Demonstration of methods to monitor sustainable forestry. Pan-European criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management. History, state of work and plans within the Pan-European forestry process

The "Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe" (MCPFE) is a high-level political initiative for co-operation throughout Europe. Its purpose is to work towards a sustainable multifunctional management of forests in Europe and to address common opportunities and threats related to forests and forestry. In 1993 the MCPFE adopted a common pan-European definition of sustainable management of forests (SFM). The pan-European criteria and indicators were subsequently developed to report on progress towards SFM. Similar work on criteria and indicator sets for SFM is undertaken by eight other international initiatives world wide. - At the Third Ministerial Conference in Lisbon 1998 the ministers signed Resolution L2 "Pan-European Criteria, Indicators and Operational Level Guidelines for Sustainable Forest Management". They also decided to proceed to implement, continuously review and further improve the indicators, now laid down in a work programme that was adopted by the MCPFE in 1999. First, an evaluation of the existing indicators for SFM was conducted in order to identify experiences made with the existing set of indicators concerning their relevance, usefulness and adequacy and accuracy for the pan-European level. Further, an "Advisory Group" (AG) on improving the pan-European indicators for SFM was established in 2000. Between 2001 and 2002 a series of four open workshops should ensure that the diversity of national situations and the workundertaken by numerous bodies in Europe is adequately considered. - The AG will present its proposals for improvement of the pan-European indicators for SFM to the MCPFE in late spring 2002. It is tentatively planned to convene the Fourth Ministerial Conference in April/May 2003 in Vienna. For this occasion a report on the status of SFM in Europe shall be prepared, with new data on SFM in Europe, as far as available.