Non-Wood forest products study for Mexico, Cuba and South America

Non-Wood forest products study for Mexico, Cuba and South America

Descripción

The next global forest resources assessment (FRA 2000), describing the state of forest resources for the year 2000 and its changes over the last 20 years, will conclude and report its findings in the year 2000. Along with the core information on the state and changes in forests, FRA 2000 includes new parameters on ecological aspects of forests, sustainable forest management and non-wood goods and services. Experts in forest resources from member countries, international and national organisation s, NGO’s and individuals contributed to planning the assessment during the Kotka III Expert Consultation on The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (1996). One of the new parameters is the assessment of non-wood goods and services on a global basis. The collection of such information was seen as a necessary part of the assessment due to the major importance that non-wood products have in local economies and communities and represent important alternative uses of forests. At the same time how ever, the collection of such information was seen as a particularly challenging element of the assessment due to the enormous difficulties of collecting global comparable information on goods and services which are often site specific and highly diverse in their characteristics.