Forests

Analysis for Decision-making: Trends & Indicators

Using the extensive datasets and maps it develops and manages, the UNEP-WCMC Forest Programme produces syntheses, analyses and indicators of forest status and trends to facilitate policy and decision-making relating to the conservation and wise management of the world's forests and their biodiversity.

Living Planet Index
	The Living Planet Index, developed for WWF, quantifies changes in the status of the worlds forest, freshwater and marine ecosystems and their biodiversity since the 1970's. The 2000 and 2002 reports include a species-based index of forest ecosystems and their biodiversity; the 1998, 1999 and 2004 reports contain regional and national trends in forest cover.

European Forest Gap Analysis (2000)
	The European Forest Gap Analysis (2000) provides maps and data tables showing the extent, distribution and degree of protection of 20 broad forest classes and 66 specific forest types in Europe.

Prioritisation of Target Areas for Forest Restoration

UNEP-WCMC has been working with WWF to develop criteria and analytical approaches to identify high priority Target Areas for Forest Restoration. The criteria employed so far include: potential forest cover in relation to current forest area; current land use; proximity to existing forest areas; human population density; and biodiversity hotspots. The approach has been piloted for the Mediterranean region. Following review it will be (1) refined and applied in other regions and (2) modified for use at more local scales. For more information, please contact the Forest Programme.

Forest Cover Change

Despite the demand for information on trends in Forest Cover Change, there are few time series data sets (from country through to global level) available worldwide which permit this type of analysis. One such set of spatial information is being used in the BIOCORES project . UNEP-WCMC requests any information on the availability of suitable data sets that will increase the the capacity for this type of analysis at different scales. Please contact the Forest Programme with any relevant information on such datasets

The most comprehensive data on Forest Cover Change is given in FAO's State of the World's Forests 2003 publication. Annex 2, Data Table 2 provides an estimate of forest cover change between 1990 and 2000 for FAO's regions broken down by country