Pan-European Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management : Networking Structures and Data Potentials of International Data Sources

Abstract

At the fourth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) in 2003, a revised set of pan-European Criteria and Indicators (C&I) were adopted as a common policy instrument for evaluating and reporting on Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) at the pan-European and national levels. To support and to improve C&I implementation, this study shows different approaches to describe and analyse C&I data potentials and data flows of international data sources – which is relevant for the improvement of pan-European monitoring, assessment and reporting on SFM. In addition, this study gives insights into the theory of C&I network correlations, pointing out and discussing new aspects relevant for the implementation of C&I as an instrument for identifying different cause-effect mechanisms and conflicts of interests within SFM. With respect to the general objective of minimising national reporting burdens, this study shows that a large number of datasets according to the pan-European C&I are already available at the international level. The study highlights the current capacities and deficits within the pan-European monitoring, assessment and reporting on SFM. By taking C&I as a baseline, different information preferences are structured according to different sources and responsible institutions, providing some general overview about different data potentials at international level. A detailed analysis of data potentials and future capacities for supplementing current monitoring towards MCPFE requirements is demonstrated for the joint monitoring programme of the ICP Forests/ Forest Focus. In addition the study Outlook demonstrates some further options for how to analyse data flows and networking structures between different sources and data managing institutions at different levels – which again helps to harmonise and streamline international and national monitoring, assessment and reporting activities. Besides aspects mainly related to the issue of monitoring, assessment and reporting on SFM, the theory and relevance of C&I correlation networks for implementing C&I for management purposes and concept development is demonstrated. By applying approaches of network analysis and linking and setting pan-European indicators into relation, different cause-effect mechanisms between different SFM aspects are illustrated. It is shown that the understanding of cause-effect mechanisms between different SFM aspects is fundamental to identifying appropriate management, but also to monitoring concepts in consideration of various policy objectives at different levels.