Forest ecosystems in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Eastern Europe are struggling with the complexity of changing climatic conditions, human and natural pressures threatening their vitality and resilience.
To address these challenges and promote sustainable forest management, data on forest resources, including their extent, distribution, and conditions, as well as the social and economic benefits they provide are also needed.
In recent years, digitalization, cutting-edge technologies and the increased availability of data in the forest sector have demonstrated to improve the timely communication and management responses to damage events, while supporting research and analysis.
The Joint UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section has recently held a regional workshop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on forest information systems and digitalization in the forest sector to acquaint experts from the Caucasus, Central Asia and Eastern Europe with state-of-the-art technologies and analytical methods to develop and implement their own national forest information systems.
Forest information systems are an integrated solution with accurate and up-to-date information about forest resources and forest-related activities to support effective decision-making for forest managers, owners, policymakers and other stakeholders.
In addition, such integrated systems can give us many more insights into forests than we could have ever imagined. Forest information systems can greatly help process, analyse and communicate complex information while ensuring that relevant, high-quality information on forests and their management is available to all.
Hosted by the Forest Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic, the workshop´s interactive sessions trained participants in integrated information management and agenda setting at different national levels of governance.
The Joint UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section will continue supporting countries on forest resources monitoring and assessment, and the development of forest information systems to advance the digitalization of the forest sector.