The following internet pages all deal with issues related to Sustainable Forest Management (SFM).
The Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, University of Edinburgh, maintains a site with information on Criteria and Indicators for SFM with links to other relevant sites ( http://meranti.ierm.ed.ac.uk/c&I/)
The International Tropical Timber Organization plays a significant role in the development of sustainable forest management practices. More information on SFM can be found in their Policy Development Series, which are also accessible through the Internet at http://www.itto.or.jp/pds/index.html.
The Montreal Process Working Group was established with the specific purpose of developing and implementing internationally agreed C&I for sustainable forest management. The group has developed a comprehensive set of 7 criteria and 67 indicators for the conservation and sustainable management of temperate and boreal forests. More information, including the 7 criteria and 67 indicators, is available at http://www.dpie.gov.au/agfor/forests/montreal/international.html
The forest mailing list archive of METLA ( http://www.metla.fi/archive/forest/) contains reports on several discussions on sustainable forest management. December 1995 and August 1997 are particularly relevant.
Sustainable Forest Management is often linked with certification. The homepage of the Forest Stewardsship Council, FSC, (http://www.fscoax.org/) provides information on its history, structure and objectives.
Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) presents information on its certification of sustainably managed forests at: http://www.scs1.com/forests.html. SCS has been accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
SmartWood is the forestry certification program of the Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit environmental group based in New York City. Its purpose is to provide independent, objective evaluation of forest management practices, forest products, timber sources and companies, enabling the public to identify products and practices that do not destroy forests. More information at http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/swr1.html
A press release on the agreement reached by representatives from 30 countries on the application of the ISO 14,001 Standard for Environmental Management to improve forestry practice worldwide is available at: http://www.newsroom.co.nz/stories/PO9711/S00138.htm. The article also provides a list of participating countries and organisations.
Forests and their sustainable management are the subject of many international debates. In addition to the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF), the Conventions on Biological Diversity and on Combatting Desertification include important chapters on forests and forestry.
Information on the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) and its first session in New York, October 1997, can de found at http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/iff.htm. The general website address of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development is: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/htm
The Convention on Biological Diversity, which held its fourth meeting of the conference of parties (COP4) in Bratislava in May 1998 has a website at: http://www.biodiv.org . Advance unedited versions of the texts of the decisions adopted on the final day of the COP4 meeting are now available at the site.
The Clearing-House Mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity ( http://www.biodiv.org/Chm) promotes technical and scientific co-operation at all levels among Parties to the Convention. The CHM also facilitates access to and the exchange of information on biodiversity around the world. At: http://www.biodiv.org/forest.html, the focus is on forest biological diversity.
The Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) has a site at http://www.unccd.ch/. At the site of UNDP-SEED (Sustainable Energy and Environment Division) at http://www.undp.org/seed/ the Office to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNSO) is linked to http://www.undp.org/seed/unso.html.
The secretariat of the Convention on Climate Change also maintains a homepage at: http://www.unfccc.de/homep.htm
The site of the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, (http://www.unep.org) presents information on their activities and other related initiatives.
Other interesting pages
The International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) at http://www.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/iapt.
The International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) including its South-South Rural Development Network at http://www.oneworld.org/inasp/.
New
The ETFRN National Node in Portugal now has a homepage. The address is:
http://home.EUnet.pt/id006240.
Abstracts of 200 of the 350 papers to be presented at the First International Conference on Geospatial Information in Agriculture and Forestry (Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA, 1-3 June 1998) may be found at http://www.erim-int.com/CONF/ICGIAF/Aghome.html
The English edition of Forest Genetic Resources No. 25 is now available on the FAO Forestry Internet site. This annual bulletin is produced by the Forest Resources Development Service of the FAO Forestry Department. The internet address is: Http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/forestry/fogenres/GENRESBU/genbul-e.htm. The French and Spanish versions will be available on-line soon.
CTA, the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, now has a website at: http://www.cta.nl. Besides presenting general information on CTA, the site provides explanations on how to apply for CTA support in publishing, training, or information and equipment. Also, specific CTA services are provided online, such as access to the catalogue of 800+ publications.