ARTICLE 8: NATIONAL FOREST POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES 1. State Parties shall develop and publish national forest policies, programmes and plans, that are consistent with national land-use plans or their equivalent, as well as with this Protocol and with other relevant Protocols and policies. 2. State Parties shall regularly review and evaluate the effectiveness of national forest policies and programmes and where appropriate shall revise them to ensure that they are consistent with, and effectively implement, this Protocol. 3. State Parties shall ensure that national processes and procedures for preparing and revising national forest plans, classifying forests and establishing management plans for forests and protected areas containing forests, involve: a. consultation and co-ordination and where appropriate, joint decisionmaking, between all relevant sectors of government, including the authorities responsible for conserving biological diversity and landuse planning; and b. consultation with affected communities and private sector enterprises engaged in forestry and forest-related activities and all other relevant stakeholders and where appropriate, those processes and procedures shall be amended to ensure that they are consistent with this Protocol and with other relevant Protocols and policies. 4. State Parties shall adopt or develop and use common criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management, which provide for the evaluation of the following factors, among others: a. status of forest resources; b. biological diversity in forest lands; c. health of forests; d. productive functions of forests; e. protective and environmental functions of forests; f. social functions of forests; g. socio-economic benefits to communities and to workers in the forest sector; and h. legal, policy and institutional framework for regulating forest management and conservation, including the production and trade in forest products. ARTICLE 9: NATIONAL FOREST ASSESSMENTS 1. State Parties shall, in conformity with any methodology developed pursuant to paragraph 2 and subject to the availability of funds and human resources, undertake and regularly update a national assessment of forests which, among other matters, shall: a. encompass all forest resources and all forest lands, regardless of ownership; b. include an assessment of forest resources in terms of usage, value, quantum and location, changes in forest cover and health; and c. include data on other critical social, economic and environmental factors relating to forests species (indigenous and plantation), soils, climate, environment, uses of forest products, silvicultural practices, projects, extension activities, protection activities, industrial matters and standards, market and commercial issues, technical and educational services and institutions. 2. State Parties shall collaborate in developing a harmonised assessment methodology based upon the principles and criteria of sustainable forest management for the development of national forest assessments and other forest information and guidelines and standards.