Working Group Meeting Report
AIDE-MÉMOIRE
25th Montréal Process Working Group
Santiago and Valdivia, Chile
August 26 - 31, 2015
The Montréal Process Working Group on Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests held its 25th meeting in Santiago and Valdivia, Chile, July 26-31, 2015. The Montréal Process includes Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Russian Federation, United States of America, and Uruguay, which together represent 50% of the world's forests and 90% of the world’s temperate and boreal forests.
Chair
The role of Chair was handed over from Russia (in absentia) to Chile.
Opening Welcome
The members were welcomed to Santiago by the Chile meeting Deputy Chair Mr Andres Meza, and introduced to Chair Executive Director, National Forest Service, Mr Aaron Cavieres.
Participation
The meeting included 24 participants from 9 Montréal Process member countries. The meeting was greatly enhanced by the participation and contribution of the employees of the Chilean government. A list of participants is attached as Annex A.
Official Welcome
The members received an official welcome by the Honourable Senator Mr Antonio Horvath, President of the Committee on Environment and Public Property of the Senate, MPWG-25 Chair Mr Aaron Cavieres, National Forest Service Executive Director and Mr José Fernandez, Advisory Minister, Deputy Director of Environmental and Maritime Affairs, Government of Chile.
The liaison officer briefed the meeting on the overview of the history of the Montréal Process. The Presentation is attached as Annex B.
The meeting reconvened in Valdivia, via Temuco, on Tuesday 28 July, 2015.
Agenda
The Chair introduced the draft agenda, which was reviewed and adopted by the Working Group. The agenda is attached as Annex C.
Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Reporting
Reporting of the TAC Convenor and TAC meeting in Japan in January 2015 (Dr Tim Payn, TAC Convenor, New Zealand).
The meeting received a presentation from the TAC Convenor and USA TAC member on the demonstration for each of the Criteria. The meeting discussed the TAC examples and also discussed examples of reporting options.
The meeting discussed the role of the Montréal Process in domestic reporting and the underlying guiding principle of the MPWG members that reporting does not compare and contrast individual member countries.
The TAC Convenor reported on:
- the TAC meeting in Tokyo, Japan in January 2015;
- updating existing documentation, primarily statistics and other updates to reflect correct internet links, etc. but no revision of content or intent; and
- preparation of draft 4 page report (20 year progress by the Montréal Process) for World Forestry Conference in Durban, South Africa in September 2015.
Action Item 1: The meeting agreed that final draft of the 4 page poster booklet will be circulated to members for final review by 10 August 2015 to allow completion. Members will provide any response or comments to the TAC by 14 August 2015. Then Chile as Chair will approve final version Out-of-Session.
- A proposal for preparation of comprehensive overview report. TAC Convenor has suggested this may take three (3) years to complete, with input from all member countries.
- Key Summary Montréal Process Statistics Report:Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Reporting This is a 20-year report, examining 20 years of reporting data.
- Review of TAC Convenor role, currently due to conclude in 2015. NZ has confirmed funding for TAC Convenor that will end in June 2016.
- TAC Convenor Position to be finalized at MPWG-26 Meeting.
TAC Convenor Position Appointment
Noting that Action Item 21 from the MPWG-24 meeting did not yield any nominations for the TAC Convenor it was agreed that the term of the current TAC Convenor would be extended on an ad-hoc basis until MPWG-26. New Zealand is able to continue to support the current TAC Convenor Dr Tim Payn in this role until June 2016, though the Montréal Process Working Group acknowledges the support provided by other Countries for specific TAC Convenor activities. It was noted that the assumption in the Terms of Reference (TOR) that the current TAC Convenor will continue in the absence of alternative nominations places a burden on the Member Country that nominated the current TAC Convenor.
Action Item 2: Working Group member countries will provide nominations to the Liaison Office for the TAC Convenor by 1st of February 2016.
Action Item 3: The MPWG 26 will consider arrangements for the appointment and support of TAC Convenor as outlined in the TOR.
Action Item 4: The MPWG will appoint a TAC Convener at MPWG-26, using the existing process in the current TOR.
Reporting of the Liaison Office
The Liaison Office presented a report against the Action Items from MPWG-24 hosted by Russia and MPWG-23 hosted by Australia.
The meeting discussed progress against these actions.
Action Item 5: The Liaison Office will progress all outstanding Actions from MPWG 24 (Russia) and MPWG-23 (Australia).
Action Item 6: The Liaison Office will monitor and report on the Action items arising from MPWG-25.
Montréal Process Declaration
The past Chair, Dr Maria Palenova has requested the meeting consider a review of the Montréal Process Declaration.
Action Item 7: The Chair will work with the Liaison Office and Russia to prepare a draft Declaration for review by MPWG for endorsement at MPWG-26.
Report from UNFF-11
New Zealand presented outcomes of UNFF-11 and the Global Forest Indicator Partnership (GFIP).
It was noted that the UNFF-11 declaration and resolution include references to the importance of developing a common understanding of the definition of the Sustainable Forest Management, and also outlines the importance of ongoing improvements in how information is gathered and reported. The development of the UNFF’s Strategic Plan and its ongoing process to develop a cycle and format for reporting (to conclude in 2017) were noted as opportunities for the MPWG to work with other organizations and C&I processes to inform the UNFF work.
While there was strong interest amongst UNFF countries in collaboration on information gathering the GFIP did not gain traction at the UNFF. There were concerns expressed (at the UNFF) that the GFIP was too advanced in its development for countries to be comfortable endorsing it. A period of constituency building would enhance the chances of the GFIP landing as a formal collaboration, though the value of this needs to be considered against the costs (both financial and flexibility).
The meeting agreed that Canada will work with Japan and continue to explore the opportunities and advantages of collaborating with other C&I process and other forest related fora to highlight the value of collaborative approaches between those that collect and analyse forestry information, building on the relationships developed to date.
Action Item 8: Canada will engage with MPWG members and other C&I process and other forest related fora as appropriate and present findings at MPWG 26.
IUFRO 2014 World Congress Reporting
USA TAC Member reported to the meeting on outcomes of the IUFRO 2014 World Congress and Network of Criteria and Indicators Professionals.
The booth fielded numerous questions from interested parties. USA expressed their appreciation for USA member Mr. Peter Gaulke’s hard work in preparing and finalizing the MPWG activities at this event, including his efforts to produce the Christina Hendricks video which ran at the booth continuously for the whole event. The USA reported back to the MPWG meeting of some interesting conversations with IUFRO attendees about the Montréal Process and Criteria & Indicators in general.
FAO Criteria & Indicators Project
Mr. Jorge Meza, Chile, provided a presentation to the meeting on the FAO Criteria & Indicators project and side event. The presentation on the FAO Criteria and Indicators Project is provided at Annex D.
Action Item 9: Canada as a MPWG member will request clarity of the complementarity of these workshops and ensure that the work that will occur is convergent towards advancing C&I.
Member Country Reports
Argentina:
Argentina has already finished the final version of the report which includes improvements on indicators and new information available.
This report has achieved a more comprehensive, complete and participatory outcome in comparison to the 2003 report and reflects the effort of the work of multi-disciplinary technical teams from many organizations.
The report is now in its final design process and will be submitted for approval of the appropriate authorities. Once approved, this report will be translated to English.
The report will be presented at the XIV World Forestry Congress in September 2015 in Durban, South Africa.
Australia:
Australia's 5 yearly MPWG Country Report – Australia’s State of the Forests Report 2013 (SOFR) has been released. To accompany the report there is also a summary document and a pocket-sized, annual, Forest at a Glance publications summary booklet.
The Australian Government's Forest Industry Advisory Council has released a Strategic Issues Paper: Meeting Future Market Demand for industry and community consultation. This issues paper will identify opportunities and direction for the future of the Australian forest sector for future decades.
The value of the MPWG enables Australia to produce national strategic discussion papers such as the Strategic Issues Paper with community confidence and trust in the underlying data and information that informs our strategy.
Canada:
Canada presented its 2014 Report on the State of Canada’s Forests (SOF) and highlighted concerns regarding definitions used by the FAO to characterize employment and primary forests. With regards to SOF, Canada reported that the inclusion of infographics and shortening of the indicator descriptions has increased the impact and reach of the SOF report and the understanding of SFM. Canada also expressed its interest in exploring the inclusion of new indicators to address emerging trends and has presented the results of conversations with the US and Mexico on addressing definitional flaws in the way the FAO is presenting employment and primary forest information in the GFRA.
Canada also reported on its participation in various organizations focusing on certification, namely the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Forest Stewardship Council. An updated CSA standard is expected to be released in 2016.
Chile:
Chile has finalized its 2003 – 2015 Country Report. This report is result of a collaborative effort from different public and private national institutions related to conservation and forest management. This process resulted in 43 indicators informed, where 12 are partially informed. All criteria shows some progress for this period especially criteria 7 on legal and institutional aspects.
China:
During 2014 to 2015, sustainable forest management has been continuously consolidated at policies and operational levels. The State Council issued the Scheme on State-owned Forest Farm Reform, and the Guiding Opinion on State-owned Forest Region Reform to accelerate the protection and development of state-owned forest, and enhance its key role in regional economic development, ecological restoration and social stability in February, 2015.
Application of Montréal Process C&I has been deepened to explore the way of SFM in China at different levels since 2013. At national and regional level, case study on forest biodiversity evaluation is carried out to establish the system of indicators consisting of single factors and composite index from ecosystem, landscape and forest types scales, which facilitates national evaluation and reporting capacity based on national forest inventory. At FMU level, the system of tracking and evaluation on progress of FM is developed and applied, involved of 3 categories, 9 sub-categories and 37 specific factors as well as synthesized index on SFM. The Guideline on SFM C&I has been primarily developed and will been extensively put into practice at FMU in the next year. Meanwhile, China also strengthen the reliable formulation of forestry polices and related multi-benefits’ impact through MP C&I such as forest harvest management.
Japan:
Japan reported on key topics related to recent achievements of forestry sector, inter alia, i) the outcome of the international seminar on “soils as the foundation for resilient forests in a changing environment viewed through the lens of criteria and indicators” which was held on the margin of 2015 Jan. TAC meeting, ii) the outcome of the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction which was held in Sendai, March 2015 in view of the expected contribution of forest conservation to more resilient society against natural disasters, iii) the roadmap for the promotion of CLT which is expected to generate new areas of wood demand and iv) the basic concept of government managed forest insurance act which was amended recently.
Korea:
Korea introduced recent development on SFM. Korea Forest Service published the National Report on SFM in Korean & English in 2014, which is the second official report since its first one in 2009. This 2014 report analyzed of the significance and data trends on 36 indicators based on the 54 Montréal Process indicators. There is a need to further study on means of measuring and monitoring data for the 19 indicators not included in this national report, which are insufficient to apply in terms of data availability and measurement. In Korea, forest productivity and biodiversity has been well maintained through increment of forest growing stock and expansion of forest protection areas. But, forest conversion, unbalanced age-class distribution, needs of demarcation of timber production forest, prevention of forest pests and diseases, forest soil acidification and unstable employment of forest workers are challenges to overcome in the future.
New Zealand:
New Zealand reported on its progress since the 23rd meeting to deliver its third report on the C&I of the MP and also recent policy changes and other actions to enhance the implementation of the SFM. Preparation of the Third Report began in 2013, and will be launched at the WFC. Preparation highlighted the value of annual reporting of key C&I to reflect changes in the values improvements once the report was concluded. New Zealand has launched consultation on a National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry which will lead to a nationwide approach to managing the activities and resources for Forestry Activities. There is ongoing improvement in the understanding of threats to natural forests and control options including a nationwide pest control initiative to preserve native forest biodiversity. Increases in Government and industry investment in forest planting and research and development where also noted.
USA:
The National Report on Sustainable Forests—2015 is in the midst of production. All of the indicator reports have been received and are being compiled to produce a review draft due for distribution in October 2015. The final report is slated for publication in the summer of 2016. Anticipated summary findings are similar to those in the 2010 Report: forest area in the United States continues to be stable to slightly increasing, but forest fragmentation and elevated forest disturbance levels are major concerns. We have added two additional points of concern in the 2015 Report, however, and these are: (1) continued loss of forest biodiversity; and (2) unemployment in the forest products sector.
Numerous other findings are identified from the indicator report. Another change from 2010 was the use of the updated Criterion 7 indicators, which are generally seen as a major improvement over the previous set.
Mexico, Russia, and Uruguay were not in attendance at the MPWG-25 meeting.
Montréal Process Outreach Activities and Side Event at the World Forestry Congress in Durban, South Africa, September 2015.
The TAC Convenor provided the meeting with an update of the Montréal Process led side event for the World Forestry Congress, with Forest Europe, ITTO and FAO. This will be an overview of Criterion and Indicators, but not a detailed analysis of specific Indicators.
The meeting agreed that the presentation for the World Forestry Congress Side Event will be based on the MPWG Strategic Plan, Value Proposition, and the new 4 page summary document.
The meeting agreed that Chile will present MPWG at the World Forestry Congress side event.
Action Item 10: Chile will finalize a presentation and circulate to MPWG members prior to the side event.
MPWG members who have indicated that they may be attending World Forestry Congress are Argentina, Australia, China, Japan, and New Zealand.
Collaborative Forest Resources Questionnaire (CFRQ) at the launch of the FAO Global Forest Research Assessment 2015.
A second side event will occur and MPWG will present the Montréal Process analysis based on the Collaborative Forest Resources Questionnaire (CFRQ) at the launch of the FAO Global Forest Resource Assessment 2015.
The meeting agreed that the TAC Convenor will coordinate the preparation of a presentation before the event, and the USA and Japan will contribute to a discussion to develop the key messages for MPWG at the CFRQ forum. A final presentation will be circulated to MPWG members by 21 August 2015.
The meeting agreed that once the final presentation is prepared, the Liaison Office will coordinate MPWG members to agree who will present MPWG at the Forest Resources Assessment CFRQ event.
The attendee will circulate a final presentation to the MPWG members prior to attending the event.
Global Forest Coalition Community Conservation Conference
The past Chair (Dr. Maria Palenova) has received an invitation to present to the Global Forest Coalition Community Conservation Conference at Durban on 3 September 2015. The MPWG-25 meeting agreed that as there was no planned attendance by members at this Conference, the MPWG was unable to accept the invitation.
Action Item 11: The Liaison Office will liaise with the past Chair, Russia, to inform the Global Forest Coalition Community Conservation Conference secretariat that the MPWG will not be able to present at their conference.
Primary Forests
Canada presented its concerns with the concept of "primary forest". The FAO's definition of primary forest is increasingly being used to achieve sustainability goals in landscape planning and procurement policy. However, the concept has important shortcomings and is not easily measured. Canada outlined its plans to share its concerns at other fora and engage the FAO to develop alternatives in global forest reporting. The Working Group encouraged Canada to seek practical alternatives to this complex issue that focus on the benefits of well managed forests for all purposes.
Evolution of Reporting on Forests - Best Practices and Lessons Learned
Canada shared lessons learned about improving forest reporting to take advantage of the Internet and social media while complying with requirements concerning government activities online. Readers have more access to information and have more capacity for analysis than in the past. This creates both challenges and opportunities for governments wishing to provide high-quality information to its citizens. Canada outlined steps it has taken to adapt it's reporting to be seen as more credible and to provide information in attractive, useful and highly sharable formats that extends the reach and impact of its forest information. The Working Group thanked Canada for sharing its valuable experiences and noted the applicability to communications efforts of the Montréal Process.
Value Proposition
The members acknowledge the work of Canada, Korea, China, USA and New Zealand in advancing the Value Proposition. The members endorsed the Value Proposition. The Value Proposition is attached as Annex E.
Action Item 12: Members are encouraged to use the Value Proposition, and adapt it to their national needs.
Revised C&I Booklet
The draft revised C&I book was approved Out-of-Session by the Chair from Russia after the MPWG-24 meeting and before the MPWG-25 meeting. The final graphic design is currently being completed for printing before the September event. The printing and graphic design is being coordinated by the USA.
The TAC has already received editorial comments from MPWG members, and based on this feedback has prepared a revised final draft version. The TAC Convenor reported to the meeting that the revisions were minor in nature, and included providing updated active URL links and new references.
The booklet will be printed by mid-August 2015, in time for the World Forestry Congress in September 2015. Due to time constraints, the booklet will initially be printed in English, but will be translated into other Montréal languages after the WFC, and uploaded to the MPWG website.
Strategic Action Plan
Australia led the discussion for reviewing the 2015-2025 Strategic Action Plan.
Action Item 13: Australia will provide an initial draft Strategic Action Plan 2015-2025 to members by late-August 2015 based on the discussion at MPWG-25.
Action Item 14: Australia will present the Strategic Action Plan to the MPWG-26 meeting in 2016 for consideration and updating at the meeting.
Poster Session with Chilean Researchers
The meeting was presented with a Poster Session by Chilean researchers on a number of research project issues which relate to the Montréal Process. Researchers provided information and detail on their projects and met with members to discuss their projects.
The meeting received informal presentations and discussions with researchers from five research centres and CONAF. The researchers were: Janina Gysling, Cecilia Smith, Christian Little, Iván Díaz, Dolly Lanfranco, Federico An-der Fuhren, Gabriela Soto, Gustavo Cruz, Karen Peña, Ursula Doll, Víctor Sandoval, Zoia Neira, Gerardo Vergara, Roberto Ipinza, Yasna Rojas y Rodrigo Sagardia.
Aide Memoir
It was requested that for future meetings, paper presenters provide to liaison Office a 100-150 word summary of their paper for inclusion in the Aide-Memoir.
Field Trip
The MPWG enjoyed a culturally enriching field trip to Panguipulli, meeting with the Mapuche people and the traditional Coz Coz Parliament of the Mapuche people. The members experienced a small forest landowner working with CONAF on the Panguipulli Municipality Project, and the local field office in the Panguipulli County. The members thanked the local Panguipulli team from CONAF and the local landowners who hosted us at their property.
Action Item 15: The Liaison Office will circulate all Actions arising from the MPWG-25 meeting to all members by 15 August 2015.
Host for MPWG-26 Meeting
The meeting thanked China for its offer to host the 26th Meeting of the MPWG and accepted the offer. China will work with the Liaison Office to confirm the meeting date and venue, and provide at least 3 months’ notice of the 26th Meeting to the MPWG members. The meeting is likely to occur between June and August 2016, but will be confirmed in 2016. China has called for agenda papers for the MPWG-26 meeting.
Action Item 16: China to request members to advise China of agenda items before the MPWG-26 meeting.
Action Item 17: China to provide notice of meeting details three (3) months prior to MPWG-26, and kindly request the Liaison Office send to China the draft Agenda for the meeting.
Action Item 18: Liaison Office to prepare a summary of outstanding Action items from MPWG meetings as the basis for the agenda for the MPWG-26 meeting.
The meeting agreed that a key agenda item for the MPWG-26 meeting will be to review and reconfirm all strategic documents for MPWG. This will include a revision of the MPWG internet site to make MPWG Strategic documents clearly accessible.
TAC Meeting
Expressions of interest to host the next TAC meeting will be forwarded by the Liaison Office to MPWG members for their consideration out-of-session. In the absence of an offer to host the meeting, the Liaison Office will work with the TAC Convenor to coordinate the members of the TAC, who will meet virtually to undertake the work as directed by this and previous MPWG meetings.
Action Item 19: The Liaison Office will call for expressions of interest to host the 16th TAC meeting by 1 November 2015.
Retirement of MPWG Members
The MPWG members recognized the efforts of a number of members who have retired since the last meeting. Their significant contribution to the MPWG and role in strengthening the MPWG process was recognized.
The members made special recognition and voiced appreciation for the high quality level of support and contribution and efforts of the past Japan member Mr. Ichiro Nagame.
The meeting requested that the Chair write letters of thanks to past MPWG Members including: Mr. Ichiro Nagame from Japan, Dr Se Kyung Chong from Korea, Mr. Richard Guldin from USA, Dr. Tomás Schlichter from Argentina, and Mr. Alan Reid from New Zealand. In addition the Chair was requested to also write letters of thanks to: Mr. Peter Gaulke TAC member USA, and Liaison Officer Mr. Masahiko Hori from Japan.
Action Item 20: That the Chair to write letters to these former members to thank them for their contributions, and recognize their efforts in strengthening the Montréal Process.
Expression of Thanks
The meeting expressed its deep appreciation to the Chair Mr. Aaron Cavieres and Deputy Chair of the Working Group Meeting, Mr. Andres Meza, and their colleagues from the CONAF, particularly Ms. Veronica Oyarzún, and the people of Chile for their hospitality in co-hosting the 25th meeting of the Montréal Process Working Group.
Special thanks go to Ms. Ursula Partarrieu from the CONAF for the unique and enjoyable field trip.
Annex A – MPWG 25 Participants
| Name | Country |
|---|---|
| Ms. Mirta Rosa Larrieu | Argentina |
| Mr. Andrew Wilson | Australia |
| Mr. Stuart West | Australia |
| Mr. Simon Bridge | Canada |
| Ms. Joanne Frappier | Canada |
| Mr. Aarón Cavieres | Chile |
| Mr. Andres Meza | Chile |
| Ms. Verónica Oyarzún | Chile |
| Ms. Úrsula Partarrieu | Chile |
| Mr. Rodrigo Pedraza | Chile |
| Mr. Xiao Wenfa | China |
| Mr. Zhang Songdan | China |
| Mr. Xia Chaozong | China |
| Mr. Zhang Min | China |
| Ms. Lei Jingpin | China |
| Mr. Jorge Meza | FAO |
| Mr. Masahiko Hori | Japan |
| Mr. Toshimasa Masuyama | Japan |
| Dr. Muira Satoru | Japan |
| Mr. Yusuke Yamada | Japan |
| Mr. Steven Cox | New Zealand |
| Dr. Tim Payn | New Zealand |
| Mr. Se Kyung Chong | Republic of Korea |
| Ms. Tracy Hancock | United States of America |
Annex B – Overview of the Montréal Process (PowerPoint Presentation)
See…
Annex C – MPWG 25 Agenda
Sunday, July 26, 2015 – Welcoming dinner and Informal Meeting for MPWG members
- Leadership transition to Chile
- Draft Agenda Review
- AIDE-MÉMOIRE Committee definition
Monday, July 27, 2015 - 25th MPWG Opening session, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Welcoming Coffee
- Welcome from Minister of Agriculture, Mr Carlos Furche
- Montréal Process Status (Masahiko Hori, Montréal Process Liaison Officer, Japan)
- Guest Speaker: Honourable Senator Mr Antonio Horvath, President of the Committee on Environment and Public Property of the Senate.
- Perspectives for the 25th Meeting of the Montréal Process Working Group “Santiago +20”, Mr Aarón Cavieres, National Forest Service Executive Director
- Cocktail
Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - First session MPWG meeting
Technical Advisory Committee Reporting
- Reporting of the TAC Convenor and TAC meeting in Japan in January 2015 (Tim Payn, TAC Convenor, New Zealand)
- Overview of 20 year progress by the Montréal Process review and discuss draft 2-4 page report for World Forestry Congress and approach to more comprehensive overview report (Tim Payn, TAC Convenor, New Zealand)
- Key Summary Montréal Process Statistics Report
- TAC Convenor Role
Other reports
- Reporting of the Liaison Office - Report against Action Items from 24th MP WG (Masahiko Hori, Japan)
- Outcome of the UNFF-11 and the issue of Global Forest Indicator Partnership, Future plans for the GFIP (Steven Cox, New Zealand)
- Outcome of the 2014 IUFRO World Congress and Network of Criteria & Indicators Professionals (Tracy Hancock, USA)
Member countries’ reporting
Montréal Process outreach activities at the World Forestry Congress 2015
- Discuss program for Montréal Process led side event, define Working Group speaker and discuss and develop content of message
- Decide who will represent the Montréal Process and report an Montréal Process analysis based on the Collaborative Forest Resources Questionnaire from FAO Global Forest Research Assessment side event and launch of Forest Research Assessment 2015
- Update from Jorge Meza on the FAO Criteria & Indicators project and side event
- Decide who will speak at the Global Forest Coalition Community Conservation Conference on Sep 4, 2015
Canada Presentations
- Primary Forests, Findings on the variability in international reporting on “primary forests” and the implications for its use in policy making to achieve sustainability objectives (Simon Bridge, Canada)
- Evolution of reporting on forests, Best practices and lessons learned (Joanne Frappier, Canada)
- Discuss about the Montréal Process value proposition draft developed
Wednesday, July 29, 2015 - Second session MPWG meeting
- Discuss about the revised C&I booklet and technical notes developed by the Technical Advisory Committee
- Discuss and agree the New Montréal Process Strategic Action Plan
Poster Session
- Welcoming Greetings
- Poster Session with Chilean researchers
- Cocktail
Thursday, July 30, 2015 - Field Trip (Valdivia, Panguipulli, Coñaripe, Valdivia)
- TRAFKINTUWE Mapuche Breakfast Coz Coz Parliament (Beatriz Chocori, Trafkintuwe)
- Model Forest (Neftalí Soto, Chilean National Forest Service) Visit to a small forest landowner melliferous plot in native forest, National Forest Service and Panguipulli Municipality Project.
- Visit to Geometric Hot Springs
- Typical barbecue in CATRICHEO
Friday, July 31, 2015 - Closing session MPWG Meeting
- Time, place and agenda for 26th MPWG
- Discuss about the New MP Declaration Draft “Santiago +20”
- Drafting Aide Memoire of the 25th meeting MPWG
- Agreements and commitments
- Farewell lunch
Annex D - The presentation on the FAO Criteria and Indicators Project
Strengthening forest sustainability criteria and indicators and their use in policy and practice: The way forward
This text will be presented, discussed and vetted by the audience at the WFC Global forest indicator forum event 8th September, and is proposed to be taken up and endorsed by the bodies attending the WFC “Moving Forward” event on Friday 11th September with the aim to help guide future work.
Criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management (C&I for SFM) have been the most important tool to develop a common understanding of sustainable forest management and are a powerful means to promote sustainability. However, to mobilize their full potential in national policy and practice, existing sets of C&Is need to be adapted to specific needs and context, and provide added value to the different user groups, strengthening sustainable forest management, land use and societal development. This requires a renewed effort at all levels, using and building on existing C&Is for SFM.
The use of forest sustainability criteria and indicators, as a key tool to promote sustainability need to be strengthened in all main uses:
- In dialogue and communication on the contribution of forests and forestry to sustainable development goals, the transition towards “green economy” and well-being of society.
- As a framework for the development of forest policies and programmes, and guiding their implementation
- As a framework for promoting and facilitating sustainable forestry practices
- As a framework for monitoring, assessment and reporting on sustainable management of forests, natural resources and land, strengthening results-based governance and management. The way forward to further strengthen forest sustainability criteria and indicators and their use in policy and practice.
- Together with key stakeholders, further adapt existing C&I for SFM with a view to specify a limited set of forest sustainability indicators whose application provides demonstrable added value and which can be cost-effectively applied in operational administrative and managerial routines, further strengthening a common understanding of essential elements of forest-related sustainability and roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders.
- Promote the use of forest sustainability criteria and indicators to guide forest-related policy development and planning, and integrate them in main instruments used to regulate and guide forest management practices, including in legislation, technical guidelines, financial and communication instruments, and monitoring and evaluation/auditing systems.
- Develop mechanisms and incentives for the use of forest sustainability criteria and indicators by different stakeholder groups, promoting transition to more sustainable management practices, including through preferential access to finance and rights to manage and use forests for those that commit to and demonstrate sustainable management of forests, including communities and the private sector.
- Further develop key forest sustainability indicators able to promote policy dialogue and collaboration with other sectors and a transition to more sustainable agriculture and land use, and to communicate and demonstrate the contribution of forests and forestry to sustainable development goals.
- Continue adaptation and strengthening of forest-related monitoring systems at different levels aiming to cover key elements of forest sustainability in a cost-effective way, strengthening the evidence basis for governing and managing forests. Actions to take to further strengthen forest sustainability criteria and indicators and their use in policy and practice.
- Disseminate information on forest sustainability criteria and indicators and their key role in promoting sustainable management of forests, natural resources and land, sharing of experiences and lessons on their use.
- Capacity building, particularly of public forestry administrations and stakeholders such as communities and the private sector, in adapting and using forest sustainability criteria and indicators tools to strengthen planning, promoting sustainable practices at landscape, community and management unit levels, and monitoring results.
- Further development of practical, cost-effective/robust forest sustainability indicator-based tools, in particular for results-based planning and monitoring, and for incentivizing investment in sustainable forestry practices through better access to resources and markets, and for dialogue and communication with other sectors and society.
- Further work on systematic data collection, monitoring and streamlined reporting on sustainable management of forests, natural resources and land, and development of key indicators to measure and demonstrate contributions of forests and forestry to sustainable development goals and well-being of society.
- Promote inclusion of forest sustainability criteria and indicators and their use in research agendas and curricula in education and training.
- Further strengthen international cooperation on the above, building on existing mechanisms and institutional arrangements.
Annex E – The Montréal Process Value Proposition
The purpose of this document is to allow working group members to communicate the value of the Montreal Process to their home organizations.
Text in standard font will be included in the Aide Memoire and be incorporated in the strategic action plan.
The Montréal Process
Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests
The Montréal Process brings together countries with diverse social, economic and political situations in a voluntary forum to share ideas, address common problems, and foster collaboration toward a shared goal of sustainably managing temperate and boreal forests. The Montréal Process provides countries with an internationally-agreed framework to monitor, assess, and report to their citizens using credible and relevant information that demonstrates the sustainable management of their forests.
Compared with many other international forest-related initiatives, the Montréal Process is less formal, lower-cost and offers countries more flexibility in how they participate and report. It meets about once per year and relies on a liaison office and a technical advisory committee for coordination and advice. Members track the state and change in their forests using the framework to meet their domestic reporting requirements and international commitments.
The Montréal Process helps to foster international consensus on reporting requirements for sustainable forest management. Through the Montréal Process, countries can engage with other Criteria and Indicators processes and forest-related international organizations to streamline reporting and improve the consistency of global forest information. The result is that national data on forests are more useful for multiple reporting requirements, more accessible to a larger audience, and more robust for improving management practices and addressing emerging policy issues.
The common language and comparable data to describe progress toward sustainable forest management also helps countries engage in international discussions on emerging issues.
The MP is a tangible demonstration of the success of a voluntary partnership of 12 countries that for over 20 years has been monitoring, assessing and reporting on trends in forest conditions with advice and information.