Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 3 • Number 3 • 21st February 2003

CONSULTATIONS ASSESS TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY LINKAGES

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CONSULTATIONS ASSESS TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY LINKAGES

Forestry experts from governments, the private sector and non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations convened from 3-5 February in Rome, Italy, for the Expert Consultation on Trade and Sustainable Forest Management. Specifically, experts discussed issues ranging from global trends in trade of forest products and services, trade agreements and restrictions, to new markets for environmental services. The expert consultation is part of a global project on Impact Assessment of Forest Products Trade in the Promotion of Sustainable Forest Management implemented by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), involving a broad range of experts from international organisations, including NGOs.

The expert consultation was held in order to contribute to a common understanding on how developments in trade policies and market development will impact on the sustainability of forest management. The meeting thus aimed, inter alia, at identifying the linkages between trade in forest products and services and international as well as regional and local governance, whether trade liberalisation could lead to the development of good forest governance systems, and what potentials regional and international trade agreements carry for a positive impact of trade in forest products.

During the opening session, Wulf Killmann from the FAO addressed challenges of balancing trade in forest products with social and environmental concerns, and the need for capacity building for stakeholders, particularly at the WTO and its Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE). Duncan MacQueen from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) highlighted the need for new ideas and solutions for how trade policy can be used to overcome the inequities of forest product trade.

Participants discussed the effects of trade restrictions on forests, emphasising that not only tariffs but also forestry subsidies had an effect on forest trade and should therefore also be taken into account when discussing the effects of trade restrictions on sustainable forest management. During the closing plenary, participants highlighted the need for shaping trade policy to make it more supportive of sustainable forest management and improved forest governance. In addition, the experts agreed that international trade magnifies the effects of policy and market failure of forest and land use policy. They said national institutions and processes must be strengthened and supported before further trade liberalisation — especially in developing countries.

The project implementation will finish with a second expert consultation in April. For this meeting FAO intends to invite trade policy makers and trade specialists to debate the implementation of the WTO Doha Declaration, regional trade agreements and national trade policy making. The consultation is an open and informal platform for discussion aimed at identifying areas, which need further research and/or analysis. This final expert consultation will feed into the outcomes of the project, which is based on a major study on trade and sustainable forest management analysing the issue from various perspectives, including market dynamics, policy making, governance and extra-sectoral influences. The study is undertaken by the FAO and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in cooperation with a variety of other international and regional institutions.

"Summary of the FAO Expert Consultation on trade and sustainable forest management: Impacts and Interactions 3-5 February 2003," IISD’s Earth Negotiations Bulletin, vol.79 No.1, 7 February 2003.