Title: Close to Nature Forestry and Forest Policy Challenges in Europe
1Close to Nature ForestryandForest Policy
Challenges in Europe
Zvolen, Slovakia
14-19 October, 2003
- Ilpo Tikkanen, European Forest Institute
Together with Olga Zyrina and EFI researchers
2Close-to-Nature
- What are the main trends and policy frameworks
affecting close-to-nature forest management? - What are the main policy challenges ahead and
challenges for forest research?
3Contents
- Close-to-nature at international forest policy
agenda - Forest resource potentials in Europe room for
innovative policies? - Trends in forest products markets pressure on
economic viability? - MCPFE-process as European forest policy framework
- EU Forest Strategy and enlarging EU
4Close-to-nature forestry has appeared in
various forms at international forest policy
agenda since 1990s
- Forest principles / UNCED, 1992
- MCPFE Resolutions, especially Strasbourg (1990)
and Helsinki (1993) - IPF/IFF processes
- biodiversity conservation
- forest health and vitality
- climate change and carbon issues
- ecosystem management / landscape diversity
5Policy output of international forest policy
processes
- Consensus of the concept of sustainable
- forest management Helsinki Resolution 1
- International conventions (CBD, FCCC)
- MCPFE Declarations and Resolutions, Work
Programmes - Development of Pan-European and national criteria
and indicators to monitor the progress of
implementation of SFM - Evolving national forest programmes
- Revised national legislations
6Conclusion
- Progress at policy level
- Issues and policy failures are related to
- Policy implementation
- Policy co-ordination
- Law enforcement
- Financing of ecological sustainability / SFM
7Room for innovative policies?
8Annual fellings and annual incrementin some
European countries
9European total fellings
10European average growing stock, historic and
projected, current climate
11Regeneration by different regeneration types in
some European countries
12Trends in demand and forest product markets
pressure on economic viability?
13Bruce Michie, EFI
14Bruce Michie, EFI
15Bruce Michie, EFI
16Bruce Michie, EFI
17European political framework for Close-to-Nature
forestry
18Policy Issues at 4th MCPFE
Political commitments expressed and policy issues
identified in Vienna Declaration and 5 Vienna
Resolutions
Overall policy aim achieve balance between the
economic, ecological, social and cultural roles
of forests in the context of sustainable
development(cf. H1)
19MCPFE issues cont.
Strategic items and tools identified
- Forest policies to contribute to sustainable
- development, and subject to cross-sectoral
- impacts
- Implementation phase in policy process
- MCPFE- and IPF/IFF/UNFF commitments
- Partnership arrangements and co-ordination
- of policies
20Vienna Resolutions
- Strengthen synergies for SFM through cross-
- sectoral co-operation and national forest
programs
- Enhancing economic viability of SFM
- Preserving and enhancing the social and cultural
- dimensions of SFM in Europe
- Conserving and enhancing biological diversity
- Climate change and SFM in Europe
21V1 Cross-sectoral Co-operation and National
Forest Programmes
- MCPFE Approach to National Forest Programmes
- principles based on IPF/IFF consensus
- enhancement towards inter-sectoral policy
co-ordination
- work towards an improved understanding of
cross-sectoral issues
- challenge for research
22V2 Enhancing Economic Viability of SFM
- Economic viability key pillar of SFM
- key issue how to finance the enhanced concept of
sustainability?
- especially challenging to implement in new EU
member countries
- challenge for inter-disciplinary socio-economic
and policy research
23V3 Preserving Social and Cultural Dimensions of
SFM
- Policy issue for both rural livelihoods and needs
of urban societies
- linked to economic viability, of special
importance in new EU member countries
- challenge for research a need for Pan-European
comparative study on social sustainability and
related policy implications!
24V4 Conserving Biological Diversity
- Policy issue how to preserve - or enhance?
Socio-economic consequences and scope for
innovative policies?
- challenge for research impacts of various policy
instruments on preserving biodiversity and
enhancing forest management towards
close-to-nature evaluation of policy failures
cross-sectoral policy impacts
25V5 Climate Change and SFM
- Inter-disciplinary research challenges
- socio-economic impacts (costs and benefits)
of climate change
- evaluation of policy impacts and policy
options
26EU Forest Strategy need for a reform?
27The EU Forest Strategy
- Legislative initiative from European Parliament
in 1997
- Commission Communication on EU Forest Strategy
- Member States adopted a Council Resolution on EU
Forest Strategy in 1998
28Principles
- Decentralized approach - subsidiarity
- Based on national policies and programmes
- Forest-based commercial activities within the
rules of open market economy
29Aims of the Strategy
- to better deal with the complexity of Community
legislation influencing forest policies in Member
States
- horizontal issues related to forestry favour
cross-sectoral approach e.g. rural development
- EU should have a single voice in international
policy processes, such as IPF/IFF/UNFF
- to strengthen internal co-ordination
30Challenges for EU Forest Strategy
- expectations have not been fulfilled
- forest sector is a major economic sector in EU
- but, environmental issues, such as biodiversity
and climate change are dominating forest policies
- need to further strengthen integrated regional
and local level approaches to balance cross-
sectoral issues
31Impact of EU enlargement
Forest Area 1997, mln. ha EU 15 113.6 New
EU 33.4 ( 29)
Growing Stock bln. m3 EU 15 13.4 New
EU 6.26 ( 47)
Private Forest Owners EU 15 12 million New
EU 4 million (Total 16 million)
32EU EnlargementForest Policies at Cross-road in
Europe?
- Forest resource scenarios increasing potentials
provide scope for design of innovative forest
policies
- Expanding markets increasing demand for forest
products
- Restitution and privatization processes new
private forest owners
- Foundations of forest policy-making changed
33EU Enlargement (cont.)
- How to balance the demands on forest
conservation, close-to-nature forest resource
management, economic utilisation and social
sustainability in market economy?
- Financing of sustainable forest management?
- Implementation of Pan-European and global
commitments?
- Cross-sectoral policy co-ordination in new
political context?
34Do We Need a New Forest Strategyfor Europe?
Policy options regulative means,
financial instruments, informational tools and
development of institutions - policy mix of these
Political reality starting points of EU
Forest Strategy International commitments
Conclusion New political foci, new
innovations and institutional solutions are
needed!
35Challenge for Pan-EuropeanForest Strategy
- Joint Pan-European programme of EU Forest
Strategy and MCPFE, focusing on informational
policy means, capacity building, network
strengthening and partnership arrangements
- new inter-institutional solutions
36A question remains
37Draft Convention on the Constitution of Europe
(July 18, 2003)
- Articles on Agriculture and Fishery Environment
- no mentioning of forests or forestry
- natural resources mentioned under Articles
regarding environment
- Implications for EU Forest Strategy?
38Thank you!