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Nigel Sizer

Synopsis

Options for cooperation among nations -- in trade policy, regional integration, information development and sharing, human rights, participation and transparency, and international leadership -- to promote forest conservation and sustainable development.

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The world's forests continue to deteriorate despite international efforts to save them. Recent studies show that deforestation rates in tropical countries are increasing, that sustainable forest management for timber, fuelwood, and other products is rare, and that air pollution is eroding the health of forest ecosystems in the temperate zone. Mature forests--destroyed or fragmented--are being replaced by even-aged, highly simplified stands.

A new international policy and institutional framework is needed to support national efforts at sustainable forest management and conservation. Given the overriding importance of policy decisions and actions at the national and local levels in determining the fate of forests, international accords, processes and compacts are of limited use in the context of efforts to promote sustainable development of forests. A review of past experiences and six case studies of local initiatives does suggest, however, some promising avenues for international action, some of the most important of which are being stimulated, nurtured, and implemented by non-governmental institutions, including private business interests.

WRI's December 1994 report, "Opportunities to Save and Sustainably Use the World's Forests Through International Cooperation", presents a series of options for cooperation between nations to help promote forest conservation and sustainable development. The report is designed to help stimulate debate among governments, NGOs and others in the preparations to review progress in implementation of the Rio accords, and in particular those dealing with forests, by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

"Opportunities to Save and Sustainably Use the World's Forests through International Cooperation" -- authored by WRI's Nigel Sizer -- summarizes proposals under five headings:

• trade policy;
• regional integration;
• information development and sharing;
• human rights, participation and transparency; and
• creating international leadership.

Specific options include establishment of an informal ad hoc task force by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development to explore options for improving donor cooperation and addressing divergent North-South opinions, implementation of a continuous global forest monitoring program, and international donor support for regional accords.