scholarly journals The Forest Policies of ASEAN and Montréal Process: Comparing Highly and Weakly Formalized Regional Regimes

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeon ◽  
Kumar Sarker ◽  
Giessen
Keyword(s):  
Design Theory ◽  
Institutional Design ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Regime Formation ◽  
Forest Policies ◽  
Regional Regimes ◽  
Montreal Process

Forests are governed by a combination of sub-national and national as well as global and regional regimes. Comparing the institutional variation of regional regimes, including their degrees of formalization, is gaining attention of studies on regionalism in International Relations. This study attempts to analyse the ways in which the selected cases of the forest-related Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and forest-focused Montréal Process (MP) regional regimes may have synergetic overlaps or disparity in their institutional design and forest policy development. For this, we combined IR’s ‘rational institutional design’ theory and a policy analysis approach. Using a qualitative data approach, we analyzed key structure-related historical regime documents (e.g., charters) issued since the inception of both regimes, and their latest forest policy initiatives for the periods 2016–2025 (Strategic Plan of Action for ASEAN Cooperation on Forestry) and 2009–2015 (Conceptual Framework for the Montréal Process Strategic Action Plan) with all relevant policy documents since the adoption of current policies. Based on that, we pose the empirical questions of how both regimes illustrate governance structure (i.e., institutional design), and on the other hand how to explain regime forest policies coherently and consistently in terms of their high versus low degree of formality. The results show that institutional design is highly explanatory based on treaty and non-treaty regime formation as well as forest-related/focused regime formation with the synergistic sustainable forest management (SFM) issue that embraces deforestation and forest degradation, biodiversity, timber certification, and greenhouse gas emission. Additionally, the results suggest that the policy goals adopted by both regimes are coherent and consistent based on the full set of policy elements. Concerning the remedy for fragmented global forest governance arrangements, both regimes would be an example of practicing SFM-focused policies with the incorporation of forest-related policy elements into a larger governance assemblage dealing with issues such as biodiversity conservation or climate change mitigation.

Forest and forestry policy between the EU and its Member States

elni Review ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 16-24
Author(s):  
Marco Onida
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Ecological Condition ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Forest Policies ◽  
Heated Debate ◽  
The Eu

Trees and forests in Europe have never been centre stage the way they are now. Until a couple of years ago, forest-related concerns of European citizens focused mainly on international deforestation in tropical forests. The aggravation of the double climate and biodiversity crisis has significantly increased European citizens’ interest in the EU forests as irreplaceable carbon sinks and reservoirs of biodiversity. The pressure of public opinion on EU forest policies therefore is on the rise, also due to the fact that the more Europe takes action vis-à-vis third countries’ forest protection, the more its domestic agenda must be effective and credible; a case in point is the news about systematic illegal harvesting of primeval forests in Eastern European states such as Poland’s well-known Bielowieza, Romania (where the murder of official rangers sparked outrage across Europe), and Slovakia, which resonated powerfully. Citizens’ concerns are not ill-founded: European forests, in fact, are generally not in good ecological condition. Recent scientific reports further paint a worrying picture. According to the 2020 State of Nature Report by the European Environment Agency, less than 15% of assessed woodland and forest habitats are favourable, while up to 84% were assessed as unfavourable-inadequate. The EU Joint Research Centre assessment of ecosystems concludes that “the condition of EU forests is poor, and there are serious concerns regarding upward trends of several pressures and degrading condition indicators”. Even the sustainability of current harvesting levels is subject to debate. Overall, the current intensive use of forests will need to be better balanced against the objectives of carbon sink preservation and biodiversity protection. This ’greener‘ approach to forests has sparked a heated debate in the EU institutions as well as among stakeholders and NGOs, all seeking to influence in some way the future forest policy of the EU. This debate includes some legal issues.

scholarly journals The (new) role of public forest administration in Western Balkans: examples from Serbia, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, and Republika Srpska

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 898-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjana Stevanov ◽  
Max Krott ◽  
Marta Curman ◽  
Silvija Krajter Ostoić ◽  
Vladimir Stojanovski
Keyword(s):  
Forest Policy ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Private Forests ◽  
Political Role ◽  
Forest Policies ◽  
Practice Performance ◽  
Forest Enterprises ◽  
Republika Srpska

Public forest administrations in the Western Balkans were challenged when facing novel forest policies following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. To answer (i) what (formal) goals lead public forest administrations nowadays and (ii) how do public forest administrations fulfil these goals, we evaluated the implementation of forest policy goals in Serbia, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, and Republika Srpska by using existing criteria and indicators and the 3L model as a theoretical basis. Survey and document analyses focused on the effects observable in state and private forests. In state forests, all public or state forest enterprises were able to reach goals of multifunctionality and profitablity by prioritizing marketable goods. Sustaining forest stands is important, but it is met differently in practice. Performance in private forests is much weaker and the influence of ministry departments or sectors is weak. In conclusion, the potential for a new, stronger role of public forest administration exists: (i) the supply of marketable and nonmarketable goods could be increased, whereas securing sustained forest stands remains a permanent challenge; (ii) efficiency and profits could be improved if internal and external pressures grow; and (iii) joining forces of forestry actors could strengthen the currently weak political role and enable a strong forestry representative to emerge in the future.

scholarly journals Spatial and Temporal Wildfire Decomposition as a Tool for Assessment and Planning of an Efficient Forest Policy in Galicia (Spain)

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 811
Author(s):  
Jesús Barreal ◽  
Gil Jannes
Keyword(s):  
Forest Policy ◽  
Spatial Behavior ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Monthly Data ◽  
Forest Policies ◽  
Spatial Trends ◽  
Index Decomposition ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
Forest District

Wildfires in Galicia have various temporal and spatial trends. This temporal and spatial behavior must therefore be studied and taken into account in order to design more efficient forest policies. Since both factors are inhomogeneous, it was proposed to study them using a Gini index decomposition. The number of fires and the affected forest area were studied in terms of the months and the forest districts, which serve as basic temporal and spatial elements. The objective of this methodology is to know the months in which the fires are most concentrated throughout the administrative geographical districts of the various provinces of Galicia, and the elasticity of each month with respect to the global concentration. It is also used to know the temporal inequality in each forest district of Galicia and its contribution to the global index. To apply this methodology, monthly data are taken from 2006 to 2015 for each of the Galician forest districts. It is found that there is a high spatial concentration of fires in the autumn and winter months, and a much lower one in the remaining months. On the other hand, most districts register a great temporal inequality in the occurrence of fires. Tentative suggestions of how the forest policy in Galicia could be improved by taking into account both these spatial and temporal patterns are discussed.

Decentralized Governance of Digital Platforms

2020 ◽  
pp. 014920632091675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Chen ◽  
Igor Pereira ◽  
Pankaj C. Patel
Keyword(s):  
Design Theory ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Development Activity ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Alternative Structures ◽  
Platform Governance ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Decentralized Governance ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
Centralization And Decentralization

Over the past decade, the rise of blockchain technology has led to the emergence of a growing number of decentralized platforms that are governed less by platform owners and more through community efforts. The emergence of blockchain platforms offers a unique opportunity to examine alternative structures for platform governance and to develop a theory around the value of centralized, semi-decentralized, and decentralized governance. Drawing on mechanism design theory, we evaluate the tradeoffs between centralization and decentralization and hypothesize semi-decentralization as a higher performing governance structure. Empirical evidence from the blockchain industry shows that decentralization has an inverted U-shaped relationship with platforms’ market capitalization, developer attention, and development activity. We further examine factors driving the decentralization of platform governance and find that digital platforms of the infrastructure layer—relative to those of the application layer—have a tendency to become more decentralized. This tendency, nevertheless, can be offset by experienced leaders to achieve semi-decentralization. Overall, this study contributes new insights on the characteristics, antecedents, and consequences of effective platform governance.

Patterns of Party Integration, Influence and Autonomy in Seven Federations

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori Thorlakson
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Design ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
State Level ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Party Organization ◽  
Upward Influence ◽  
Coordination Requirements ◽  
Autonomous State

In this article, I develop three measures of party organization in multi-level systems: vertical integration, influence and autonomy. I assess these in 27 parties in Canada, Australia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United States and Spain and investigate how parties respond to the incentives and opportunities created by their institutional environment. Clear patterns emerge between the form of federal state design and the predominant form of party organization: in decentralized federations with low coordination requirements between federal and state-level governments, a tendency can be found towards highly autonomous state parties. Where resources are centralized and intergovernmental coordination requirements are high, integrated parties with low autonomy can be found. However, neither aspect of institutional design has a significant relationship with `upward' influence of state-level parties in the governance structure of federal parties.

Nationale Forstprogramme: Internationaler Kontext, erste europäische Erfahrungen und Lehren für die Schweiz | National forest programmes: Context and first experiences in Europe and lessons for Switzerland

2002 ◽  
Vol 153 (11) ◽  
pp. 419-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt Bisang ◽  
Willi Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Policy Debate ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
International Policy ◽  
Forest Policies ◽  
Policy Level ◽  
International Forest Policy

Since UNCED 1992, national forest programmes(NFP) have served as a strategy to formulate and implement forest policies aiming at sustainable forest management. At the international policy level, the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests and the United Nations Forum on Forests have issued a set of proposals for action. A number of countries have started to plan and implement national forest programmes. However, precisely what NFPs are, and what their impact might be, is not entirely clear. This article gives an overview of the international forest policy debate and discusses first experiences made with NFPs in European countries. Against this background the article reflects on the lessons learnt and discusses the prospects for an NFP in Switzerland.

scholarly journals Sustainable Forest Management, FLEGT, and REDD+: Exploring Interlinkages to Strengthen Forest Policy Coherence

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yitagesu Tekle Tegegne ◽  
Mathias Cramm ◽  
Jo Van Brusselen
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Policy Coherence ◽  
Forest Law ◽  
Verification Systems

Sustainable forest management (SFM) is a concept that guides forest management and policy globally. Over the past decades, two prominent regimes have emerged at the global level that can strengthen SFM: The European Union's Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT) and the United Nations’ mechanism for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+). However, the understanding of how FLEGT and REDD+ can interlink with SFM to strengthen forest policy coherence is limited. Enhancing knowledge about interlinkages and synergies is important in view of recent global commitments to strengthen policy coherence. This study employed content analysis of the main global policy documents related to FLEGT and REDD+ to identify (i) the potential contributions of the two regimes to SFM, and (ii) strategies to manage the interlinkages among SFM, FLEGT, and REDD+. The results revealed several potential interlinkages, such as monitoring, reporting, and verification systems, establishing the enabling conditions of SFM, and addressing drivers of forest degradation. However, the interlinkages must be managed if their potential is to be realized. For this, the study proposes three approaches to managing the interlinkages and catalyzing progress toward SFM.

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