Forest Sustainability and Social Policy: The Role of Ecosystem Services

Abstract

Ecosystem services are considered as a foundation for the integration of environmental and social policies to provide certain economic incentives and alternatives to tackle existing environmental and social problems. This chapter specifically addresses the potential of integrated social and environmental policies to provide benefits from sustainable land use and management – forestry in particular. A brief assessment of existing global policy frameworks on sustainable forest management is presented focusing on how well they integrate ecosystem services to promote environmentally and socially sound policy development and practices. We reflect on problems occurring from the lack of integrated policies and incentives to promote sustainable land use and management, highlighting such negative outcomes as forest degradation, causing various social and economic problems, such as overexploitation of natural resources, starvation, migration, and unemployment. Insights are shared from an examination of how current practices and case studies such as REDD and PES address the issues of sustainability and sustainable development.