Was stakeholder participation in the PEFC revision process successful in Slovakia?

Abstract

The complexity and comprehensiveness of sustainability issues considered by forest certification schemes require knowledge based and transparent decision-making process. Therefore, open and multi-stakeholder participation in setting sustainable forest management criteria and rules for supporting managerial processes is the main requirement of forest certification systems. For global schemes utilising bottom-up approach, such as the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)) or the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the transformation of requirements defined by international metastandards into the regional or national level is crucial for its successful implementation and consequent global recognition. The main aim of this study is to examine the latest PEFC national sustainable forest management standard revision process in the Slovak Republic from the viewpoint of stakeholder participation. To assess the success and effectiveness of the process the emphasis is on the evaluation of the level of stakeholder participation, their expectations and contribution to the process and barriers and opportunities for participation. More specifically, trust among participating stakeholders, conflicts resolution and overall satisfaction with the results achieved is examined. The results of the study revealed that the stakeholders involved in the revision process are well informed about the PEFC certification in Slovakia and understand its importance for SFM processes. Additionally, stakeholders are fully aware of their roles in the participatory process linking them with the roles of their organisations. Results also indicate that formal rules of consensus-based participation informal aspects such as voluntary self-exclusion, education of the participants contributed to the improvement of trust between the participants, overall satisfaction and the perception of the revision process as effective. As the importance of participation in forest certification for forestry policy also lies in learning processes, revealed relations can be a useful benchmark for other countries with lacking or inadequate culture of participation and their mutual comparison.