Abstract

Small-scale European forestry, an anticommons?

Highlights

  • The following article looks at the typical problems of small-scale private forestry in most contemporary Western and Central European countries

  • Compared to problems observed in forests elsewhere, the conditions for collective action are substantially different in the regarded case

  • Instead of having property rights without a sufficiently clear definition, the problem in small-scale private forests is that the property rights are too fragmented

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Summary

Introduction

The following article looks at the typical problems of small-scale private forestry in most contemporary Western and Central European countries. What is new here, is that it is approached from a different angle – from the perspective of property rights and common property theory This is fruitful from the perspective of European small-scale private forestry, and for the reason that an extensive attempt to understand collective action and collective management of forestry resources in the world is underway (see e.g. the IFRI project).. The article argues that the small-scale private forest owners have difficulties producing those values, in the interest of the community as a whole, and in the interest of the particular small-scale private forest owner After exposing this astonishing (for an economist) phenomenon of underutilisation, I try to understand it with the help of the property rights theory. The tragedy of the anticommons describes the problem, but does not provide an understanding for its solution In this respect, the problem of small-scale European forest owners is similar to problems faced by commoners elsewhere.

The problem of small scale forests in Europe
Economic values
Ecological values
Social values
The problem revisited under a property rights perspective
Small-scale private forestry and anticommons
Conclusion
Findings
Literature cited
Full Text
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