Criteria and indicators for the sustainable management of tropical forests
ITTO released a revised edition of its pioneering criteria and indicators (C&I) for sustainable tropical forest management. The aim of this revised edition of the ITTO C&I is to ensure that this instrument continues to meet the evolving needs of tropical forest stakeholders and to comprehensively inform the development of tropical forest policies and management practices. Among other things, the new edition will help tropical countries in reporting to ITTO and other processes, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, and in establishing baselines for REDD+. C&I are an important policy instrument for operationalizing the concept of sustainable forest management. Criteria characterize the essential components of SFM, and indicators are ways of assessing each component. When monitored over time, C&I show changes and trends in the biophysical, socioeconomic and policy conditions relevant to SFM.