Integrating nature and people in European forest management

Forest biodiversity can be retained by setting aside protected forest areas for nature conservation or by integrating conservation measures into managed forests. Societal demands for forest ecosystem services have shifted in favour of conservation, and there is a move towards more participatory forest policymaking.

This paper investigated the relationship between participatory decision-making and forest management developments in twelve European countries. We assessed (a) the development of integration and segregation of nature conservation in forest management and the wider forest landscape, and (b) how different groups participate in forest-related policy and management planning. Methodologically, we combined natural and social sciences to explore whether the link between the two could be assessed through a multi-expert, multidisciplinary assessment.

We concluded that, in the twelve territories studied, integration of nature conservation into forest management was the dominant paradigm, while both the area set aside for nature conservation and the felling-to-increment ratio had increased. At the same time, there was a noticeable increase in the attention given to nature conservation in the formulation of forest policy.

However, the relationship between participation in forest policy development and implementation and the integration of nature conservation into forest management was found to be complex. We propose directions for future research in this domain.

Citation

Konczal, A.A., de Koning, J.H.C., Larsen, J.B. et al. (2025). Integrating nature and people in European forest management: what is the state of nature conservation and role of participation? International Forestry Review, 27(3), 402–430. https://doi.org/10.1505/146554825840319564