FOREST EUROPE held an Expert Level Meeting (ELM) to review progress on its programme of work and initiatives in support of sustainable forest management (SFM) within its 32 signatory countries.
The meeting also considered a number of issues on the links between SFM and the post-2015 development agenda including the promotion of SFM in a green economy, and activities to raise awareness of the broad range of contributions from forests and SFM to sustainable development.
5 February 2014: FOREST EUROPE held an Expert Level Meeting (ELM) to review progress on its programme of work and initiatives in support of sustainable forest management (SFM). Representatives from 32 of the FOREST EUROPE signatories, which are 46 European countries plus the European Union, attended the meeting.
The meeting considered, in particular, the development of SFM tools, the improvement of forest monitoring and reporting, and the enhanced valuation of forest ecosystem services. The meeting also considered a number of issues on the links between SFM and the post-2015 development agenda including the promotion of SFM in a green economy, and activities to raise awareness of the broad range of contributions from forests and SFM to sustainable development.
Participants also addressed upcoming meetings on the valuation of forest ecosystem services, and the social aspects of SFM and the green economy. Regarding the roadmap for the FOREST EUROPE Extraordinary Ministerial Conference, and given the outcomes of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Legally Binding Agreement on Forests in Europe, participants agreed that further discussions are needed.
Finally, the meeting approved new observers including the Council of European Foresters (CEF), the International Association for Mediterranean Forests (AIFM), Pro Natura – Friends of the Earth Switzerland, Friends of the Earth Europe, and the Mediterranean Forest Model Network, bringing the total number of observer organizations to 45. [FOREST EUROPE Press Release]