|
UNEP-WCMC is providing support to the WWF Forest Programme in monitoring
the conservation of the world's forests. This work is part of the WWF Forests
for Life Global Forests Campaign. Following preliminary work to design
a range of forest maps for campaign purposes, an operational monitoring
system is being developed.
Development and collaboration
As a major component of the Forests for Life Campaign, two target
driven activities are planned by WWF:
1) Protected Areas: Establish an ecologically representative network of
protected areas, covering at least 10% of the world's forest area by the
year 2000, demonstrating a range of socially and ecologically appropriate
models.
2) Independent Certification: Ensure the independent certification
of 10 million hectares of sustainably managed forest by 1998.
UNEP-WCMC assisted the early stages of the Campaign by preparing the WWF
World Forest Map, the first digital forest map showing actual global
forest extent and forest within protected areas. This map was prepared from
detailed paper and digital maps from more than 70 different national and
international sources, most of which were compiled during previous UNEP-WCMC
projects with limited additional information. In addition, national maps
of forests in more than 80 countries have been prepared and distributed
in paper and digital form to WWF Forest Officers and Press Officers worldwide.
The launch of the map on the World Wide Web in September 1996 attracted
unprecedented attention from journalists around the world. This stimulated
considerable interest and it is hoped that identification of new datasets
by the WWF Network members will complement UNEP-WCMC's ongoing data compilation
programme.
Ongoing Activities
An operational monitoring system is being developed at UNEP-WCMC to
monitor, compile and distribute updated information on forests, protected
areas and other conservation measures designed to protect the world's
forests. This includes the following activities:
- Collection of improved data sources on forest cover and protected
areas through the WWF Network, in addition to ongoing data gathering
activities
- Identification of forest within protected areas, initially by overlaying
GIS data, and supplemented by feedback from WWF National Officers
- Collection and analysis of data on forest concessions with assistance
from the WWF Network
- Development of a database of forest sources of certified timber which
have been endorsed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
- Maintenance and updating of UNEP-WCMC's databases on forests, protected
areas and certified sources
These activities will result in the following outputs, to support Campaign
staff and the WWF Network:
- Country maps of forests, forest protected areas and FSC endorsed
sites
- National summaries of forest conservation statistics
- Country maps, and summary statistics on UNEP-WCMC and WWF web sites,
in collaboration with WWF International
- Thematic maps from overlain datasets as requested by the WWF Network
- Demonstration of the range of project outputs at selected international
and national fora in collaboration with WWF
- A continued Forest Conservation Monitoring Service throughout the
life of the Forests for Life Campaign beyond the year 2000
|