Forest security: Challenges to be met by a global forest convention

This paper, prepared for the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development (WCFSD), sets out the issues surrounding the security of multiple forest goods and services. It considers national, international and civil society approaches for dealing with forest issues, and assesses how well they are addressed by existing international regulations. Arguments concerning a global forest convention - both for and against - are summarised. Preliminary conclusions point to the need for a focus on practical international cooperation and incentives for forest security at all levels, including the global level, using existing instruments which are not well used at present, such as the Biodiversity Convention and the Climate Change Convention. However, there remains a need for focused regulation to deal with the cross-border or supranational causes of forest problems. The paper describes the analytical and negotiation tasks required to work towards a focused convention.