Silva 2015: Recommendations for sustainable forest management
Bern, 06.11.2015 - The focus of European Forest Week Silva 2015 in Engelberg, which ended today, was forest services and how to finance them. The approximately 250 participants passed recommendations on sustainable forest management for the Member States of the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Geneva) and the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome).
The third European Forest Week Silva 2015 came to a conclusion today in Engelberg in the Swiss canton of Obwalden. Approximately 250 participants from 39 countries in Europe, Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus and North America discussed forest services and their financing over the five-day event. In their concluding report, which they compiled under the joint leadership of Switzerland and the Netherlands, they formulated recommendations for the Member States of the UNECE and FAO. These recommendations stress the importance of sustainable forest management and the wide-ranging services provided by forests in the UNECE region, and indicate options for the financing of corresponding measures.
The event was organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the FAO. Thanks to the optimal cooperation between the two organisations and the support of the host canton of Obwalden, Forest Week in Engelberg offered the participants an opportunity for an intensive exchange of information on international forest topics. The fourth Forest Week will take place in Poland in 2017.
The topics discussed at the meetings were explored in greater detail in excursions held on Friday: the importance of the forest in relation to protection against natural hazards was demonstrated in Engelberg, the crucial contribution of the forest to biodiversity was explored in Alpnach and an example of modern timber construction was presented in the visit to the assembly hall of the Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus in Stans. Timber was selected as the construction material for this building because the surrounding forests protect the works and its site. Moreover, the maintenance and regeneration of these protective forests enable the production of the construction material timber.
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