土地利用变化所造成的全球森林面积减少、森林在生物多样性保护和在碳及其它生物地球化学循环中的重要作用、以及污染和气候变化的影响对森林的威胁,将林业政策和实践置于全球环境和可持续策略的中心。森林提供重要的经济、环境、社会和文化效益,因此在林业中,如同环境政策和管理的其它领域中一样,经济发展和环境保护之间存在着紧张关系。本文中,我们回顾了全球森林覆被及状况的当前信息,分析了与森林保护和森林可持续经营有关的国际进程,考察了主要的森林认证方案。我们仔细研究了国际进程和认证方案之间的联系,也研究了它们的综合效果。我们认为,在世界的某些区域,没有一个机制可以实现森林保护,而在其它地区,正实施着当地或区域措施,并正在产生重大的影响。认证方案的选择和经营标准的实施经常受到相关成本因素的影响,并且在协议行动的监测和可持续标准及指标上也存在一些重大问题。目前,有一些倡议在寻求国际林业框架运行的改善办法(如,蒙特利尔进程,欧洲森林保护部长会议和欧洲的欧盟行动,非洲木材组织和非洲热带森林国际热带未材组织倡议,还有在联合国森林论坛上签订的全球林业非官方协议)。我们认为,有必要改善科学研究、政策制订和林业实践之间的联系,也有必要改善各种国际倡议和进程之间的合作,从而使国际框架更为有效,影响在空间上更为广泛。 Reduced global forest area due to land-use change, the critical role of forests in biodiversity conservation and in carbon and other biogeochemical cycles, and the threat posed to forests by pollution and climate change impacts placing forestry policies and practices at Global Environmental and Sustainable Strategy Center. Forests provide important economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits and as such in forestry, as in other areas of environmental policy and management, there is a tension between economic development and environmental protection. In this article, we review current information on global forest cover and conditions, analyze the international processes related to forest protection and sustainable forest management, and examine key forest certification schemes. We have carefully examined the links between international processes and certification schemes and also examined their combined effects. In our view, there is no single mechanism in some parts of the world for forest protection, while in other regions local or regional measures are being implemented and are having a significant impact. The selection of certification schemes and the implementation of operating standards are often affected by related cost factors and there are also some significant issues regarding the monitoring and sustainable standards and indicators of the operation of the agreement. At present, there are a number of initiatives that seek to improve the operations of the International Forestry Framework (eg the Montreal Process, the European Conference of Ministers of Forest Protection and the European Union initiative in Europe, the African Timber Organization and the International Tropical Timber Organization Initiative for Tropical Forests in Africa, Forum signed a global unofficial forestry agreement). We believe there is a need to improve the linkages between scientific research, policymaking and forestry practices and there is also a need to improve cooperation among various international initiatives and processes so that the international framework will be more effective and impact more widely in space.