Warsaw 2007
Forests for quality of life
The Fifth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe “Forests for Quality of Life” was held on 5–7 November 2007 in Warsaw, Poland. At the Conference, ministers and high-level representatives of 46 European countries and the European Union endorsed the Warsaw Declaration and two Warsaw Resolutions: “Forests, Wood and Energy” and “Forests and Water”.
The Conference Sessions provided a forum for dynamic discussions and sharing views on political challenges concerning European forests among the ministers, delegates from the MCPFE observer organisations and countries as well as representatives of the scientific community. The Warsaw Summit encompassed presentation of most recent information on the state of Europe’s forests as well as illustration of achievements of European countries in progressing towards sustainable forest management. Concrete actions to assure that Europe’s forests continue to be managed sustainably and provide benefits to the best of their potential were endorsed.
The European forest ministers committed themselves to ensure that forests and sustainable forest management play an active role in the sustainable development and well being of the European society. In particular, the ministers highlighted the role of forests and sustainable forest management in combating negative effects of climate change, for energy supply and in water protection.
The ministers also endorsed two ministerial statements. They declared the week of 20–24 October 2008 to be “The pan-European Forest Week 2008” and expressed their solidarity with the people and the governments of the countries of Southern Europe who have suffered during recent years from the effects of huge forest fires.
“Forests for quality of life” was the leitmotif of the Warsaw Summit. It focused on the ecological, economical and social benefits of Europe’s forests and promoted public debate. The commitments also emphasised the need to continue the protection of European forests as a regional common heritage.
A non-exhaustive list of the pan-European activities achieved for the implementation of the ministerial commitments in the period between the Vienna and the Warsaw Ministerial Conference is presented below.
- Fifth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe. Conference Proceedings, 5-7 November 2007, Warsaw, Poland
- State of Europe’s Forests 2007
- Europe’s Forests 2007. Summary of the MCPFE Report on State of Europe’s Forests 2007
- Implementation of MCPFE Commitments. National and Pan-European Activities 2003-2007
- MCPFE Information Document on Data Collection and Compiling the Statistics on Protected and Protective Forest and Other Wooded Land in Europe. Warsaw, 2006
- Europeans and Wood. What Do Europeans Think About Wood and its Uses? A Review of Consumer and Business Surveys in Europe
- Workshop on pan-European understanding of forest classification. Bled, Slovenia, 13-15 November, 2006
- International Seminar on Policies Fostering Investments and Innovations in Support of Rural Development. Zvolen, Slovakia, 27-29 March 2006
- Workshop on pan-European recommendations for afforestation and reforestation in the context of UNFCCC. Vilnius, Lithuania, 24-26 October 2006
- Combating Illegal Harvesting and Related Trade of Forest Products in Europe. MCPFE Workshop held 3-4 November, 2005, in Madrid, Spain
- Inter-Criteria and Indicators (C&I) Process Collaboration Workshop. 8-10 June, 2006, in Bialowieza, Poland
- Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Forest Management: The Role of Traditional Knowledge. Proceedings of the Conference 8-11 June, 2006, Florence, Italy. Volume 1 and Volume 2
- Forestry and our Cultural Heritage. Proceedings of the Seminar, 13 – 15 June, 2005, Sunne, Sweden
- Forests – Common Benefits, Shared Responsibilities, Multiple Policies. Riga, Latvia, 17-19 October 2005
- National Forest Programmes in Europe. Warsaw, 2005
- The Pan-European Understanding of the Linkage between the Ecosystem Approach and Sustainable Forest Management. Geneva – Warsaw 2006
- Sustainable Forest Management and the Ecosystem Approach. Warsaw 2004
- MCPFE Work Programme (2005). Pan-European Follow-up of the Fourth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe 28-30 April 2003, Vienna, Austria
- Workshop on exchanging country experiences in the nfp processes on practical application of the MCPFE Approach to NFPs in Europe. Gdansk, Poland, 22-24 November 2004