ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Forest Land Use in the context of Environment and Security in Europe Volker Sasse and Constanze Schaaff FAO Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe (SEUR), Budapest

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Conglomerate of all human activities in forests (forestry, recreation services, non-wood forest products etc.) and benefits provided by forests ecosystems (e.g. water retention and filtering, carbon storage etc.) corresponding to society’s needs and market demands Forest Land Use (FLU) =

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Climate change and forests 1.Damage to forests through climate change 2.Forests role in mitigating climate change –Conservation of forests –Management of forests –Production of renewable and carbon-neutral energy as well as products as temporary carbon sinks and substitution of high-energy materials

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Changes in societal needs and market demands Traditionally: wood production, only about 60 % of sustainable harvesting level is used in Europe (west and east), increasing imports of forest products from CIS Increasingly: Biodiversity, water, oxygen, CO 2 sink, non-wood products and services, recreation

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Regional differences EconomicSocial aspects Environmental West East

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Threats Illegal logging (poverty driven/profit driven) Damages by calamities, fires, storms (link to climate change) Urbanization/intensive tourism Secondary threats via erosion land degradation Loss of biodiversity - nature conservation

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Example: Radioactive contamination of forests After Chernobyl over 4 Mio ha forest and other wooded land contaminated Forests as physical barriers through stabilization, absorption, redistribution and self- purification Direct economic losses through harvesting constraints Effects on forest animals’ and on human health, through –Background Contamination –Use of NWFP & water Threat through forest fires Threat through water cycles

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Hampering Factors Small scale ownership (average ownership about 1 ha) Fragmented policy framework Focus on forestry (wood production) Property rights for scarce benefits/resources Forestry management partly over-regulated Lack in regional integration in Europe

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Sustainable Forest Management biodiversity, water management, landscape protection etc. rural development © Sasse (2004) Society’s needs and market demands towards forest land use

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Coordination of forest land use related policies FLU policy framework seems to be split up in various policy sectors according to multi-functionality of forests lack of coordination between different policies addressing FLU in Europe may lead to contradictions and conflicts between the respective policy instruments and hinder an adequate comprehensive respond of policies to societal demands National, Regional & Global level are affected Possible options –Better Communication & Participatory Approaches –NFPs –Bundling of policies through legally binding instruments (National: one Ministry, regional: Convention on FLU)

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Assistance provided by SEUR to monitor changes of societal needs and market demands from forest land use and integrate them in strategic policy and management decision making to further intensify coordination of forest land use related policy instruments and institutions, e.g. by applying nfp’s and other coordination means to support private forestry and emphasize diversification of forest goods, products and services to foster law enforcement and governance in order to respond adequately to societal needs and market demands to promote regional integration of CEI countries to the European policy dialogue on forest land use

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia Project: Innovation Policies in the Forest Sector of Eastern Europe Objective –Policy measures directed towards more intensive application of environmentally oriented innovations Expected outcomes –Increased performance of institutions dealing with policies directed towards environmental friendly forest land use products and services –Improved incomes and employment as well as social and environmental benefits from forest land use –Support to sustainable development processes in Europe

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY INITIATIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia