Better forest policies and management for sustainability transformations : How can expectations for forests be met?

Abstract

Nowadays we recognize that forests have a critical role in balancing our environment. Halting biodiversity loss, regulating climate, sequestering and storing carbon, and improving resilience against droughts, storms, pest outbreaks and other risks are among key ecosystem services. At the same time, forests provide a wide variety of products for the bio-based economy and for replacing fossil resources. Forests help regulate water and provide recreation. These multiple ecosystem services are discussed in several policies and strategies, with some defining specific targets. However, said policies rarely address the conflicts and links between these multiple demands. Rather, policies often primarily focus on prominent ecosystem services and are designed from specific interests, creating policy incoherence that renders policy targets unfeasible and even threatens sustainability of forest ecosystems.