Stefanie Linser

SFM indicators as evidence-based policy

and communication tools in the age of fake

news and alternative facts

UNECE/FAO Forest Communicators Network

1st June 2017, Malaga, Spain

01.06.20172

• Basic definitions

• Relationship btw. indicators, data, information

• Required features and functions of SFM indicators

• Limitations & benefits of indicator sets

• Applications of indicators

• Assessment of SFM by indicators

• Implementation of C&I for SFM in Europe

• Key indicators and sectoral subsets

• Austrian set of indicators

• Conclusions & Outlook

Content

01.06.20173

Sustainable forest management (SFM)

Definition: Sustainable management means the

stewardship and use of forests and forest lands in such a

way, and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity,

productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their

potential to fulfil, now and in the future, relevant

ecological, economic and social functions, at local,

national, and global levels, and that does not cause

damage to other ecosystems (MCPFE, 1993)

Criteria and indicators are tools to

operationalise SFM

01.06.20174

Criteria for SFM

Criteria characterize or define the essential elements or

set of conditions or processes by which sustainable

forest management may be assessed (MCPFE, 1998)

resources &

carbon

health

&vitality

production

socio-economics

biodiversity

protection

01.06.20175

Indicators for SFMIndicators are parameters which can be measured and correspond to a

particular criterion. They measure and help monitor the status and changes

of forests in quantitative, qualitative and descriptive terms that reflect forest

values as seen by those who defined each criterion (FAO, 2015).

• strong tools to collect and report information

• different approaches– political

– scientific

– market-oriented

• different purposes– description and diagnosis

– communication

– forecasting and future trends

– collection of heterogeneous information and interests

– means of political control

– check of effectiveness of programmes

01.06.20176

Criteria Relate to WHAT is important to measure – increasingly

broadening to cover ecological, social, economic and

policy aspects of SFM

Indicators Relate to HOW to measure progress, can be both

QUALITATIVE and QUANTITATIV. Usually several for

each criterion.

Criteria and Indicators for SFM

Qualitative indicators are variables which can only be described.

They are especially about the overall policies, institutions and

instruments for sustainable forest management in place.

01.06.20177

Data Pyramid

Indices

Indicators

Processed Information

Basic Data

Adrianse (1995)

01.06.20178

Relationship between indicators, data and information

Indicators for

scientists

Indicators for

policy-makers

Indicators

for the

public

Total quantity of information

Increasing

force of

expression

adapted from

Braat (1991)

01.06.20179

C&I initiatives on different levels & C&I implementation

Wolfslehner, Linser, Julve & Rametsteiner, 2016

01.06.201710

Required features of SFM indicators

practicability communication trend

sensitivity

validitymeasureable

reference

acc. Linser, 2002

Functions

• Check of

effectiveness

• Reporting

• Communication

• Political control

• Focusing

• Manipulation

• Adverstisement

• Forecasting

Limitations of C&I sets

• Sometimes C&I have become much more symbolic than practically

used, not implemented as an institutionalised system

• Sometimes weak political will to support C&I implementation

• Available data and data quality

• Actuality

• Early warning functions for unknown problems

• Agreed threshold and targets for assessments of SFM or the state of

forests and forestry

01.06.201711

Benefits and potentials of a global, regional

or national set of C&I for SFM

Decision-makers may use C&I for SFM in policy and practice to:

• monitor, assess and report on SFM or the state of forests and forestry

at varies levels,

• strengthen development of results-based forest policies and national

forest programmes/strategies, and monitor their implementation,

• promote and provide incentives for transition to sustainable forestry

practices,

• strengthen dialogue with the society and other sectors and

demonstrate the contribution of forests.

01.06.201712

Application and future use of SFM indicators

(Adapted based on Rametsteiner, 2001)

01.06.2017

Potential uses of SFM

indicatorsApplications Future use

Regulatory instruments ++

Economic instruments

Incentives ++ ++++

Disincentives +

Informational instruments

to forest policy ++++++ ++++++

to foresters ++ +++

to general public + +++

Assessment tools + +++

01.06.201714

International indicators: FRA, SDG 15.1, 15.2 , 15.3 indicators,

Regional indicators: FOREST EUROPE, Montréal, others,

National indicators: Austrian, Estonian, Finnish, Swiss, French,

Russian, others

Management level unit indicators: FSC, PEFC and others

Applications of indicators for SFM:

From global to local level

01.06.201715

• Global Forest Resource Assessment (FRA)

• State of the World‘s Forests

• Forests in the ECE Region

• UNECE SEMAFOR Report

• State of Europes Forests Report

• Forest Europe Goals and Targets Report

• National indicator reports on SFM

Applications of indicators in reports on the

state of forests, forestry and SFM

01.06.201716

Assessment of SFM by indicators

• State of Europe‘s Forests Reports, experimental

method in 2011

• UNECE pilot project on the System for the Evaluation of the Management of Forests(SEMAFOR, 2016)

• Austrian National Report on SFM (May 2017)

01.06.201717

Pan-European C&I for SFM used as

a basis for the development of national level

indicators in 25 of the 46 signatory states (EFI, 2013)

19 signatory states already use indicators to

report about SFM nationally (EFI, 2013)

Forest centric focus of the indicators

Need to shape C&I in a way that supports both a quick and efficient data

collection, the translation of complex scientific knowledge and the transfer

to the forest practice, while facilitating management, negotiation and

decision-making with regard to the forest resources

Need to make them fit for emerging needs by increasing their

intersectoral relevance regarding e.g. energy, climate change,

agriculture, biodiversity or bioeconomy issues

Implementation of C&I for SFM in Europe

Mid-term Evaluation on the 8 Goals for

European Forests and the 9 European

2020 Targets for Forests, FOREST EUROPE 2015

29 of the 35 quantitative and all

qualitative Pan-European Indicators

for SFM are applicable for the

monitoring, reporting & evaluation.

Data and information base for 5

Goals and 5 Targets have to be

improved for further in-depth

evaluations.

17.03.201618

01.06.201719

The forest-based value chain and the related EU policies

Plant Health and Reproductive

Materials

(Directive, 2000/29/EC, 1999/105/EG,

COM 2013/262)

FLEGT, EUTR & REDD+, CITES

(Regulation, 995/2010, European

Commission, 2012a) Regulation

228/97

Rural Development Policy

(Regulation, 1303/2013,

1305/2013)

Cohesion Fund

(Regulation,

1300/2013)

Habitats & Birds Directives

(Directive, 92/43/EEC,

2009/147/EC)

EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020

(Resolution, 2011/2307(INI)) Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable

Use of Natural Resources

COM 2005/670

Green Public Procurement & EMAS

COM 2008/400,+402 COM 2013/196

Directive 2004/17/EG, 2004/18,

Regulation 1221/2009, 765/2008

EU Ecolabel

COM 2008/401

Regulation 66/2010,

1980/2000, 1272/2008

Directive 2009/125/EG

EU Sustainability Strategy

COM 2001/264

Invasive species

COM 2008/789, COM

2013/620)LIFE+

(COM 2011/874

Directive 1293/2013)

Integrated product

policy

COM 2001/68,

2003/302, 209/693

Pülzl, 2016

01.06.201720

The forest-based value chain and the related

34 quantitative FE Indicators for SFM

Wolfslehner et al., 2016

Potential topics still to be covered

01.06.201721

Wolfslehner et al., 2016

The pan-European set of C&I has…

• served as an adequate tool for monitoring and

reporting on sustainable forest management

• served as a framework for dialogue and

communication within the forest sector

• only generated limited information of intersectoral

relevance

01.06.2017

Forest related indicators relevant for other institutions,

organizations or processes and for EU policies

01.06.201723

Sectoral subsets of forest-related indicators for

• Rural development

• Environment & Biodiversity

• Resilience

• Climate change mitigation and adaptation

• Water

• Energy

• Bioeconomy

Means of communication?

Key indicators and indices to facilitate communication

• EEA Core Set of Indicators

• EUROSTAT Sustainble Development Ind.

• OECD Key Environmental Ind.

• National Key Ind. for SFM (Austria, Finland)

• Global Core Set of SFM Indicators (under dev.)

• EU forest related key indicators (under dev.)

• FOREST EUROPE key indicators (under dev.)

• Happy Planet Index

• Ecological Footprint

• Biodiversity Index

…

01.06.201724

The Austrian set of indicators for SFM - an

outstanding approach

25

• 7 criteria → 6 FOREST EUROPE criteria, 1 additional

criterion (Austria's international responsibility for SFM)

• 65 indicators → 32 FOREST EUROPE ind., 33 national ind.

• The indicators are related to the goals of the Austrian Forest

Strategy 2020

• Actual data for 60 indicators, part of the data is also

reported to FOREST EUROPE, UNECE, FAO, CBD, Kyoto,

EEA, EUROSTAT, OECD

• Agreed targets (128) for 63 indicators

• 21 Key-Indicators, presented in leaflets in German, English

and Chinese

01.06.2017

Conclusions and outlook

C&I set served well

- as framework for dialogue and communication on forestry issues

- as an adequate tool for monitoring and reporting on SFM

- in facilitating implementation activities serving as a common reference

- in facilitating the development and adaptation of national policy

instruments

C&I failed so far partly

- as tool for assessing progress towards SFM

- covering appropriately all related policies

- stipulating inter and cross-sectoral information exchange and

collaboration to overcome sectoral boundaries in areas where interests

in forests, their products and services are overlapping.

01.06.201726

Thank you for your attention!

Dr. Stefanie Linser,

European Forest Institute – Central-East European Regional Office EFICEEC

c/o InFER, Institute of Forest, Environmental, and Natural Resource Policy

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU)

stefanie.linser@efi.int

01.06.201727