Forests In International Law

This book investigates the potential need for an international convention on forests and establishes a multifunctional concept of forests as a cornerstone for international forest regulation. Accordingly, it examines a variety of international instruments pertaining directly or indirectly to forests and explores their entangled, fragmented nature. While contending that the lack of consistency in international law impedes the development of a stand-alone international forest convention, at the same time it argues that the lessons learned from fragmentation as well as from the history of forest discourse on the international level open up new options for the regulation of forests in international law, based on (new) concepts of coordination and cooperation.

Despite covering almost a third of the globe, forests do not enjoy the protection of a singular global legal convention. Instead, International Forest Law is a complex ecosystem in its own right. This book sets out to examine this complexity by analyzing forest-related Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and how the decisions of the various corresponding Conferences of the Parties (COPs) may promote regime interaction in this field of law. Through an in-depth analysis of more than 60 decisions and resolutions of such COPs, Yilly Pacheco discusses how secondary law-making activity in forest-related MEAs may be strengthened and used to fill the gaps in International Forest Law.

This collection of essays is the fruit of a special project within the General Research Programme of the Canadian Council on International Law. The volume constitutes the first comprehensive analysis of the status and treatment of forests as a subject of study in the field of international law. It is hoped that the publication and dissemination of these essays will stimulate not only further study and analysis, but also appropriate international and domestic policy initiatives that will contribute To The realization of a global forests convention. The common theme of the papers is the prospect of an International Forests Convention, but the diverse and complementary perspectives offered on this prominent dÉnouement of UNCED also contain useful general analyses independent of the UNCED agenda.

This book analyzes the wide range of issues that should be taken into account in forest-related legislation. It stresses that forest law must be understood in the context of the broader legal framework governing land use and land tenure, as well as international obligations related to trade, environmental protection, and human rights. The book also pays significant attention to institutional arrangements and governance practices relevant to forests, including decentralization, transparency, and law enforcement. The authors draw extensively on experience from around the world to provide tools for dealing with various forest management challlenges. The authors are experts in the field of forest law. Lawrence C. Christy is a Former Chief, Development Law Service, Legal Office, Food and Agricultre Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Charles E. Di Leva is Chief Counsel, Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development and International Law Unit (LEGEN), Legal Vice-Presidency, World Bank. Jonathan M. Lindsay is Senior Counsel with LEGEN, Legal Vice-Presidency, World Bank. Patrice Talla Takoukam is Counsel with LEGEN, Legal Vice-Presidency, World Bank.

Forests are central to international security, peace, and justice, as they provide livelihoods for millions of impoverished people in developing countries. Threat's to the world's forests may result in a reduction in basic livelihood resources and will have significant consequences on a global scale. There is no existing international treaty on the protection of forests, with the result that their international protection is governed by disparate areas of international law and smaller-scale local initiatives. In this context, this book reviews the history of international law on forests, evaluating the effectiveness of the existing international legal framework to protect them. The book investigates the impact of the initiatives which have emerged in the absence of a dedicated international agreement, including Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and forest certification, which are assessed in the wider context of the development of international environmental law. It also considers the role of regional forest agreements in the international protection of forests. It assesses the challenges to the effectiveness of international law governing forests, in particular the disparate nature of the law as it stands, and posits that the solution can be found in existing regional agreements. It argues that a more specific international treaty, consistent with the recent decisions of international courts on environmental protection and building on the experience of regional legal instruments, may offer an effective path forward.

Provides an assessment of the international forest regime, in reponse to calls from many quarters, including the UN Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) and the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development, as well as several NGOs. The focus is mainly on action taken by countries at the global level, in the framework of legally binding instruments and institutions. It builds on previous analyses of the international forest regime by looking beyond the legal mandates to begin exploring the actual performance of the components against their mandates. With the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) Proposals for Action as the point for departure, the effectiveness and impact of individual legal instruments and global instutions are analyzed, as is the potential for synergy between them.

Synthesis of the various components of international law that have an impact on forests and provides a policy framework for conservation and sustainable use, against which any future global forest regime shoud be measured.

This timely book contributes to discussions on the best legal practices to use to promote conservation, protection and sustainable use of biological diversity in forest and marine areas. The breadth of issues explored across these two themes is immense, and the book identifies both key differences, and striking commonalities between them.