strategy
Using forest resources sustainably
Synonyms:
Sustaining multiple roles and functions of wooded resources Context:
Intact forests protect watersheds. They provide the biological gene bank for many agricultural crops. They buffer the climatic system against change. They are the storehouse for traditional medicines. Their long term sustainable use provides the foundation for many local economies.Two thirds of the earths original forest cover has disappeared. the rest is disappearing at the rate of one acre per second. In three months an area the size of belgium is lost in the Amazon due to fires started deliberately to clear land. The ecological cost of this destruction is an estimated loss of 100 species per day. Less than 6% of the worlds forests are protected.
This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 recommends promoting efficient utilization and assessment to recover the full valuation of the goods and services provided by forests, forest lands and woodlands.
Implementation:
The World Bank and WWF have formed an alliance for the conservation and sustainable use of forests. The aim is to increase to 10% the amount of protected forest of all types by the year 2000. Also to put 500 million acres of forest under independent certification by the year 2005. So far 21 countries including Brazil have agreed to the 10% target. The initiative includes helping countries with resources and the science as well as the creation of sustainable managed buffer zones surrounding protected areas. Emphasis is placed on the needs of people especially indigenous people to enable them to invest in sustainable development. Counter Claim:
Current regulations in many countries are allowing destruction of the forests to go on under the false flags of balance, sustainability and the like. Narrower:
Developing local product resourcesManufacturing local craft productsLegislating trade in forest productsImproving agroforestryControlling private loggersDeveloping forest resourcesUsing rainforest sustainablyImproving forest resource managementUndertaking surveys on land capability for afforestationImproving agroforestry practices by clarifying land tenure Facilitated by:
Mapping forestsFostering small businessPlanning forest resourcesManaging tropical forest areasImproving trade in forest productsAssessing supply for forest productsSupporting survey on forest productsDeveloping policy for conservation of forestsIncreasing research on non-wood forest resourcesProviding specialized training in forest planningSupporting use of environmentally sound technologySupporting downstream processing of forest productsImproving forest utilizationConducting research on the properties of forest productsSupporting a holistic approach to forest resources planningStrengthening national capacities on sustainable forest useManaging wild renewable resources through local communitiesImproving environmentally sound methods for forest harvestingIncreasing effectiveness of forest-based processing industriesAssessing commercial prospects of underutilized forest speciesUndertaking investment for forest based processing enterprisesImproving coordination of forest-related international agenciesIncreasing awareness for need to stabilize resource consumptionStrengthening national programmes for assessing value of forestsIncluding full value of forests in market prices for forest productsProviding technological information for better use of forest productsDeveloping methodologies for comprehensive assessments of the value of forestsStrengthening international institutional capacity for sustainable use of forest resources Subjects:
Resources → Resources Agriculture, Fisheries → Forestry
Development → Sustainable development
Type Classification:
C: Cross-sectoral strategies Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
