Rural Governance, Forestry, and the Promotion of Local Knowledge: The Case of the German Rural Development Program ‘Active Regions’

This article investigates the role of local knowledge in the policy approach of neo-endogenous rural development, which may be held by local and regional actors such as municipal and county level politicians, local and regional level administration, entrepreneurs as well as local third sector representatives. The main question addressed is whether local knowledge under this approach is merely mobilised or if rural development processes are even based on such knowledge, placing it at the centre of such policy. The relevance of this approach to forestry is also explored. The types of forest owners for which the neo-endogenous rural development approach is appropriate and the types that may have difficulties in coping with this cross-sectoral and area-based approach are especially examined. Using a case study design on the German Active Regions funding program it is shown that the neo-endogenous approach is most relevant to large private forest owners and small-scale corporate enterprises, but also has potential for small- and medium-sized private owners. Concerning the role of knowledge held by local and regional actors, the approach is shown to largely build on the use of local expertise, and hence policy acceptance increases. However, scientific knowledge as well as politics are found to play a major role in the use, production and interpretation of local knowledge.     

An integrated assessment approach to optimal forest bioenergy production for young Scots pine stands

Background: Bioenergy is re-shaping opportunities and imperatives of forest management. This study demonstrates,through a case study in Scots pine(Pinus sylvestris L.), how forest bioenergy policies affect stand management strategies.Methods: Optimization studies were examined for 15 Scots pine stands of different initial stand densities, site types, and temperature sum regions in Finland. Stand development was model ed using the Pipe Qual stand simulator coupled with the simulation-optimization tool Opti For Bioenergy to assess three forest bioenergy policies on energy wood harvest from early thinnings.Results: The optimal solutions maximizing bare land value indicate that conventional forest management regimes remain optimal for sparse stands. Energy harvests occurred only when profitable, led to lower financial returns. A forest bioenergy policy which included compulsory energy wood harvesting was optimal for denser stands. At a higher interest rate(4 %), increasing energy wood price postponed energy wood harvesting. In addition, our results show that early thinning somewhat reduced wood quality for stands in fertile sites. For less fertile sites, the changes were insignificant.Conclusions: A constraint of profitable energy wood harvest is not rational. It is optimal to carry out the first thinning with a flexible forest bioenergy policy depending on stand density.     

日本林木生物质能源政策与效果分析

目前我国林木生物质能源产业处于发展初期,相关政策有待完善,日本的林木生物质能源政策体系值得借鉴。文中在阐述背景的基础上,着重分析日本促进林木生物质能源发展的20余项政策,并将其分为法律法规、发展规划和经济扶持3类;总结出其政策具有体系完善、连贯协调、可操作性强、重视分布式发展4个特点,并对政策实施效果进行分析;最后从4个方面提出对我国林木生物质能源政策的启示,包括健全政策体系、实施覆盖全产业链的补助政策、建立统一的领导机构、促进区域性示范。     

Analysing the Development of Small-Scale Forestry in Central and Eastern Europe

The current state and future prospects and challenges of small-scale forestry in Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine are examined, and Q-methodology for stakeholder evaluation of forest sustainability and pro-market reforms is applied to an example from Ukraine. Small-scale forestry already provides multiple benefits to the countries in transition. However, these countries differ according to the maturity of the reforms, and the continuing process of transition is being delayed in some of them due to institutional weaknesses, e.g. the authority of government with insufficient involvement of rural communities in decision-making. The necessity of linking international and national sustainable forestry policy to management practices at a local level is especially evident in the countries where bottom-up small-scale adaptive forestry is only starting to catch up with the top-down sustainable forest management principles. The paper highlights the necessity of reconciliation of scientific and conventional knowledge for delivering sustainability objectives to small-scale forestry at a local level. It demonstrates that the social and economic pillars of sustainable forestry reform are of a particular importance for successful performance of small-scale forestry in the countries in transition, as is active involvement of stakeholders and local communities in decision-making and policy implementation.     

试论东北内蒙古国有林区森工企业的森林资源危机与经济危困问题

我国东北、内蒙古国有林区经过40年的建设和发展, 已步入了重要的转折时期, 其主要表现为: 森工企业的森林资源危机和经济危困。本文从森林资源的内涵意义入手, 阐述了"两危"的本质特征、表现形式; "两危"形成的必然性及其发展前景, 分析了林业经济建设必须遵循自然规律和经济规律, 协调资源、人口与社会经济的发展, 为缓解东北、内蒙古国有林区"两危"提供理论依据。     

Planning and Policy Issues in Small-scale Forestry Development in Southern Aragua State,Venezuela

In southern Aragua state, Venezuela—an area regarded as high priority for local and national development—important sources of income and traditions are related to a history of manufacturing wood products including furniture and woodcraft made of the native tree species Samanea saman. However, scarcity of wood has recently become a major constraint for people of Magdaleno, putting at risk traditional knowledge and employment opportunities. Based on an integrated approach taking into account biophysical, ecological, social and technological issues, a broad group of potential tree species were assessed in a landscape-scale analysis to promote a plantation project. Analysis of policy implications is made in the context of national legislation, socio-economic, institutional and environmental issues. The role of research and communication to improve decision-making processes at all scales are also examined. At least three wood species (Samanea saman, Acacia mangium and Gmelina arborea) with a total of 37 sites and an aggregate area of approximately 26,600 ha (266 km²), were found to be potentially able to sustain a local development initiative for all five municipalities located in southern Aragua state. In terms of implementation, small-scale forestry (SSF) is viewed as a new policy shift for forest management according to the new national forest legislation where local development is a central element. SSF faces several constraints and faces a wide variety of political issues. Critical among these issues are: (a) how SSF approaches deal with legislation and land tenure regulations; (b) the creation of community-based forest enterprises based on simplified management plans, (c) a broad assessment of potential ecosystem services delivered by forest plantations; and (d) improving communication of research for decision-making. Decentralization and institutional strengthening are identified as two basic conditions for pursuing sustainable management.     

The non-timber forest policy process in Nepal: actors,objectives and power

The importance of commercial non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to the livelihood strategies of rural collectors in Nepal is increasingly recognised. This paper provides suggestions for improving rural collectors’ possibilities for income generation. The formation and implementation of NTFP policies in Nepal is examined by investigating the area of interactions between policy formation, choice and implementation of forest policy tools within the ‘new political economy’ approach, and suggestions are subsequently evaluated within the found practical political context. The study is based on approximately 400 interviews carried out with some 1000 stakeholders in the period 1992–1998. Following a qualitative research strategy hypotheses are formulated on the basis of patterns emerging from the data collected. The main stakeholders in NTFP collection and trade are identified to be: rural collectors and traders; local level politicians; lower level government staff; high level politicians; conservation-oriented institutions; and development oriented institutions. The objectives and influence of these stakeholders on the non-timber sector are identified and proposals for change are discussed in the light of distribution of objectives and power. It is hypothesised that NTFP policy formation, implementation and the field reality are weakly connected: implemented policy tools do not correspond to the aims of formulated policies, and field reality is not regulated in the envisioned direction by policy tools. This situation is explained by the fact that stakeholders at different levels of the policy hierarchy can influence their own level only. It is further hypothesised that a number of changes in forest legislation and regulations can have immediate and powerful effects on rural livelihoods of collectors. Taking into account the present political situation such changes may not be introduced from within the decision making process and, therefore, the view is put forward that pressure from outside the forestry sector is needed to bring about significant changes in favour of rural collectors.     

Rising policy conflicts in Europe over bioenergy and forestry

Growing concerns over emissions of green-house gases causing climate change as well as energy security concerns have spurred the interest in bioenergy production pushed by EU targets to fulfil the goal of 20 per cent renewable energy in 2020, as well as the goal of 10 per cent renewable fuels in transport by 2020. Increased bioenergy production is also seen to have political and economic benefits for rural areas and farming regions in Europe and in the developing world. There are, however, conflicting views on the potential benefits of large scale bioenergy production, and recent debates have also drawn attention to a range of environmental and socio-economic issues that may arise in this respect. One of these challenges will be that of accommodating forest uses – including wood for energy, and resulting intensification of forest management – with biodiversity protection in order to meet EU policy goals. We note that the use of biomass and biofuels spans over several economic sector policy areas, which calls for assessing and integrating environmental concerns across forest, agriculture, energy and transport sectors.In this paper, we employ frame analysis to identify the arguments for promoting bioenergy and assess the potential policy conflicts in the relevant sectors, through the analytical lens of environmental policy integration. We conclude that while there is considerable leverage of environmental arguments in favour of bioenergy in the studied economic sectors, and potential synergies with other policy goals, environmental interest groups remain sceptical to just how bioenergy is currently being promoted. There is a highly polarised debate particularly relating to biofuel production. Based on our analysis, we discuss the potential for how those issues could be reconciled drawing on the frame conflict theory, distinguishing between policy disagreements and policy controversies.     

Barriers to policy implementation and implications for Zambia's forest ecosystems

Policies play a vital role in setting priorities and actions for forest use and management. High rates of forest loss can be attributed to failure by policies to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. It is argued that in most Least Developed Countries such as Zambia, adopted forest and natural resources policies are rarely put into effect resulting in ecosystem degradation.This study examined policy actor's perception of implementation of policies aimed at reducing deforestation and forest degradation and their implications for forest resources.To examine policy implementation, 55 policy actors were interviewed at national, regional and local levels. This included government officials, Non-Governmental Organisations, traditional leaders and local people. Interviews were analysed using discourse analysis.Findings show that policy implementations deficits are prevalent in Zambia's forest sector. Policy actors identified the main barriers as inadequate institutional capacity, inadequate legal framework, political influences, insecure land tenure, poor funding, and lack of intersectoral coordination. The paper has shown gaps between policies and their implementation. To halt deforestation and forest degradation, it is imperative that formulated policies are implemented. This will require improved communication and coordination among government units and various stakeholders, sufficient resources and harmonizing policies and legal frameworks.     

Performance of forest groups in achieving multifunctional forestry in Flanders

The forest group is a new policy instrument in Flanders (northern Belgium) to realise multifunctional forest management. This group was introduced in 1995 and organises the various kinds of forest owners, private as well as public, on a local basis (mean working area 751 km²), with voluntary participation (as in all forest owner organisations). This study evaluates forest groups in Flanders through an analysis of their relevance, effectiveness, utility and implementation. The targets of forest groups are relevant to the evolving needs and priorities at the local, regional, national and international level. The effectiveness analysis reveals that most indicators — including the quantity of timber harvest, the number of members, the forest area with an accepted management plan, the area under management and the area with small-scale ecological measures — have been improving between 1995 and 2004. The utility analysis emphasises that the owners are motivated because the forest group provides information and increases knowledge, includes the owner into a collective management plan, offers a platform for sharing management experiences and acts as a union force against the government. However, the forest group is not the solution to introduce multifunctional forest management by all forest owners. The implementation analysis identifies a number of impeding factors, including the imbalance between rights and duties, inconsistencies between various policy aims, and failure of forest groups to act as a common forum for all stakeholders in their working area.     

Non-industrial private forest owners' willingness to supply forest-based energy wood in the South Savo region in Finland

The consumption of energy wood in Finland has increased dramatically since the early 2000s, and the region of South Savo is a bellwether for its usage across the country. This increase is partly due to the national policy of sustainable energy, region's wealth of forests but is also dependent on non-industrial private forest owners (NIPF) deciding to sell energy wood. In this study, a survey with a structured questionnaire was conducted among the NIPFs in the region of South Savo to enlarge the understanding of their willingness to sell energy wood in the future and adopt new approaches to forestry that involves energy wood thinning as well as their current production of energy wood. Moreover, the factors influencing forest owner's motivations relating to energy wood thinning as well as information needs were analysed with multivariate techniques. The results show that almost half of the forest owners in the South Savo region had not sold energy wood. However, forest owners within the region generally had positive attitudes towards selling small-sized energy wood and forestry methods that involve energy wood thinning. Moreover, forest owners' willingness to sell different types of energy wood varied, depending on their background. The study suggests that the increase in supply of energy wood presumes both intensified extension services for forest owners and markets that are better organised than at the moment. The results may also prove beneficial in informing policy-makers regarding which specific target group(s) to focus on when promoting energy wood sales among NIPFs and which aspects of energy wood harvesting and sales to promote.     

Is Recentralization Really Dominant? The Role of Frontline Foresters for Institutional Arrangement in the Philippines

Decentralized forest policy has been moderately successful in delivering resource-use rights to local people. At the same time, it is possible that decentralization leads to recentralization because governments never give their authority over forest resources. Recentralization studies have paid little attention to the potential of local dynamics to lead to institutional arrangements that affect forest outcomes. This paper uses a case study of Community-based Forest Management (CBFM) in the Philippines to explore how local realities lead to the development of effective institutions for forest management. In this case study, local informal regulations of forest resource use were created through the process of settling local conflicts among competing CBFM interests, including members and non-members of people’s organizations, and frontline foresters who are working at local level. Frontline foresters played a role as coordinator of institutional arrangements that regulate local forest exploitation within the CBFM implementation process. The behavior of frontline foresters affected by their own personalities and existing social relations among residents, can deter recentralization in some ways. More attention is needed on the role of frontline foresters and non-members of people’s organization as influential negotiators in state-society relations concerning forests.     

展望麦秸板的发展前景

森林资源的短缺和对木材巨大的需求的矛盾为麦秸板的发展提供了一个很好的机遇。除了提供木材替代产品外,麦秸板的发展还具有有助于解决“三农”问题的社会效益,保护森林,减少污染的生态效益。为了解决麦秸板发展落后于社会经济发展的现状,提出了一些改进的建议,强调运用宏观经济的手段来加速非木质人造板的发展。     

Governance approaches in Swiss forest biodiversity policy: Do they really work?

New forms of governance are detected in the Swiss forest reserve policy, a policy in the field of forest biodiversity, and they have helped its implementation. A survey on the implementation status of the Swiss forest reserve concept in the cantons shows that (1) governance elements are clearly favored over traditional command-and-control regulations, (2) 6.6% of the Swiss forest area is delimited forest reserves, (3) large forest reserves are still missing in most of the cantons. Impeding factors can be a lack of conviction of the forest owners, a complicated ownership structure or the weak financial condition of a canton. Improvements may be achieved by increasing consultation and financial incentives or through a purchase of ecologically valuable areas by the Confederation and the cantons.Until now, the Swiss forest reserve policy lacks integration with interacting policies such as climate policy. Climate change could promote forest reserves as sinks for carbon dioxide. Yet this could be counteracted by the support of timber as renewable energy. Integration between forest reserve policy and interacting policies needs to be strengthened, especially with respect to the biodiversity policy (national biodiversity strategy; Convention on Biological Diversity).     

Spatial mapping of the social value of forest services: A case study of northern Jordan

ABSTRACT

Despite the growing body of research on ecosystem services and their valuation, Jordan still faces many challenges with integration of ecosystem service concepts into forest sustainability policy and management planning. One major challenge is the incorporation of local communities into policy design, planning, and implementation. This article aims to provide information about the social value of forests’ provisioning and cultural services in a spatial context using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The study utilizes a new approach to mapping value in rural areas by projecting local forest value from interview data. A value index is created based on indicated importance of services as well as proximity to households, permitting interpolation of value in forested areas between survey points. The resulting maps illustrate ecosystem service “hotspot” areas of significance to planning and management. This mapping technique can be applied in other locations where homes are situated near and within the ecosystems being assessed. The resulting maps serve to inform forest management policy and planning by better integrating communities’ preferences into development and conservation efforts, ensuring more efficient utilization of ecosystem services.     

Non-Timber Forest Products Marketing Systems and Market Players in Southwest Virginia

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are important in rural southwest Virginia as a source of household income. Marketing system of crafts, medicinal and herbal, and specialty wood products are studied using exploratory and qualitative research methods. Fifty market players at various levels in marketing chains are interviewed to get the information on elements of marketing system -products, product differentiation, value addition, pricing, promotion, distribution, and marketing chains. NTFP trade is a common phenomenon in southwest Virginia. The greatest opportunity exists for local level marketing of crafts and specialty wood products. In the case of medicinal and herbal products, very little local value addition takes place within the region, and as a result local market players have little control. Policy interventions are required to enhance the returns to local collectors, which will also contribute to sustainable management of forest resources.     

世界木材利用发展态势

应用最广泛的四大材料中,木材是唯一可再生的绿色材料和生物资源。木材产品在生产和使用过程中的能耗,远低于钢、铝、混凝土产品,使用寿命长,并有储碳的重要作用。建设有竞争力的生态型木材工业,合理加工利用木材,替代高能耗产品和石化燃料,对发展低碳经济、增加就业、减缓全球变暖,促进可持续发展,具有重要意义。     

Ecologically Sustainable Land Use Planning in the Russian Lake Baikal Region

Abstract

Efforts at achieving sustainable forest management throughout the world often appear to pit global economic and development interests against those who seek preservation and environmental protection of the Faith's resources. Such conflicts, where they do arise, are often unmindful of the full range of land use parameters which must be taken into account when developing sustainable forest models on a regional, if not subconlinenlal scale the scale on which many multinational corporate entities now base their business planning. In fact, sustainable forest resource planning in the global marketplace must be integrated with regional sustainable land use, cultural, ecosystem and economic planning if the myriad forest attributes are to be maintained for future generations. The proposed paper would describe comprehensive sustainable land use planning being implemented in the Lake Baikal region of south central Siberia, Russia, which incorporates the full range of forest utilization from wild forest preserves to ecologically sustainable forest management for wood products. This paper describes similar projects being undertaken by Ecologically Sustainable Development, Inc. (ESD) in Mongolia, the Altai region of Russia, the Ussuri River Basin of Far Eastern Russia and China. Nicaragua and British Columbia, finally, the authors make recommendations key to achieving sustainable forest policy on the federal, state, regional and local levels.     

Causes and consequences of shifting cultivation and its alternative in the hill tracts of eastern Bangladesh

Shifting cultivation, which is still prevalent in the uplands of eastern Bangladesh, contributes significantly to forest loss and is the main cause of land degradation. This paper presents the causes and consequences of shifting cultivation and its potential land use alternatives. The analysis presented is primarily qualitative with a supplementary quantitative analysis of the causes of forest loss by logistic regression. The results of the study show that traditional land practices, exacerbated by poverty and associated with a lack of technical knowledge is the main cause for the continuation of unsustainable shifting cultivation. Population pressure, inadequate land for cultivation, low education levels, policy planning and implementation without local participation are all factors that influence farmers’ decision to continue shifting cultivation. Intensive land management through agroforestry is a promising alternative that can sustainably manage the remaining forest resources. If adopted, such systems potentially provide good economic returns, and may significantly reduce rural poverty.     

The power of knowledge: information transfer and açaí intensification in the peri-urban interface of Belém,Brazil

Academic scholarship and development paradigms promote non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as potential options to link environmental conservation with sustainable economic development objectives for rural communities worldwide. The açaí berry (Euterpe oleracea) is a native palm found in forest ecosystems of northern Brazil and historically extracted and sold in regional markets. Recent increases in national and international açaí demand have resulted in dramatic price increases. Management decisions on a local producer level reflect trends not typically associated with traditional NTFPs as future production and income expectations increase. This case study draws on research conducted in peri-urban communities in close proximity to Belém, Brazil. The work draws links between recent açaí intensification trends in upland areas and information pathways that are contributing to this pattern. This paper argues that external information sources regarding land use choices are prioritized over local knowledge and market indicators which previously have been described as drivers for intensification processes of NTFPs. This qualitative analysis highlights the power structures that influence information sharing and in turn, land use choices on a community level. The results of this analysis are important for NTFP intervention initiatives focused on risk management for smallholders. Finally, this study is a useful complement for ecological studies currently being conducted on intensification processes of non-timber forest products.