Background

World Commission on Forest and Sustainable Development

Following the Earth Summit in 1992 it was agreed that solutions to forest degradation are likely to be more political than technical. Accordingly, the InterAction Council, a group of some 30 former heads of Government and State, decided to establish an independent commission to:

• Increase awareness of the dual function of world forests in preserving the natural environment and contributing to economic development;
• Broaden the consensus on the data, science and policy aspects of forest conservation and management;
• Build confidence between North and South on forest matters with emphasis on international co-operation.

Through a series of regional hearings based on Brundtland Commission lines, the WCFSD intends to consult with various stakeholder groups. It will seek to achieve policy reforms aimed at reconciling economic and environmental objectives for sustainable management of global forests.

We Need Our Forests

Throughout history, forests have been a resource of water, game, fuel, and timber for all.

Millions of people still live and depend on forests for their livelihood.

Forest plants are vital to maintaining global food production.

Forest industries make a major contribution to world trade and economic growth.

Forests play a key role in protecting the global environment.

Global forests in crisis

Boreal forests of the North cover a greater area than tropical forests and absorb one sixth of total carbon emissions. They are being extensively damaged by subsidised commercial logging.

The temperate forests of North and South are being damaged by industrial pollution, droughts, fires, and nutrient stress. It is estimated that 22% of European temperate forest is defoliated by more than a quarter.

The tropical forests of the Southern hemisphere are disappearing at a rate of 15 million hectares a year due to population pressure, conversion to agricultural land, mining, and industrial development.

Global forest destruction exacerbated by inappropriate government policies is causing a host of problems that have an impact on both human welfare and the environment.

• Shortages of forest foods and fuelwood create social hardship for the poor
• Burning of forests is contributing to global warming
• Erosion and loss of soil fertility leads to poor crops
• Biotic impoverishment of plant, fish, and wildlife causes malnutrition and poor health

Restoration of global forests is vital to maintaining the biosphere as a human habitat.

Future Fate of the Forests

Major uncertainties that the Commission will address include an assessment of the long-term impact on forest ecosystems, human welfare and the global environment of:

• population expansion and increasing demands for agricultural land;
• climate change and air pollution;
• rapidly rising world demand for timber, paper, and other forest products;
• increasing global energy consumption;
• the potential of biotechnology and scientific research to contribute to increased productivity of forests and preservation of their environmental benefits.

Conflicting Interests

"At the core of the ongoing debate and of practical efforts in forestry development is the questions of how to achieve a balance between the developmental and environmental role of forests."
"Many National Governments in both the North and the South are finding it difficult to reconcile these conflicting objectives."

(Report of the UN Secretary-General:1995)

Biodiversity Conservationists wish to preserve natural forest ecosystems in their pristine state.

Tribal and local communities who live in the forests depend on forest products for their survival and welfare. They want to protect their right of access to forests.

Timber industry companies are primarily interested in extraction and management of commercial timber species for sale and profit.

Shifting cultivators, cattle ranchers and agribusinesses are interested in clearing forests and using forest land for agriculture.

The Commission's Working Panels

Through a series of regional public hearings on forests the Commission intends to create the opportunity for transparent and systematic dialogue between different stakeholder groups.

To assist these hearings in developing recommendations for action, the Commission has established three working panels:

Panel I
Sustainable Equitable Use and Management for Forests

This panel will give special emphasis to the important role that forests can play in contributing to the alleviation of poverty and to sustainable economic growth.

Panel II
Forest Products, Trade and the Environment

This panel will be particularly concerned with politically sensistive issues such as conflicts between private industry and concerned environmental groups about how to combine development and conservation objectives.

Panel III
Financial Mechanisms, International Agreements and the Role of International Institutions

This panel will review innovatory financing mechanisms, emerging forest agreements and institutional mechanisms aimed at improving regional and North/South collaboration.

Towards a Global Vision of Forests in the 21^st Century

To assist in addressing important global forest issues, the Commission has created:

• An independent Science Council of leading global scientists
• A Policy Advisory Group of leading global forest policy and environmental researchers.

These bodies will address such questions as:

Science Council

• How much forest is necessary to maintain our global habitat?
• What will be the impact of global warming on the biodiversity of forests and human welfare?
• How can scientific research contribute to maintaining and increasing the productivity of forests in ways that are both socially and ecologically acceptable?

Policy Advisory Group

• How will doubling of the world population and expanding economic development affect global patterns of forest products trade?
• How can policy constraints to expansion of trade be eliminated while forest environmental benefits are preserved?
• How can we improve understanding of the negative impact of inappropriate government taxation and subsidy policies that are an underlying cause of deforestation?