The Conference of the Parties

1. Takes note of further progress made in preparing the inventory of virgin forests1, appreciates the work done by the WG Forest and the European Environment Agency (hereinafter EEA) involved in the process, and asks the Parties, with support of the WG Forest and other relevant stakeholders, to complete the inventory of virgin forest before the Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention (hereinafter COP6);

2. Welcomes progress made on typology of natural forests2, requests the WG Forest to continue this work, recommends the WG Forest to propose voluntary guidelines for the sustainable management of natural forests in the Carpathian region, implementing, inter alia, Article 11 of the Protocol on Sustainable Forest Management to the Carpathian Convention (hereinafter Forest Protocol);

3. Recommends the WG Forest to strengthen its cooperation with the WG Climate Change to facilitate the implementation of Article 14 of the Forest Protocol;

4. Takes note of the threat that illegal logging in some Parties poses to the natural capital of the Carpathian region, including virgin and natural forests in both existing protected and non-protected areas, and calls on the Parties to take urgent and forceful measures to address this problem, acknowledges the socioeconomic issues related to illegal logging, and invites the WG Forest to compile and disseminate information on illegal logging in the Carpathian Mountains as well as to recommend measures for addressing this problem that take into account socioeconomic issues.