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PROFOR

The Relationship between the Ecosystem Approach and Sustainable Forest Management

A Review of Conceptual Understadings and Practical Experiences

While many international agreements, governments, private sector companies and civil society organizations have committed to implement both an ecosystem approach and sustainable forest management (SFM), there is a general lack of clarity on how these two concepts relate to each other. As a result, delegates to international fora on forest and forest-related issues have many different interpretations as to whether and how an ecosystem approach and SFM relate to each other.

In response to challenges arising from this definitional problem, recommendations were made to take necessary actions to clarify the conceptual basis of the ecosystem approach in relation to sustainable forest management at both the sixth Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and Resolution 3/4 of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF). Based on the request made by the CBD and UNFF, the objective of this study is to evaluate the link between the concepts of an ecosystem approach and SFM and, using case

studies, to review the differences and similarities in the application of these approaches with a view to improve the conservation of biological diversity and sustainable use, and specifically:

  • Outline the historical evolution and key operational features of the ecosystem approach and of contemporary SFM concepts.
  • Review practical experiences in the application of SFM and the Ecosystem Approach.
  • Explore how spatial and temporal perspectives inherent in the ecosystem approach and SFM can contribute to how we understand and address the economic, environmental and social trade-offs involved in land-use policy and practice.
  • Suggest key policy and institutional interventions for operationalizing these concepts, and optimizing synergies between them, in contemporary resource management and planning.

Forests in Landscapes - by Jeffrey Sayer and Stewart Maginnis

Forest in Landscapes'This book demonstrates that [ecosystem approaches and sustainable forest management] are neither alternative methods of forest management nor are they simply complicated ways of saying the same thing. They are both emerging concepts for more integrated and holistic ways of managing forests within larger landscapes in ways that optimize benefits to all stakeholders'
- Achim Steiner and Ian Johnson

Forests in Landscapes, published in 2005, is the culmination of this work on the relationship between the Ecosystem Approach and Sustainable Forest Managment. It reviews changes that have occurred in forest management in recent decades. Recent innovations in Sustainable Forest Management and Ecosystem Approaches are resulting in forests increasingly being managed as part of the broader social-ecological systems in which they exist. Case studies from Europe, Canada, the United States, Russia, Australia, the Congo and Central America provide a wealth of international examples of innovative practices. The book also examines the political ecology and economics of forest management, and reviews the information needs and the use and misuse of criteria and indicators to achieve broad societal goals for forests. A limited number of copies are available by requst from the PROFOR publication request form. The publication is also available for purchase from Earthscan http://shop.earthscan.co.uk

Discussion Paper and Expert Workshop on Sustainable Forest Management and the Ecosystem Approach at UNFF-4
A discussion paper, Ecosystem Approaches and Sustainable Forest Management, was jointly prepared and submitted by IUCN, PROFOR and the World Bank for the 4th session of the UNFF. The paper attempted to: inform discussions at both the country level and within the UNFF and the CBD on the need for action or decisions to further the objectives of SFM and EsA; suggest areas for further debate on the concepts of SFM and EsA to support the adoption of these concepts in national forest programs; and clarify for all concerned forest interest groups the issues and opportunities for integrating some of the concepts underlying EsA into SFM for improved forest management. A copy of this paper can be downloaded from: http://www.iucn.org

A follow-up workshop was organized by IUCN, PROFOR and the World Bank between 12 and 14 May 2004 bringing together experts from various countries in the Swiss Jura. Participants discussed and brainstormed on the relationship between the EsA and SFM concepts and assess how these two concepts can help operationalize the growing consensus that 21st century forest management should address broader, multi-stakeholder, multi-scale and multiple function objectives. Based on discussions from the workshop, a set of regional and thematic case studies on this subject were commissioned, and terms of references for the contributing authors were finalized. More information on the expert workshop is available at: http://www.iucn.org

Initial Findings
The key findings from the initial draft of the report were distilled into a special issue of the joint IUCN/WWF Arborvitae newsletter, entitled Changing Realities: Ecosystem Approaches and Sustainable Forest Management. This 12-page communications piece offered a summary of the key findings of the study to date, reviewing and clarifying the relationship between EsA and SFM. An important conclusion from the case studies documented is that many of the issues that the EsA principles highlight are already being addressed on the ground. The real value of EsA therefore is not as a competing concept to SFM, but as a set of general guidelines that help enrich the debate and provide a broad conceptual framework for resource management. Downloadable PDF copies of Changing Realities: Ecosystem Approaches and Sustainable Forest Management are available at: http://www.iucn.org

Workshop at the World Conservation Congress
Sponsored Workshop on Ecosystem Approaches and Sustainable Forest Management study at the WCC: A sponsored workshop on Ecosystem Approaches and Sustainable Forest Management was held at the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress in Bangkok in November 2004. Approximately eighty participants attended this workshop and contributed to a lively discussion and debate on the topic. The participants represented a diversity of stakeholders, including various IUCN members and partners from around the world, several of whom contributed practical examples from a range of different countries such as India, Nigeria, Thailand, Canada, etc. The main message drawn from the workshop was that new approaches to forestry are needed. While this does not advocate creating another set of guidelines, it calls for being adaptive while still echoing the principles outlined in the CBD and the Criteria and Indicators (C&I) of the UNFF. More information on the sponsored workshop is available at: http://www.iucn.org

Activities Related to Forest Governance