66. The Commission wished to alert COFO to several of its recommendations that may have implications for other regions and for FAO’s work globally. Among these were recommendations that FAO initiate, continue or expand its support in the following areas, in collaboration with member countries and other organisations, as appropriate:
forest protection, and management of fire, insect, disease and invasive species risks;
development and implementation of national codes of practice for forest harvesting, and sharing of information on reduced impact logging and improved forest management practices;
rehabilitation of degraded land, combating desertification, and development of plantations;
promotion of greater understanding of the linkages between forests and water, and support for effective watershed management;
development and implementation of national forest programmes;
decentralisation and devolution of forest management, and related institutional reform required for successful devolution;
restructuring of forest industries;
criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management and forest certification;
combating illegal activities in the forestry sector and raising awareness of the economic, social and environmental costs of illegal logging and illegal trade of forest products;
improved collection and analysis of information and data for decision making; and
enhancement of capacity in the forestry sector.
67. The Commission wished to highlight to COFO the need to raise awareness within the forestry community of the serious threats from invasive species and the significant benefits to be gained from increased international collaboration in assessing the risks from invasive species, monitoring and surveillance, interdiction, incursion planning, eradication and pest management.
68. The Commission wished to inform COFO of the interesting results of the “Study on the Impact of Incentives on the Development of Forest Plantation Resources in the Asia-Pacific Region,” carried out within the framework of APFC co-operation. Recognising that the results of the study may be valuable to countries outside the region, the Commission wished to inform COFO that it had requested FAO to widely disseminate the results of the study.
69. The Commission wished to highlight to COFO the critical need for forestry professionals to be more involved in discussions related to formulating and implementing international conventions and agreements related to forests, and suggested that FAO should provide information and support toward this objective.
70. The Commission wanted to recommend to COFO that FAO work to build capacity within countries to improve understanding about international and regional instruments and agreements related to forests and enhance co-ordination within countries for more effective participation.
71. Highlighting the need for increased co-ordination at regional levels to ensure more effective involvement of member countries and organisations in the various international fora, processes and conventions dealing with forestry, the Commission wished to suggest to COFO that FAO should strengthen the role of regional forestry commissions in co-ordinating regional inputs to international fora and efforts to effectively implement actions agreed upon by those fora.
72. The Commission wished to highlight to COFO the heavy reporting burden placed on member countries by the multitude of international conventions, agreements, processes and fora. It suggested that COFO consider methods by which FAO could work with other international organisations, member countries and processes to streamline, simplify and co-ordinate reporting requests.
73. The Commission appreciated the opportunity provided by the nineteenth session to discuss timely issues such as illegal logging and the “splintering of forestry” in a constructive and non-threatening manner. It wished to encourage other regional forestry commissions and COFO to address such issues directly and openly to maximise the relevance of their deliberations.
74. The Commission considered that convening in-session seminars and discussions on selected topics were effective methods for enhancing participation and improving the exchange of views and information. It suggested bringing these approaches to the attention of other regional forestry commissions and COFO.
75. The Commission wished to draw to the attention of COFO the need for increased financial support to developing countries to advance sustainable forest management and suggested that FAO work with donor organisations to increase such support.
