Supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and funding by Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education from science funds
Overall objective
Increase social and environmental benefits from forests in Poland
- Establish basis for creation of market mechanisms for goods and services provided by forests, i.e. recreation, biodiversity, aesthetic functions, CO2 absorption and regulation of hydrological conditions
- Development of methodology to support decision-making process in creating long-term forest management strategies taking non-market benefits provided by forests into account.
- Improvement of economic situation of rural communities adjacent to forests through promoting alternative ways of forest exploitation as a source of income.
Purpose
(1) Increase the knowledge of; demand for goods and services provided by forests, including non-market goods and services; (2) the possibility of providing these goods and services by public and private entities; (3) proposal of measures reflecting the total economic value of forests in order to promote sustainable development.
- Publication of articles in scientific and forest sector journals.
- Organisation of a conference (1) and workshops (4) for decision-makers of central administration level, forest owners and representatives of local authorities.
- Development of a website presenting the results of the research, and recommendations, conference and workshop materials.
Results
(1) Knowledge of the willingness to pay of Polish society for non-market goods and services provided by forests, (2) present ways of exploitation of forests (3) and the attitude towards various forms of forest management in economic development.
- Report on research results of the evaluation of non-market forest benefits in Poland conducted on a representative sample of Polish people and on on-sites samples concerning present ways of forest exploitation.
- Report on three case studies investigating the economic situation of rural forest communities and the way the forest impacts this situation.
- Scientific publications on the results of estimation of values of key benefits of forests in a transition country context and proposals of methodological improvements for the tested valuation methods.
Recommendations for decision-making authorities based on the results of comparative analysis of various forms of ownership and forest management in Poland.
- Report on ownership and management structures in Polish forests.
- Number of interviews with representatives of decision-makers, state forest managers and local authorities.
- Number of private forest owner questionnaires.
Tools supporting effective forest management and sustainable economic development
- Number of decision-makers of central and local administration levels who attended workshops and conferences.
- A guide describing valuation methods of non-market goods used in estimating social and environmental benefits from forests.
- Report presenting economic instruments used in European countries aimed at strengthening forest policy.
