Socio-economic and ecological impacts of China's forest sector policies

Abstract

This manuscript offers a synthesis of the studies compiled under the Special Issue “Socio-economic and Ecological Impacts of China's Forest Policies, Programs and Practices” and outlines areas where new research seems warranted. There is evidence that China's policy interventions in its forest sector have improved national environmental and ecological conditions. Corresponding effects on localized socio-economic conditions are more nuanced pointing to partial or limited success of some restoration programs. More efficient policy design and implementation might be achieved via a mixed bottom-up/top-down approach to stakeholder engagement. For instance, better forest sector outcomes seem plausible by tailoring land practices to local socio-ecological conditions, taking into consideration additional tenure and regulatory reforms to reduce transaction costs, further engage local institutions, and attract new investments. The global clout of the Chinese forest sector creates an opportunity to extend environmentally-sound forest management and wood product manufacturing practices abroad reducing the risk of leakage of domestic conservation. Reduced barriers to trade could support transferring of knowledge and technology. Future research should generate new knowledge to better understand the prospective role of the Chinese forest sector in meeting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and contributing to a carbon-neutral China by 2060. Future lines of research should consider, among others, long-term and distributional dimensions of the impacts of China's forest sector policies.