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SBSTTA Recommendation

. Advice on the review of implementation of the expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity

Advice on the review of implementation of the expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity

The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice

1. Welcomes the second and third meeting reports of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Review of Implementation of the Programme of Work on Forest Biological Diversity (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/11/INF/2 and UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/11/INF/3);

2. Expresses its appreciation to the Governments of France and Germany for their financial support for the first and third meeting, respectively, and to the European Community for its financial support for the second meeting; other Governments and organizations for the participation of their representatives; and to the Co-Chairs and members of the Expert Group for their contributions;

3. Recommends that the Conference of the Parties at its eighth meeting:

(a) Requests the Executive Secretary to carry out an indepth review of the expanded programme of work following the proposed review process as delineated in the annex to the present recommendation, in collaboration with members of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Review of Implementation of the Programme of Work on Forest Biological Diversity, especially with respect to providing information on the impediments and technical information on successes, and also taking into account relevant recommendations from the Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention;

(b) Encourages Parties and other relevant stakeholders to access existing information on forest related reporting when preparing the third and fourth national report, for example, through the Joint Information Framework for Forest-Related Reporting web site of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and other non-web-based means ;

(c) Encourages the Task Force on Streamlining Forest-related Reporting of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests to continue its work towards reducing reporting burden and minimizing duplication of reporting requests, including options for developing joint forest-related information requests at future stages, such as reporting on global outcome-oriented forest targets;

Annex

PROPOSAL ON THE REVIEW OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EXPANDED PROGRAMME OF WORK ON FOREST BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

A. Sources of information

1. Relevant sources of information that will contribute to the review of implementation of the expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity are listed as follows:

(a) The primary source information is to be extracted from the third national report submitted by Parties to the Convention in 2005;[5]/

(b) Other forest-related information in the form of national reports previously submitted to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Tropical Timber Agreement (but only for countries members of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)), the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the United Nations Framework on Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), that can be accessed at the Collaborative Partnership on Forest's Joint Information Framework for Forest-Related Reporting web site and regional criteria and indicators processes;[6]/

(c) Information contained in voluntary thematic reports produced, in the framework of the Convention, on forest biological diversity (thematic report on forest ecosystems submitted in 2001,[7]/ voluntary report on progress of implementation of the expanded programme of work in 2003.[8]/);

(d) "Country profiles" produced by the Commission for Sustainable Development as well as national reports;

(e) Relevant information on progress made in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans and National Forest Programmes;

(f) Questionnaires to international organizations to gauge implementation at the international level.[9]/

(g) Review of implementation by non-governmental organizations dealing with indigenous communities (e.g., Global Forest Coalition review of the forest-related clauses in the Convention;[10]/ Forest People's Programme on indigenous people's experiences of biodiversity conservation activities funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF);[11]/ reports to the United Nations Forum on Forests;[12]/ summary Report of the Expert Meeting on Traditional Forest-Related Knowledge and the Implementation of Related International Commitments[13]/ ); and

(h) International/global forest assessments, including the FAO Forest Resources Assessment and Yearbook of Forest Products, the FAO State of the World's Forests reports, the FAO regional outlook studies, the FAO national forest programme updates, the ITTO annual review and assessment of the world timber situation,[14]/ the ITTO upcoming review on the status of sustainable forest management, review by the United Nations Forum on Forests of progress made on the proposals for action put forward by the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF)/Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF),[15]/ assessment reports under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)/Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the Global Biodiversity Outlook, the 2003 report on the state of Europe's forests of the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE), and the upcoming MCPFE report on sustainable forest management in Europe.

B. Technical components of the review

2. The review of implementation of the expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity shall carry out, whenever feasible and relevant, the following activities as they relate to the section on forest biodiversity within the third national report to the Convention, and other relevant sources as mentioned in paragraph 5 of the note by the Executive Secretary on advice on the review of the expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/11/15), taking into account annex 3 to the recommendation 1/8 of the Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention;

3. A background report will be prepared by the Executive Secretary in collaboration with the forest AHTEG on status and trends in forest biological diversity and the expanded programme of work on forest biodiversity. The report will cover:

(a) Analysis and presentation of the information in a regional context, including maps;

(b) Analysis and synthesis of the information submitted in written form in the third national report (as opposed to only reporting frequency of compliance for a given question), including information arising from the implementation of activities contained in paragraph 19 of decision VI/22;

(c) Assessment of the adequacy of the expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity in addressing national priorities;

(d) Identification of information gaps by clustering those questions with poor responses, including the possibility of communicating back to Parties on the reason why a particular question remained unanswered;

(e) Consideration of options for analysing, synthesizing, presenting, and publishing the information submitted, including through the clearing house mechanism, in order to provide feedback to Parties and enhance the value and ownership of the reported information;

(f) Analysis of the information by identifying, developing, and/or elaborating on (but not limited to):

(i) Major global and regional benefits and problems in implementing the programme of work;

(ii) Most implemented goals and/or objectives;

(iii) Least implemented goals and/or objectives;

(iv) Not implemented goals and/or objectives;

(v) Conclusions on a regional basis;

(vi) Conclusions on a global basis;

(vii) Suggestions for improvement to the forest work programme and ways forward;

(viii) Lessons learned and best practices;

(ix) Identification of barriers to implementation in the context of priorities for capacitybuilding.

(g) An overall assessment on:

(i) If and how the forest work programme has been a helpful tool in reducing the loss of forest biodiversity;

(ii) How the forest work programme has been helpful in addressing the three objectives of the Convention.

4. There are a number of technical limitations to the review of the information contained in the forest biodiversity section of the third national report. These limitations need to be noted in the introduction to the review and taken into account when conducting this review. Some specific examples of limitations to the information include:

(a) The inability to assess status and trends directly, because most of the questions were not designed for this purpose;

(b) Different interpretations and hence different answers to questions;

(c) Often the absence of baseline data.

5. Assessment and identification of successes, challenges, and obstacles to implementation, as well and on the effects of the types of scientific and technical measures taken and tools used in implementing the expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity will be drawn from the third national reports and other sources of relevant information as appropriate;

6. Taking into account limitations identified in paragraph 4 above the review will address status and trends in forest biological diversity, effectiveness and constraints of the expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity and matters requiring further consideration arising from paragraph 19 of decision VI/22. The review will provide recommendations on subject matters associated with the work programme and possible ways and means to develop, design and/or refine the future programme of work on forest biological diversity.


[5]/ At its first meeting, in 2003, the Group developed a refined questionnaire on forest biological diversity within the format of the third national report, structured around the 12 goals and 27 objectives of the expanded forest work programme, and later adopted by the Conference of the Parties in its decision VII/25.

[6]/ www.fao.org/forestry/site/26880/en.

[7]/ Available at http://www.biodiv.org/world/reports.aspx?type=for

[8]/ Available at http://www.biodiv.org/world/reports.aspx?type=vfe

[9]/ To this end, the Group developed, in its first meeting in 2003, a questionnaire directed at International organizations, including all members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests. The questionnaire format was adopted at the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties and sent in 2004.

[10]/ See "Status of implementation of Forest-related Clauses in the CBD". March 2002. FERN-Global Forest Coalition.

[11]/ Griffiths, T. 2005. Indigenous Peoples and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Forest Peoples Programme.

[12]/ Fifth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests. report on traditional forest related knowledge and the implementation of related international commitments: International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests, 6-10 December 2004, San Jose, Costa Rica (E/CN.18/2005/16)

[13]/ Costa Rica, 2004; International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests

[14]/ http://www.itto.or.jp/live/Live_Server/400/E-Annual%20Review%202004.pdf

[15]/ Fifth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests. Report of the Secretary-General on the review of the effectiveness of the international arrangement on forest (E/CN.18/2005/6).