en-1707151358-FDES_2013.pdf

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53 Components of the FDES and the Basic Set of Environment Statistics 53 Component 2: Environmental Resources and their Use Subcomponent 2.3: Land Topic 2.3.1: Land use Statistics and related information Category of measurement Potential aggregations and scales Methodological guidance (Bold text—Core Set/Tier 1; regular text—Tier 2; italicized text—Tier 3) a. Area under land use categories Area •• By type of land use (e.g., agriculture; forestry; land used for aquaculture; use of built-up and related areas; land used for maintenance and restoration of environmental functions; other uses of land not elsewhere classified; land not in use; inland waters used for aquaculture or holding facilities; inland waters used for maintenance and restoration of envi­ ronmental functions; other uses of inland waters not elsewhere classified; inland water not in use; coastal waters (including area of coral reefs and mangroves); Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)) •• National •• Subnational •• FAO •• UNECE Standard Classification of Land Use (1989) •• SEEA Central Framework (2012) Annex 1 b. Other aspects of land use •• National •• Subnational  

  1. Area of land under organic farming Area •• FAO Inter-departmental Working Group on Organic Agriculture  
  2. Area of land under irrigation Area    
  3. Area of land under sustainable forest management Area •• Forest Stewardship Council  
  4. Area of land under agroforestry Area c. Land ownership Area •• By ownership category •• National •• Subnational •• FAO Topic 2.3.2:  Use of forest land 3.109. Changes in forest area in the different categories result from economic activities (affor­ estation or deforestation), reclassifications among the categories, or natural processes (expan­ sion or regression). FAO defines afforestation as the establishment of forest through planting and/or deliberate seeding on land that, until then, was not classified as forest.46 It implies a transformation from non-forest to forest. FAO defines deforestation, in turn, as the conver­ sion of forest to another land use or the long-term reduction of the tree canopy cover below the minimum 10 per cent threshold.47 Reforestation, which is the re-establishment of forest through planting and/or deliberate seeding on land classified as forest,48 is also included here. 3.110. Not all forest land is used primarily to produce wood. The primary designated func­ tions of forests are production, protection of soil and water, conservation of biodiversity, social services, multiple use and other. To better understand the uses of forest land, statistics on forest land should be broken down according to its primary designated function. 46 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2010). “Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 Main Report”, available from www.fao .org/docrep/013/i1757e/i1757e .pdf (accessed 4 August 2017) 47 FAO states, “Deforestation implies the long-term or permanent loss of forest cover and implies transformation into another land use. Such a loss can only be caused and maintained by a continued human-induced or natural perturbation. Deforestation includes areas of forest converted to agriculture, pasture, water reservoirs and urban areas. The term specifically excludes areas where the trees have been removed as a result of harvesting or logging, and where the forest is expected to regenerate naturally or with the aid of silvicultural measures.
    (continued on next page) Table 3.2.3.1 Statistics and related information for Topic 2.3.1

Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013) 54 Table 3.2.3.2 Statistics and related information for Topic 2.3.2 Component 2: Environmental Resources and their Use Subcomponent 2.3: Land Topic 2.3.2: Use of forest land Statistics and related information Category of measurement Potential aggregations and scales Methodological guidance (Bold text—Core Set/Tier 1; regular text—Tier 2; italicized text—Tier 3) a. Use of forest land •• By forest type •• National •• Subnational •• By dominant tree species •• FAO FRA •• UNFF MAR •• UNSD: MDG Indicator 7.1 Metadata •• Montreal Process (Working Group on Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests) •• State of Europe’s Forests (Forest Europe/UNECE-FAO For­ estry and Timber Section)

  1. Area deforested Area
  2. Area reforested Area
  3. Area afforested Area
  4. Natural growth Area b. Forest area by primary designated function Area •• Production •• Protection of soil and water •• Conservation of biodiversity •• Social services •• Multiple use •• Other •• FAO FRA Subcomponent 2.4:  Soil Resources Topic 2.4.1: Soil resources 3.111. Soil resources comprise the top layers (horizons) of soil that form a biological system. Accounting for soil resources can provide information on the area and volume of soil resources lost due to erosion or degradation, or made unavailable by changes in land cover and other sources. Accounting for soil resources in terms of their types, nutrient content, carbon content and other characteristics is relevant for a more detailed examination of the health of soil sys­ tems and of the connections between soil resources and production in agriculture and forestry. 3.112. Additions to the stock of the volume of soil resources may originate from soil formation and deposition or from upward reappraisals and reclassifications. Reduction in the stock may result from extraction, soil erosion, catastrophic losses, and downward reappraisals and reclas­ sifications. The changing volume of soil must be measured to assess the extent of soil erosion and the impact of natural disasters, and to assess soil depletion due to economic activities. The flows of individual elements in the soils, such as carbon and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium), can be recorded as part of material flow accounting and nutrient balances. 3.113. The relevant statistics cover the stocks of soil resources and their changes (additions and reductions) in terms of area and volume, by soil type. Statistics related to the area and changes in the area under soil types are covered under Topic 1.1.4: Soil characteristics. Changes in the volume of soil resources and other aspects of accounting for soil resources are included concep­ tually in the FDES but the development of the necessary statistics is subject to further research. For more information, see SEEA-CF, paras. 5.318-5.342, Accounting for Soil Resources.49 (Footnote 47 continued) Unless logging is followed by the clearing of the remaining logged-over forest for the introduction of alternative land uses, or the maintenance of the clearings through continued disturbance, forests commonly regenerate, although often to a different, secondary condition. In areas of shifting agriculture, forest, forest fallow and agricultural lands appear in a dynamic pattern where deforestation and the return of forest occur frequently in small patches. To simplify reporting of such areas, the net change over a larger area is typically used. Deforestation also includes areas where, for example, the impact of disturbance, overutilization or changing environmental conditions affects the forest to an extent that it cannot sustain a tree cover above the 10 percent threshold.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2000). “Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 Main Report”, available from ftp://ftp .fao.org/docrep/fao/003/Y1997E /FRA%202000%20Main%20 report.pdf (accessed 4 August 2017).

55 Components of the FDES and the Basic Set of Environment Statistics 55 Table 3.2.4.1 Statistics and related information for Topic 2.4.1 Component 2: Environmental Resources and their Use Subcomponent 2.4: Soil Resources Topic 2.4.1: Soil resources Statistics and related information Category of measurement Potential aggregations and scales Methodological guidance (Bold text—Core Set/Tier 1; regular text—Tier 2; italicized text—Tier 3) Further research is needed to develop the necessary statistics in this topic. Subcomponent 2.5:  Biological Resources 3.114. Biological resources are renewable resources capable of regeneration through natu­ ral (non-managed or managed) processes. Biological resources include timber and aquatic resources and a range of other animal and plant resources (such as livestock, orchards, crops and wild animals), fungi and bacteria.50 Biological resources form an important part of biodi­ versity and ecosystems. If harvesting and other losses exceed natural or managed regeneration or replenishment, biological resources become depleted. 3.115. Biological resources can be natural (non-cultivated) or cultivated. Natural biological resources consist of animals, birds, fish and plants that yield both once-only and repeat prod­ ucts for which natural growth and/or regeneration is not under the direct control, responsibil­ ity and management of institutional units.51 3.116. Cultivated biological resources cover animal resources yielding repeat products and tree, crop and plant resources yielding repeat products whose natural growth and regeneration are under the direct control, responsibility and management of an institutional unit.52 They may impact the environment differently than natural ones. This is quite evident in the case of mono-cultivated, intensive crops that use irrigation and increasing amounts of fertilizers and pesticides. Topic 2.5.1:  Timber resources 3.117. Timber resources can be natural or cultivated and are important environmental resources in many countries. They provide inputs for construction and the production of fur­ niture, cardboard, cellulose, paper and other products, and are also a fuel source. Timber resources are defined by the volume of trees, living and dead, which can still be used for timber or fuel. This includes all trees regardless of diameter or tops of stems. The general proxy that should be considered for determining the volume of timber resources is the volume that is commercially usable. 3.118. Stocks of timber resources increase due to natural growth, new plantations or growth derived from management of plantations and are measured as the gross annual increase. Tim­ ber resources may also change due to the increase of forest land or changes in management practices (reclassification). Stocks decrease due to timber removals, natural losses and cata­ strophic losses. The volume of timber removals can be disaggregated according to the type of forestry product (e.g., industrial roundwood and fuelwood) or by tree species. Stock changes should be estimated separately for natural and cultivated timber resources. 3.119. From a resource accounting perspective, SEEA-CF defines afforestation as the increase in the stock of forest 53 and other wooded land 54 either due to the establishment of new forest on land that was previously not classified as forest land, or as a result of silvicultural measures such as planting and seeding. In turn, SEEA-CF defines deforestation as the decrease in the stock of forest and other wooded land due to the complete loss of tree cover and transfer of forest land to 48 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2010). “Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 Main Report”, available from www.fao .org/docrep/013/i1757e/i1757e .pdf (accessed 4 August 2017). 49 United Nations, European Union, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the World Bank (2014). System of Environmental- Economic Accounting 2012— Central Framework, available from http://unstats.un.org /unsd/envaccounting/seeaRev /SEEA_CF_Final_en.pdf (accessed 4 August 2017). 50 Ibid. 51 Ibid. 52 Ibid. 53 As defined in Topic 1.2.3: Forests. 54 Ibid.

Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013) 56 other uses (e.g., use as agricultural land, land under buildings, roads, etc.) or to no identifiable use. From a general forest perspective, FAO definitions may be found in Topic 1.2.3: Forests. 3.120. The most important economic activity responsible for the extraction, harvesting and management of timber resources is forestry and logging (ISIC Rev. 4, Section A, Division 02). This division includes: growing of standing timber; planting, replanting, transplanting, thin­ ning and conserving of forests and timber tracts; growing of coppice, pulpwood and fire wood; operation of forest tree nurseries; producing round wood; gathering and producing fire wood; and production of charcoal in the forest (using traditional methods). These activities may be carried out in natural or planted forests. 3.121. Forestry activities may also include the application of fertilizers and pest control. Sta­ tistics on fertilizer and pesticide use in forestry are very important to assess their impact on the environment. 3.122. The use of timber products in the economy and by households can be captured in physi­ cal and monetary supply and use tables originating from national accounts and from forestry, manufacturing, energy and trade statistics. The SEEA-CF links timber resources to their use in the economy and to the SNA. Table 3.2.5.1 Statistics and related information for Topic 2.5.1 Component 2: Environmental Resources and their Use Subcomponent 2.5: Biological Resources Topic 2.5.1: Timber resources Statistics and related information Category of measurement Potential aggregations and scales Methodological guidance (Bold text—Core Set/Tier 1; regular text—Tier 2; italicized text—Tier 3) a. Timber resources   •• By type (e.g., natural or planted) •• National •• Subnational •• SEEA Central Framework (2012) •• FAO FRA •• State of Europe’s Forests (Forest Europe/UNECE-FAO Forestry and Timber Section) •• UNECE/FAO Joint Working Party on Forest Statistics, Economics and Management •• ISIC Rev. 4, Section A, Division 02 •• FAOSTAT database  

  1. Stocks of timber resources Volume  
  2. Natural growth Volume  
  3. Fellings Volume  
  4. Removals Volume  
  5. Felling residues Volume  
  6. Natural losses Volume  
  7. Catastrophic losses Volume  
  8. Reclassifications Volume b. Amount used of: •• National •• Subnational  
  9. Fertilizers (also in 3.4.1.a) Area, mass, volume  
  10. Pesticides (also in 3.4.1.b) Area, mass, volume c. Forest production Volume •• By type of product (e.g., tim­ ber, industrial roundwood, fuelwood, pulp, chips) •• National •• Subnational •• Central Product Classification (CPC) •• Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire (UNECE/FAO/Euro­ stat International Tropical Timber Organization [ITTO]) •• FAO/ITTO/UNECE/Eurostat Inter-secretariat Working Group on Forest Sector Statistics •• UNECE Timber Committee •• UNECE/FAO Joint Working Party on Forest Statistics, Economics and Management •• ISIC Rev. 4, Section A, Division 02 •• FAOSTAT database d. Fuelwood production Volume •• National •• FAO/ITTO/UNECE/Eurostat Inter-secretariat Working Group on Forest Sector Statistics •• State of Europe’s Forests (Forest Europe/UNECE-FAO Forestry and Timber Section) •• HS 2012, Sections IX and X •• FAOSTAT database e. Imports of forest products   Currency, mass, volume •• By type of product f.   Exports of forest products     Currency, mass, volume
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