A new accounting framework for assessing forest footprint of nations

n a tele-coupled and globalized World, understanding the links between demand for wood products and land use is becoming challenging. World's economies are increasingly open and interconnected, and international trade flows of wood products are continuously growing. The increasing resource consumption of humanity is increasingly dependent on international trade. In this context, the study of forest products demand from a global-multi-regional perspective emerges as a critical issue to achieve the goal of sustainable consumption and production. In this paper, we introduce a novel accounting framework for assessing the forest footprint of nations. The method combines Multi-regional Input-Output techniques and detailed data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on production, consumption and bilateral trade of primary, intermediate and final wood products, advancing with respect to existing approaches with these practical distinctions for more accurate computations. The approach tracks resource flows along the global supply chain and provides detailed information on the production, transformation, international trade, and final use of 20 forest products in 223 countries, having also much wider coverage than most previous studies. We test this framework to analyse forest footprint of nations in the year 2014, showing that 22 Million hectares (Mha) of forest were harvested for the extraction of roundwood for global demand, being 9.1 Mha to satisfy the foreign demand of wood products (42% of the total forestland harvested area). Harvested forestland is concentrated in America (32%), Asia (29%) and Europe (28%), representing Africa (7%) and Oceania (4%). More than 50% of the reported forest area harvested worldwide is located in USA (15%), China (14%); Russia (11%) and Canada (8%). In terms of forest footprint, Asia shows the highest share of the total forest footprint (44%), followed by America (25%), Europe (21%), Africa (7%) and Oceania (2%). Country-wise, half is concentrated in China (24%), USA (16%), India (5%), and Russia (5%).This article was developed under Letter of Agreement between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, UN-REDD Programme) and the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3). The authors thank the staff of the FAO and BC3 for their comments, discussions and suggestions on this report. We are especially grateful to Malgorzata Buszko-Briggs, Tina Vahanen and Caroline Merle (FAO Forestry Department) for their contribution to frame and coordinate the research, and to Salar Tayyib, Daniela Di Filippo, Tomasz Filipczuk (FAO Statistics Division) and Arvydas Lebedys (FAO Forestry Department) for providing datasets and for their discussions and comments on data and methodological issues. The authors also thank the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, through the project MALCON, RTI 2018-099858-A-I00, the Spanish State Research Agency through María de Maeztu Excellence Unit accreditation 2018–2022 (Ref. MDM-2017-0714), funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, the Basque Government BERC 2018-2021 Programme, and the EU H2020 project LOCOMOTION GA no 821105

The management of Natura 2000 Network sites: a discrete choice experiment approach

One of the main problems that public institutions face in the management of protected areas, such as the European Natura 2000 network, is how to design and implement sustainable management plans accounting both for the social cost and benefits of conserving these sites. This paper provides with an empirical application of a discrete choice experiment undertaken in a Natura 2000 site in the Basque Country (Spain) aimed at evaluating the social preferences for different land-use options. This information is then used to evaluate the social desirability of some future management plans.environmental valuation, discrete choice experiments, choice modelling, Natura 2000

Gobernanza, procesos participativos y conflictos en los Espacios Naturales Protegidos de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco

[ES] El objetivo del artículo es explorar la potencialidad de la Evaluación Multi-criterio Social como enfoque metodológico para evaluar Espacios Naturales Protegidos (ENP) e iniciar un proceso de discusión sobre la conveniencia de incorporar esta metodología para la gobernanza de la Red Natura 2000 de la Comunidad Autónoma de Euskadi. Del caso de estudio analizado se desprende que la inclusión de la población local en un proceso participativo dirigido a la planificación y manejo de los ENP contribuiría a reducir el número y calado de conflictos potenciales. Asimismo, facilitaría la gobernanza efectiva de los ENP, lo que parece un reto ineludible para que las áreas protegidas logren sus objetivos y funciones.[EUS] Gizarte Ebaluazio Irizpideaniztunak naturagune babestuak ebaluatzeko ikuspuntu metodologiko gisa duen potentzialtasuna aztertzea da artikulu honen helburua, eta orobat metodologia hori Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoko Natura 2000 Sarearen gobernantzarako erabiltzearen egokitasunari buruz eztabaida-prozesu bat abiaraztea. Aztertutako kasutik ondorioztatzen da tokian tokiko herritarrak naturagune babestuak planifikatzeko eta gobernatzeko prozesu partehartzaile batean sartzeak balizko gatazken kopurua eta munta gutxitzen lagunduko lukeela. Era berean, naturagune babestuen gobernantza erraztuko luke, eta hori saihestu ezineko erronka da, gune babestuek beren helburuak eta egitekoak bete ditzaten.[EN] The aim of this article is to explore the potentiality of Social Multi-criteria Evaluation as approach to assess Natural Protected Areas (NPAs). Jointly, opening the discussion about incorporating this methodological approach for the governance of Natura 2000 sites within the Basque Country is pursued. Derived from the case study is concluded that including local community in participative processes aimed to plan and manage NPAs would reduce both number and significance of potential conflicts. It would also contribute to an effective governance of NPAs, which is an unavoidable challenge in order to achieve protected areas’ objectives and functions

The management of Natura 2000 Network sites: a discrete choice experiment approach

One of the main problems that public institutions face in the management of protected areas, such as the European Natura 2000 network, is how to design and implement sustainable management plans accounting both for the social cost and benefits of conserving these sites. This paper provides with an empirical application of a discrete choice experiment undertaken in a Natura 2000 site in the Basque Country (Spain) aimed at evaluating the social preferences for different land-use options. This information is then used to evaluate the social desirability of some future management plans.The authors acknowledge the the financial support from the Department of Education of the Basque Government through grant IT-334-07 (UPV/EHU Econometrics Research Group)

Sustainability Assessment of Pasture-Based Dairy Sheep Systems: A Multidisciplinary and Multiscale Approach

This article describes a novel methodological approach for the integrated sustainability assessment of pasture-based dairy sheep systems. Most studies on livestock system sustainability focus on animal production, farm profitability, and mitigation strategies of greenhouse gas emissions. However, recent research indicates that pasture-based livestock farming also contributes positively to rural areas, and the associated increase in plant diversity promotes ecosystem functioning and services in natural and managed grasslands. Likewise, little attention has focused on how pasture-based livestock systems affect soil carbon changes, biodiversity, and ecotoxicity. Furthermore, the quality and safety of food products, particularly sheep milk and cheese, and socioeconomic issues such as cultural heritage and consumer behavior are often neglected in livestock system sustainability assessments. To improve the analysis of sustainability and adaptation strategies of livestock systems, we suggest a holistic approach that integrates indicators from diverse disciplines with complementary methods and models capable of capturing the complexity of these systems at multiple scales. A multidisciplinary perspective generates new indicators to identify critical trade-offs and synergies related to the resilience of dairy sheep livestock systems. A multiscale approach provides insights on the effects of socioeconomic and environmental changes associated with current dairy sheep grazing systems across multiple scales. The combined approach will facilitate the development and progressive implementation of novel management strategies needed to adapt pasture-based dairy sheep farms to changing conditions under future socioeconomic and environmental scenarios.Financial support was provided by the Spanish (AGL2013-48361-C2-R) and Basque (IT944-16; IT1022-16; IT1365-19) Governments

Towards a participatory integrated assessment approach for planning and managing Natura 2000 network sites

Managing protected areas implies dealing with complex social-ecological systems where multiple dimensions (social, institutional, economic and ecological) interact over time for the delivery of ecosystem services. Uni-dimensional and top-down management approaches have been unable to capture this complexity. Instead, new integrated approaches that acknowledge the diversity of social actors in the decision making process are required. In this paper we put forward a novel participatory assessment approach which integrates multiple methodologies to reflect different value articulating institutions in the case of a Natura 2000 network site in the Basque Country. It integrates within a social multi-criteria evaluation framework, both the economic values of ecosystem services through a choice experiment model and ecological values by means of a spatial bio-geographic assessment. By capturing confronting social and institutional conflicts in protected areas the participatory integrated assessment approach presented here can help decision makers for better planning and managing Natura 2000 sites.Funding provided by IHOBE (Basque Environmental Agency) through the research project coded as OTRI 2008.0101 (UPV/EHU)

Evaluating governance and participatory processes in Natura 2000: lessons learned and guidance for future prospects

In recent years, participatory approaches have been incorporated in decision-making processes as a way to strengthen the bonds between diverse areas of knowledge and social actors in natural resources management and environmental governance. Despite the favourable context, this paradigm shift is still in an early stage within the development of the Natura 2000 in the European Union, the largest network of protected areas in the world. To enhance the full scope of participatory approaches in this context, this article: (i) briefly reviews the role of participatory approaches in environmental governance, (ii) develops a common framework to evaluate such participatory processes in protected area management, (iii) applies this framework to a real case study, and (iv) based on the lessons learned, provides guidance to improve the future governance of Natura 2000 sites.We wish to thank IHOBE for financing this project (UPV/EHU 2008.0101)

Gobernanza, procesos participativos y conflictos en los Espacios Naturales Protegidos de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco

The aim of this article is to explore the potentiality of Social Multi-criteria Evaluation as approach to assess Natural Protected Areas (NPAs). Jointly, opening the discussion about incorporating this methodological approach for the governance of Natura 2000 sites within the Basque Country is pursued. Derived from the case study is concluded that including local community in participative processes aimed to plan and manage NPAs would reduce both number and significance of potential conflicts. It would also contribute to an effective governance of NPAs, which is an unavoidable challenge in order to achieve protected areas’ objectives and functions.governance, Social Multi-criteria Evaluation, Natural Protected Areas

The management of Natura 2000 Network sites: a discrete choice experiment approach

One of the main problems that public institutions face in the management of protected areas, such as the European Natura 2000 network, is how to design and implement sustainable management plans accounting both for the social cost and benefits of conserving these sites. This paper provides with an empirical application of a discrete choice experiment undertaken in a Natura 2000 site in the Basque Country (Spain) aimed at evaluating the social preferences for different land-use options. This information is then used to evaluate the social desirability of some future management plans.The authors acknowledge the the financial support from the Department of Education of the Basque Government through grant IT-334-07 (UPV/EHU Econometrics Research Group)