ITTO and partners work with Latin American countries to strengthen tropical timber statistics

Workshop participants visiting the Bozovich Company in Lurin. Photo: SERFOR

The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held a workshop with 13 Latin American countries last month to strengthen the reporting of production and trade statistics for tropical timber across the continent.

The workshop, co-organized with Peru’s National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR), provided support to the countries to improve their submissions of the  ITTO-backed survey, Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire (JFSQ), to collect data on the world timber situation.

Held in Lima, Peru, from 24–27 June, the event drew representatives from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela and Uruguay. Together, the countries export about USD 7 billion of primary and secondary forest products annually.

The JSFQ, an initiative also supported by FAO, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and Eurostat, invites countries to report on the timber sector based on internationally agreed-upon definitions of forest products.

The ITTO’s statistical reports are underpinned by data collected through the questionnaire, such as last year’s Tropical Timber Trends, an evidence base for decision-making to promote sustainable tropical forest management and sustainable trade in tropical forest products.

During the workshop, ITTO and FAO experts highlighted discrepancies in bilateral trade volumes, pointed out issues in submitted JFSQs and advised on how to fill the questionnaire in a consistent manner, including clarification of select wood product definitions.

Country representatives welcomed the opportunity to discuss solutions to common challenges in completing the JFSQ. They also noted constraints including imprecise identification of species, lack of centralized information systems, limited trust in the forest sector regarding data sharing, and budget and capacity issues.

ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru expressed her satisfaction for the wide attendance at this recently completed ITTO event.

“Reliable forest data is essential for informed decision-making and international transparency,” Ms Satkuru said.

“The ITTO is proud to support Latin American countries through this workshop, to strengthen their capacity to produce and report high-quality forestry and timber industry statistics. Building this foundation ensures that national policies are grounded in evidence and that countries can effectively contribute to global forest-related goals”, she added.