Scope of forest monitoring, assessment and reporting

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Scope of forest monitoring, assessment and
reporting
Masahiro Otsuka Forestry Officer FAO Regional
Office for Asia and the Pacific Bangkok, Thailand
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Project outline

• Funded by the Gov. Japan
• 2006 2010
• Countries in the Asia-Pacific region
• Objective
• Develop a harmonized forest-related national MAR
  system for improvement of SFM
• Activities
• Development of national/sub-regional network
• Baseline study
• Training/dissemination on MAR
• Pilot testing

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Project activities

• ASEAN CI (7Cs, 51Is) - online format
• SPC Assessment of national MAR capacities -
  Pacific MAR network
• National programs with 10 countries
• - Reconsideration of Forest classifications
• - Revision of NFI national legislation
• - Development of national CI FMU training
• - Strengthening of information management
• - Streamlining of reporting systems
• Stakeholder consultations

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MAR workshop India (FRI, Dehradun, 22 - 23
April)

• Strengthening institutional capacity
  stakeholder partnerships
• Application of CI to assess SFM tested in 6
  states
• Recommendations
• Supplement knowledge of forest inventory
• - Sampling techniques, statistical packages,
  computers.
• Skill development for periodical flora/fauna
  socio-economic surveys, recording of fire/pests
  at local level
• Estimation of unrecorded removals from forests
• Geoinformatics for data collection/mapping
  RS/GIS, GPS
• Development of forest management plan,
  management code
• Strengthening of national network website

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Issues on data collection (1)

• Workshop on reporting harmonization (Kuala
  Lumpur, 10/2008)
• - 5 organizations, 22 countries
• Issues
• International v.s. national terms, definitions,
  classifications of forests flexibility for
  adaptation?
• Coordination among different national
  agencies/programmes for harmonized collection of
  data
• Adoption of international common terminologies?
• Limited capacities on thematic aspects carbon,
  biodiversity...
• Lack of updated data - proper tools
  methodologies
• Free data availability for efficient accurate
  reporting

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Issues on data collection (2)

• Thematic elements 1
• Forest extent/conditions Updated remote sensing
  data strengthening of field studies
• Forest degradation clarification of indicators -
  human/natural factors
• Biodiversity Coordination among stakeholders for
  improved classifications assessment
• Soil/water protection Institutional coordination
  
• scientific studies to improve data quality

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Issues on data collection (3)

• Thematic elements 2
• Climate change Agreement on a global forest
  classification for measuring biomass carbon
• - trees outside forests
• Forest production common classifications on
  removal of non-wood forest products available,
  actual, unrecorded
• Socio-economic aspects Cultural aspects are not
  yet covered well in reporting processes
• Legal, policy, institutional framework
  Difficulties in assessment of laws/policies, good
  governance for SFM

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Challenges

• How to harmonize terms/definitions,
  classifications, indicators for coherent data
  collection/reporting by countries?
• How to collate forest-related information with
  various organizations at national level?
• National network functional?
• Field data/NFI - satellite imagery

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Thank you!
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