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Food
and Agriculture Organization
of
the United Nations
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Eastern Europe still facing challenges in forest
management
Appropriate strategies needed to deal with major problems
Geneva, Rome and Zvolen (Slovakia),
24 May 2006 -- While the rest of Europe is steadily progressing towards
sustainable forest management, Eastern European countries are facing many challenges,
following the restitution of forests from the State to their previous owners,
FAO said today at the European forestry commission meeting (23-26 May) in Zvolen,
Slovakia.
Many countries in Eastern Europe restructuring their economic and social
system from central planning to the market system have made huge progress
in developing a private forestry sector and adapting their institutions. The
State has returned forests to former owners or their heirs; changes have been
made in policy and legislation for greater private-sector involvement in the
forestry sector; and forest institutions, notably State forest services are
adapting to the market economy.
As a result, the forest sector in Eastern Europe is benefiting from a general
recovery. Production of forest products in Eastern Europe is growing and trade
of forest products with Western Europe is increasing significantly.
Many new forest owners are seeking new skills and resources to manage their
forest in a sustainable way. However, their holdings are so small that many
owners cannot afford professional advice. There is no long established tradition
of forest management, nor institutional advice and support. As a result, forest
owners are often tempted to sell all the timber to the first buyer, and then
abandon active and responsible management.
“It is important for policymakers in these countries to identify ways
and means to assist private smallholdings with professional advice, to enable
them to take advantage of expanding markets while maintaining forest quality,” said
Wulf Killmann, FAO Director Forest Products and Economics Division.
Other challenges
Countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus
and Central Asia (EECCA) and Southeastern Europe urgently request support
for policy changes and institutional reform,” said
Kit Prins, senior forestry officer at the United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (UNECE).
Countries in the region could benefit from the experience
of the new European Union members in adapting to profound changes in the social
and economic environment.
Increased efforts are needed to combat forest fire and support forest
law enforcement.
Greater demand for social and environmental benefits from forests, such
as water management, soil erosion control and leisure, is expected. Improved
policy coordination across sectors will be indispensable, according to
FAO.
Overcoming the difficulties
FAO and UNECE are working together with other international organizations
and the countries to assist in solving the problems.
“Overall, private owners will need further support to manage and
market forest products better, so that the private forests may become more
economically viable. Safeguarding the environmental and social services
of forests, is yet another challenge,” Killmann said.
Discussions at the European Forestry Commission meeting are expected
to help policymakers identify and solve the problems. The commission meets
every two years and is part of a global network of regional forestry commissions
which together feed ideas and suggestions to the FAO Committee on Forests
scheduled to meet in March 2007.
For further information, please contact:
Christopher Prins
Chief, UNECE/FAO Timber Section
Trade Development and Timber Division
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0)22 917 2874
Fax: +41 (0)22 917 0041
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.unece.org/trade/timber
or:
Pierre Antonios
Media Relations
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
I - 00100 Rome, Italy
Phone: +39 06 570 53473
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/31096/en
Ref: ECE/TIM/06/P02