Swiss report on international and national activities in implementing Sustainable Forest Management

Transcription

1 Swiss report on international and national activities in implementing Sustainable Forest Management The Swiss Federal Offices active in international forest policy are: the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). International activities of Switzerland UNFF Country-led initiative in support of United Nations Forum on Forests by the Governments of Mexico and Switzerland (Mexico/Oaxaca 31 August-3 September 2010) The Oaxaca Workshop was the fourth workshop of the country-led initiative focusing on the theme of governance and decentralisation in forestry. Governance issues are of fundamental importance to sustainable forest management (SFM), the core objective of the UNFF. REDD+, as an emerging climate change mitigation mechanism, has considerable potential to alleviate poverty, but its implementation needs to be better understood in the context of forest governance. Thus, the Oaxaca Workshop aimed at improving understanding of the linkages and synergies between decentralisation and broader forest governance reforms, SFM, the improvement of living conditions for forest-dependent people and the increasing role of forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The workshop, while identifying trends, has facilitated the sharing of experience and distilled lessons learnt on SFM, forest governance and decentralisation and REDD+; it also identified opportunities and threats to livelihoods and poor people. It has contributed directly to the ninth session of UNFF scheduled for early 2011 and dedicated to Forests for people, livelihoods and poverty eradication ; and it will inform discussions during COP 16 in Mexico and contribute to the REDD+ design. Training activities for UNFF Through the initiative of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) and Intercooperation, African delegates to the United Nations Forum on Forests Session 8 (UNFF8) in Nairobi, Kenya early April 2009 received a special training with regard to the role of forests in Climate Change during the Preparatory Meeting for UNFF8 for African experts organized by the African Forest Forum (AFF), with funding from Sida, SADC/GTZ. Sustainable Forest Management Legally binding agreement Paneuropean legally binding agreement on Sustainable Forest Management Switzerland is actively supporting the preparation of documentation on a possible legally binding agreement for the Paneuropean region for a decision by the Ministerial Conference for the Protection of the Forests of Europe (Forest Europe) in Oslo in June 2011 to start negotiations.

2 Climate change activities Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) contributes CHF 8.75 Mio (U$D 7 Mio) to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) of the World Bank, in the areas of "carbon finance" and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). In addition to the financial participation, Switzerland provides technical expertise to the FCPF for the implementation of its activities aimed at building the capacities of selected developing countries in tropical and subtropical regions to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and to tap into a future system of positive incentives for REDD. The SECO organized the 3rd meeting of the Participants Committee of FCFP in Montreux- Switzerland on June 2009, right after a two-day meeting of the UN-REDD initiative. The meeting marked the first time that the full membership of the board had been in session, notably with full and broad participation of indigenous people and civil society organizations, together with representatives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility and potential new donors. The Forests Dialogue» (TFD) From June 2009, SECO with NORAD supported by Intercooperation, co-hosted in Montreux the Second Dialogue on REDD Finance Mechanism of The Forests Dialogue» (TFD) which brought together governments, multilateral organizations, the private sector, NGOs, as well as representatives of Indigenous Peoples. A European stakeholders dialogue on REDD and FCPF On 19 June 2009, a special Dialogue session was organized by SECO to inform about advancement on REDD and the FCPF and exchange information between interested European and Swiss stakeholders, the FCPF Secretariat and selected FCPF participant country representatives. REDD bilateral projects Switzerland is implementing REDD projects in Colombia, Indonesia, Ghana and in Madagascar, as well as actively participating in the work program of the interim REDD+ partnership. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supports the implementation of the ASEAN Multi-Sectoral Framework on Climate Change: Agriculture and Forestry towards Food Security through the strengthening of the ASEAN Social Forestry Network. The ASFN links Lao P.D.R, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia with regard to the topic Climate Change & Forests and aims at strengthening community based approaches within international initiatives like the FCPF.

3 Livelihood-poverty reduction Projects in Nepal The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supported Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project in Nepal (NSCFP) is implemented by Intercooperation. It aims at achieving sustainable improvements of the living conditions of forest users and disadvantaged families in four of Nepal s poorest districts. The surface of community forests has increased by 20 %. Community forests in Nepal generated so far more than CHF 10 million in favour of the charitable funds of the cooperatives. Nepal s community forests, which are economically attractive to the poor, are paving the way for future approaches to carbon storage in the forests of developing countries. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) funded Participatory Forest Management Project (PFMP) is implemented by Helvetas and supports the implementation of the National Community Forest Programme (CF). The PFMP contributes to the improvement of rural livelihoods by empowering local communities to manage their forests on a sustainable basis. The expected outcomes of the project are an enabling environment to establish at least 300 CFs throughout the country, capacities built at all levels for effective implementation of the CF programme and to ensure sustainability as well as poverty reduction. Since 2002, the PFMP has contributed substantially to the development of technical capacities for CF. Now, the project s support shifts gradually to addressing challenges such as improving governance of CFs. Vietnam Trust Fund for Forests (TFF) SDC also supports the Vietnam Trust Fund for Forests (TFF). The overall goal of the fund is consistent with that of the existing National Forest Development Strategy - The sustainable management of forests and the conservation of biodiversity to achieve: a) protection of the environment, b) improved livelihoods of people in forest dependent areas, and c) enhanced contribution of forestry to the national economy. Governance Core Contribution to the Rights and Resources Group of the Rights and Resources Initiative The Rights and Resources Initiative is pushing forest tenure, policy and market reforms on the global level. The Swiss Agency for Development is supporting the Group in the spirit of Switzerland s administrative and political culture of decentralization: Clear rights to own and use land and trade in forest products will prevent millions of forest dwellers from falling into poverty and will encourage forest conservation and their sustainable use for local development. Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) In the Congo Basin, SECO in partnership with the Society for Threatened Peoples and Intercooperation (a Swiss Foundation for Development and International Cooperation) has investigated through FSC regional consultations and with private wood companies further options to raise awareness and disseminate knowledge on how to apply the principle of Free and Informed Prior Consent (FIPC) in forest concessions. The main objective of this is to facilitate the involvement of the indigenous populations.

4 Trade and its contribution to poverty alleviation International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) Switzerland, which ratified the 2006 International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) in 2007, will chair the 46 th session of the ITTC in December SECO has provided funding for pilot projects with a view to value all ecosystem services from water provision, erosion prevention to CO2. It further supports projects that promote topical timber trade according to internationally recognized technical standards and through sustainable management of resources. SECO is also supporting the «ITTO Thematic Programme on Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Environmental Services in Tropical Forests (REDDES)» which will fund pilot projects and capacity building. SECO is also providing funding to two other thematic programmes on trade and market transparency and on community forest management and enterprises. SECO is also involved in a project to improve the project identification and formulation capabilities of personnel in ITTO producer member countries in order to expand national absorption capacity for investment and aid in the forestry sector. It is also supporting ITTO capacity building training workshops on the revised manual on project formulation. Linking Trade Demand and Sustainable Forest Management The project Linking Trade Demand and Sustainable Forest Management (LTDSFM) ( ) supports forest management operations and private businesses in Vietnam and Lao PDR to improve their management practices, providing an enabling environment for FSC certification as a market based tool for sustainable forest management in the Mekong Region. The project is funded by the SECO, and implemented by WWF Greater Mekong Programme in cooperation with the Department of Forestry (DoF) under the Vietnam Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). Import of sustainably produced wood products SECO supports through the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) small and medium enterprises in developing countries for their integration in world markets through technical advice which leads to the promotion of the import of sustainably produced wood products into Switzerland. The 2010 ordinance on the obligation to declare the species and origin of wood and wood products Based on the Federal law on consumers, the Swiss government adopted on 4 June 2010 a new ordinance that obliges to declare the species and origin of wood. This ordinance entered into force on 1 st October 2010 with a transitory period until end of At first, only round wood, raw wood and products of solid wood which species and origins are easy to identify will have to be declared. The other products will be examined in the light of the EU regulation on wood and wood products that should enter into force by The executive agency will be the Office for Consumers which will establish and manage a database under It will contribute to the identification of the wood s scientific and commercial species names as well as its distribution area. It will also indicate whether this species is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Forest Water Switzerland is actively managing with France the INTERREG Project (INTERREG being a European Union programme to promote transboundary cooperation), called ALPEAU

5 ( with a view to understand better the relationship between water and forest management including the impact of and the adaptation to climate change, as well as value the forest services. In this regard it is financing transboundary pilot projects on the management of water and forests. At national level, the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment has engaged on similar work with several stakeholders. Capacity building The Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) contributed to several training events of development cooperation professionals in SDC s priority countries and in Switzerland related to forest based mitigation and adaptation measures. It also supported organizations in the Collaborative Partnership on Forests in the preparation, organization and implementation of a series of training events. Core Contribution to the National Forest Program Facility (NFP-Facility) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supported the National Forest Program Facility in its efforts to firstly, build consensus on the national level on how to address key issues relevant to forests and trees, secondly, integrate Sustainable Forest Management into broader inter-sectoral processes at the national level, with a clear focus on poverty alleviation and thirdly, integrate commitments made at the international level in other forest relevant processes (e.g. UNFF, CBD, UNFCCC and UNCCD) into national forest policy and planning. Support to international reporting 2010 ITTO Report on the Status of Tropical Forest Management SECO, with the support of Intercooperation, is contributing to the 2010 well renowned ITTO Report on the Status of Tropical Forest Management. Further Swiss reporting Switzerland has provided detailed forest-related country data for a number of international and regional reports, including the 2010 Forest Resource assessment of the FAO, the 2011 State of the European forests, the 4th National Report on Biodiversity for CBD (2010), the Report to UNFF 9 and the Market Statement for UNECE Timber Committee 2009/10. International Research & Knowledge Management Core Contribution to the Program on Forests (PROFOR) of the World Bank PROFOR is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in its overall objective to strengthen the capacity of national forest programs and other forest related processes to better address poverty alleviation, sustainable development and forest conservation needs. PROFOR allows financing cutting edge studies on livelihoods, governance, enhanced financing options and cross-sectoral and macro-economic measures on forests. European Forest Institute In September 2010, the Parliament of Switzerland agreed to the ratification of the Convention on the European Forest Institute located in Joensuu Finland, which promotes forest research at the European level, focusing on forest protection and sustainable management (

6 The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL and the ETH Zürich are actively involved in one of its regional offices EFICENT together with Germany and Austria. Center for International Forest Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) SDC is supporting the Center for International Forest Research (CIFOR) and the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) with core-funding and through projects on the interface between forestry and agriculture and its importance for biodiversity protection (Biodiversity Platform, Landscape Mosaics and Biodiversity Monitoring).

7 National activities of Switzerland International Year of Forests 2011 The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has already started its preparation for the International Year of Forests, involving all relevant actors in elaborating the concepts and the milestones. One of the highlights will be a documentary for TV on sustainable forest management in Switzerland. It will be based on interviews with individuals having strong relations and views on forests. The film might also include an international part, addressing forest issues of some of the main partner countries which benefit from technical development cooperation with Switzerland. A number of non-governmental organizations are also involved in the preparations of the International Year of Forests at the national level and will be conducting using the official logo for their own activities. Swiss National Forest Programme The mid-term review was completed and showed that the NFP is a useful tool at national level for overall coordination and strategic guidance. A revision for a NFPplus is on the way with more rejuvenation of protection forest; better synergies between biodiversity and forest economy, better integration of forest with farmers and water distributors, better support to private forest owners, better coordination of forest cover areas with spatial planning law revision, enhancement of wood as a substitution material/carbon sink with a view to climate change mitigation, better pest and major events prevention, as well as improved education for foresters. In short, the revised National Forest Programme will include new topics such as climate change, biodiversity and wood mobilization. Public information on forest International Forest Day 2009 and 2010 In 2009, the theme of the International Forest Day in Switzerland was Wood, an essential material for Swiss buildings. In 2010, the theme was Biodiversity. ( Forest Biodiversity National Biodiversity Strategy. A national strategy for the conservation and promotion of biodiversity is being developed deriving from the obligations of the convention on biological biodiversity (CBD) and other relevant international instruments in the area of biodiversity. The long-term aim of the biodiversity strategy (time horizon 2050) is to ensure that the resilience of the ecosystems will be conserved through their variety. The most important elements of the strategy will be the following: In order to conserve and strengthen the diversity of the ecosystem services, among other measures, sufficient areas for the protection and promotion of biodiversity will be put aside by These areas also include forest areas. Biodiversity should be understood by society as a matter of central importance and greater economic attention should be given to the services provided by ecosystems. The biodiversity objectives are to be integrated into all relevant policy and economic sectors. It will be presented to the Swiss Parliament in Biosfera Val Müstair-Parc Naziunal In 2010, the oldest Swiss biosphere reserve, the National Park, was extended to the Val Müstair with the approval of UNESCO on 2 June 2010, doubling its surface to 371 square km and therefore extending its protected forest area.

8 Finance Activities in protection forests Protection forests are essential in Swiss Alps to protect populations, habitats and infrastructures from natural hazards such as avalanches, landslides, etc. In 2009 and in 2010, funding was substantially increased for enabling their maintenance and the enhancement of their protective role. Forest financial Instruments Since 2008, forest financial instruments are a joint task according to the New Fiscal Equalization, i.e. the Confederation and cantons are jointly responsible for its funding. Stabilization packages for the support of the Swiss economy Three economic stabilization programmes were passed by the Swiss Parliament in late 2008 and 2009 which also contained provisions for the financing of energy promotion programmes and other environmental investments. The programmes support measures in the areas of flood protection, biodiversity, building renovation, district heating, the replacement of electric heating systems, the promotion of renewable energy sources and the promotion of the export of environmental technologies, therefore linking to forests and wood. Financial support to renewable energy From 2010 onwards, there is a substantial increase in financial support to renewable energy (mainly wood and solar for over 60 millions for 10 years). Public campaigns had a peak between 2007 and At present, the market for bio-energy has been established. National trade and protection of forests Public-Private cooperation for a Model agreement for the timber industry As SECO is working to promote sustainable imports of tropical timber, it mediated the signing of an agreement between the Swiss Association of the Door-Making Sector ( Verband Schweizerische Türenbranche-VST ) and the environmental organisations Greenpeace Switzerland and WWF Switzerland. Under this agreement, VST members will not use illegally produced tropical timber and in the medium term will only work with sustainably produced timber. Promotion of labels The Swiss government adopted a strategy to promote labels and voluntary standards. Approximately 0.7 million ha of Swiss forest (i.e. 56 % of the total forest area) was certified in Of these certified areas, 60 % have both FSC and PEFC certification, 37 % have FSC certification alone and 4 % have PEFC certification alone. Of the timber harvested in Switzerland in 2009, 71 % was certified. The two certification systems have different requirements with regard to forest management and chain of custody. In 2009, a new version of the national certification standard which forms the basis of certification for FSC and PEFC in Switzerland was introduced by both label organisations. New certifications and re-certifications should become less costly with the new standard.

9 Promotion of use of wood Wood Action Plan 2009 to 2012 Promotional activities are planned under the Wood Action Plan, such as raising the awareness of institutional end-users, a competition for innovative hardwood products to reactivate dormant market potential, public awareness-raising of forest utilisation and wood harvesting through a campaign to be launched in 2011 in response to the expected demand increase. The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment is responsible for implementing the Wood Action Plan together with the main stakeholders in the timber sector for an ecologically and economically effective use of wood. The budget is 16 millions CHF for the next 4 years. The target related to harvesting of wood is to increase by 2 millions m 3 until 2020 through a consumption of energy from wood and the use of forest products in construction. Financial support is provided for the installation of heating systems through a mix of federal, cantonal and municipal funding. New practices in the Swiss timber trade New timber trade practices have been in force since September 2010, to adapt to the present timber market. These take the form of rules developed and recognized by the sector to facilitate the communication in the wood chain and between the sector and end customers, such as planners and architects. The rules are divided into two parts. The first deals with raw wood and includes not only provisions on sawlogs but also on industrial and energy wood. The second part contains quality criteria for timber and derived timber products used in construction and renovation. The new Swiss timber trade practices create legal certainty for the trade in timber and facilitate its marketing. Forest Water The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment is engaged, with a whole set of stakeholders (water distributors association, research institutes, etc.), to understand better the relationship between water and forest management including the impact of and the adaptation to climate change, as well as value the forest services. Data and Research National forest inventory In August 2009, the Federal Institute of Research on Forests, Snow and Landscape was entrusted by the Federal Office for the Environment to start the 4 th data collection for the national forest inventory which will report on the status of the Swiss Forest based on the appraisal of 6500 areas by The results of the 3 rd National Forest Inventory showed that the Swiss forests cover some 1.28 millions ha, a total of 31 % of the national surface with an increase of 600 km 2 from With a view to control the forest increase, partly undesired, better coordination of policies such as spatial planning, agriculture, tourism, prevention of natural disasters and wood resources. Although forest is more diversified through more dead wood (more fungi, animals, etc.), still 19% are represented by monospecies forests. Watershed are forested to 16% and 36% of forest are for protection. Forests are being increasingly used for leisure.

10 Research programme on the impact of climate change on forests In July 2009, a Research programme on the impact of climate change on forests, was initiated, supported by the Federal Office for the Environment and the Federal Institute of Research on Forests, Snow and Landscape to identify the effects of climate change on Swiss forests with a view to identify the sensitive forest types, evaluate the impacts on the services of forests (ie. protection forests, quality of water, carbon sinks and biodiversity), to develop an alarm system for pests as well as for fires. Based on the project s findings it is intended to develop suitable silvicultural approaches to accommodate the relevant climate change scenarios along with corresponding recommendations for forestry practice. This research project is due to run initially until Wood production outside forests A in-depth study on the potential of the wood production for energy use outside forests has been carried out by FOEN and will be published at the end of Education - Safety at work Safety at work In 2009, a report on the working group was entrusted to enhance security in private forests which was followed by the revision of the ordinance on the basic education for forest workers with a federal certificate. Different measures such as campaigns, training courses and training concepts were started with a view to improve safety in the private forest realm. A certification system was developed by the federal safety commission and providers of chain saw courses are certified accordingly. The federal safety insurance organization has launched a national campaign for apprenticeship in forest training enterprises.