Introduction

New directions and the need for reform - these two catch phrases dominate the political discussions around forests, forestry, and forest research in many European countries. In Germany there is concern about the reduction of university positions in forestry, as there is across Europe about the new, more economically orientated direction of forest management. For example, in 2004 the Bavarian electorate defeated a referendum about the restructuring of the forest administration, largely because of concern about changes to nature conservation and recreation management. Obviously, the new trends in forest management imposed by commercial interests stand in stark contrast to the overall expectations society has of effective multi-functional forest management (Deutscher Rat für Landespflege 2004). The administrative desires for reform on the one side and - often contradictory - societal demands on the other are the reason to undertake an investigation of the European model of multi-functional forest management

Management of Recreation and Nature Based Tourism in European Forests

This book provides a Europe-wide overview on the state of the art of management of recreation and nature tourism in forests. It describes the current situation and conflicts in the different regions of Europe and provides solutions illustrated by good practise examples. It addresses traditions, differences and similarities in European forests as well as new tasks, goals and strategies. The final discussion provides a profound insight into future trends regarding forest recreation and nature based tourism

Good Practice in European Recreation Planning and Management

This chapter describes a number of good practice examples in outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism collected from different European countries. The examples provide trans-national inspiration on how to solve some of the problems and challenges identified in the previous chapters. Furthermore, it includes a range of good examples of initiatives that enhance forest recreation experiences. The examples represent a selection from over 100 good practices examples submitted by participants of the COST action E33 “Forest Recreation and Nature based tourism”, working group “recreation planning and management”. Examples have been submitted by more than 20 countries across Europe