| FO: NAFC/2000/6
|
| FO: NAFC/2000/6
|
NORTH AMERICAN FOREST COMMISSION |
Item 4 of the Provisional Agenda |
TWENTIETH SESSION |
St. Andrews, New Brunswick,
Canada,
|
REVIEW OF FAO REGULAR AND FIELD PROGRAMMES, INCLUDING FOLLOW-UP TO THE REQUESTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE NINETEENTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION |
Secretariat Note |
1. This note is to inform the Commission about FAO forestry activities of interest to the region, funded under the Regular Programme budget and FAO-executed projects funded through UNDP and donor trust funds in 1998-99. Annex A provides references to specific requests and recommendations of the nineteenth session of the Commission.
2. FAO continued to be closely involved in international initiatives on development and implementation of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management, including participation in meetings of the "Montreal Process", which covers boreal and temperate zone forests outside Europe (including Canada, Mexico and the United States of America).
3. Links were forged between data collection for the Montreal Process and the Global Forest Resources Assessment Programme (FRA), with special reference to FRA 2000 and its Temperate and Boreal Zone component.
4. Support was continued to the adoption and implementation of the concept of model forests through a series of international workshops on Model Forests for Field Level Application of Sustainable Forest Management, organized by Japan in collaboration with FAO and the International Model Forest Network Secretariat (IMFNS), based in Canada. Support was also provided to the International Model Forest Forum held in Halifax, Canada (September 1999) and to the on-going review of options for the future governing structure and function of the IMFN. All three countries in the Region have established model forests.
5. The 11th session of the FAO Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources was held in Rome in September 1999. The Panel, chaired by the Member from Mexico, made recommendations for action based on country-derived needs and priorities in North America and other regions, and drew up lists of priority species by region and activity for the attention of FAO, the international community and national governments. Recommendations included guidance for continuing the series of sub-regional and regional workshops on the conservation, enhancement and sustainable utilization of forest genetic resources modelled on those held in 1995-96 in collaboration with the US and Canadian Forest Services, which covered North American temperate and boreal forests.
6. Development of the "Global Information System on Forest Genetic Resources" (REFORGEN) was continued with substantial assistance from US colleagues in database development. Information contained in the database, which includes inputs from Canada, Mexico and the USA, will be made available on the Internet in the course of the year 2000.
7. In November 1998 the UN General Assembly declared 2002 as the International Year of Mountains (IYM) and assigned FAO with the lead agency role. Within this new framework the institutional links of FAO with North America have been strengthened in terms of watershed management and sustainable mountain development. These contacts and collaboration will be intensified and expanded in future in the course of the preparations for and the observance of IYM for which regional institutions and national governments are expected to play a key role.
8. In the framework of the implementation of Agenda 21 Chapter 13 (Sustainable mountain development), cooperation continued with the Inter-Agency Group on Mountains, and the regional nodes of the Mountain Forum in particular. As Server Node of the Mountain Forum, The Mountain Institute (TMI), based in West Virginia, is a key partner in North America. Among other elements, TMI participated in the 5th meeting of the Inter-Agency Group on Mountains, held in Rome in March 1999 during which the preparations for the IYM were initiated on a global level, and in the Group's 6th meeting in Cuzco, Peru in October 1999. FAO provided major input to an e-mail conference, launched and moderated by TMI, on "Mountain People, Forests, and Trees: Strategies for Balancing Local Management and Outside Interests" (1999). During 1999 the North American Node of the Mountain Forum has been established in the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture in Alberta.
9. A Task Manager Report on the implementation of Chapter 13 was published. This document includes information on important mountain-related activities worldwide carried out in the five years after the Rio Earth Summit, 1992-1997. As a follow up to the cooperation with the Institute of Geography of the University of Bern and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, FAO provided major input for two publications which were presented at CSD-6 ("Mountains of the World: Water Towers for the 21st Century") and CSD-7 ("Mountains of the World: Tourism and Sustainable Mountain Development"). These brochures include important case studies and success stories from mountain areas in North America.
10. An International Technical Consultation on Protected Area Management and Sustainable Rural Development was held in Harare, Zimbabwe at the end of October 1999. This meeting addressed the necessity of reconciling the objectives of protected area management with the needs of rural development, which is a global issue that was recognized as being of critical importance by the delegates from Latin America who attended the Harare meeting. In November 1999, FAO participated in and contributed to a priority setting workshop on the Guinea Forest, which was hosted by a leading US non-governmental organization (NGO), Conservation International. The involvement of FAO in this meeting at the invitation of the organisers, exemplifies the potential for cooperation between intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.
11. In the coming biennium an FAO priority in the area of biodiversity conservation is the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation in general and protected area management in particular. The relevance of this issue to the North American region is illustrated by the recent report that a number of National Parks in Canada have suffered serious environmental degradation, despite their protected status.
12. Two countries of the Region (Canada, USA) continued to be actively involved in the work of the International Poplar Commission (IPC). Mexico has expressed an interest in joining the IPC in the coming year. The 21st Session of the IPC will be hosted jointly by the Poplar Councils of USA and Canada (Portland, Oregon, USA, 24-30 September 2000).
13. FAO provided support and attended the international Seminar on Environmental Effects, Technologies and Benefits of species of the genus Eucalyptus, held in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank in Mexico City in October 1999.
14. Many institutes in North America, including the Forest Services in all three countries and related forest inventory sections; the International Institute on Tropical Forestry (Puerto Rico, USA); a number of research institutes including the Earth Resources Observation Systems Data Center (EROS Data Center, USA) and the "Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agr�colas y Pecuarias" (INIFAP/COMEF, Mexico); and a number of universities, including the Bishop University in Hawaii (USA) and the Ciudad University (Mexico), continued to collaborate closely with FAO and to provide support to FRA, related to both inventory and assessment work and support to forest and ecological mapping. NASA (USA) contributed a range of satellite imagery for use in FRA 2000.
15. The Forest Harvesting and Engineering Programme has continued promoting environmentally sound, economically feasible and socially acceptable forest operations. Related activities involve the development, testing and promotion of the Model Code of Forest Harvesting Practice at global, regional and national levels, as well as of Guidelines on Forest Roads.
16. Although the scope of the programme is global, a number of issues are also of relevance to the North America Region, in particular, the preparation of a Manual for the Planning, Design and Construction of Forest Roads in Mountainous Terrain which is planned to be finished in 2001. A study on "Environmentally Sound Road Construction in Mountainous Terrain, Applying Advanced Operating Methods and Tools", was published in 1998.
17. A paper on "Reduced Impact Wood Harvesting in Natural Forests, Testing the Applicability of the FAO Model Code of Forest Harvesting Practice" was presented at the International Mountain Logging and 10th Pacific Northwest Skyline Symposium held at the Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA in spring 1999.
18. The Forest Harvesting Bulletin, Volume 9, May 1999, was widely distributed to individuals forest operations specialists, forest enterprises, and forests institutions in North America.
19. The Forestry Trade Programme has continued to provide information and guidance on trade policy issues. In particular it has been closely involved with issues concerning the relationship between trade and sustainable forest development, including aspects of the environment and trade, and with trade restrictions and future trade negotiations. Two major studies were published: "Trade Restrictions and their Impact on International Trade in Forest Products", FAO, 1998; and "Trade Restrictions and their Future" Chapter in ECE/FAO Timber Bulletin Forest products annual market review, 1998-1999, June 1999. A number of papers dealing with trade issues such as certification, trade restrictions and trade prospects have been presented at various meetings and conferences. Global papers were prepared dealing with certification issues, and on the relationship between criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management and forest products certification. The latter was presented to a World Bank-WWF Alliance workshop held in Washington, D.C. in December 1999. The Forestry Department has been closely involved with an FAO series of training workshops for developing countries "Training Course on the Uruguay Round and Future Multilateral Trade Negotiations in Agriculture". Training material on forestry has been prepared for these courses. Work will continue on market access issues and trade policy topics, especially trade issues connected with sustainable forestry development, and issues relating to the proposed new global WTO round of trade negotiations.
20. The Forest Products Marketing Programme has continued addressing issues of improved knowledge of current marketing practices, enhanced availability and access to marketing information, development of human resource for the marketing function and the recognition of the marketing function in forestry sector activities.
21. Specifically related to the North American region, the Forest Products Marketing Programme has completed a Compendium of forest products marketing databases which contains some thousand databases. It will be published through the FAO website. A review of studies on consumer attitudes towards forest products marketed with environmental, social and/or sustainability attributes was published as a contribution to the discussion on the certification of forest products. A study of plantation timber prices in Latin America and the Southern United States of America was published. Some case studies describing current marketing practices, although carried out in other regions, provide basic approaches for similar studies in the North America region.
22. The forty-first session of the FAO Advisory Committee on Paper and Wood Products was held in Brazil in April 1999, chaired by Mme Lachapelle from Canada and with active participation of the member from the United States. Under her leadership, the Committee tuned FAO's future activities on issues related to climate change.
23. FAO's NWFP Programme is closely associated with the ongoing exercise under the Commission to review the status of NWFP utilization and policies in the region. The regional expert consultation on non-wood forest products planned back-to-back with the holding of the 19th session of the Commission in Villahermosa, Mexico (1998) was postponed. Goals and objectives of the regional expert meeting would be to:
24. Contacts and information exchange on non-wood forest products in the region continued with increased FAO support to regional meetings and activities.
25. A representative from the United States Government and, among other donor agencies, representatives from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) participated in a Regional Meeting on the Contribution of Forests to the Mitigation of Climate Change held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, from 4 to 6 October 1999.
26. As part of its regular programme, FAO produces a continuing series of studies on the future prospects for the forest sector. For example, Asia-Pacific Forestry Towards 2010 was recently published. The main report and over fifty topical papers on key issues impacting better forest management in the region are available through the FAO Internet web site at http://www.fao.org/forestry/FON/FONS/outlook/defaul-e.stm The regional forestry sector outlook studies rely on the efforts and goodwill of FAO's member countries. In the case of the recently completed effort in Asia, the national forestry agencies in North America made substantive in-kind contributions.
27. Also, recently completed, was a global forest products outlook study. Research institutes in member countries of the Commission played a significant role in the study. The main reports and a series of valuable technical analyses are available through the FAO Internet site.
28. Currently, FAO is undertaking a Forestry Sector Outlook Study for Africa. This is a partnership among the African member countries, FAO, the African Development Bank, the European Commission and the World Bank. This effort will include a substantive assessment of the current situation and an in-depth review of options for policy reform to improve performance of the forest sector with a view towards improving forest management. Information on the subject is available through the FAO website listed above. In-kind and financial partnership in the effort by members of the Commission would be welcome.
29. Finally, forestry sector outlook studies for Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as for Europe, are just beginning. The Commission's member countries have historically participated intimately in these efforts because of the significance of forest products trade and the importance to the Commission's members of understanding future opportunities for trade and investment.
30. Databases on forestry research organizations and on forestry training and education institutions were updated. Both will be accessible on the internet, with an improved interface, during 2000. Directories (hard copy) will be published using the information contained in the databases.
31. Assistance to member countries in adapting their forestry education and extension systems and approaches to the new requirements and conditions in the forestry sector remained a main focus. A publication was produced on "Pluralism and sustainable forestry and rural development", following an international workshop on the same theme. Case studies were undertaken on forestry curriculum revision in different regions to gather information on current trends and practical experiences in implementing new approaches aiming to better assess and respond to the changing needs in the sector. They will serve as a base for the publication of guidelines for forestry curriculum definition and revision.
32. Strengthening capacities and networking in forestry research in developing countries remained a main focus. In Asia and the Pacific, FORSPA continued to support the development of the Asia-Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions (APAFRI). Efforts towards the establishment of the Forestry Research Network for sub-Saharan Africa (FORNESSA) were pursued, in cooperation with other partners such as IUFRO-SPDC. At the same time, specific support in research prioritisation and planning was given to countries with inadequately developed research capacity.
33. In 1998, project TCP/MEX/6714 was approved to assist the Government of Mexico, through SEMARNAP, in the preparation of a Unilateral Trust Fund with FAO to support the implementation of the Soil and Forest Programme 1995-2000. The project also supported the Regional Fora on Forest Fires Prevention and Fighting and Regeneration of Affected Areas, held in Mexico City from 26 to 28 August 1998.
34. A Global Meeting on Public Policies Affecting Forest Fires was organized by FAO in Rome, from 28 to 30 October 1998. Its main objectives were to identify, analyze and discuss the public policies which contribute to forest fires, collate information from institutions dealing with forest fires, produce recommendations on planning and policies for fire prevention, control, mitigation and rehabilitation measures, and suggest actions to be taken by countries. More than 80 specialists from countries and specialized international and regional institutions attended this meeting. The recommendations from the meeting were endorsed by the Committee on Forestry (COFO) in March 1999 and received considerable attention at the Ministerial Meeting which followed COFO. An information needs assessment on forest fire statistics was carried out with the assistance of a consultant from the USA; and forest fire terminology is being reviewed and revised, in collaboration with institutions in North America.
35. A global survey of the status and progress of the nfp implementation was presented to the third session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF); it was revised in the light of comments received and the final draft was made available at IFF-4.
36. The Community Forestry Unit during the biennium focused on activities for promoting and facilitating an enabling environment for participatory forest management, working in following topic areas: natural resource conflict management; the participatory process for supporting collaborative management of natural resources; marketing analysis and development for community-based forest and tree product enterprises; devolution and decentralization issues; and gender and forestry. Many of the activities were undertaken with the support of the multi-donor trust fund, the "Forests, Trees and People Programme" (FTPP).
37. In the North American region, CFU/FTPP support continued to the International Forest Resources and Institutions Research Program (IFRI) at Indiana University, and the FTPP North American and Caribbean Regional Centre (NACARCE), based at the headquarters of the International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) in Washington, D.C., continued its role as a regional facility and distribution point for the FTPP newsletter and various community forestry publications.
38. Collaboration continued with Indiana University through the IFRI Programme on incorporation of local socio-economic and institutional information in forest resources assessment. Support is being provided to the Collaborative Research Center (CRC-IFRI) in Nepal to carry out a study estimating the annual benefits and costs of participation in community forest management among different stakeholders of a CFUG (Community Forestry User Group) in Nepal. The results of the study will provide critical inputs in the review of current policies related to community-based forest management in Nepal and other countries. A policy seminar in Kathmandu will report on the findings from this particular research study as well as on earlier studies conducted by the IFRI team, and will include approximately 50 participants from several ministries, from the donor community, from multiple NGOs in Nepal, and from Kathmandu University and Tribhuvan University. A major publication will be derived from this policy seminar that will be widely distributed in Nepal and elsewhere to key institutions interested.
39. During 2000-2001, the Community Forestry Unit will continue its focus on promoting and facilitating an enabling environment for participatory forest management. This will include looking carefully at the extent to which existing forest policy and legislation is fostering local participation in decision-making and a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach. The development of guidelines for improved policy and legislation, and the processes required to involve all concerned stakeholders in policy development are among the activities that will be continued during this period. The North America region could potentially benefit from global efforts in this direction, as well as possibly provide useful models and approaches to other regions looking at these issues.
40. The State of the World's Forests 1999 was released, in the five languages of FAO, at the Committee on Forestry meeting in March 1999. This was the third edition of the Forestry Department's flagship publication, which is published every two years. It presents the latest information on forests and the forestry sector world-wide in a way that is relevant and useful for policy makers and helps put national and regional developments into a global context. The next edition of the State of the World's Forests will be prepared for publication in 2001.
41. The FAO Forestry website has been substantially improved in layout, content and linkages. Forest Resources Assessment data were placed on the Internet, reflecting data as received on FRA 2000. Major efforts were made to improve dissemination of FAO Forestry Papers, Conservation Guides and Miscellaneous Documents. New periodicals such as Non-wood News and Wood Energy Forum were launched.
42. FAO provided inputs to the Secretariat for IFF in terms of documentation and research and in the intersessional meetings under various Government-led initiatives. Under the partnership for the implementation of the IPF proposals for action, FAO chairs the informal, high level Inter-Agency Task Force on Forests (ITFF) and is the leading agency in four areas: national forest programmes, assessment of multiple benefits of all types of forests, criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management and fragile ecosystems affected by desertification and drought, and impact of airborne pollution on forests.
FOLLOW-UP TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE NINETEENTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION
The following table summarises the recommendations of the Nineteenth Session of the Commission and the action taken or proposed.
RECOMMENDATION |
ACTION TAKEN OR PROPOSED |
| REVIEW OF STUDY GROUP ACTIVITIES (Item 6) | Note: FAO identified focal points in the Forestry Department to support Study Group activities (see 10.(c) below). |
| a) Forest Genetic Resources | |
| 1. The Commission recommended that the study group identify forest genetic activities that could be used to support the processes of criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management (para. 41). | 1. FAO Forestry Department focal point to provide the Study Group with any FAO relevant information. |
| b) Fire Management | |
| 2. The Commission commended the study group for its work on criteria and indicators, securing funds and recommended it share its information with other study groups (para. 48). | 2. FAO Forestry Department focal point to assist the Study Group to share information with groups established by other Regional Forestry Commissions. FAO will provide the Study Group with relevant information. |
| c) Forest Insects and Diseases | |
| 3. The Commission recommended that the study group conduct a survey of capacity in bio-systematics in high priority countries (para. 57). | 3. FAO Forestry Department focal point to provide the Study Group with any FAO relevant information. |
| d) Silviculture | |
| 4. The Commission recommended closer collaboration with the Latin America and Caribbean Forestry Commission on issues of common interest and that FAO facilitate the exchange of information between the two commissions (para. 62). | 4. FAO convened a meeting of the Bureaux of Regional Forestry Commissions on the occasion of COFO in March 1999, where issues of common interest were discussed. |
| 5. The Commission recommended that a study of burnt-over area be launched with a view to increase the knowledge on the physiological and ecological succession of species (para. 63). | 5. FAO Forestry Department focal point to provide the Study Group with any FAO relevant information. |
| e) Atmospheric Change and Forests | |
| 6. Due to membership turnover and other factors, the group had not been able to meet on a regular basis. The Commission noted the importance of continuing activities in this area and decided to add new members to the group. It urged the group to name a chairperson as soon as possible and develop a new program of work for submission to the BOA (para. 65). | 6. FAO Forestry Department focal point to provide the Study Group with any FAO relevant information. |
| f) Neotropical Migratory Species | |
| 7. The study group requested the guidance of the Bureau of Alternates for its future work, in particular with regard to conservation strategies in the region (para. 70). | 7. FAO Forestry Department focal point to provide the Study Group with any FAO relevant information. |
| g) Forest Products | |
| 8. As recommended at the 18th session of the NAFC in 1996, the study group expanded its membership to include a wider range of technical expertise, in particular with regard to non-wood forest products. The Commission recommended that the study group continue to exchange information and explore the implementation of joint activities with the FAO Forestry Department's Non-Wood Forest Product Program (para. 71). | 8. Discussions regarding the holding of a North American non-wood forest products expert consultation are proceeding between FAO and the Board of Alternates. Proposed dates are September 2000 or 2001 (see para. 23). |
| TECHNICAL ITEMS | |
| b) Forest-related Traditional Knowledge | |
| 9. The Commission recommended that study groups consider incorporating traditional knowledge in their work program to the greatest extent possible (para. 85). | 9. FAO Forestry Department focal point to provide the Study Group with any FAO relevant information. |
| MATTERS TO BE REFERRED TO THE ATTENTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY | |
| 10. The Commission recommended that the following matters be brought to the attention of COFO: | |
| a) that FAO recognize the critical role forests play in achieving its goals and give added importance to the foresty component in its strategic framework. | a) The FAO Strategic Framework (2000-2015) adopted by the Conference in November 1999, gave greater visibility to the forestry component. |
| b) that FAO better integrate activities by emphasizing the forestry linkages with agriculture, fisheries, food security and sustainable development and by collaborating in such cross-sectoral issues as water. | b) Preparations for the IYM in 2000 and the Medium-term Plan for 2000-2007 underlined forestry linkages with agriculture, fisheries, food security and sustainable development. |
| c) that FAO increase its support to the NAFC consistent with that provided to the other regional forestry commissions. | c) FAO Forestry Department nominated in November 1999 a Focal Point for each NAFC Study Group with a view to improving information exchange and collaborative work. |
| d) that the FAO Forestry Department support the exchange of information among the study groups as well as among the other regional forestry commissions, in particular the LACFC, including the distribution of reports of the study groups to the other regional forestry commissions. | d) FAO Web page for the Commissions was upgraded, including the establishment of a Study Group page under the USFS International Program Web Page. |
| e) that FAO continue to emphasize working closely with research organizations to promote policy decisions based on good science at the national and international levels. | e) FAO has worked closely with the EROS Data Centre and the Institute of Tropical Forestry, within the Forest Resources Assessment Programme. Collaboration has been continued in forest genetic resources with INIFAP in Mexico. |
| f) that FAO look for opportunities to integrate recreation and urban forestry in its program of work, given that these issues are becoming increasingly important (para. 90). | f) Publication in 1999 of the report "Urban and Peri-Urban Forestry - Case Studies in Developing Countries". Participation in the FAO Inter-Departmental Working Group on Food for the Cities. |
