29 October 2015
FOREST EUROPE Releases Reports on Implementation of Commitments, Mid-term Evaluation of 2020 Goals
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Two reports examining national and regional implementation of political commitments made through FOREST EUROPE resolutions and other outcomes between 2011-2015, and progress towards the goals for European forests and 2020 targets were released at the seventh FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference held from 20-21 October 2015 in Madrid, Spain.

implementation_of_the_fe_cOctober 2015: Two reports examining national and regional implementation of political commitments made through FOREST EUROPE resolutions and other outcomes between 2011-2015, and progress towards the goals for European forests and 2020 targets were released at the seventh FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference held from 20-21 October 2015 in Madrid, Spain.

Titled ‘Implementation of the FOREST EUROPE Commitments – National and pan-European Actions 2011-2015,’ the first report examines actions and measures taken by FOREST EUROPE signatories for implementation of commitments and provides a number of success stories. It is the fourth monitoring report released during the FOREST EUROPE process, and focuses in particular on the activities carried out since the sixth Ministerial Conference held in 2011 in Oslo, Norway to forward implementation of the Oslo Ministerial commitments. It sets out the degree of national compliance and the regional approach to implementation, along with a review of implementation of previous commitments.

The report on the mid-term evaluation of the Goals for European Forests and the European 2020 Targets for Forests, titled ‘Meeting the Goals for European Forests and the European 2020 Targets for Forests,’ is authored by Stefanie Linser and Bernhard Wolfslehner from the European Forest Institute. It comprises a compilation and assessment of the available and required information for reporting on the implementation and achievement of the eight Goals for European Forests and the nine 2020 targets, on the basis of 29 out of 35 pan-European indicators that are applicable for monitoring, reporting and assessment. The evaluation shows that achieving Goal 1 (Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) ensures multiple forest functions and lasting provision of goods and services) and Target 2 (improved forest knowledge) are largely on track, but the data and information base for Target 2 has to be improved for further in-depth evaluation. Achievement of the nine goals and targets that focus on national forest programmes, renewable raw material and energy, green economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, socioeconomic and cultural benefits, illegal logging and associated trade is partially on track, although for three of those goals and one target, the data and information base needs to be improved considerably. Finally, the six goals and targets on loss of biodiversity, combating desertification, value of ecosystem services, and policies and measures on socioeconomic and cultural benefits are largely not on track.

Joint consideration of the information provided in both reports provides a comprehensive view of national level implementation and a regional assessment of achievements under the 8 Goals and 9 Targets adopted in the Oslo Ministerial Decision. [Publication: Implementation of the FOREST EUROPE Commitments – National and pan-European Actions 2011-2015] [Publication: Meeting the Goals for European Forests and the European 2020 Targets for Forests]


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