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ASIA FOREST PARTNERSHIP
AUSTRALIAN PRESENTATION TO FIRST MEETING 11 NOVEMBER 2002

POTENTIAL AUSTRALIAN CONTRIBUTION TO REALISING THE OBJECTIVES OF THE ASIA FOREST PARTNERSHIP (AFP)

GENERAL

  • Australia is committed to support and help achieve the objectives of the Asia Forest Partnership. The AFP can play an important role in assisting and complementing the ongoing work of a number of international forest related initiatives including those covered by organisations such as UNFF, ITTO, CBD, and FAO. Coordination with the work of these international fora is essential if the objectives of the AFP are to be realised in a cost efficient and effective manner.
  • Australia believes it can maximise its contribution to the AFP through the provision of specialist technical advice, education and training, information and extension support, assistance with policy and program development and, on a limited basis, direct financial support.
  • Australia will work to improve national level coordination between agencies within Australia who have a role/interest in sustainable forest management in the Asia-Pacific region, in particular, the issues of combating illegal logging, prevention of forest fires and rehabilitation of degraded forest lands.
  • Australia will examine how we can better coordinate expertise and resources across government, the private sector and R&D organisations in our national effort to assist countries in our region combat illegal logging, and the trade in illegal timber and prevention of forest fires.
  • Australia will continue to provide funding support for projects in the region through the ITTO process.
  • Australia will continue to work through established international processes such as the FAO, UNFF and the Montreal C&I process, assisting countries where possible towards sustainable forest management. For example, Australia is working with PROFOR at the World Bank to link/align the IPF/IFF PfA with the Forest Work Program of the CBD. This will hopefully enable greater coordination between the fora in their efforts to address illegal logging and forest fires.

SPECIFIC

Combating Illegal Logging

Current Activities

1. Planning Methods for Sustainable Management of Timber Stocks in PNG Forests.

Australia is providing financial and technical support to the PNG Forest Authority to improve its capacity to sustainably manage PNG's forest resource. The support includes:

  • specialist technical advice on forest inventory methods;
  • technical and financial support for remeasurement of forest inventory sample points,
  • training for Forest Authority staff in forest growth modelling and improved forest planning processes.

The intent of the program is to enhance the Forest Authority's capacity to ensure sustainable exploitation of the nation's valuable forest resource.

As part of this project the Australian Government and a private company are working together to developing remote sensing technology to track forest harvesting with a view to improving planning and management. Australia will examine, with the owners of the technology, the possibility of adapting the technology to track illegal logging operations (roads, logged areas, etc).

2. Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC)/Environment Australia Forest Conservation Project:

The DEC/EA Forest Conservation Project is assisting the PNG Department of Environment and Conservation to develop a policy and assessment framework for identifying national conservation priorities. Forests are currently the main focus of activities as many forest species and ecosystems are shared with Australia and forests are subject to intense development pressures. Large-scale development activities, including commercial logging and oil palm development, are occurring in PNG's forests and are the primary mechanism for forest loss. The outputs from DEC/EA joint activities will, for the first time, provide robust scientific assessment of the status of PNG's forests and assist DEC to argue for improved forest protection.

The DEC/EA Forest Conservation Project activities include:

  • development of a scientific assessment framework for identifying threatened and rare species and ecosystems;
  • development of an information management system to assist with identification of national forest conservation priorities;
  • development of a publication on the status of PNG forests and priorities for action; and
  • assistance to Department of Environment and Conservation to integrate the priorities into whole of government decision-making.

3. Solomon Islands Forest Management Project:

The Solomon Islands Forest Management Project aims to build capacity in forest management practice and planning with a view to enhancing the capacity of forest owners and decision-makers' to ensure sustainable exploitation of the Island's forest resource.

Project activities include:

  • policy development, including the drafting of a new Forestry Act;
  • development of legal support capacity, including the restructure of relevant agencies;
  • improving the capacity of the Solomon Island Government to monitor industry including monitoring log shipments and associated revenue raising; and
  • establishment of extension support services.

4. AusAID Advisory Support Facility and AusAID Training Fund:

AusAID has available to countries an Advisory Support Facility and Training Fund that can be accessed by developing countries. Upon request, AusAID will organise specialist technical and other advice to support work in developing countries, including in relation to sustainable forest management.

Future Activities

  • Australia will examine the issue of chain-of-custody in relation to imported forest and wood products, with a view to implementing an import checking process at point of entry.

Prevention of Forest Fire and Rehabilitation and Reforestation of Degraded Land

As a concrete contribution to the Asia Forest Partnership, Australia, and in particular the NSW Rural Fire Service, is organising and hosting the 3rd International Wildland Fire Conference and Exhibition and the International Wildland Fire Summit in Sydney from 3rd to 6th October 2003. This Conference is expected to attract a comprehensive range of participants from around the world and will address the key topics related to forest fire management. Following the Conference, the Summit will ask key participants from relevant countries and agencies to commit to action that will address the issues of forest fires in the immediate future.

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