Forests Sourcebook - HCV Resource Network

tems; the changing paradigm of poverty; and ongoing policy
and institutional reform. Multiple users in governments,
the private sector, and civil society need better scientific
information, such as that provided through technical assessments.
Furthermore, the general public can make use of
information found in assessments to hold decision makers
accountable (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2003).
PAST ACTIVITIES
The World Bank has monitoring components in various
investment projects, some of which are discussed in the
notes associated with this chapter. It is estimated that
approximately US$28 million has been invested in monitoring
components of forest sector projects over 2002–05. This
investment is nearly evenly distributed between creation of
forest management information systems (FMIS), forest
inventories, and development of capacity and tools for spatial
monitoring. This component of forest activities is
expected to increase as investments in governance increase
(with monitoring of illegal logging activities) and as client
country interest in avoided deforestation matures.
KEY ISSUES
Temporal aspects of monitoring. Forest monitoring is
an assessment of the status of forests at different times, often
including assessment of changes within established features
(that is, changes within boundaries of protected areas, forest
concessions, private properties, and so on). Forest monitoring
thus requires systematic periodic assessment.
Monitoring should update forest management. An
effective forest monitoring system is much more than a
technical set of data and techniques. A political process and
the political will to integrate findings from forest information
systems and to update management approaches and
policies makes monitoring useful. An effective forest monitoring
system is one that is tied to appropriate political
processes that enable corrective actions.
National forest inventories. Continuous or repeated
forest assessments (or forest inventories) are often necessary
to enable resource use planning and management.
National forest inventories (NFIs) are an example of such
assessments. NFIs provide information relevant for
national-level decision making, policy formulation, and
monitoring for forestry and related sectors, as well as for
forestry planning in smaller geographical or political units
at the subnational level (see note 7.1, National Forest Inventories).
Because the results are an input to global forest
assessments, there is also regional and global interest in
high-quality national forest information. Several new
methodologies and technologies can improve inventory,
planning, implementation, analysis, and reporting of forest
inventories (see table 7.1). Selection of tools or approaches
should be informed by the characteristics of the activity
being monitored and the availability of required capacity,
hardware, and other supports.
Building national capacity for gathering and using
information. Capacity to collect forest sector data and conduct
forest inventories has declined since the 1960s. Currently,
few national statistical organizations are strong enough to be
of value in policy processes. The challenge at the local level is
partly driven by poor links between information demand and
supply (Holmgren and Persson 2002). In recent decades forest
information seems to have been supply driven, partly because
of the promotion of remote sensing rather than field work.
The policy process, therefore, has been guided by what can be
Table 7.1
Areas Where New Methodologies and Technologies are Expected to Benefit NFIs
Main phases of a national forest inventory
Data quality Analysis
Methodology and data (including
or technology Planning Implementation management modeling) Reporting
Remote sensing X X X
Satellite navigation
systems X X
Measurement devices
X
Mobile information and
communication X X
Software and algorithms X X X
Sampling options X X
Source: Kleinn 2002.
CHAPTER 7: MONITORING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT 249