Rist, Lucy
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
This article explores the use of a dialogue process to approach complex issues related to forest management. An interdisciplinary research team set up an experimental dialogue process concerning the use of introduced tree species in Southern Sweden for the purposes of climate change adaptation. The process involved stakeholders at a regional level, including those with divergent opinions regarding introduced tree species and their use in forestry. Through a process of repeated meetings and exchanges with researchers, the participant's knowledge was deepened and group relationships developed such that the group was able to jointly formulate a set of policy recommendations. The investigation revealed that dialogue processes may improve decision-making by identifying priorities for action or further research. However, when a collaborative process targets complex environmental issues on larger geographical and temporal scales, as matters about forests typically do, a collaborative process must be integrated with external actors and institutions in order to attain tangible outcomes. Consequently, to fully access the benefits of using collaborative processes to handle complex challenges in forest policy and management, the connections between political sphere, the private sector, authorities and research institutions must be concretely established.
Keywords
Collaborative processes; forest management; climate change adaptation; introduced tree species; complex problems; policy recommendations
Published in
Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research
2015, volume: 30, number: 8, pages: 749-756
SLU Authors
Associated SLU-program
SLU Future Forests
Global goals (SDG)
UKÄ Subject classification
Forest Science
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02827581.2015.1065343
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/68539