Participatory Forestry: Involvement, Information and Science

• Main Author: Paletto, Alessandro (auth)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2019
• Subjects: forest planning; green space quality assessment; forest management practice; forest degradation; urban trees; Slovenia; participatory process; transdisciplinary research; deliberative-analytical process; panarchy theory; participatory forums; climate change; community forestry; empathetic utility functions; smallholder; questionnaire survey; British Columbia; Ghana; cocoa; participatory; entrepreneurial education; Natura 2000; deforestation; social assessment; climate change mitigation; stakeholder analysis; social network analysis; social forestry; REDD+; photography; participation; interviews survey; diffusion; traditional knowledge; forest carbon; AI decision-making algorithms; stakeholders; participatory modeling; innovative training; stakeholders' involvement; appraisal; slash-and-burn agriculture; public opinion; user participation; public participation; summer-winter; forest multifunctionality; preferences; community-based forest management; forest management; urban woodland management; national forest policy framework; perceptions; forest governance; stakeholder engagement; forest history; role-playing games; assessment of sustainability; management program; forestry training
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

Public participation in forestry is a key issue in ensuring the democratization of decision-making processes, increasing the social acceptance of policies, and reducing conflicts between forest users. Public participation also provides an opportunity for the improvement of the quality of information, public debate, personal reflection, and professionalization, raising awareness. Participation in forestry implies the involvement of stakeholders (the interest group participation approach) and/or the involvement of people (the direct citizen participation approach) in the decision-making process. Since the UN Conference on Environment and Development (1992), new norms and perspectives have emerged encouraging a bottom-up approach in forest governance. Consequently, several participatory techniques, methods, and tools for stakeholder involvement in forest governance have been developed and applied. These different experiences allow us to learn from failures and successes and contribute to knowledge improvement. The future challenges of participatory forestry deal with adaptation to changes in ecological, social, and economic contexts.