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Box 1.1 Thematic elements of sustainable forest managementThe seven thematic elements of sustainable forest management described below are based on the nine ongoing regional/international processes on criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management 1 and have been acknowledged by FAO member countries and the UNFF. 1. Extent of forest resources The theme expresses an overall desire to have adequate forest cover and stocking, including trees outside forests, to support the social, economic and environmental dimensions of forestry. For example, the existence and extent of specific forest types are important as a basis for conservation efforts. The theme encompasses ambitions to reduce deforestation and to restore and rehabilitate degraded forest landscapes. It also includes the important function of forests and trees outside forests to store carbon and thereby contribute to moderating the global climate. 2. Biological diversity The theme concerns the conservation and management of biological diversity at ecosystem (landscape), species and genetic levels. Such conservation, including the protection of areas with fragile ecosystems, ensures that diversity of life is maintained, and provides opportunities to develop new products in the future, including medicines. Genetic improvement is also a means of increasing forest productivity, for example to ensure high wood production levels in intensively managed forests. 3. Forest health and vitality Forests need to be managed so that the risks and impacts of unwanted disturbances are minimized, including wildfires, airborne pollution, storm felling, invasive species, pests, diseases and insects. Such disturbances may impact social and economic as well as environmental dimensions of forestry. 4. Productive functions of forest resources Forests and trees outside forests provide a wide range of wood and non-wood forest products. This theme expresses the ambition to maintain an ample and valuable supply of primary forest products, while at the same time ensuring that production and harvesting are sustainable and do not compromise the management options of future generations. 5. Protective functions of forest resources The theme addresses the role of forests and trees outside forests in moderating soil, hydrological and aquatic systems, maintaining clean water (including healthy fish populations) and reducing the risks and impacts of floods, avalanches, erosion and drought. Protective functions of forest resources also contribute to ecosystem conservation efforts and have strong cross-sectoral aspects, because the benefits to agriculture and rural livelihoods are high. 6. Socio-economic functions The theme covers the contributions of forest resources to the overall economy, for example through employment, values generated through processing and marketing of forest products, and energy, trade and investment in the forest sector. It also addresses the important forest function of hosting and protecting sites and landscapes of high cultural, spiritual or recreational value, and thus includes aspects of land tenure, indigenous and community management systems, and traditional knowledge. 7. Legal, policy and institutional framework TThe theme includes the legal, policy and institutional arrangements necessary to support the above six themes, including participatory decision-making, governance and law enforcement, and monitoring and assessment of progress. It also involves broader societal aspects, including fair and equitable use of forest resources, scientific research and education, infrastructure arrangements to support the forest sector, transfer of technology, capacity-building, and public information and communication. 1African Timber Organization (FAO, 2001a); Dry-Zone Africa Process on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management; International Tropical Timber Organization; Lepaterique Process of Central America on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management; Montreal Process on Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests; Near East Process on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management; Pan-European Forest Process on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management; Regional Initiative for the Development and Implementation of National-Level Criteria and Indicators for the Sustainable Management of Dry Forests in Asia; and the Tarapoto Proposal of Criteria and Indicators for Sustainability of the Amazon Forest. Source & © www.fao.org/forestry/site/24447/en Related publication:
Other Figures & Tables on this publication: Table 1.1: FRA 2005 reporting tables Table 1.3: Key statistics for regions and subregions used in FRA 2005 Table 2.1: Distribution of forests by subregion Table 2.3: Forest cover by subregion 2005 Table 2.8: Carbon stock per hectare 2005 Table 2.10: Trends in carbon stocks in forest biomass 1990–2005 Table 3.3: Area of forest designated primarily for conservation of biodiversity 2005 Table 4.1: Average area of forest annually affected by fire 1998–2002 Table 4.3: Average area of forest annually affected by insects 1998–2002 Table 4.4: Average area of forest annually affected by diseases 1998–2002 Table 4.7: Average area of forest annually affected by other disturbances 1998–2002 Table 5.1: Area of forest designated primarily for production 2005 Table 5.7: Forest area and growing stock 2005 Table 5.13: Removals of four categories of Non-Wood Forest Products 2005 (tonnes) Table 6.2: Area of forest designated primarily for protection 2005 Table 5.8: Commercial growing stock 2005 Table 6.3 Total area of forest designated for protection 2005 Table 7.2: Value of wood removals 2005 Table 7.4: Value of Non-Wood Forest Products removals 2005 Table 7.6: Number of people employed in forestry in 2000 Table 7.8: Ownership of forest area 2000 Table 8.2: Trends towards sustainable forest management at the global level Table 8.3 Trends towards sustainable forest management in Africa Table 8.4: Trends towards sustainable forest management in Asia Table 8.5: Trends towards sustainable forest management in Europe Table 8.6: Trends towards sustainable forest management in North and Central America Table 8.7: Trends towards sustainable forest management in Oceania Table 8.8: Trends towards sustainable forest management in South America Table 8.9: Trends towards sustainable forest management by subregion Table 5.10: Trends in commercial growing stock 1990–2005 Figure 1.1: Regional and Subregional breakdown used in FRA 2005 Figure 2.2: The world’s forests Figure 2.3: Ten countries with largest forest ares 2005 (million ha) Figure 2.5: Forest Change Dynamics Figure 2.9: Forest characteristics 2005 (%) Figure 2.12: Total Carbon Stock (C) in forests by region 2005 Figure 3.3: Ten countries with the largest area of primary forest 2005 (%) Figure 3.11: Number of native forest tree species Figure 3.13: Average number of threatened tree species by region Figure 5.5: Ten countries with largest area of productive forest plantations 2005 (%) Figure 5.8: Five countries with greatest total growing stock 2005 (%) Figure 5.10: Five countries with largest volume of wood removal 2005 (%) Figure 6.1: Information availability – protective functions of forest resources Figure 7.7: Ownership of forests by subregion 2000 Figure 8.1: Designated functions of forests globally 2005 (%) Figure 8.2 Distribution of subregional trends Forest cover by subregion 2005 and distribution Box 1.1 Thematic elements of sustainable forest management Box 2.1 FRA 2005 thematic study on planted forests Box 2.2 FRA 2005 thematic study on mangroves Box 2.3 FRA 2005 thematic study on bamboo Box 4.1 FRA 2005 thematic study on forest fires Box 4.2 FRA 2005 thematic study on forest pests Box 6.1 FRA 2005 thematic study on forests and water Box 7.1 FRA 2005 thematic study on forest ownership and resource tenure |
