Camera-trapping rates of mammals and birds in a Bornean tropical rainforest under sustainable forest management

The progress of the concept of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) is dynamic and its success or failure during implementation can be evaluated in different ways. In a detailed survey in four Forest Management Units (FMUs) in Sabah, the current implementation of SFM at the FMU level was assessed based on the triple perspective typology of stakeholder theory. This approach encompasses conceptual, corporate and stakeholder centric point of view. The conceptual perspective explores the SFM concept and how it relates to the FMU holder – stakeholder interaction at the FMU level, the corporate perspective examined how the FMU holders put the concept into practise and address their stakeholders, while the stakeholder perspective analyses how the stakeholders attempt to accomplish their claims and interests through the corporate-centric (FMU holders) at the management level. The stakeholder analysis provides the platform for stakeholder identification, categorisation and their general perception and behaviour towards the overall performance of SFM objectives. The Stakeholder Relation Management (SRM) that integrates the FMU holders and stakeholder participation under the SFM concept were also identified. Different FMU holders are engaged with distinct objectives to be achieved, which determine their direct relationship with the stakeholders. The stakeholders were attributed to static and dynamic groups, which are determined by their existence, claims and interests, and involvement in various SFM programs and activities at the FMU level. They provided distinguished preference and agreement toward various issues and characteristics related to SFM objectives, implementation and stakeholder participation at the management level. Most of the respondents of the multi-interest stakeholder group agreed with SFM main contributions towards the elements of environmental objectives, followed by economic objectives and elements of social objectives. The approach for SFM assessment based on the different lenses of conceptual, corporate and stakeholder centric provides complementary evidence on the pragmatic implementation of SFM at the forest management level.

The forest managed under Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) could contribute to food security, especially for vulnerable communities living in the forest’s vicinity. This study was conducted to determine the local community’s perception of the SFM implementation and food security in Salarom Taka, Nabawan. The interrelation between forest and community’s food security was assessed based on the availability and utilisation of various food resources from four accessible areas: natural forest reserve, forest plantation, alienated land, and resources purchased from the market. The food resources are mainly available and accessible through purchasing, followed by alienated land, forest reserve and forest plantation. Forest contributions are significant, with most communities utilising forest resources for direct food consumption and using fuelwood for food processing. The community depends on the forest to intensify their agricultural production to sustain their food security. The community are less aware of the SFM implementation in their area, but agree with better access to clean water sources, health and education facilities, and more employment opportunities. The roles of forests are strengthened through SFM policy which ensures the forest is managed sustainably, enhancing economic and environmental values that could benefit current and future generations.

Managing tropical rain forests is difficult because few long-term field data on forest growth and the impact of harvesting disturbance are available. Growth models may provide a valuable tool for managers of tropical forests, particularly if applied to the extended forest areas of up to 100,000 ha that typically constitute the so-called forest management units (FMUs). We used a stand growth model in a geographic information system (GIS) environment to simulate tropical rain forest growth at the FMU level. We applied the process-based rain forest growth model Formix 3-Q to the 55,000 ha Deramakot Forest Reserve (DFR) in Sabah, Malaysia. The FMU was considered to be composed of single and independent small-scale stands differing in site conditions and forest structure. Field data, which were analyzed with a GIS, comprised a terrestrial forest inventory, site and soil analyses (water, nutrients, slope), the interpretation of aerial photographs of the present vegetation and topographic maps. Different stand types were determined based on a classification of site quality (three classes), slopes (four classes), and present forest structure (four strata). The effects of site quality on tree allometry (height-diameter curve, biomass allometry, leaf area) and growth (increment size) are incorporated into Formix 3-Q. We derived allometric relations and growth factors for different site conditions from the field data. Climax forest structure at the stand level was shown to depend strongly on site conditions. Simulated successional pattern and climax structure were compared with field observations. Based on the current management plan for the DFR, harvesting scenarios were simulated for stands on different sites. The effects of harvesting guidelines on forest structure and the implications for sustainable forest management at Deramakot were analyzed. Based on the stand types and GIS analysis, we also simulated undisturbed regeneration of the logged-over forest in the DFR at the FMU level. The simulations predict slow recovery rates, and regeneration times far exceeding 100 years.

Since the early 2000s, Forestry Department of Indonesia has been implementing the Forest Management Unit (FMU) development program. The existence of FMU can be seen as a prerequisite for the implementation of sustainable forest management and equitable. How FMU institution prospects can improve forest governance in Indonesia? The aim of this study is to explore the prospects of FMU institution to improve forest governance in Indonesia. The study used forestry governance dimensions of Mayers and Macqueen (2002) as an analytical tool. The study results showed that both conceptual and is based on the processes of development, FMU has accommodated most of the values of good forestry governance.

We address two main challenges facing the implementation of sustainable forest management (SFM) in the Hyrcanian forest of Iran: inconsistent forest policy and the use of outdated science and techniques. We propose the Sustainable Hyrcanian Forest Management Model (SHFMM) as the best currently available solution to achieve improved management of the northern forests of Iran. The management of the Hyrcanian forests suffers from a lack of scientific knowledge and state-of-the-art technologies. There is a pronounced difference in the mindsets of older and new-school forestry scholars regarding how to approach these deficiencies: the old-school mentality prefers conventional forestry despite its limitations, whereas more recently trained scholars believe that the adoption of 21st-century technological advances would lead to improved management. The lack of trust between policymakers and local communities is another significant challenge and has resulted in conflicts over management practices in the Hyrcanian forests. We suggest that the Hyrcanian Sustainable Forest management model (SHFMM) would provide a hierarchical framework for making decisions. Using this model, each sector—whether state or private—is empowered to make decisions. Further, it encourages all sectors to work together in its holistic implementation. The SHFMM is based on the outcomes of several independent studies of forest management in the Hyrcanian forest. Despite its site specificity, many lessons learned during its development could be applied elsewhere.

Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) implementation strategies articulate different aims, goals, and interests across different scales of governance and social-ecological contexts. When SFM is implemented in common pool or public forests, governmental initiatives play a central role in defining formal institutions that will interact with the local social-ecological context. At the same time, local actors’ practices on governing common pools forests are also a key-factor in SFM implementation. This paper analyses, through a critical institutionalism lens, how interactions between a new set of formal institutions with pre-existing local institutions result in (un) expected governance outcomes when implementing SFM on the ground. Using the Caatinga biome in Northeast Brazil as a case study, it shows how local actors (bricoleurs) perform institutional bricolage processes by rejecting, adapting, or integrating institutions linked to SFM implementation strategies to their social-ecological contexts. The paper is based on a qualitative data analysis from twenty interviews with local and governmental actors, and nine site visits to rural settlements and industries. The analysis leads us to conclude that formal SFM institutions in Caatinga do not dialogue with all the different roles that forests resources have in the livelihood of local actors, but rather have a dominant focus on the production of forest biomass for energy supply. Moreover, we found that the success of SFM implementation is highly dependent on the interactions amongst local actors within the social-ecological context. Accordingly, positive results are only achieved when these interactions help to face challenges, specifically those linked to bureaucracy and to technical capacity.

Sustainable forest management (SFM) or ecosystem management is now the stated goal of forest managers in most countries. SFM takes a longer-term, broader perspective on forest values than timber production or the narrow multiple use regimes of the past. As a result of international activities including the International Tropical Timber Organization, the Ministerial Council on Protection of Forests in Europe and the Montreal Process for temperate and boreal forests outside Europe, there are now sufficiently specific and agreed principles, criteria and indicators (C&I) to guide policy makers towards SFM. To achieve SFM requires holistic assessments of forest management systems in terms of these C&I to ensure the delivery of sustainable outcomes across forest regions. This paper focuses on the implementation of SFM as defined by the C&I, and, in particular, how to identify needed reforms in forest management systems. The paper explains and evaluates the International Standards Organization's (ISO's) environmental management systems (EMS) ISO14000/EMS approach adopted for this purpose in Australia to assess the adequacy of forest management systems. The approach was applied as a key element in the regional forest agreements prepared to meet the Australian National Forest Policy Statement. The ISO14000/EMS, in conjunction with the SFM criteria, provides a systematic approach to assessing forest management systems to reveal the adequacy of the legislative, planning, implementation, monitoring and review of all-tenure forest management as required by SFM.

Developed in the 1990s, the process of criteria and indicators (C&I) has been used to conceptualize, evaluate and implement sustainable forest management (SFM). However, to assess their effectiveness we explore whether their use in management leads to changes, especially at the local level in Aboriginal communities. More specifically, can C&I justify Aboriginal use of C&I? Since local-level C&I are a recent initiative, the effectiveness of the C&I process in assessing progress towards SFM was assessed via interviews with experts associated with the development of local-level Aboriginal C&I frameworks in Canada on use, integration and needs of Aboriginal communities for C&I. Our results suggest that C&I in Aboriginal communities are considered to be “just another reference point” because: 1) Aboriginal objectives are maintained at arm's length from the forest management process; 2) the use of C&I as a negotiating tool has not been sufficient to culturally adapt forest management for Aboriginal values and objectives and 3) Aboriginal values have been restricted to the elaboration of C&I and the Aboriginal definition of SFM, but they are not part of the evaluation nor the implementation of SFM. In contrast to the forest industry, Aboriginal communities identified the following objectives as motivation for using C&I: Aboriginal representation, Aboriginal engagement, capacity building and empowerment. Without explicitly acknowledging these Aboriginal community objectives, C&I becomes a tool restricted primarily to forest managers and thus sustainable forest management becomes unattainable. In effect, the underlying issue is not C&I in themselves but the limited role Aboriginal communities have been allowed to have in the SFM process.

Criteria and indicators for the conservation and sustainable management of forests: Progress to date and future directions

Since the Rio World Summit of 1992, a new paradigm of sustainable forest management has developed and concerns have been mainly focused on how forest sustainability will be objectively achieved, assessed and measured. Attention has focused on developing criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management and getting forests certified. This study aimed to transform Jeju Experimental Forest, located in the warm temperate zone of Halla mountain on Jeju Island in Korea, into an exemplary model forest by implementing sustainable forest management at the ground level and pursuing forest management certification. As a pre‐requisite for forest certification, an extensive, 900‐man‐day field survey was conducted in 2004 over the 2,741 ha of Jeju Experimental Forest to determine the ecological, social, economic and managerial aspects. Based on the survey results, the database systems for flora and fauna and site conditions of Jeju Experimental Forest were established and a 10‐year forest management plan was developed with greater consideration for intangible forest values such as biodiversity, landscapes and water resources using forest function classification mapping. The forest function classification program was found to be a useful tool for supporting the decision‐making process for forest management planning. The preparation for forest certification became a long process to meet the pre‐requisites for implementation of sustainable forest management at the ground level.

The main issue of forest management policies in Indonesia is strengthening the role of Forest Management Unit (FMU) and community-based forest management. This study describes the performance of FMU and the priority needs for the institutional strengthening of FMU to promote community-based forest management in Central Sulawesi Province. The research applied a case study's descriptive method by exploring, classifying, and understanding the meaning of the problems encountered by the object examined. The study shows that the performance of the FMUs was not yet optimal in promoting community-based forest management. This problem attributed to the weak institutional capacity of FMU. Several aspects of the institution need improvements, including strengthening its capacity at the resort level, fulfilling the needs and capacity building of extension staff, as well as providing a legal mechanism for financial management to facilitate its business activities and cooperation. These priority needs were affected by government bureaucratic issues. It necessary the policy formulation governing the strengthening of community-based forest management in the FMU area that supports the independence goals of FMU.

Forest ecosystems are a prime example of the heated debates that have arisen around how forests should be managed, and what services and benefits they should deliver. The European transitions in governance to and from communist regimes have had significant impacts on forests and their management. Unstable legislative and institutional changes prior to, during, and after a communist regime, combined with unique remnant areas of high-conservation-value forests, make Romania an ideal case study to explore the social–ecological transitions of forest landscapes. The aim of this paper is two-fold. First, we present the origins of, the evolution of, and the current state of forest management and ownership in Romania during transitions between the pre-communist (–1945), communist (1945–1989), and EU periods (2007–). Second, we focus on the enablers and barriers in Romania towards sustainable forest management as defined by pan-European forest policies. We used a semi-systematic, five-step scientific literature review on forest ownership, governance, and management in Romania. The analysis shows that both enablers (e.g., forest certification) and barriers (e.g., redundancy and the questionable effectiveness of the network of protected areas; illegal, unsustainable, and unreported logging; loopholes in the legislative framework) have contributed to the current approaches to interpreting forests, forestry, and forest management. The installation of the communist regime translated into sustained wood yield forest management under singular forest ownership, which opposed the previous system and forest ownership pluralism. In the post-communist period, forestland restitution led to significant legislative changes, but forest management must still confront remnant elements of the communist approach. Both communist and post-communist policies related to forests have shaped the evolution of forest landscape management in Romania, thus stressing the need to learn from the past towards securing sustainable forest management into the future. These lessons provide insights on both positive and negative drivers of forest management, which can contribute to smooth future transition towards more sustainable forest management practices.

ABSTRACTSustainable forest management is the process of managing forest to achieve one or more clearly specified objectives without diminishing the forest’s ability to continue providing goods and services in perpetuity. In this paper, we show how the African Timber Organization/International Tropical Timber Organization principles, criteria and indicators for the sustainable management of African forests can help timber companies assess their progress towards this goal in Gabon. Through a partnership between International Tropical Timber Organization project PD 124/01 Rev. 2(M), the World Wildlife Fund, and the ministry responsible for forests in Gabon, audits were conducted between 2012 and 2014 to evaluate the implementation of sustainable forest management in 14 forest concessions in Gabon. In general, results show that Principle 4, linked to the well-being of workers and local populations, proved the most difficult principle to implement, while Principle 3, dealing with maintaining ecological functions, was the least problematic. A number of companies were found to be experiencing significant difficulties in implementing management plans. It is also clear that independent forest certification has become a key element for ensuring the successful implementation of sustainable forest management.

Sustainable forest management (SFM) plays a critical role in maintaining ecological balance, supporting livelihoods, and mitigating climate change. This study was conducted to explore the management practices and user perspectives regarding sustainable forest management in Nepal, focusing on community forestry and government-led initiatives. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through surveys, interviews, focus group discussions and field observations. A total of 180 user’s opinion were collected in 9 selected forest user groups from four district of Nepal (i.e. Ilam, Jhapa, Sarlahi, and Makawanpur). The study revealed that major forest management practices applied by community users’ are thinning, pruning, and improvement felling. Majority of the users (70.56%) were unsure about the forest management practices prescribed in the Operational plans (OPs). Accordingly, most users (92.78%) were agreed with the opinions that they need to be trained about forest management practices and its implementation. Majority of the users (92.00%) also agreed that participatory forest management modalities like Community Forest (CF), Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) and Leasehold Forest (LHF) area protecting biodiversity and reducing environmental risks. However, people believe that arbitrary policy changes was the main challenges for proper implementation of sustainable forest management practices. Therefore, strengthening capacity-building programs, enhancing government support, developing a consistent guideline, and promoting adaptive management practices are essential for improving sustainable forest resource management in Nepal.

The Periodic comprehensive forest inventory (Inventarisasi Hutan Menyeluruh Berkala called IHMB) is Indonesian forest stands inventory were based on compartment at forest effective area of forest management unit (FMU). To preserve sustainable forest management, IHMB implementation are used as a benchmark on the determinate of maximum cutting area and large of timber volume that can be produced by FMU to preparing long-term forest planning. The purpose of this study is to assess the suitability and accuracy of the IHMB implementation results to arranging forest management plan that aims to produce sustainable timber. Data gathered with direct observation on FMU (PT. Bts and PT. SMS) in Papua Province. Data analysis using descriptive statistic method and the sampling is using purposive sampling method. The study showed that the data and information collected in accordance with IHMB guidelines have not covered all the necessary data to arranged forest management plans based on the sustainability forest principles to appropriate with the criteria and indicators of sustainability. IHMB Implementation is the important activity on FMU. The sense of word “comprehensive” on IHMB is meaningfully only covered the forest area, without including all components of the data and information on forest ecosystem..