| Summary: | Since 1946, FAO has conducted various regional and global assessments of forest resources every five to ten years, on request from its member countries. From early questionnaire based surveys, the assessments have evolved into more comprehensive technical projects, based on standardized definitions of forest, close collaboration and participation of countries and the support of leading experts. As knowledge on the forest resources has improved at national levels and as technology has advanced, the Global Forest Resources Assessments have increased in breadth and quality. The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA 2000) was the first assessment to use a homogeneous set of definitions globally and it is to date the most comprehensive assessment of the global forest resources. FRA 2000 was based on information provided and validated by the countries, supplemented by state of the art technology to verify and analyse the information. FRA 2000 provides a comprehensive and up-to-date view of the world’s forest resources at the end of the second millennium and is a key source for the State of the World’s Forests 2001 which reports every two years on the status of forests, recent major policy and instititutional developments, and important issues concerning the forest sector. The following products from FRA 2000 are accessible online: (1) Main Report -- Download individual chapters in pdf format. (2) Global Tables -- See [] for description of statistical and informational coverage and sources for the following FAO 2000 tables: Table 1: Basic Country Data Table 2: Forest Cover - Information Status Table 3: Forest Cover 2000 Table 4: Change in Forest Cover 1990-2000 Table 5: Forest Cover - Latest National Statistics Table 6: Forest Plantations 2000 Table 7: Volume and Biomass in Forests Table 8: Forest Fires 1990-2000 Table 9. Forest Management Table 10. Removals Table 11. Management Areas Table 12. Non-wood Forest Products (NWFP) Table 13. Endangered Species Table 14. Forest by Ecological Zones Table 15. Forest in Protected Areas Table 16. FRA 2000 Country Interaction (3) Country Profiles -- Country level statistics, maps, and information on forest resources, forest cover, plantations, trees outside forests, volume and biomass, fires, forest management and legislation, protected areas, forest services, forest products and trade, and non-wood forest products (NWFP). (4) Global maps -- FRA 2000 includes new global maps for forest cover, ecological zones, and protected areas: (a) The Forest Cover Map is a comprehensive worldwide view of forests, using a consistent methodology and standard data. The map has a resolution of 1 km and is based on 1992-93 and 1995-96 AVHRR data. Four broad land cover categories are presented following FAO´s standard classification: closed forest, open/fragmented forest, other wooded land and other land. The primary use of the map is to show the current extent of forests at a global and regional level. (b) The Global Ecological Zone Map uses a globally consistent classification, based on the Köppen-Trewartha climate system, in combination with natural vegetation characteristics. A total of 19 global ecological zones are defined and mapped, ranging from the evergreen tropical rainforest zone to the boreal tundra woodland zone. A main principle of delineating the global ecological zones involved the aggregation or matching of available regional ecological or potential vegetation maps into the global framework. Main uses of the map include: a) reporting purposes, to provide baseline forest statistics by ecological zone; b) analysis and modelling purposes, i.e. assessment of forest-based biological diversity, both at ecosystem and species level, and biomass modelling. (c) The Forests 2000 by Major Ecological Domains Map shows the distribution of forest resources by the ecological zones delineated above. (d) The Protected Areas Map shows the location and extent of the world´s protected areas by January 2000. Along with the map data, information is provided for each country on the names, area and category (IUCN categories I – VI, International Conventions) of the protected area. A main use of the map is to show the conservation status of the world´s forests. (5) Working papers -- Download publications on methods and analyses for FRA 2000. (6) GIS Data -- GIS-compatible data files of forest cover, ecological zones, and protected areas by region. Preparations for the FRA 2005 are underway.
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