Partners and International Organizations
(English)
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AT, BE, CH, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GR, HU, IE, IT, LV, NL, NO, PL, PT, SE, SK, UK
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Abstract
(English)
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Forest ecosystems provide various goods and services. In the last years, there has been a shift in the valuation from traditional goods such as timber production towards non-timber amenities. Especially outdoor recreation has gained in importance in forest management theory. Despite the growing awareness of amenity services outdoor recreation is often neglected in forest management due to its public good character. Furthermore, the management of outdoor recreation and tourism differs highly from usual forest management and impedes its integration in forest management plans. In Switzerland, forest planning and management is done on two scales: on a regional level by forest development plans ('Waldentwicklungspläne') and on an operational level by forest enterprises. Forest development plans are binding for public authorities and serve as guidelines for private forest owners. On both levels reliable information relating to silvicultural aspects and social demands is necessary for planning and management decisions. However, beyond that, an understanding how de facto decisions are made is needed for effective planning. Therefore, the project focuses on the decision making processes regarding outdoor recreation. The idea is to identify and understand the governance process and its driving forces concerning recreation provision, namely the role of actors and institutions which (potentially) impact the operational management directly or indirectly, and to pool the findings in a knowledge management tool. This tool will be capable of being integrated in decision support systems. The contribution to the COST Action FP0804 network will consist in conceptual and empirical work to improve forest management decision support systems by a better understanding of the governance of forest recreation. The project will produce knowledge about how to integrate 'real world' actor constellations and complex institutional environments in decision making assisted by a decision support system. The understanding of governance processes of forest recreation will increase the effectiveness of planning and enhance therefore sustainable multifunctional forest management.
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