forest resources in the developing countries. Miscellaneous paper FO:MISC/88/7. Rome.
FAO. 1998. FRA 2000. Guidelines for assessments in tropical and sub-tropical countries. Edited by H. Simons & W. Marzoli. Forest Resources Assessment Working Papers, Working Paper 2. Forest Resources Development Service, Forest Resources Division. FAO, Rome (unpublished).
FAO. 2001a. Global forest resources assessment. Main Report. Rome
FAO. 2001b. State of the World's Forests 2001. Rome
FAO. 2001c. Status and Trends in Forest Management Worldwide. 1980-2000. By M.L.Wilkie, November 2001. Forest Management Working Papers, Working Paper 6. Forest Resources Development Service, Forest Resources Division. FAO, Rome (unpublished).
FAO/UNEP.1982. Tropical forest resources. FAO Forestry Paper No. 30. Rome.
FSC. 2002. Forests Certified by FSC-AccreditedCertification Bodies. Forest Stewardship Council DOC. 5.3.3 December 2nd, 2002. http://www.fscoax.org/html/5-3-3.html Accessed in December 2002.
MTCC. 2002. Register of certificate holders. Malaysian Timber Certification Council. http://www.mtcc.com.my/documents/documents.html#register Accessed in December 2002
Poore, M.E.D. 1990. Sustainability in the tropical forest. Journal of the Institute of Wood Science, 12(2):103-106.
Poore, D., Burgess, P., Palmer, J., Rietbergen, R. & Synnott, T. 1989. No timber without trees - sustainability in the tropical forest - A study for ITTO. London, Earthscan Publications.
Poore, D. & Thang, H.C. 2000. Review of progress towards the year 2000 objective. Report presented at the 28th Session of the ITTC held on 24-30 May 2000, Lima, Peru. ITTC(XXVIII)/9/Rev.2. Yokohama, Japan, ITTO.
UNECE/FAO. 1985. The forest resources of the ECE Region (Europe, the USSR, North America). Geneva and Rome.
UNECE/FAO. 1992. The forest resources of the temperate zones. The UNECE/FAO 1990 Forest Resources Assessment. Volume 1. General Forest Resource Information. New York, UN.
UNECE/FAO. 2000. Forest resources of Europe, CIS, North America, Australia, Japan and New Zealand: contribution to the global Forest Resources Assessment 2000. Geneva Timber and Forest Study Papers No. 17. New York and Geneva, UN. www.unece.org/trade/timber/fra/pdf/contents.htm
* FORESTRY OFFICER (FOREST MANAGEMENT) FAO, VIALE DELLE TERME DI CARACALLA, 00100 ROME, ITALY. [email protected]
1 The full title is the Non-Legally Binding Authoritative Statement on Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All Types of Forest.
2 Defined in this context as: "The area of forest which is managed for various purposes (conservation, production, other) in accordance with a formal, nationally approved, management plan over a sufficiently long period (five years or more)". (FAO, 1998)
3 The term "managed" as applied to forest and other wooded land being defined as: "Forest and other wooded land which is managed in accordance with a formal or an informal plan applied regularly over a sufficiently long period (5 years or more). The management operations include the tasks to be accomplished in individual forest stands (e.g. compartments) during the given period". It was also recommended that forest areas where a decision had been made not to manage them at all should be included. (UNECE/FAO 2000) The figures used are those pertaining to forests only, excluding other wooded lands.
4 The percentage for the Philippines was above 100 percent as the area figure represented "forest lands", parts of which were not defined as forests according to the FRA 2000 definition.
5 The exception being Georgia, which did not include areas classified as "undisturbed" as being managed.
6 Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
7 Information was especially lacking from many smaller Caribbean countries with a limited extent of forests.
8 Defined as follows: "The concept of intensive management is used here in a restricted way and implies not only the strict and controlled application of harvesting regulations but also silvicultural treatments and protection against fires and diseases." (FAO 1988, FAO/UNEP 1982)
9 National data missing from some countries.
10 Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Liberia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago.
11 Defined in this study as follows: "Management should be practised on an operational rather than experimental scale and should include the essential tools of management (objectives, felling cycles, working plans, yield control and prediction, sample plots, protection, logging concessions, short-term forest licences, roads, boundaries, costings, annual records and the organization of silvicultural work). Management might be at any level of intensity provided that objectives were clearly specified so that one could assess whether they were being attained; and that there was proven performance (indications that the next crop would be satisfactory and that sufficient natural regeneration exists for the following crop)".