Identifying and managing conflicts between forest conservation and other human interests in Europe

J. Niemela, J. Young, D. Alard, M. Askasibar, K. Henle, R. Johnson, M. Kurttila, T.B. Larsson, S. Matouch, P.L. Nowicki, R.Q. Paiva, L. Portoghesi, M.J.M. Smulders, A. Stevenson, U. Tartes, A. Watt

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    114 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this paper, circumstances where various human activities and interests clash with the conservation of forest biodiversity are examined, with particular focus on the drivers behind the conflicts. After identifying past and current human-related threats potentially leading to conflicts in forests, the paper will focus on conflict management and monitoring, with an emphasis on inclusionary stakeholder networks and a range of approaches towards sustainable land use. Three dimensions of conflicts are examined: substance (`how things are¿), procedure (`how things are done¿), and relationships (`how people behave¿). These relations will relate to three conflict management approaches: (1) technical, which may contribute to reduce or solve the conflict acting on the `substance¿ dimension, (2) political, which may influence the `procedure¿ dimension of the conflict establishing principles or rules, and (3) cultural, which may affect the `relationship¿ dimension of the conflict. Finally, a general model of adaptive conflict management emphasising communication among the parties and a participatory approach that involves monitoring of the conflict resolution outcomes is proposed. The recognition that strong perceptions among stakeholders have the potential to aggravate conflicts is central to the concept of a inclusionary conflict management framework, improved communication between all stakeholders, and better awareness of the context of the conflicts is emphasised
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)877-890
    JournalForest Policy and Economics
    Volume7
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2005

    Keywords

    • habitat protection
    • finland
    • areas
    • goals

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Identifying and managing conflicts between forest conservation and other human interests in Europe'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this