Forests and Biodiversity
> 10 October 07
Kyiv commitment
By 2008, contribute to the implementation in the pan-European region of the Forest Biodiversity Expanded Programme of Work of the Convention on Biological Diversity through, inter alia:
- Implementation of the objectives and activities of the Framework for Cooperation between the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe and the Environment for Europe/Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy;
- National Forest Programmes according to the MCPFE Approach to National Forest Programmes in Europe (adopted at the Vienna Conference in April 2003);
- Application of the ecosystem approach.
Assessment
To support implementation of the Kyiv target, the Framework for Cooperation between MCPFE and PEBLDS that was adopted in Kyiv identified the following priority themes for cooperation in the period up to 2007:
- The Ecosystem Approach: Work should contribute to clarification of the relationship between the Ecosystem Approach and sustainable forest management, building on MCPFE’s previous work on the latter.
- Protected forest areas: Building on MCPFE’s work on protected areas and on ecological networks, the link will be made between concepts of protected forest areas and protected areas in general.
- Forest law enforcement with regard to biodiversity conservation: Work will explore the impacts of illegal harvesting and related trade and institutional capacity building.
- Recommendations for site selection for afforestation: Recommendations will be elaborated in the context of the decisions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol, taking account of biodiversity interests. This effort will build on recent work by IUCN and UNEP, adapted to the European situation.
A joint position of the MCPFE and the PEBLDS on the linkage between the ecosystem approach and sustainable forest management at pan-European level was published in 2006. PEBLDS and MCPFE jointly organised a workshop on combating illegal harvesting of forest products and related trade in Europe as preparation for the Europe and North Asia Ministerial Conference hosted by the Russian Federation in November 2005. Unfortunately, the draft MCPFE-PEBLDS joint guidelines on afforestation and reforestation have not been agreed, and these may have played a role in reducing the risks of biofuel production on forest biodiversity.
Most pan-European countries have finalized or are in the process of preparing National Forest Programmes in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE). In 2004 the MCPFE Liaison Unit conducted a survey of implementation and found that 20 of the 23 countries that responded to the questionnaire were formulating and/or implementing programmes in accordance with the guidelines. The other three countries have initiated processes that are equivalent to the guidelines. In order to ensure the application of the ecosystem approach in practice, implementation of the National Forest Programmes will need to be reinforced in the period up to 2010.
There are clear signs of progress in reducing threats to and enhancing the biological diversity of Europe’s forests. In most countries, forests are growing older and thus in general more valuable for biodiversity conservation. A significant reduction in air pollution has also been observed. Conserving biodiversity is gaining ground within the objectives of forest management, as well as the certification of products from sustainably managed forests.
However, several persistent issues of concern remain. These include:
- threatened forests species
- the increasing threat of invasive alien species
- increasing forest fragmentation due to changes in land use
- forest fires.
A special threat to forest biodiversity is illegal logging. This is often rooted in poverty, but it is also stimulated by commercial incentives and enhanced by flaws in forest legislation and its enforcement. Illegal logging may also occur in protected forests. In some cases it is a side effect of cross-border conflicts. Illegal logging is most frequent in the Balkan region, the Baltic countries, the Russian Federation, the Caucasus, Central Asia and in some Central and Eastern European countries.
About this page
This document is part of the Countdown 2010 Readiness Assessment 2007. Download the entire study in English or Russian or read the chapters online.
Pan-European Progress Towards Achieving the 2010 Biodiversity Target
Introduction
Forests and Biodiversity
Agriculture and Biodiversity
The Pan-European Ecological Network
Invasive Alien Species
Financing Biodiversity
Biodiversity Monitoring and Indicators
Public Participation and Awareness
Additional Challenges
Annex 1: Status and trends of 2010 indicators
Annex 2: C2010 Readiness Assessment Questionnaire
Annex 3: Online Survey on the 2010 Biodiversity Target
Annex 4: Recommendations for high nature value farmland
Annex 5: SEBI2010 Indicators
