Establishing information flow on natural resources

Description

Establishing information flow on natural resources involves creating effective systems for collecting, managing, and disseminating accurate data on resource availability, usage, and sustainability. This strategy enables informed decision-making, supports resource conservation, and prevents overexploitation by ensuring stakeholders—governments, communities, and industries—have timely access to critical information. By remedying gaps in knowledge and communication, it addresses mismanagement, fosters transparency, and promotes coordinated action for the sustainable stewardship of natural resources.

Implementation

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 recommends examining and undertaking surveys and research to establish baseline information on the status of natural resources relating to food and agricultural production and planning, in order to assess the impact of various uses on these resources, and developing methodologies and tools of analysis, such as environmental accounting.