( The final meeting of the United Nations...)U.N. mulls the protection of Earth's forests

One member of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. forum is international environmental policy expert Matthew Auer, who remains guardedly optimistic that the two-week negotiation will conclude with one or more concrete outcomes, such as a fund to help international organizations and countries protect the world's forests. The forum is scheduled to meet May 16 to 27 at U.N. Headquarters in Manhattan.

"At the international level, there's been much stalemate and disagreement on the issues of forest protection and management," said Auer, an associate professor in Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs. "Since the late 1980s, countries have periodically debated the pluses and minuses of having a legal convention. But there are even better options available that are easier to agree on and implement."

Auer says the United States and a few other countries are unlikely to sign a legally-binding convention.

"It's not that the United States isn't interested in being involved," Auer said. "It's that the U.S. is not convinced that a convention is the best way to promote sustainable forest management. There are many environmental conventions in force that do not deliver what they promise. A better alternative is to link forests to other sustainable development goals that include the environment, health, nutrition and energy. Forests need to be integrated into these other interests and solutions."

Another obstacle to an international arrangement on forests is the nature of the resource. Air and water flow across international borders. Barring the occasional hurricane or tornado, trees tend to stay put.

"It's partly a matter of sovereign property rights," Auer said. "Governments will look at a forested a
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Source:Indiana University