When the first management plan for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area was being developed, an insistent question kept emerging: ‘How would we know if management under the plan was actually achieving its objectives?’ To address this question, the Parks and Wildlife Service set out to develop a practical system...

Natural tropical forest management faces particularly difficult challenges. Many markets, including those proximate to these forests, are not yet demanding certified products nor are they willing to pay a green premium for more expensive management practices. The lack of markets for lesser-known species creates an economic problem for tropical forests...

The overall objective of the study is to explore the current effectiveness of certification and verification schemes in Southeast Asia to strengthen the legality and sustainability of future forest management, wood processing and related trade. It analyzes how the linkages among credible certification and verification schemes and the enforcement of...

This case study is one of a series of publications produced by the Forest Products Service of FAO in an effort to promote environmentally sound forest harvesting and engineering practices. The purpose of these studies is to highlight both the promise of environmentally sound forest harvesting technologies as a component...

Frequently, local communities are involved as a partnering co-management in order to increase their representation, empower marginalized groups, increase trust, and promote social learning. This study adds to the evidence base in this area by examining which forest ecosystem services (ES) are considered most important by local communities in Madagascar,...

The transition from centralized government to a regime based on democratic principles and free market relations poses major challenges which include the need to establish new institutions and re-organize outdated ones. Parallel developments in the global context, such as the debate on issues surrounding sustainable development and general democratization processes,...

Natural resource management experts, government and its development partners have debated the charcoal trade for some time, but until now, there has been little solid evidence on the scale and scope of the subject. Lacking information on the true value of the charcoal industry, policy makers have had little choice...

A half-century policy of forest exploitation and monoculture in China has led to disastrous consequences, including degradation of forests and landscapes, loss of biodiversity, unacceptable levels of soil erosion, and catastrophic flooding. A new forest policy had been adopted in China called the Natural Forest conservation Program (NFCP), which emphasizes...

This book, prepared by the African Forest Forum, systematically presents climate change in the context of African forests, trees and wildlife resources. It includes information on the broader aspects of climate change and variability, an overview of the effects of climate change on African wildlife resources, and socioeconomic and policy...

Lara Roman, research ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Philadelphia Field reports the cases of climate change and urban forest management: examples from east Palo Alto and Philadelphia at 2014 Urban Tree Conference. She analyses all the aspects contributing to enhance forest resilience, including planting design, choice of species, etc.