Mette Løyche Wilkie

Senior Forestry Officer

Global Forest Resources Assessment

FAO, Rome

UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Monitoring forest resources for SFM

in the UNECE RegionGeneva 25-27 April 2005

FRA 2005Status of implementation

Global forest resources assessments

• First assessment in 1946/1947

• Early assessments: focus on wood supply

• Later assessments: focus on deforestation rate

• Latest assessment: FRA 2000

• Next assessment: 2005

FRA 2005: The task

• An updated global forest resources assessment report in 2005: – A broad assessment - including biological

diversity, forest health, and resource use– Linked to the criteria/thematic elements of

sustainable forest management– Taking other reporting requirements into

account– Undertaken in close collaboration with

officially nominated national correspondents.

FRA 2005: The mission

• Increase accuracy, completeness, timeliness, reliability and comparability of FRA 2000 data and parameters

• Refine reporting formats for parameters reported in FRA 2000

• Include new parameters as feasible

• Increase reporting capacities

• Reduce overall reporting burden

The framework

1. Extent

2. Health

3. Biodiversity

4. Production

5. Protection

6. Socio-economics

7. Institutions & Policy

Focus

on

TRENDS

15 Global Tables

Forest extent Tree species diversity

Ownership Tree species composition

Designation Wood removal

Forest characteristics Value of wood removal

Growing stock NWFP removal

Biomass Value of NWFP removal

Carbon stock Employment

Disturbances

BambooOwnership of

forests

FRA 2005Thematic studies

Planted forests MangrovesForest pests

Forest fires

Forests and Water

The process

Responsibilities:• National correspondents

– Coordinate the reporting process within country and submit national reports

• FRA staff (HQ + regions)– Assistance and review of reports

• FAO subject specialists– Provision of alternative information sources and

analysis of global tables

• Heads of forestry– Validation of country reports

Facilitation of thereporting process

• Specifications, guidelines and reporting format disseminated in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic

• Regular email contacts with NCs• Electronic discussion forum and FAQ

established and web site maintained• Sub-regional workshops to review draft

reports• Additional support to selected countries

The time frame

Reporting by countries to

FAO

Validation of results

Publishing of the report

Deadline:Second half of

2005

Deadline: December

2004

Deadline: June

2004

FRA 2005 Status

• Number of countries and areas: 229 ++• Number of NCs: 173• Number of review workshops held in

2004-2005: 8 (133 NCs participating)• Draft country reports received by

deadline: 97• Draft country reports received to date:

171 (75%) + 30 prepared by FAO = 201• Finalised reports: 57• UNECE: 78% response rate (43 drafts

received, 10 finalised, 12 not submitted)

Lessons learned

• Lack of recent, reliable data

• Lack of resources and capacity for data collection, analysis and reporting

• Estimation of trends problematic

• Better variables needed for biodiversity, values, contribution to food security and poverty alleviation and for informal employment/livelihoods

Information status an example from the Pacific

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Extent

Wood removal

Designation and ownership

Disturbances and Diversity

Growing stock, Biomass & Carbon

NWFP and Value

Variable

Number of countries that report

Trend dataNo trend data

Lessons learned

• Network of national correspondents and regional focal points extremely valuable

• Reporting burden large (many new variables & data not readily available) yet tremendous response and commitment

• Regional workshops crucial

Lessons learned

• Process is time consuming and requires adequate resources, but is extremely valuable

• Strong wish from countries to continue collaboration and networking in between global assessments

• Early agreement needed for FRA 2010

• Targeted support for national forest assessments needed

Next steps

• Review of reports (ongoing)• Generation of global tables: June, 2005• Validation of reports: June, 2005• Publication of main report

– Content• Tables focusing on trends

• Analysis of tables by (sub-) region and thematic element

• Analysis of progress towards SFM

– Timing• Progress report COFO, UNFF and IUFRO

• Release of Main Report: Late 2005

• Publication of thematic studies: 2005-2006

Beyond 2005• Evaluation of lessons learned • Agreement on core tables and on

remote sensing component for FRA 2010

• Continued capacity building of and networking between national correspondents

• Development of on-line reporting tool• Targeted support to developing

countries• Fund raising

Thank you!

www.fao.org/forestry/fra