1. Indicator

(a) Name: Wood harvesting intensity.
(b) Brief Definition: The indicator compares the total forest fellings as percentage of net annual increment. In other words, it compares the amount of yearly, or other time period, harvested wood, or any other forest product, with the annual increment from the forest. If annual increment is not know, allowable cut can be used as a surrogate.
(c) Unit of Measurement: %.

2. Placement in the Framework

(a) Agenda 21: Chapter 11: Combating Deforestation.
(b) Type of Indicator: Driving Force.

3. Significance (Policy Relevance)

(a) Purpose: The indicator aims at assessing whether forests are being used within the limits of their actual productivity. If the ratio is smaller or equal to one, it means that the country is harvesting less, or equal, to the annual forest increment. This represents the sustained yield principle. If the ratio is more than one, a country is over-harvesting its wood, or other specific forest resource.

(b) Relevance to Sustainable/Unsustainable Development: Forests serve multiple ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural roles in many countries. They are among the most diverse and widespread ecosystems of the world. Forests provide many significant resources and functions including: wood products, recreational opportunities, habitat for wildlife, water and soil conservation, and a filter for pollutants. They support employment and traditional uses, and biodiversity. There is general concern over human impact on forest health, and the natural processes of forest growth and regeneration. Combating deforestation to preserve soils, water, air and biological diversity is explicitly considered in Agenda 21.

This indicator is relevant for assessing the sustainability of forest management when interpreted over a long time period. The harvest rate set by a country is a function of the size of its forests, proportion of the forest area dedicated to timber production, the productivity of the forest and its age class structure, and the management objectives and sustained yield policies of the country. The indicator relates sustained yield to actual harvest in terms of a relative balance between forest growth and harvest.

(c) Linkages to Other Indicators: This indicator is linked to other natural resource indicators within the environment category, such as protected forest area, and land use and condition change. It is also linked to such socioeconomic indicators as share of natural resource industries in manufacturing.

(d) Targets: In general, the target would be set by the sustained yield principle. Several countries have calculated their total annual allowable cut, or total annual increment, and their total annual removals. Most developed countries are harvesting between 70 and 80% of the total annual increment of their forests. Targets still need to be established for tropical forests.

(e) International Conventions and Agreements: Many international agreements cover forests. Countries are supported to maintain or increase their forested areas, and discouraged to strongly reduce their forest lands. Specific forest agreements would include the Non-Legally Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All Types of Forests (the Forest Principles of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)); and the International Tropical Timber Agreement. Many other international agreements deal with forests within the context of natural resources and environment conservation, for example Convention on International trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Convention on the Conservation of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention), Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on Climate Change, Convention to Combat Desertification. In addition, regional/ecoregional agreements on sustainable forest management have been established.

4. Methodological Description and Underlying Definitions

(a) Underlying Definitions and Concepts: Concepts and definitions are generally available for developed countries, and for all countries in the case of plantations. Additional work is required to determine the natural increment concept for tropical forests. The following definitions are available from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). Annual Roundwood Production includes all wood obtained from removals from forest and from trees outside the forest. FAO statistics include recorded volumes as well as estimated unrecorded volumes. Forest Growing Stock means the above-ground volume of all living standing trees down to a stated minimum diameter. Total Annual Increment represents the total annual increment of wood due to the growth of the trees during a year.

(b) Measurement Methods: The enumerator is the total annual roundwood production. The denominator is the total annual productive forest increment. An adequate time series is required to show meaningful trends. For tropical natural forests, where no data is available on the forest annual increment, or where the harvested wood comes only from a few species, an adjustment is proposed which relates annual production to the total standing volume of the forest and the average rotation cycle applied in a country for a given reference year. This, for example, would be 120 years for teak forests in Burma.

(c) The Indicator in the DSR Framework: The indicator provides a measure of the intensity of forestry operations. From a forest resource perspective, it represents a Driving Force in relation to the DSR Framework.

(d) Limitations of the Indicator: The indicator is related to timber production. It does not relate to non-productive land from a forestry perspective. It has implication for other forest resources, but an indicator considering all values of forest ecosystems would be more appropriate from a sustainable development perspective. For the present indicator, reliable data are only available from a minority of countries, mostly developed, and for plantations. However, research data on the annual increment of tropical natural forests are improving, and it is expected that sufficient data and estimates should become available during the coming years.

This indicator should be interpreted over the longer term. In given cases, the annual roundwood production might exceed the forest increment for market reasons, age structure of forests, or other reasons for a few years without being an indication for unsustainable management. However, such an unsustainable situation should under no circumstances persist over several decades.

(e) Alternative Definitions: Not available.

5. Assessment of the Availability of Data from International and National Sources

(a) Data Needed to Compile the Indicator: Data are needed on growing stock, annual roundwood production, annual increment, and the rotation cycle.

(b) Data Availability: Data are available for most countries at both national and sub-national levels. However, in many cases, especially for natural forests where rough estimates are only available, data are available for only one time period, with no time series data.

(c) Data Sources: The primary international source of data in the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). At the country level, the data would be available from national ministries responsible for forestry.

6. Agencies Involved in the Development of the Indicator

(a) Lead Agency: The lead agency is the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The contact point is the Assistant Director-General, Sustainable Development Department, FAO; fax no. (39 6) 5225 3152.

(b) Other Organizations: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) could assist with the development of this indicator.

7. Further Information

FAO Forestry publications including Forestry Papers.

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Timber Studies, Timber Bureau, Geneva.

 

FOREST AREA CHANGE
Environmental	Chapter 11	State

1. Indicator

(a) Name: Forest area change.
(b) Brief Definition: The amount of natural and plantation forest area tracked over time.
(c) Unit of Measurement: ha.

2. Placement in the Framework

(a) Agenda 21: Chapter 11: Combating Deforestation.
(b) Type of Indicator: State.

3. Significance (Policy Relevance)

(a) Purpose: The purpose of the indicator is to show the area covered by the forest formations of a region/country over time.

(b) Relevance to Sustainable/Unsustainable Development: Forests serve multiple ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural roles in many countries. They are among the most diverse and widespread ecosystems of the world. Forests provide many significant resources and functions including: wood products, recreational opportunities, habitat for wildlife, water and soil conservation, and a filter for pollutants. They support employment and traditional uses, and biodiversity. There is general concern over human impact on forest health, and the natural processes of forest growth and regeneration. Combating deforestation to preserve soils, water, air and biological diversity is explicitly considered in Agenda 21.

The forest area of a country is not directly related to sustainable/unsustainable development. However, a continuing and fast decreasing forest area in a country might be a alarm signal of unsustainable practices in the forestry and agricultural sector. A change in the forested area in a country or region over time can be positive showing a loss of forest area or negative showing an increase. The availability of accurate data on a country's forest area, which is a basic characteristic of its forest resources, is an essential requirement for forest policy and planning within the context of sustainable development.

(c) Linkages to Other Indicators: The indicator is closely linked with several other environmental indicators, such as land use and land condition change, wood harvesting intensity, protected forest area, arable land, threatened species, sustainable use of natural resources in mountain areas, etc. In some countries, it will also be generally linked to some of the socioeconomic indicators, such as population growth and share of natural resource industries in manufacturing.

(d) Targets: There are no international targets or standards set for size of forest or rate of deforestation. It is however understood that the higher the deforestation rate is, the more critical the forestry situation is in a country/region. Several countries have set targets for the extent of their forest area, either in absolute values or as a percentage of total land area of the country.

(e) International Conventions and Agreements: Many international agreements cover forests. Countries are supported to maintain or increase their forested areas. Specific forest agreements would include the Non-Legally Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All Types of Forests (the Forest Principles of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)); and the International Tropical Timber Agreement. Many other international agreements deal with forests within the context of natural resources and environment conservation, for example Convention on International trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Convention on the Conservation of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention), Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on Climate Change, Convention to Combat Desertification. In addition, several regional conventions cover forests.

4. Methodological Description and Underlying Definitions

(a) Underlying Definitions and Concepts: Definitions are available from the Food and Agricultural Organization's (FAO) Forest Resources Assessments. The forest area is defined as "Lands with a tree crown cover equal or more than 10% of the area" ; plantation as the artificial establishment of forests by planting or seeding; and natural forests as natural and/or semi-natural established forests. In addition, the definition of forest exists in most countries. The comparisons of forest area over time using reference years allows the calculation of change in absolute values, and as a percentage of the deforestation rate.

Different land use practices and ranges of ecological conditions result in different forest types, such as tropical or temperate. These differences should be recognized, especially in country comparisons.

(b) Measurement Methods: The measurement methods for forest area can be contained in national forest inventories, and obtained by sampling ground surveys, cadastral surveys, remote sensing, or a combination of these.

The forest area is calculated as the sum of plantations and natural forests areas with tree crown cover equal and more than 10%. This calculation is made at given reference years as follows:

The deforestation rate (DR) is the compound annual rate in % from year P to year N:

                                     Forest area_{year N}     exp ( 1/N-P)
   DR (%) = 100 { 1 - ( ------------------)
                                     Forest area_{year P}

(c) The Indicator in the DSR Framework: This indicator represents changing environmental conditions. It is, therefore, a State indicator in the DSR Framework.

(d) Limitations of the Indicator: The area figure does not give any indication on the quality of the forest, its ecosystem context, nor forest values or practices. The indicator does not provide information on the degradation of the forest resources in a country. The total forest area in a country might remain unchanged, but the quality of the forest can become degraded. Due to the definition used, the indicator covers a very diversified range of forests ranging from open tree savanna to very dense tropical forests.

(e) Alternative Definitions: Plantation area compared to natural forest would provide a measure of the intensity of forest practices for timber production and possible ecosystem implications.

5. Assessment of the Availability of Data from International and National Sources

(a) Data Needed to Compile the Indicator: The total forest area of a country, including plantations, at different yearly intervals.

(b) Data Availability: Data on the extent of forest areas (natural and plantations) are available for most countries, both at national and sub-national scales. The data are often estimates, which are not always comparable because of changes in definitions and assessment methodologies.

(c) Data Sources: International data are available from FAO Forest Resources Assessments. National data is available from ministries responsible for forestry and statistics.

6. Agencies Involved in the Development of the Indicator

(a) Lead Agency: The lead agency is the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). The contact point is the Assistant Director-General, Sustainable Development Department, FAO; fax no. (39 6) 5225 3152.

(b) Other Organizations: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); United Nations regional commissions; and national agencies responsible for forestry, remote sensing and geographic survey; and universities and research institutes could all play a useful role in the development of this indicator.

7. Further Information

(a) Further Readings:

FAO. Forest Resources Assessments 1980.

FAO. Forestry Papers: Nos. 112 and 124.

FAO. Forest Resource Assessment 1990 - Non Tropical Developing Countries, 1995.

(b) Other References: International data provided by other institutions, for example World Resources Institute, are mostly based on the FAO Forest Resources Assessment information and data.

 

MANAGED FOREST AREA RATIO
Environmental	Chapter 11	Response

1. Indicator

(a) Name: Managed forest area ratio.
(b) Brief Definition: Proportion of the total forest area covered by officially approved and actually implemented forest management plans.
(c) Unit of Measurement: %.

2. Placement in the Framework

(a) Agenda 21: Chapter 11: Combating Deforestation.
(b) Type of Indicator: Response.

3. Significance (Policy Relevance)

(a) Purpose: The phenomenon is meant to represent the percentage proportion of forests which are managed according to a forest management plan approved by the forestry agency of the country at a given reference year.

(b) Relevance to Sustainable/Unsustainable Development: Forests serve multiple ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural roles in many countries. They are among the most diverse and widespread ecosystems of the world. Forests provide many significant resources and functions including: wood products, recreational opportunities, habitat for wildlife, water and soil conservation, and a filter for pollutants. They support employment and traditional uses, and biodiversity. There is general concern over human impact on forest health, and the natural processes of forest growth and regeneration. Combating deforestation to preserve soils, water, air and biological diversity is explicitly considered in Agenda 21.

This indicator is highly relevant for assessing sustainable forestry development. Forest management plans, elaborated according to sustainable management guidelines, are the cornerstone for the implementation and monitoring of forest practices in a country.

(c) Linkages to Other Indicators: The indicator is closely linked with several other environmental indicators, such as land use and land condition change, wood harvesting intensity, protected forest area, arable land, threatened species, sustainable use of natural resources in mountain areas, etc.

(d) Targets: At the international level targets have been established for tropical forests, namely the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) Target 2000. Some countries have set national targets.

(e) International Conventions and Agreements: Many international agreements cover forests. Countries are supported to maintain or increase their forested areas, and discouraged to strongly reduce their forest lands. Specific forest agreements would include the Non-Legally Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All Types of Forests (the Forest Principles of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)); and the International Tropical Timber Agreement. Many other international agreements deal with forests within the context of natural resources and environment conservation, for example Convention on International trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Convention on the Conservation of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention), Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on Climate Change, Convention to Combat Desertification. In addition, regional/ecoregional agreements on sustainable forest management have been established within the framework of the Helsinki Process for European countries, and the Montreal Process for non-European countries.

4. Methodological Description and Underlying Definitions

(a) Underlying Definitions and Concepts: Concepts and definitions exist in forest management plans approved by the national governmental institution responsible for forest resources management. Many guidelines for forest management exist and guide plans implementation.

(b) Measurement Methods: Compilation of the aggregate area for forest management plans to provide the total managed forest area; divided by the total forest area.

(c) The Indicator in the DSR Framework: The indicator shows the extent of management plans for forest areas. As such, it represents a Response indicator in the DSR Framework.

(d) Limitations of the Indicator: The indicator only shows the extent of forest management. It says nothing about the quality of plan implementation against sustainable development objectives. No internationally accepted operational definition of sustainable forest management exists, although work is in progress under the aegis of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests. Although many guidelines on sustainable forest management exist, there are only a few agreed minimum sets of essential elements of sustainable forest management at the regional level, and none yet at the global level. Total forest area in some countries would include some forest area which will never be productive from a forestry viewpoint, and thus, probably not subject to management plans, unless for purposes other than forestry.

(e) Alternative Definitions: An alternative indicator could focus on the contents and implementation of management plans with respect to multiple objectives needed to satisfy sustainable development. Such an alternative would measure the extent to which management plans accommodate multiple uses and forest resource protection.

5. Assessment of the Availability of Data from International and National Sources

(a) Data Needed to Compile the Indicator: Areas of forest management units which are effectively managed according to an approved management plan. Total forest area.

(b) Data Availability: Data are available for most developed countries, but may be lacking for most developing countries. Data for privately owned forests will be generally scarce.

(c) Data Sources: The primary source of data is national forestry administrations.

6. Agencies Involved in the Development of the Indicator

(a) Lead Agency: The lead agency is the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The contact point is the Assistant Director-General, Sustainable Development Department, FAO; fax no. (39 6) 5225 3152.

(b) Other Organizations: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and national forestry administrations could assist with the development of this indicator.

7. Further Information

FAO Forestry publications including Forestry Papers.

Reports of the international processes for developing Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management ("Helsinki" and "Montreal" processes, Tarapoto report).

PROTECTED FOREST AREA AS A PERCENT OF TOTAL FOREST AREA
Environmental	Chapter 11	Response

1. Indicator

(a) Name: Protected forest area as a percent of total forest area.
(b) Brief Definition: The definition of a protected area is an area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means (World Conservation Union (IUCN)).
(c) Unit of Measurement: %.

2. Placement in the Framework

(a) Agenda 21: Chapter 11: Combating Deforestation.
(b) Type of Indicator: Response.

3. Significance (Policy Relevance)

(a) Purpose: This indicator measures the part of the total forest area which has been delineated for protection purposes. It includes areas established to protect wildlife, special ecosystems, soil and water resources, etc. It is understood that the higher the percentage of the indicator, the better the performance of the country in protecting and conserving its forest resources.

(b) Relevance to Sustainable/Unsustainable Development: Forests serve multiple ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural roles in many countries. They are among the most diverse and widespread ecosystems of the world. Forests provide many significant resources and functions including: wood products, recreational opportunities, habitat for wildlife, water and soil conservation, and a filter for pollutants. They support employment and traditional uses, and biodiversity. There is general concern over human impact on forest health, and the natural processes of forest growth and regeneration. Combating deforestation to preserve soils, water, air and biological diversity is explicitly considered in Agenda 21.

This indicator measures societal response to protect biodiversity and landscapes through the creation of representative reserves of various forest ecosystems. It represents only one element of a sound forest conservation policy aimed at sustainable development.

(c) Linkages to Other Indicators: This indicator is closely linked to others which relate to natural resource use and management. Closely associated indicators would include: protected area percent of total land area, wood harvesting intensity, forest area, land use change, and threatened species. It is also linked to such socioeconomic and institutional indicators as population density and ratification of international agreements.

(d) Targets: Guidelines for the classification and establishment of protected areas are available from IUCN. Many countries have established guidelines for protected areas suited to their national situation.

(e) International Conventions and Agreements: Many international agreements deal with forests within the context of natural resources and environment conservation, for example Convention on International trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Convention on the Conservation of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention), Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on Climate Change, Convention to Combat Desertification. For this indicator, the most relevant convention is the one on biological diversity.

4. Methodological Description and Underlying Definitions

(a) Underlying Definitions and Concepts: There is wide international understanding and agreement on the terminology of protected forests. However, the application of the concepts vary from country to country, especially with respect to the definition of protect area in relation to the IUCN classes. Further work needs to be done to evaluate the relative importance of different kinds of forest ecosystems and how to assess the relative value of endemic forest ecosystems. The concepts at the international level are available from IUCN, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC).

(b) Measurement Methods: The measurement compares the amount of protected forest area to the total forest area as a percent.

(c) The Indicator in the DSR Framework: The indicator provides a measure of the degree of protection of forest biodiversity. It represents a societal Response in the DSR Framework.

(d) Limitations of the Indicator: The indicator is limited to forest ecosystems. It does not provide information on the ecological value of the protected areas. A country can set aside large areas of forests with a low importance for biological diversity and continue to unsustainably harvest high valuable non-protected forests. The indicator says nothing about the effectiveness of the protection; either from the viewpoint of ecological representivity, or management and law enforcement. Ideally, the protected forest area should cover representative examples of all existing forest ecosystems, with the area appropriate to their rarity or uniqueness. The indicator does not in itself provide information on the degree of protection, including the range of allowable uses.

(e) Alternative Definitions: One alternative definition would consider forest protected areas as only one component of a protected area system, as implied in indicator protected area as a percent of total land area. A more meaningful indicator would consider the proportion of forest protected area for each major ecosystem of the country. However, this may present problems of data availability.

5. Assessment of the Availability of Data from International and National Sources

(a) Data Needed to Compile the Indicator: Data on the forest area, and areas of forests in protected status.

(b) Data Availability: Data are available for most countries on both a national and sub-national level. Data are available on a regular basis for time series analysis. For forest area, the data are often estimates, which are not always comparable because of changes in definitions and assessment methodologies. For protected areas which cover more than forested lands, it may be difficult to obtain a precise estimate of the area of the forested part due to a lack of good vegetation maps.

(c) Data Sources: At the international level, data are available from FAO, UNEP, IUCN, and WCMC. At the national level, data should be available from forestry or natural resource management ministries.

6. Agencies Involved in the Development of the Indicator

(a) Lead Agency: The lead agency for the completion of this methodology sheet is the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). The primary contact point is the Assistant Director-General, Sustainable Development Department, FAO; fax no. (39 6) 5225 3152.

(b) Other Organizations: Other organizations who can play a role in the development of this indicator include: FAO, UNEP, WWF, WCMC, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); together with national conservation agencies and environment ministries.

7. Further Information

(a) Further Readings:

IUCN. Guidelines for Protected Area Management Categories. 1994.

IUCN. Protecting Nature: Regional Reviews of Protected Areas. 1994.

(b) Other References:

FAO. Forest Department Conservation Guides.

FAO. Forestry Papers, Nos. 6, 37, 55, 77, 81, 88, 89, 101, 107.