Building a structured, indicator based knowledge system for sustainable forest policy and management

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

Forests play an important ecological and economic role in mountain and rural areas of Europe. They are managed for different purposes to fulfill the demands of different stakeholders. These involve the production of wood and non-wood products and the provision of services, such as recreation, water, biodiversity, soil protection and carbon storage. In the context of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) the fulfillment of these demands should be simultaneously pursued. Several tools have been developed to address the different aspects of SFM assessment and implementation monitoring, particularly criteria and indicators. In the EU, at the highest policy level implemented by the FOREST EUROPE institution, Member States have committed through Legally Binding Agreements (LBAs) to assess, monitor and certify sustainable forest management using Pan-European criteria and indicators (MCPFE Criteria & Indicators). However, in many Member States, Greece included, problems exist with the SFM estimation processes. These are related to insufficient data, integration and clarity in the linkages between the spatial and aggregation scales and the decision-making levels, a lack of consensus between stakeholders, and a lack of comparability between areas. In this context, spatial knowledge systems that promote national policies for integrated SFM assessment and implementation monitoring, compatible with EU Initiatives and the FOREST EUROPE policy frame, should be designed and developed.

OBJECTIVES

The overall objective of the INFORM project was to develop a spatial indicator-based knowledge system for national forest policy development using integrated Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) assessments and implementation monitoring in Greece. The aim was to be compatible with EU initiatives and legislation, particularly the Pan-European criteria and indicators (MCPFE), including impact assessments on forests related to climate change.

To this end, the project developed tools and participatory approaches to:

This information used in association with the impact evaluation tools helped develop a national forest policy that takes into account important parameters such as carbon stock and resource savings and draws on a better understanding of the state of the country’s forest ecosystems.

The project’s outputs will be used to fulfil Greece’s commitments to FOREST EUROPE and its legally binding agreements regarding the SFM assessment and implementation monitoring. The knowledge base will also be used by the national forest authorities to reach the 2020 objective of the 2013 EU Forestry Strategy. It can also be used to integrate national forest policies with EU related policies, such as the European Landscape Convention for balanced regional development, the policies for rural development, the Water Framework directive, the Habitats Directive, the Birds Directive and others. The knowledge base is consistent with the 7th Environment Action Programme as it contributes to the protection, conservation and enhancement of the natural capital, increases knowledge about the forest resources and widens the evidence base for forest policy.

Most notably the project also set up the first ever Forest Governance Council (FGC). This new and innovative structure was established to bring together the entities working on forest management at local, national and international level and promote interaction between them to develop new management tools and new solutions for sustainable forest management. It was also set up to elaborate the national forest management policy and report the pertinent data and forest status indicators to the relevant international bodies. The project held training workshops for Forest Service staff members, seminars and a conference. It produced a forest policy handbook for SFM assessments and implementation monitoring; policy guidelines for mitigating the impacts of climate change on forests; a good practice handbook for social participation in SFM; a pilot SFM plan. All these tools hold high replicability potential.

From a socio-economic perspective, the INFORM knowledge base provides information, that was not previously easily accessible, on issues that should have a significant impact on rural development and job creation. For example INFORM gives account of the state of forest functions such as the amount of wood provided for free to local forest communities and the accessibility of forests for recreation. The INFORM tools can be used to assess the social and economic impacts of different policies on forest resources and help to better design those policies that have an environmental impact.

Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).