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22 January On Friday, 22 January delegates considered the report of the workshop, which was prepared by a drafting group on Thursday. The report consisted of a compilation of the objectives, recommended actions and actors identified by the four working groups over the course of the week. Participants discussed the report in a plenary session, then heard reflections on the report by Odin Knudsen, on behalf of Ian Johnson, World Bank Vice-President and Mia Siscawati (Indonesian Institute for Forests and Environment), as a representative of a community-based organization. A panel of speakers comprised of government representatives, regional focal points and local community representatives commented on how best to ensure implementation of the workshop's recommendations. Elisabeth Odio, Vice President of Costa Rica and Minister of the Environment, then addressed the plenary, thanking participants for their hard work and worthy recommendations and declaring her commitment to help implement them.  (back to top)

Odin Knudsen, on behalf of Ian Johnson, World Bank Vice-President, addresses the plenary Delegates comment on the workshop report in plenary Panel advises on how best to ensure implementation of the workshop's recommendations Elisabeth Odio, Vice President of Costa Rica and Minister of the Environment, delivers closing remarks

21 January On Thursday, 21 January a drafting committee met throughout the day to consolidate the working groups� recommendations into a draft report for consideration by delegates on Friday. Meanwhile, delegates chose between two day-long excursions. Some visited a cooperative for sustainable cattle ranching and agricultural products north of San Jose, and others hiked through the rainforest at Braulio Carrillo National Park northeast of San Jose and visited an experimental site for sustainable timber harvesting.  (back to top) Delegates go on an excursion to Braulio Carrillo National Park Hiking through the rainforest Ranger identifies local plant species

Ranger demonstrates trap used by poachers to catch songbirds Managers of experimental sustainable timber harvesting operation explain management plan Participants visit nursery supplying tree seedlings Vista from Braulio Carrillo National Park

20 January The four working groups met throughout the day on Wednesday, 20 January, mostly in their subgroups, to specify actions to achieve the objectives elaborated the previous day and to identify actors to carry them out. Workshop participants met in a plenary session in the afternoon to present their findings.  (back to top)

19 January On Tuesday, 19 January, workshop delegates divided into four working groups to review a document, based on the regional workshop outcomes, that listed issues to be addressed under four working group themes. Working Group 1 (WG-1) addressed the theme of trade and consumption; WG-2 considered stakeholder participation and land tenure; WG-3 discussed financial investment, aid and structural adjustment; and WG-4 addressed valuation of forests. Each group engaged in general discussion on their theme, then divided into subgroups to identify objectives and actions related to the issues to be addressed under their theme. The working groups reported the findings of their subgroups in a plenary session in the afternoon.  (back to top)

Conference site, Melia Corobici Hotel Working Group at work Sub-Working Group at work Plenary discussion of working group outcomes

18 January The Global Workshop on Addressing the Underlying Causes of Deforestation and Forest Degradation began today, 18 January 1999, at the Melia Corobic� Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica. Delegates were welcomed by Carlos Manuel Rodr�guez Echandes, Vice-Minister for the Environment (Costa Rica), and the workshop Co-Chairs, Lu�s Rojas Bola�os, Director of the Costa Rican National System of Conservation Areas, and Simone Lovera, Netherlands Committee for IUCN. Bai-Mass Taal, on behalf of UNEP Executive Director Klaus T�pfer, delivered an opening statement, emphasizing that deforestation is rarely a consequence of a single cause but is driven by complex dynamics and thus requires a holistic approach. He underscored the need for pragmatic solutions to reversing deforestation and forest degradation and expressed UNEP's readiness to cooperate with all stakeholders in this regard. Jaime Hurtubia, on behalf of the IFF Secretariat, identified the workshop as an example of the partnerships among various stakeholders in seeking global solutions to global problems, and noted that in view of the forthcoming IFF-3 meeting, it has a crucial role in building consensus on the underlying causes of deforestation. Participants heard presentations of the reports from the seven regional workshops and the indigenous peoples' organizations workshop. Ricardo Carrere of the World Rainforest Movement presented the synthesis report, summarizing the underlying causes identified in the regional workshops, conclusions drawn and possible ways forward. Delegates then divided into four working groups to reflect on the underlying causes identified in the synthesis report.  (back to top)

Opening Plenary David Kaimowitz presents CIFOR�s analysis of underlying causes Ian Fry presents the report of the Oceania regional workshop A working group discusses the synthesis report of the regional workshops