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Data and Assessment

Introduction

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Data collection and reporting in the UNECE region consists of (a) collection, validation and dissemination of forest statistics on: resources, products, functions and services, progress toward sustainable forest management, policies, institutions, and the contribution of the forest sector to a green economy; (b) assessment of the state of forests, sustainability of forest management and forest products markets; and (c) contribution to international processes on sustainable forest management, including on the development and use of regional criteria and indicators and in the preparation of the report on the State of Europe’s Forests.

In focus

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UNECE launches new data platform for forests in the region!

According to the most recent Forest Resources Assessment report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FRA2020), the UNECE region has been one of few regions where forest area has increased over the last three decades, up by 33.5 million hectares. This puts countries in the UNECE region at the forefront of the global race to achieve one of the key indicators of Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land, pertaining to the overall increase of forest area.

However, this is only one of a few hundred forest features that are monitored, assessed and reported by countries and organizations. Much more information about conditions, dynamics, and the use of over 1.7 billion ha of forests in the UNECE region is regularly collected by different agencies. But until now, such data has often been dispersed over various online platforms and publications; not easy to find and difficult to access and interpret.

Together, UNECE and FAO are aiming to change this with the new online platform, “INForest”, that gathers key information on forests and the forest-based sector in the UNECE region in one place, provides a user-friendly interface and highlights the wealth of information that is already available.

The platform was officially launched on 23 March 2021. The recording of the meeting can be accessed here. The user guide is here.

“INForest” can be accessed here.