Mirja Rantala, Teppo Hujala, Mikko Kurttila. (2012). Measuring and monitoring socio-cultural sustainability in the action of forest biodiversity cooperation networks. Silva Fennica vol. 46 no. 3 article id 52. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.52

Keywords: additive utility function; community adaptation; criteria and indicators; METSO programme

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To safeguard overall sustainability in forest resource management, the ecological, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of sustainability should all be considered. However, the socio-cultural impacts are frequently contemplated only weakly in sustainability assessments. Hitherto, attempts to operationalize socio-cultural impacts arising from economic utilization or conservation of forest resources have been perceived as vague when compared to rigorous ecological and economic indicators. One reason is that socio-cultural impacts of forest management on individuals and communities are many and by nature context- and case-specific: they need local definition, which hampers diffusion of good solutions. This study developed a multi-criteria method for measuring and monitoring socio-cultural impacts of forest resource management; the case of cooperation network projects within Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland (METSO) provided empirical data. Based on a literature review, a set of 10 criteria and 25 indicators was compiled. Cumulative utility scores, presenting networks’ contributions to socio-cultural sustainability, were generated using performance, expert evaluation and weighting data and an additive utility model. The method enables longitudinal monitoring of socio-cultural impacts, which is beneficial because outcomes are different at different time points of projects’ life cycles and some appear with a delay. The method can be used in comparing sub-utility distributions i.e. monitoring units’ performance profiles, providing valuable information for policy-makers. The multi-criteria approach and the list of socio-cultural criteria are internationally transferable to other countries and contexts such as forest bioenergy, nature tourism, watershed management, that call for analysing socio-cultural impacts of forest resource management activity on private lands.

Rantala, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Joensuu Unit, P.O. Box 68, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: mr@nn.fi
Hujala, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Unit, Vantaa, Finland E-mail: th@nn.fi
Kurttila, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Joensuu Unit, P.O. Box 68, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: mikko.kurttila@metla.fi

article id 297, category Research article

Antti Marjokorpi, Jukka Salo. (2007). Operational standards and guidelines for biodiversity management in tropical and subtropical forest plantations – How widely do they cover an ecological framework? Silva Fennica vol. 41 no. 2 article id 297. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.297

Keywords: criteria and indicators; afforestation; conservation; sustainable forest management; reforestation

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The development of standards and guidelines to secure sustainable forest management at different geographical scales has expanded greatly during the past fifteen years. Most of these efforts, however, have been formulated for natural forests only; those designed specifically for forest plantations are relatively few. The global forest plantation area is expanding rapidly, with obvious positive and negative impacts on biodiversity. We characterize the key concepts of biodiversity in tropical and subtropical forest plantations and present an analysis of how these elements are covered in the eight principal operational standards and guidelines for sustainable plantation forestry. We also examine the applicability of standards and guidelines in plantations established and managed under different initial settings. The results indicate that the standards and guidelines address certain key elements of biodiversity comprehensively, meanwhile others are ignored or receive only slight attention. There is also substantial variation between the sets in their nature (performance- vs. process-based), scope, congruity in concepts and hierarchy, and specificity. The standards and guidelines seldom take into account the varying initial settings for plantation establishment and the consequent variation in critical factors in biodiversity conservation and management. We recommend that standards and guidelines should be developed so as to pay more attention to the type and operating environment of plantations, to cover all key factors of biodiversity, and to consider building closer relationships between the social and ecological aspects of biodiversity.

Marjokorpi, Stora Enso, Wood Supply, Talvikkitie 40 C, FI-01300 Vantaa, Finland E-mail: antti.marjokorpi@storaenso.com
Salo, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20140 Turku, Finland E-mail: js@nn.fi

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