Forest policy making in Slovenia Country presentation

Milan inko
University of Ljubljana Biotechnical faculty

Milan.Sinko@bf.uni-lj.si

Road map of presentation

Responsibilities (Forest policy landscape) Forest policy design Characteristics of policy making in Slovenia Existence of comprehensive scientific forest policy analysis

Responsibilities (Forest policy landscape)

Ministry of agriculture and the environment

Parlaiment (National assembly) (the system of postparlaimentary governance)

Slovenian forest service (influence of expertise)

Lack of powerful interest groups (forest owners, Environmental NGO)

Forest policy design

Problems (salient issues) Forest policy goals Forest policy tools

Forest policy design

Problems (salient issues)

State of forests

Unbalanced age structure Underuse of the yield potential of private forests Management of state forest Illegal logging

Forest management

Forest policy goals Forest policy tools

Forest policy design

Problems (salient issues) Policy goals (NFP 2007)

Ecosystemic approach and sustainable development of forest Preserve natural environment and ecological balance in landscape

Policy tools

Forest policy design

Problems (salient issues) Forest policy goals (NFP 2007): Forest policy tools:

Regulative tools prevail (e.g. obligatory forest management

planning for all forests, obligatory tree marking for logging)

Economic tools less important (e.g. subsidise for

silviculture aprox. 1 /ha/year on average)

Informational tools:

The most important provider is public forest service

Characteristics of policy making in Slovenia

Close-to-nature policy paradigm

Small country:

Corporatism Rent seeking

Post-transitional policy making:

path dependency uncertainty

Existence of comprehensive scientific forest policy analysis

Scientific forest policy analysis in small countries (Hogl, Pregernig

2002)

High degree of narrowness (a small number of organizations and persons doing research ) Small number of costumer Policy analysis/research as tool in politics (instrumental approach - e.g. research on forest owners association) Great impact of forest policy paradigm Lack of scientific pluralism

Existence of comprehensive scientific forest policy analysis

Projects, reports EU projects e.g.:

Effe (Evaluating Forestry Incentives and Assistance Programmes in

Europe 2000-2004)

Cool (COmpeting uses Of forest Land - ongoing)

National projects

Efficiency of forest policy tools New post-transition forestry institutions Forest policy analysis as part of projects from other research areas (e.g. forest conversion) Projects of undergraduate and graduate students

Relationship between forest-focused (nominal) policies and forest related (functional) policies

Forest policy Wildlife policy

Rural development policy Energy policy Water policy Nature conservation policy Environment (climate change policy) Economy (wood industry)

Responsibilities -

Forest policy landscape