State of the World's Forests 2003 provides information on developments and areas of current attention as regards forest resources; the management, conservation and sustainable development of forests; the institutional framework; and the international forest policy dialogue. SOFO 2003 includes contributions from non-FAO authors on such subjects as science and technology in the forest sector; recent trends in fiscal policies in the forest sector in Africa; and the role of forests in poverty alleviation, sustainable use and management of freshwater resources, and biodiversity conservation.