C. Greater recognition of sustainable forest management and forest products trade

Examples include natural fibres, organic agricultural products, recyclable and biodegradable products or sustainably produced forest products.

(f) Illegal logging and associated trade in forest products

Farmers are developing markets for forest residues and other wood by products.

Two key constraints include the restrictions on harvesting and the marketing of forest products.15

The validity of trade in sustainable forest products, both domestic and international, must be recognized.

In developing countries, many more people are currently engaged in small scale processing and trading of forest products than are employed in larger scale forest industries.

Importing of forest products, resulting from local or regional scarcities, may put pressure on other regions.

In recent years, successful multilateral trade negotiations have resulted in improved market access for forest products.

Others are experimenting with efforts to raise productivity and quality in the area of forest products.

Such income, from the sale of non timber forest products, can be particularly important for rural women.

International efforts are required, in both consumer and producer countries, to tackle illegal trade in forest products.

The production of high quality forest products for international markets can require significant investment in advanced technology.

(h) Enhance bilateral, regional and international cooperation to address illicit international trafficking in forest products through the promotion of forest law enforcement and good governance at all levels

The work of the Forum, and the objectives of sustainable forest management, are inextricably linked to sustainable consumption and the production of timber and non timber forest products.

2. Further processing means the transformation of logs into primary wood products, semi finished and finished products made wholly or almost wholly of tropical timber and transformation of other forest products to give them added value

There have often been imbalances in current international arrangements with respect to consideration of the forest products trade.

Examples of policy activities include, inter alia, forest law enforcement, certification, market access, development of guidelines, ex post evaluation, studies on market conditions, status of tropical forest management, community forest management, tenure rights, further processing of tropical timber , trade of non timber forest products and ecosystem services.

(i) Strengthen, through enhanced bilateral, regional and international cooperation, the capacity of countries to combat effectively illicit international trafficking in forest products, including timber, wildlife and other forest biological resources

Trade in forest products is extensive and has been growing faster than production or consumption over the last decade.

The underlying causes of deforestation include the demand on forest land for agriculture, grazing and human settlements the growing demand for timber and forest products and a range of biotic and abiotic factors that adversely affect forest health and vitality.

For example, pressures to use forest land for agriculture and grazing and to exploit forest products at an unsustainable level may be rooted in poverty and in some places, owners may face pressures to sell forest land for building development.

(e) Promote efficient production and processing of forest products, with a view, inter alia, to reducing waste and enhancing recycling

Moreover, while forest products may help them to cope with poverty, they do not necessarily help them to escape from it.

At the global level, the capacity of forests and the amount of land suitable for forest restoration is theoretically sufficient to meet the growing demand for forest products in the near to mid term.

Forest certification can help exporters to demonstrate that their forest products derive from sustainably managed sources and many countries report considerable progress in that regard, often associated with the development of national certification standards.

(f) Strengthen the capacity of countries, in particular developing countries, to significantly increase the production of forest products from sustainably managed forests

In particular there is a need to continue efforts to enhance market access for forest products and services to benefit the poor.

Even this basic level of subsistence is threatened where tenure rights are insecure often forest laws deny or limit the right to use wood and non timber forest products, or rights of access and residence are denied.

Forest products, coffee, palm oil, palm heart and natural rubber grown under ecologically sustainable agro forestry and forest management systems, processed and marketed through agro industries with farmer participation, have proved to be the most viable alternatives.

The interventions build on commodities and the related secondary agro processing industries with emphasis on food (e.g. fish, meat, dairy, vegetable oils) and non food (wood and non wood forest products, textiles and garments, leather and skins) products.

Improved coordination of policies and the development of a harmonized framework for national commitments towards achieving sustainable forest management, including international goals and targets and strong national reporting mechanisms on implementing sustainable forest management will help establish a level playing field for the forest products sector and will greatly assist public and political recognition of steps on the road to sustainable forest management.

(g) Enhance bilateral, regional and international cooperation with a view to promoting international trade in forest products from sustainably managed forests harvested according to domestic legislation

Increase significantly the area of protected forests worldwide and other areas of sustainably managed forests, as well as the proportion of forest products from sustainably managed forests

Carbon is stored in living biomass, including standing timber, branches, foliage and roots, and in dead biomass, including litter, woody debris, soil organic matter and forest products.

Forest applications include forest area estimation and mapping, forest monitoring, forest fire assessment and forest management.

2quater Non timber forest products mean goods of biological origin other than wood that are derived from forests, other wooded land and trees outside forests excluding genetic resources

(k) Enhance and facilitate access to and transfer of appropriate, environmentally sound and innovative technologies and corresponding know how relevant to sustainable forest management and to efficient value added processing of forest products, in particular to developing countries, for the benefit of local and indigenous communities

(f) Promoting and supporting research and development with a view to improving forest management and efficiency of wood utilization and the competitiveness of wood products relative to other materials, as well as increasing the capacity to conserve and enhance other forest values in timber producing tropical forests

(e) Information supplied by members on their progress towards the establishment of control and information mechanisms regarding illegal harvesting and illegal trade in tropical timber and non timber forest products.

Coordination of forest policies is needed to ensure some degree of consistency among the different international policies and programmes that directly or indirectly concern forests and the forests products sector.

Many countries have well established forest inventory systems that are being further developed to collect a wider range of data that relate not only to trees and wood production but also to ecological condition, biological diversity, tree health, fires, and use for recreation and non timber forest products.

Promoting better understanding of the contribution of non timber forest products and ecological services to the sustainable management of tropical forests and cooperating with relevant institutions and processes to this end

The Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development ( Johannesburg Plan of Implementation )2 includes a commitment to take immediate action on domestic forest law enforcement and illegal international trade in forest products, including in forest biological resources, with the support of the international community, and provide human and institutional capacity building related to the enforcement of national legislation in those areas (para.

Where forests play a critical role in enabling people to cope with poverty, their rights should be safeguarded by providing and securing tenure and access to wood and non timber forest products.