The Montreal Process

 

Summary of Information on Montreal Process
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Introduction

New Zealand is a member of the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators Working Group which began in 1993. This is a group of 12 countries with a mutual purpose coming together to develop a set of criteria and indicators for managing temperate and boreal forests (MPCI). By using MPCI it is possible to assess a member country's progress towards sustainable forest management. The Criteria identify the main components of sustainability of forests and the indicators provide qualitative or quantitative measurements of different aspects of a criterion.

New Zealand is using MPCI to assess its progress towards sustainable forest management at the national level. The first country report on progress made was published in 2003. This report was an initial step in reporting on progress covering a small number of indicators. As we progress implementation, more information on different indicators should become available which will allow for measuring progress towards sustainable forest management in an increasingly comprehensive manner.

Background

At the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio, the importance of forest ecosystems was recognized. A plan of action for the 21st century to define the sustainable management of forests was developed which was called Agenda 21. The Summit also produced a Statement of Forest Principles and The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. In addition, two legally binding Conventions were opened for signature:

  • The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; and

  • The Convention on Biological Diversity

Since the UNCED several government and non-government groups have been working towards a better understanding of forest ecosystems and how to measure sustainable forests management (SFM). One key development towards this was the development of Criteria and Indicators (C&I) for SFM. Currently there are nine regional and international C&I processes which nearly 150 countries are involved in.

The Montreal Process began in 1994, in Geneva.

What is the Montreal Process?

The Montreal Process is the Working group on Criteria and Indicators for measuring and monitoring forest management. In Santiago, Chile, in February 1995, the Working Group endorsed a statement of commitment known as the 'Santiago declaration' and approved the seven criteria and associated quantitative and qualitative indicators.

The 12 member countries of the Montreal Process (Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United States) have a wide range of natural and social conditions and possess about 90 per cent of the world's temperate boreal forests in both hemispheres. This amounts to 60 percent of the total forests in the world.

The Working Group defines sustainable development as 'meeting the needs of today without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'.

Criteria and Indicators

The Montreal Process identified seven criteria and 67 indicators which characterize the essential components of SFM and provide member countries with a common base for understanding SFM. They are a tool for assessing national trends in forest condition and management, as well as common framework for describing, monitoring and evaluating progress towards sustainability at both national and international levels.

The first six criteria deal with forest condition attributes or functions, and the values or benefits associated with environmental and socio-economic goods and services that forests provide. The seventh criterion addresses the broader societal conditions and the laws and regulations that support sustainable forest management:

1) Conservation of biological diversity

2) Maintenance of productive capacity of forest ecosystems

3) Maintenance of forest ecosystem's health and vitality

4) Conservation and maintenance of soil and water resources

5) Maintenance of forests contribution to global carbon cycles

6) Maintenance and enhancement of long term multiple socio-economic benefits to meet the needs of societies

7) Legal institutional and economic framework for forest conservation and sustainable management

The indicators are ways to assess or describe the criteria and it is used to measure an aspect of the criterion. They could be quantitative, for example the 'total growing stock' or the 'number of forest dependant species', or qualitative 'viability and adaptability to changing economic conditions, of forest dependant communities, including indigenous communities'.

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

The Montreal has established an ad-hoc task-oriented group called the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). TAC would provide support and advice when necessary on technical and related matters which cannot be adequately considered with in the Working Group without detailed analysis or clarification. Some of the work undertaken by the TAC includes work on definitions of terms, examination of the use of forest type and how to best gather data for a set of indicators. TAC is also expected to help maintain the scientific integrity of the criteria and indicators.

The Technical Advisory Committee has an ongoing role where they work between Working Group meetings on specific tasks assigned by the Working Group.

At the fifteen meeting held in 2003, New Zealand agreed to take over the role of TAC Convenor until mid-2006. One of its tasks is to review the indicators in light of the experience gained in preparing the 2003 country forests reports.

Who is involved?

Liaison Office Montreal Process Working Group

The Canadian Forest Service has hosted the Liaison Office in Ottawa since 1995 to facilitate the communication between the country members and support the work of the Montreal Process Working Group. Its specific functions are:

  • assist host countries to convene Montreal Process Working Group Meetings;

  • assist the Convenor of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to organise TAC meetings;

  • arrange and disseminate Montreal Process information;

  • keep members informed about latest developments on criteria and indicators;

  • coordinate actions as needed to develop formal statements, presentations and side events on behalf of the Montreal Process;

  • keep budget records of activities under the Montreal Process;

  • maintain an updated Montreal Process web page.

Montreal Process Member Countries

The Montreal Process has twelve member countries from both hemispheres and five continents. These countries account for:

  • 90% of the world's temperate and boreal forests (as well as areas of tropical forests)

  • 60% of all forests of the world

  • 35% of the world's population

  • 45% of the world's trade in wood and wood products

Argentina
Director
Direccion de Forestacion
Buenos Aires
Fax: 54 11 4349 2102

Australia
Assistant Secretary
Forest Industries Branch, Department of Agriculture,
  Fisheries and Forestry
Canberra
Fax: 61 2 6272 48 75

Canada
Policy, Planning & International Affairs
Canadian Forest Service
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
Fax: 1 613 947 90 38
http://nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/cfs-scf/index_e.html

Chile
Corporacion Nacional Forestal (CONAF)
Santiago
Fax: 56 2 671 5881
http://www.conaf.cl

China
Department of International Cooperation
State Forestry Administration
Beijing
Fax: 86 10 6421 3184

Japan
Department of International Cooperation Office
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries
Tokyo
Fax: 81 3 3593 9565

Republic of Korea
 Director
International Cooperation Division
Korea Forest Service
Daejon
Fax: 82 42 481 4009
http://www.foa.go.kr

Mexico
SEMARNAP
Mexico
Fax: 52 5 554 35 99 (658 3556)
http://www.semarnap.gob.mx/

New Zealand
International Forestry Policy Office
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Wellington
Fax: 64 4 498 9891
http://www.maf.govt.nz

Russian Federation
 Department of International Cooperation
Federal Forest Service of Russia
Moscow
Fax: 7 095 953 0950

United States of America
Assistant Director for Policy
Office of International Programs
USDA Forest Service
Washington, DC
Fax: 1 202 273 4750

Uruguay
Division Forestal
Montevideo
Fax: 598 2 401 9706

Ongoing work in New Zealand

Montreal Process is of considerable importance to New Zealand since it provides the framework for implementing measures towards SFM at the national level. New Zealand published its first approximation report of the Montreal Process called First Country Report on Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests in 1997 and the Country Report 2003 in providing data on a limited number of indicators.

Scion is currently piloting a review of the Montreal Process framework of criteria and indicators in New Zealand. This review considers a high-level 'expert' review and forest values review. The 'expert' review group includes SFM experts and central government policy analysts who will assess:

  • the importance of each indicator in helping to define SFM in New Zealand;

  • the extent to which New Zealand has met the requirements of indicator descriptions and reporting;

  • the usefulness of each indicator at the local or forest management unit level.

The forest values review will facilitate workshops in Rotorua, Nelson and Auckland where participants will identify forest values and categorise them. Workshop participants have been drawn from the forestry sector, Maori, forest user groups, regulatory authorities and young people. This process provides local communities with the opportunity to explore the meaning of SFM at the local level and will foster opportunities for continued dialogue and stakeholder engagement.

Implications for New Zealand

Forests comprise 30% of New Zealand land area. The natural forest (6.2 m ha) accounts for 24% of the total land area, and the reminder is planted forests. Around 80% of the natural forest is wider conservation, from which there is no timber harvesting. Twenty percent is in private ownership, about half which is Maori tribal land.

The New Zealand forest and wood processing industries account for 4% of the GDP, directly employing 26,000 people and are the third largest export earner with exports in excess of $3.5 billion.

New Zealand's planted forests resource covers 1.8 million hectares. Forest industries have an annual output of over $5 billion. Sustainable forest management developments in the country are very closely related to the unique characteristics of the forestry sector. There is clear differentiation in the management between the planted and natural forests and between state and private forest ownership. Measuring progress towards SFM by using the criteria and indicators needs to reflect this differentiation.

Sustainable forest management is evolving as one of the most important concepts within New Zealand's forestry sector. There is a growing demand, mostly in developed country markets, for sustainably managed timber products. The Montreal Process provides a key framework for New Zealand to measure and monitor the progress made in SFM.

The use of the Criteria and Indicators to measure sustainable management of New Zealand forests at a national level is of vital importance to the country. It would allow for the sustainable management of the forests resource without diminishing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It will also improve the forestry sector competitiveness in overseas markets.

Reports

Montreal Process Reports

TAC Reports

Next Meeting

The Seventeenth Meeting of the Montreal Process Working Group will be held in July 2006 in Japan. The meeting has the aim of reviewing the indicators as a tool to achieving SFM. The focus will be on the following:

  1. Evaluating all countries' indicator reviews and make changes to the Montreal Process indicators when required as suggested by TAC
  2. Developing a Montreal Process work framework for the next 10 years
  3. Discussing with Asian countries invited to the meeting the possibility of their accession to the Montreal Process.

Links

The Montreal Process Canada
http://www.mpci.org

Forest Research Institute
http://www.forestresearch.co.nz

New Zealand Forest Industries Council
http://www.nzfic.org.nz/mainsite

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
http://www.affa.gov.au

Contact

Paulina Wilhelm
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
paulina.wilhelm@maf.govt.nz
Fax: 64-4 894 0742
DDI: 64-4-894 0641

Contact for Enquiries

Senior Analyst
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND

Phone: +64 4 894 0641
Fax: +64 4 894 0744

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