Introduction

Achieving sustainable management of forests and tree resources and enhancing the supply of goods and services that forests provide are the goals of most national forest policies in the Asia-Pacific region. The growing demand for a range of goods and services by different stakeholders has increased the complexity of sustainable forest management, especially if varying demands are conflicting. With many economies liberalising, the volume, value and direction of trade, including that in forest products, are undergoing significant changes. Resolving conflicts between the different demands now and in the future requires substantial improvement in the systems for collecting and analysing data and sharing information. Yet capacities for providing relevant and up-to-date information remain weak in most countries. This study discusses some of the issues relating to the current status of data collection, processing and dissemination of information in the context of implementing sustainable forest management in the Asia-Pacific region.