ITTO, FAO Workshop Addresses Global Forest Reporting

21 March 2012: The proceedings of a joint workshop organized by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Montreal Process, FOREST EUROPE, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to discuss streamlining of global forest reporting, have been released.

The workshop took place in Victoria, Canada, from 18-20 October 2011, to rally recognition of the continued importance of criteria and indicators processes for sustainable development. In response to emerging environmental and sustainable development issues, participants agreed to: endorse a joint statement of collaboration; pursue endeavors to streamline global forest reporting for the 2015 Forest Resources Assessment; improve communication around sustainable forest management (SFM); and enhance collaboration among the major Criteria and Indicators processes.

In the joint statement, the four organizations underscore that: forests across the globe face continued pressures, such as continued deforestation and increasing social demands for products and services; and that forests are increasingly recognized for their important contributions in solving global environmental challenges, such as climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. They further recognize that their knowledge and experience in tracking and reporting on forest conditions and trends is of value and relevance to emerging issues such as climate change, bioenergy and water.