Forests are nature’s most bountiful and versatile renewable resource, providing simultaneously a wide range of economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits and services. The worldwide demand for their numerous functions and outputs is increasing with the expanding population, while the global forest resource is shrinking either as a result of overharvesting, deforestation and permanent conversion to other forms of land use in many tropical regions, or as a consequence of forest decline associated with airborne pollutants in temperate regions. Forests represent a unique situation in terms of global environmental issues. Physically, they are located within the territories of sovereign states, yet their environmental role extends beyond their borders at both transboundary and regional as well as global levels. For example, the management, or mismanagement, of watershed forests of international rivers has transboundary implications in terms of soil and water conservation in neighboring countries. Similarly, airborne pollutants generated in one country may be transported across the boundary and cause forest decline in others. The role of forests in global ecological cycles highlights the environmental significance of forests beyond the boundaries of the nations where they are located. In this context, they are being viewed as global commons similar to the atmosphere and oceans.
