Sustainable Management Of Forest Resources Research Articles

A thorough assessment of various forest management planning initiatives and development of improvement strategies towards an ecosystem-based planning

Management planning for forests in Turkey has undergone gradual evolution over the last century. Developing and implementing a comprehensive management planning framework present significant challenges. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of various forest management planning approaches implemented across the country over different time periods, with overarching planning principles. It formulates a robust planning framework and proposes improvements grounded in scientific advancements and international standards. The assessment indicated that the management plans were developed using reputable scientific methods and principles aimed at ensuring the sustainable management of forest resources with certain strengths and opportunities presented by SWOT analysis. All management plans shared a common planning concept primarily focused on maximizing wood production through the area-control harvest scheduling method (except for continuous cover forest, which employed the single tree selection method). Each management plan established its unique vision, targets, policies, objectives, and planning guidelines. Forest inventory data were gathered through a combination of ground surveys and remotely sensed data to characterize and stratify the landscape. A robust in-house management authority and governance system with appropriate technical capacity and guidelines were developed and implemented, fostering a sound common working culture and tools. However, some notable drawbacks were identified, including political pressure, biomass/carbon accounting, growth-yield modelling, economic analysis, limited characterization of the full range of ecosystem services, risk and uncertainty analysis, food security and, particularly, long-term sustainability and scenario analysis with the appropriate decision-making tools and methods. Despite a few strengths, these limitations may raise concerns about the far-sighted design and application, potentially jeopardizing the sustainable management of forest ecosystems. Proposed improvement strategies for an efficient forest ecosystem management planning system include characterization of ecosystem services, modelling their productivity, scenario analysis with a decision support system, stakeholder involvement, balancing utilization and conservation targets, conducting risk and uncertainty analysis and economic analysis of management actions.

Kajian Alternatif Proyeksi Jaringan Jalan Hutan untuk Perencanaan Pemanenan Kayu di PT Inhutani I Labanan, Propinsi Jawa Barat

Forests are one of the natural resources that can be utilized in the form of both wood and non-wood forest products. Harvesting carried out to extract wood results in negative impacts such as soil damage and damage to standing stands. The negative impacts of wood harvesting can be reduced by planning in advance, such as creating a forest road network. The research was carried out in the mahogany room, utilization division, forest management department, while the assessment of the forest road network used the case study of PT Inhutani I Lebanan. The aim of the research is to examine the planning and selection of the best alternative forest road network for harvesting wood using multi-criteria decision making techniques. The research will be carried out in March 2023. The research stage begins with sketching the road network; assess road networks using economic, ecological and technical criteria; as well as conducting literature studies from various sources. The research results show that there are six alternative forest road networks for harvesting wood. This is based on forest road network assessment parameters that the best alternative road network in the PT Inhutani I Labanan road scheme is the 6th road network alternative. Sustainable management of forest resources can be achieved through a well-planned road network. The highest total utility value (rank 1) is found on the 6th road network which is the best alternative forest road network to be implemented at PT Inhutani Labanan I both in terms of technical aspects, ecological aspects and economic aspects.

Contributions of Community Forestry in Rural Social Transformation: Some Observations From Nepal

This paper examines the contribution of Nepalese Community Forestry in social change process in two central hills districts of Nepal. Analysis of data indicates improvement in forest management, decision making, representation of poor and women in forest management and utilisation, awareness on economic and ecological contributions of forests. Debates and discussionshave increased as regards roles and responsibilities of users as well as mechanisms for gender-sensitive, poverty-focused and equity-based forest management activities. All these factors are contributing to achieve sustainable management of forest resources, to improve the living condition of people and to promote non-coercive social transformation.

Actors participation and power relations of REDD+ implementation in Bale Eco Region, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT The study focuses on actor participation and power dynamics in the REDD+ project within the Bale eco-region, a vital facet of global climate policy for sustainable forest resource management. The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) of the World Bank supports developing countries in preparing for international REDD+ policy implementation, emphasizing the necessity of effective actor participation. The study uses text documents, Socio metric survey, and interviews with project actors and participants. This study employs both qualitative framework and social network analysis (SNA). While SNA looks at power dynamics and interactions between actors, the qualitative framework allows for a comprehensive evaluation of actor participation. The social network data was analyzed using an open source software called NodeXL. Results show that Bale eco-region REDD+ involves actors from different groups. Actors contribute to national strategies, funding, capacity building, and knowledge sharing. However, local communities have limited involvement in decision-making, lack knowledge sharing and capacity building. This hinders the implementation process and contributes to unequal power dynamics and lack the comprehensive input needed for effective and tailored strategies in the region. Calculated centrality values highlight a strong alliance among Ethiopia's national government entity overseeing REDD+ Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission (EFCCC), and the regional entities Oromiya Forest and Wildlife Enterprise (OFWI), as well as Farm Africa, indicating significant institutional power across national and local levels. EFCCC holds influence in decision-making and strategy development, while OFWI wields substantial regional institutional power in information control and collaboration. Thus, climate policies must prioritize involvement of local communities in decision-making, capacity development, and resource accessibility. This helps to tackle power imbalances through collaborative governance structures. It also enables stakeholders to actively manage forests through imparting skills, knowledge and share benefits equally.

Harmonised statistics and maps of forest biomass and increment in Europe

Forest biomass is an essential resource in relation to the green transition and its assessment is key for the sustainable management of forest resources. Here, we present a forest biomass dataset for Europe based on the best available inventory and satellite data, with a higher level of harmonisation and spatial resolution than other existing data. This database provides statistics and maps of the forest area, biomass stock and their share available for wood supply in the year 2020, and statistics on gross and net volume increment in 2010–2020, for 38 European countries. The statistics of most countries are available at a sub-national scale and are derived from National Forest Inventory data, harmonised using common reference definitions and estimation methodology, and updated to a common year using a modelling approach. For those counties without harmonised statistics, data were derived from the State of Europe’s Forest 2020 Report at the national scale. The maps are coherent with the statistics and depict the spatial distribution of the forest variables at 100 m resolution.

Automated forest inventory: Analysis of high-density airborne LiDAR point clouds with 3D deep learning

Detailed forest inventories are critical for sustainable and flexible management of forest resources, to conserve various ecosystem services. Modern airborne laser scanners deliver high-density point clouds with great potential for fine-scale forest inventory and analysis, but automatically partitioning those point clouds into meaningful entities like individual trees or tree components remains a challenge. The present study aims to fill this gap and introduces a deep learning framework, termed ForAINet, that is able to perform such a segmentation across diverse forest types and geographic regions. From the segmented data, we then derive relevant biophysical parameters of individual trees as well as stands. The system has been tested on FOR-Instance, a dataset of point clouds that have been acquired in five different countries using surveying drones. The segmentation back-end achieves over 85% F-score for individual trees, respectively over 73% mean IoU across five semantic categories: ground, low vegetation, stems, live branches and dead branches. Building on the segmentation results our pipeline then densely calculates biophysical features of each individual tree (height, crown diameter, crown volume, DBH, and location) and properties per stand (digital terrain model and stand density). Especially crown-related features are in most cases retrieved with high accuracy, whereas the estimates for DBH and location are less reliable, due to the airborne scanning setup.

Climate sensitive growth and yield models in Canadian forestry: Challenges and opportunities

Growth and yield models in forest management planning are used to project future forest conditions and estimate quantities such as wood volume and biomass. These models are crucial for assessing forest sustainability, however, some models currently used in Canada do not adequately account for climate and other environmental variables, which limits their effectiveness under a changing climate. Climate-sensitive growth and yield models (CSGYMs) are therefore urgently needed to support forest management decisions. The Canadian Forest Service (CFS) has developed a strategic plan to advance climate-sensitive growth and yield modeling in Canada through collaboration with provincial and territorial agencies, as well as other partners. The primary objective of this plan is to provide a national-level modelling approach to predicting and managing forest growth, mortality, and other ecosystem services. The climate sensitive growth and yield modelling initiative emphasizes collaboration, open data, and open-source code principles to ensure widespread accessibility and uptake of models, thus contributing to the sustainable management of forest resources. This technical review reports on the status of growth and yield models currently applied in each province and territory, assesses the level of climate sensitivity associated with each of these models, synthesizes the relevant modeling approaches and input data required to implement climate sensitivity into these models, and suggests possible pathways for achieving CSGYM at a national scale. Widespread collaboration will be the key to advancing the development of CSGYMs.

Supervised terrestrial to airborne laser scanner model calibration for 3D individual-tree attribute mapping using deep neural networks

Capturing subcanopy forest information from airborne laser scanning (ALS) is constrained by signal occlusion. This study demonstrates the potential of close-range terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) scanning to mitigate the constraints of ALS in acquiring stem-level forest attributes. A transformer-based neural network was adapted to classify and segment 3D individual trees from ALS data. A deep neural network combined with a gaussian process layer was proposed to estimate tree diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) from ALS data. The performance of these methods was compared to other benchmarked methods using the same dataset, including a total of seven classifiers, five segmentors, and six attribute regressors. The study was conducted across four ALS sample areas and ten combined TLS/ALS plots, primarily in montane forests. Manual delineation of TLS trees provided a precise validation reference. The proposed methods demonstrated high accuracies, with a mean intersection-over-union (mIoU) of 0.92 for ALS tree classification, 0.70 for tree segmentation, and a RMSE of 4.2 cm or 18.9 % for DBH estimation on average of the ten plots. Tree detection accuracy was strongly associated with the final segmentation accuracy. Factors such as tree height, overlapping, inclination, and neighboring conditions impacted segmentation accuracy. Our segmentation method effectively mitigated accuracy loss for short and occluded trees. Overall, this study presents scalable and cost-effective solutions for TLS calibration of ALS scans over two meso-scale montane valleys. Leveraging deep neural networks enables scaling of stem attributes to landscape scales, thereby linking fine-scale forest inventory with sustainable management of expansive forest resources. Our codes are available at https://github.com/truebelief/artemis_treescaling.

Conceptualizing Forest Operations Planning and Management Using Principles of Functional Complex Systems Science to Increase the Forest’s Ability to Withstand Climate Change

The sustainable management of forest resources is greatly influenced by forest operations (FO). Interactions between humans and nature describe how people engage with and are impacted by the natural world. As we enter the Anthropocene epoch, we are being compelled to reevaluate our past and present methods of managing and planning our forest operations in order to find new ones that are more adaptable and successful at addressing the growing unpredictability resulting from accelerating global change. We briefly discuss the goals and constraints of the prior and current management and planning principles for forest operations in this study, focusing on how these principles have evolved on a worldwide scale. We then propose a promising idea, such as managing forest operations as complex adaptive systems and approaches based on resilience and sustainable use of forest resources, in order to achieve the necessary economic, social, and ecological goals. An in-depth understanding of the ecological, economic, and social factors that influence forest resilience is necessary for planning and managing forest operations efficiently. The proposed strategy combines the effectiveness of forest operations with a functional, complex network approach in order to manage forests for the Anthropocene.

Forest Biomass in Bioenergy Production in the Changing Geopolitical Environment of the EU

The article examines the potential utilization of forest biomass in bioenergy production in Europe, taking into account limiting and developmental factors. The methodology includes a strategic analysis and the use of PEST analysis to evaluate the market for wood biomass. In the context of the current geopolitical situation and the decarbonization goals of the EU, the authors recommend accelerating energy transformation and highlighting forest biomass as an alternative within renewable energy sources. A literature review indicates the need to revise EU assumptions to enable the use of wood for bioenergy production, taking into account the needs of the wood industry. The analysis of economic factors shows competitiveness of forest biomass against coal, yet challenges arise regarding resource availability and competition with other energy sources. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of sustainable forest resource management and technological innovation. In the context of an energy crisis, the article underscores the role of innovation and recycling in alleviating shortages in energy markets. Conclusions highlight the imperative to develop a sustainable energy strategy for forest resource management and engage EU countries in the development of new biofuel and renewable energy sources for energy security and environmental protection.

Economic valuation of selected ecosystem services in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Pakistan.

Payment for ecosystem services (PES) is a mechanism where a consumer is able and ready to pay for the protection of the precise ecosystem service and there must be a provider such as local societies receiving an economic resource, who in return, must have the ability to maintain that ecosystem service. Economic valuation provides basis for payment for ecosystem services. Therefore, objective of this study was to evaluate tourism and carbon stock services of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Pakistan. Two forest zones (Chirpine and Scrub) of Islamabad capital territory (ICT) were selected for estimation of carbon stock and their carbon credits and carbon worth, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted for tourism as a payment for ecosystem services. The method for carbon stock assessment was systematic sampling for Chirpine forest whereas random sampling was done for scrub forest. The size of sampling plot was 17.84 m radius, and a total of 93 plots (49 Scrub zone and 44 Chirpine zone) was taken in the study area. The carbon stock of both zones (Chirpine and Scrub zone) is 22556.75 ton/ha (Chirpine 20105.79, Scrub 2450.96) and total carbon dioxide sequestered by both zone is 82557.72 ton/ha (Chirpine 73587.2, Scrub 8970.52), total carbon credits of both zone is 302160.87 (Chirpine 269328.97, Scrub 32831.9) and the carbon worth of both Chirpine and scrub zone is 4532418.92 $ (Chirpine 4039937.09$, Scrub 492481.83$). Similarly, from tourism point of view, in Shakar Parian, 94% tourists were agreed for PES whereas 6% were disagreed for the PES (the 6% tourist were disagreed to contribute for PES, 40% were agreed for Rs.5 contribution and 54% for Rs.10.). moreover, in Lake view Park, 97% tourists were agreed and 3% are disagreed (In Lake View Park 5% tourists were disagreed for the PES contribution whereas 32% were agreed for Rs.5 and 63% were for Rs.10). In Damen e Koh, around 87% tourist were agreed and 13% were disagreed, (24% were agreed for the contribution of Rs.5 and 63% tourists were agreed for the contribution of Rs.10). In Marghazar Zoo, 93% tourists were agreed (22% were agreed for contribution of Rs.5 and 71% tourist were agreed for contribution of Rs.10) and 7% are disagreed for PES whereas 7% tourists were not agreed for contribution. PES may implement to compensate forest and parks manager to ensure better management of the forests and parks. Due to prime location and scenic beauty of the ICT, it has huge potential for implementation of PES mechanism for sustainable forest management and conservation. Therefore, it is recommended that Capital Development Authority (CDA) Islamabad should devise a plan for implementation of PES in forests and parks of ICT for its sustainable management of recreational and forest resources.

Chromosome-scale genomes of commercially important mahoganies, Swietenia macrophylla and Khaya senegalensis

Mahogany species (family Meliaceae) are highly valued for their aesthetic and durable wood. Despite their economic and ecological importance, genomic resources for mahogany species are limited, hindering genetic improvement and conservation efforts. Here we perform chromosome-scale genome assemblies of two commercially important mahogany species: Swietenia macrophylla and Khaya senegalensis. By combining 10X sequencing and Hi-C data, we assemble high-quality genomes of 274.49 Mb (S. macrophylla) and 406.50 Mb (K. senegalensis), with scaffold N50 lengths of 8.51 Mb and 7.85 Mb, respectively. A total of 99.38% and 98.05% of the assembled sequences are anchored to 28 pseudo-chromosomes in S. macrophylla and K. senegalensis, respectively. We predict 34,129 and 31,908 protein-coding genes in S. macrophylla and K. senegalensis, respectively, of which 97.44% and 98.49% are functionally annotated. The chromosome-scale genome assemblies of these mahogany species could serve as a vital genetic resource, especially in understanding the properties of non-model woody plants. These high-quality genomes could support the development of molecular markers for breeding programs, conservation efforts, and the sustainable management of these valuable forest resources.

Coupling of Forest Carbon Densities with Landscape Patterns and Climate Change in the Lesser Khingan Mountains, Northeast China

This research investigated the effects of the forest landscape composition and spatial distribution and local climate change’s lag effects on the carbon density of stands and provides a reference for optimizing the stand structure and sustainable management of forest resources in Xinqing District, Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province, China. Using second-class forest resource survey data of the Xinqing Forestry Bureau for 2007 and 2017, the forest carbon density, landscape pattern index and local forest climate were quantified by ArcGIS10.7, Fragstats4.2 and SPSS25, and a coupling coordination degree model was constructed to reflect their correlations. The overall broadleaved mixed forest area was larger in the new green area, and the overall forest productivity had improved in the past ten years. Forest management gradually improved from nonforest to forest land, resulting in a high degree of fragmentation in the surrounding landscape. The coupling research on the forest carbon density and the forest landscape pattern index and local climate index showed that, overall, the landscape pattern and the impact of climate change on the forest carbon density had a positive interaction; adjustments and improvements can be made to the forest carbon density in the poor-condition area by combining specific situations of the landscape pattern and climate change.

Predicting vegetation dynamics in Deux Balé National Park, Burkina Faso, using land change modeler

In recent years, the natural vegetation of Burkina Faso has undergone unprecedented anthropisation. To date, most studies have focused only on diachronic analysis based on satellite imagery. Land use dynamics studies give an account of the past and present situation, but do not provide quantitative and qualitative information on the future of this vegetation. On the other hand, a prospective analysis of the dynamics would enable us to better assess the future of our forest ecosystems. Predictive data are essential for decision-making and implementing appropriate policy responses relating to sustainable forest resources management. The main objective of this study was to predict the vegetation dynamics of the Deux Balé National Park by modelling the year 2025. Thus, we selected the variables that best explained the anthropization process. A land change model was selected for the study. The model was calibrated using only variables with a V-Cramer coefficient greater than or equal to 0.1. This model is based on error budgeting and prediction. Visual and statistical comparisons of the simulated and actual 2016 maps allowed for better calibration of the model to simulate changes in the area of land-cover classes by 2025. The results revealed that, between 2016 and 2025, a significant regression of savanna vegetation will occur in favor of anthropized areas and gallery forests. Thus, from this period, gallery forests and anthropized areas covered up to 138 ha and 2914 ha, respectively. However, the savanna vegetation area decreased by 1186 ha, 961 ha, and 893 ha from 2016 to 2025, respectively. Therefore, urgent action must be taken to preserve the potential of the forest resources in parks.

A dataset of soil water and heat dynamics from Pinus massoniana plantations under close-to-nature management in South Subtropics (2016–2021)

This study was conducted at the Tropical Forestry Experimental Center of the Chinese Academy of Forestry in Youyiguan Pingxiang Chongzuo Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station of Guangxi. Based on the automatic meteorological observation station, we monitored and analyzed the soil hydrothermal dynamics in Pinus massoniana plantations under close-to-nature management. The sample plots layout, index monitoring, and data quality control were carried out in accordance with relevant specifications. This dataset contains the data of soil temperature, soil volume water content, soil heat flux, as well as air temperature and air humidity in Pinus massoniana plantations of close-to-nature management in South Subtropics from 2016 to 2021. After standard data processing, including outlier elimination and data interpolation, we statistically derived the daily data of soil water and heat dynamics of Pinus massoniana, and explained the construction of the dataset. The establishment and sharing of this dataset are valuable for facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of soil water and heat in Pinus massoniana plantations under close-to-nature management in South Subtropics. Furthermore, the dataset can serve as an important resource for in-depth research on the response of mixed coniferous broad-leaved forest to global climate change. It can provide essential to support the sustainable management and conservation of forest resources in South Subtropics.

Characterization of Two Main Forest Cover Loss Transitions in North Korea from 1990 to 2020

This study aims to characterize forest cover transitions in North Korea and identify deforested areas that are degraded or at risk of degradation. We used phenological information and random forest classifiers to perform a deforestation classification. We then extracted the two main forest cover loss patterns, sloping farmland (farmland with slope greater than 6 degrees) and unstocked forest (crown cover less than 20%), for the years of 2000, 2010, and 2020. Based on the deforestation map of each year, we analyzed the deforestation dynamics from 1990 to 2020. Forests showed decreases in cover by 27% over the 30-year study period and accounted for 41.5% of the total land area in 2020. Deforestation spread into the core area, which led to severe shrinkage and fragmentation of forests. Unstocked forest and sloping farmland experienced the highest rates of loss among the forestland uses and accounted for 48.9% and 39.3% of the total loss over the study period, respectively. During the study period, 25,128 km2, 5346 km2, and 6728 km2 of forestland was cleared, degraded, and was at risk of degradation or barrenness by artificial repeated fires, respectively. This methodological framework provides a valuable template for areas that are difficult to access, and the deforestation dynamics results can provide a basis for conservation and sustainable management of forest resources.

Assessing the wood-basket and characterizing Michigan's logging businesses by their reliance on nonindustrial private forests for stumpage

This study delineates the procurement areas for individual logging businesses to create a combined wood-basket for 115 logging businesses in Michigan using a road transportation network dataset and information collected from a mail survey of logging businesses. Forest ownership and forest condition datasets are used to understand the status of timber resources and the reliance of logging businesses on different forest-ownership types for stumpage. Information about competition hotspots and status of timber resources can be useful for logging businesses when navigating market dynamics and is important for sustainable management of forest resources, too. Based upon their level of reliance on nonindustrial private forests (NIPFs) for stumpage, the logging businesses are classified as NIPF-dependent and nondependent businesses, and similarities and differences between the two groups are explored. This is important as NIPF ownership is the major forest-ownership type in Michigan.Relatively less competition for timber resources was noted in 15% of total forest acres present in the wood-basket (five or fewer businesses competing in the same area) while high competition was noted in 1 % of it (>20 businesses competing in the same area). The net annual growth-to-removals ratio in the wood-basket ranged from 5.0 to 1.2 depending upon forest-ownership types, suggesting that increased harvests from all ownership types in the future may not be equally sustainable. NIPF-dependent and nondependent businesses varied in terms of volume-harvested, equipment-used, and methods employed for acquiring stumpage, but had similar self-indicated profit levels.

Relevance of Indigenous Knowledge in Sustainable Management of Forest Resources in the 21st Century Uganda

Sub-Saharan Africa is endowed with indigenous knowledge systems and natural forest resources critical to supporting several forms of development. However, the region has experienced rapid population growth and demographic changes, which may lead to a decline in forest resources. Sustainable management of these resources is critical for a healthy forest ecosystem that should continue to provide goods and services to the present and future generations. Of the variety of management strategies employed in the sustainable management of forest resources, indigenous knowledge provides a plausible alternative. To ascertain the relevance of this knowledge, the Lugbara community in Yumbe district, northwestern Uganda, was considered. Data were collected from 371 respondents using questionnaires and 19 key informants using interviews; others included participatory GIS and remote sensing. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, thematic and content analysis, and a forest cover change matrix. The results indicated a highly significant correlation between IK availability and usefulness of 0.703 at 0.01 level, and the socioeconomic and demographic variables tested statistically significant with sub-county of origin alone accounting for 11.7% of the variations in utilisation of IK in forest management. Indigenous knowledge was mostly used in the management of community forest resources, while modern scientific approaches were used in managing public forests. The forest resources were not sustainably managed despite the relatively high prevalence of IK. The linear model summary results were marginally significant, indicating that the prevalence of IK accounted for only approximately six% (R2 = .059) of the variations in SMFR. However, there was a resurrected interest in the use of IK since some forests managed using strict customary laws were the most biologically diverse. The resurrected interest implies that the IK remains relevant in the 21st century. The study therefore, recommends that IK practises be documented, promoted, and integrated into modern formal approaches to achieve SMFR

Understanding the impact of interprovincial trade on forest resources in China

Intensified interprovincial trade causes timber flows between regions in China, exacerbating the contradiction between economic development and forest conservation. To understand the impacts of interprovincial trade on forest resource depletion in China, this study developed a timber-extended multiregional input–output model to quantify the virtual timber harvest volume (THV) of each province. A forest stress index (FSI) is also developed to reflect the pressure of forest resource protection in different regions and evaluate the impacts of interprovincial trade on forest stress at national and provincial scales. The results showed that provinces within main forest zones (e.g., Guangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian) presented higher production-based THV than consumption-based THV while the opposite was true for provinces in the rest of the country (ROC) (e.g., Shanghai, Shandong, and Jiangsu). Interprovincial trade in China resulted in 36.86 million m3 of virtual timber flow annually (2008–2017 average), approximately 16.80% of the country's total production-based THV. During the study period, trade activities continuously reduced China's FSI, but ROC provinces mitigated their forest stress at the cost of increasing the burden on provinces in forest zones. Additionally, distant trade tended to have a stronger effect on provincial forest stress compared with trade between adjacent provinces. The findings identified the critical regions and trade routes that directly or indirectly drove forest degradation and revealed the effects of interprovincial trade on forest stress. Furthermore, this study proposed potential policy measures to promote the sustainable management of forest resources in China.

Multi-stakeholder actors in resource management in Ghana: Dynamics of community-state collaboration in resource use management of the Mole National Park, Larabanga

Sustainable forest resource management through state-community collaboration has taken center stage over the past decades in resource management discourses. In Ghana, forest reserves are observed to be on the decline due to poaching and encroachment by fringe communities. This study aims to contribute to the literature gap by examining the dynamics of community-state collaboration in forest resource management in the Mole National Park. The study employed a qualitative case study, using key informant interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs). Purposive sampling was used to recruit 20 stakeholders for the key informant interviews while eight FGDs were conducted with four communities. Results from thematic analysis revealed that power manipulation, limited community engagement in the management of the park, placation, and the centralized approach to management of the park were issues that affect the management and sustainability of the park. It was further revealed that the Park provides the fringe communities with ecosystem services such as provisioning, aesthetics and supporting services. The study recommends that collaborative management through partnerships and equity in resource benefit sharing are essential for the forest resource management and sustainability.