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Neelam C. Poudyal - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Segmenting Landowners of Shandong, China Based on Their Attitudes Towards Forest Certification
Forests, 2018Co-Authors: Nana Tian, Omkar Joshi, Neelam C. PoudyalAbstract:Forest Certification is considered a viable market-based policy instrument to promote Forest sustainability. It has an important role of play in meeting the objective of modern Forestry development in China, which is to sustain ecological and environmental benefits of Forests. To understand differences in attitudes, opinions, and interests in Forest Certification, this study segmented respondents of a landowner’s survey in Shandong, China based on their level of interest in participating in Forest Certification under different program requirements. Multivariate cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups: likely-, potential-, and unlikely-landowners. We further examined the heterogeneity of these groups in terms of their demographics, ownership characteristics, management objectives, and perceived benefits and challenges of adopting Forest Certification. The results suggested the necessity of differentiating landowners in formulating and designing specific motivation-based incentives and tailoring outreach efforts and communication strategies to improve their interests in Forest Certification. Findings will be useful and interesting to Forest policymakers interested in promoting Forest Certification among landowners in China and other countries facing similar circumstances.
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understanding landowners interest and willingness to participate in Forest Certification program in china
Land Use Policy, 2018Co-Authors: Nana Tian, Neelam C. PoudyalAbstract:Abstract Forest Certification is considered a viable market-based strategy for promoting sustainable Forest management by providing landowners with financial incentives and social recognition for responsible Forest practices. In China, it is an issue of international as well as domestic concern, especially considering the magnitude of country’s wood exports. To examine landowners’ perceived barriers to and interests in Forest Certification in China, we conducted a landowner survey in Shandong province in 2016 and analyzed whether and how landowners’ ownership motivations, management objectives, sociodemographics, and perceptions about benefits and drawbacks associated with Certification schemes influenced their willingness to participate in Certification programs. Results indicate that the majority of landowners in Shandong province are not currently familiar with Forest Certification programs but are willing to consider participating when provided with pertinent information. There may be a potential market for Certification programs in China with appropriate outreach and extension. In addition, landowners’ willingness to participate in Certification programs is significantly affected by the expected benefits and limitations associated with Certification schemes, landownership motivation, management objectives, and characteristics of the Forestland and households. Findings will be useful to institutions and policy makers interested in understanding and promoting the market for Forest Certification in China and other developing countries with similar circumstances.
Errol Meidinger - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Forest Certification and Democracy
European Journal of Forest Research, 2010Co-Authors: Errol MeidingerAbstract:This paper explores the possibility that Forest Certification represents an important emerging form of transnational democracy. Because it is largely driven and administered by nonstate actors, Forest Certification can be seen as suffering a democracy deficit. However, because it stresses broad participation, intensive deliberative procedures, responsiveness to state law and widely accepted norms, and competition among regulatory programs to achieve effective implementation and widespread public acceptance, Forest Certification appears to stand up relatively well under generally understood criteria for democratic governance. Nonetheless, a more satisfactory evaluation will require a better understanding of how responsive Certification programs are to diverse, emergent constituencies as well as which Certification programs win regulatory competitions, and why.
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THE FUNDAMENTALS OF Forest Certification
2003Co-Authors: Errol Meidinger, Christopher Elliott, Gerhard OestenAbstract:Although many readers of this book will be familiar with Forest Certification, we hope that others will be relatively new to the subject. To date, Forest Certification has been discussed primarily in Forestry circles. This book is part of an effort to extend that discussion into the wider community of people interested in environmental policy, sustainable development, transnational institutions, social justice, and new modes of governance. To that end, this chapter offers a concise overview of Forest Certification programs as they exist today. Subsequent chapters explore their many social and political implications. We invite readers who are not familiar with Forest Certification programs either to read this chapter at the outset or to refer back to it when additional information on Certification would be helpful to understanding other chapters.
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Forest Certification AS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW MAKING BY GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY
2003Co-Authors: Errol MeidingerAbstract:Forest Certification programs are schemes methodically crafted by transnational networks of policy actors to define and implement the rules under which Forest management enterprises are to operate. They undertake to verify not only that the standards under which certified enterprises operate are appropriate, but also that they are being met. Thus, Certification programs take on policymaking and enforcement roles more typically performed by governments. A companion paper (Meidinger 2003) argues that Forest Certification programs may usefully be understood as an emerging form of governance by ‘global civil society,’ and seeks to describe key characteristics of global civil society and its governance structures. ‘Governance,’ however, is generally closely related to law; law making is a typical function of governance systems. Moreover, the methods used by Certification programs closely resemble law, since they rely on the public promulgation of generalized rules and the definition of special organizational responsibilities for determining compliance. In this paper, therefore, I take the next step, and argue that Forest Certification programs may usefully be seen as a form of law making by global civil society. The primary advantage of this strategy is that it makes available to discussions of Forest Certification the experience and analytical methods of legal and socio-legal analysis. This should enrich Forest Certification, and help its
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Social and Political Dimensions of Forest Certification
2003Co-Authors: Errol Meidinger, Christopher Elliott, Gerhard OestenAbstract:Forest Certification programs seek to assure the buyers of wood products that the wood they are getting was produced in an environmentally and socially acceptable manner. Certification programs are growing rapidly around the world, and their rise to prominence poses many important questions. To date, most public and academic discussion of Certification has focused on Forest management and marketing issues, with an emphasis on technical questions. While those are important, it is becoming increasingly clear that the future of Certification programs will depend on their social and political implications. This book is one of the first to examines those implications in a sustained, broad based, and academically rigorous way. It links detailed expertise on Forest Certification with broader theoretical and political perspectives on policy making, social justice, law, and governance.
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Law Making by Global Civil Society: The Forest Certification Prototype
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2002Co-Authors: Errol MeidingerAbstract:Forest Certification is a process through which transnational networks of diverse actors define and enforce standards for the management of Forests around the world. Important Forest Certification programs currently include the Forest Stewardship Council, the Pan-European Forest Certification Scheme, and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Products from certified Forests usually carry a logo intended to signify that they were produced in an environmentally and sometimes socially acceptable manner. In seeking to verify for society that the activities of certified Forest enterprises are acceptable, Certification programs take on the important public roles of (1) setting standards for proper behavior and (2) ensuring conformance with the standards. They do not rely on the policy formulation or enforcement mechanisms of nation states. Rather, they develop standards through their own organizations and enforce them with their own institutional mechanisms. Because the environmental policy-making and enforcement functions assumed by Certification programs have long been the purview of governments, the initial challenge is how to conceptualize Certification programs. Given that they are not governmental initiatives, much existing literature describes Certification programs as 'market mechanisms.' But this is true only in the loosest sense, in that Certification programs seek to us market signals to restructure producers' access to consumers. At base, however, the promoters of Forest Certification have not been driven by market incentives, but rather have attempted to restructure them to achieve environmental and social ideals. One theoretical construct commonly applied to non-governmental and non-market organizations seeking to shape social behavior is that of 'civil society.' This paper aims to understand Forest Certification in terms of civil society theory. Moreover, since Certification programs seek to achieve long-term regulation of Forest management, often using law-like institutions, the paper explores the degree to which Certification programs can be seen as making law. The paper uses a mutual illumination methodology. Starting from the hypothesis that Forest Certification is part of a larger process by which institutions of global civil society are being constructed, it draws upon global civil society scholarship to illuminate important social dimensions of Forest Certification. At the same time, research on Forest Certification is used to suggest some of the prospects and challenges facing global civil society. Next, the premise that Forest Certification is an emergent form of environmental law is subjected to a similar mutual-illumination strategy, using legal scholarship to examine Forest Certification, and also using Forest Certification scholarship to reflect back on law. The paper critiques Forest Certification in terms of efficacy, adaptability, coherence, and legitimacy. It concludes that while Forest Certification has some important lessons to learn from environmental law, it may also end up teaching, reshaping and ultimately expanding the reach of environmental law.
Minna Pappila - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Forest Certification and trust different roles in different environments
Forest Policy and Economics, 2013Co-Authors: Minna PappilaAbstract:Trust is an integral element of a flourishing society. Trust can partly be created through trust-building institutions. This article scrutinizes the role played by Forest Certification in building trust at the local level of the Forest sectors of Finland and Russia. The requirements for public participation of Forest Certification schemes are being used as a tool for analyzing the trust-building capacity of Forest Certification schemes. The need for “extra” trust is different in these countries. Hence, it is no surprise that Forest Certification plays different roles in trust-building in Finland and Russia. From the Russian experience we can learn that a non-state regulation can increase openness, participation and trust in a country of a low level of trust and very little participatory rights in environmental legislation. In Russia, trust-building can be a win–win situation, where participatory mechanisms can benefit all stakeholders at the local level. Yet, enhancing trust requires both procedural and substantive rights for local communities. In Finland participatory rights are in general well defined in environmental legislation. Forest legislation is, however, an exception, and Forest Certification has not been able to increase the amount of participation in Forest management. The different trust-relationships are considered to be in conflict and especially the current interpretation of private ownership encumbers the local-level trust-building through participation and openness. It is therefore apparent that increasing openness would require wide public discussion and changes in Finnish Forest legislation.
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Forest Certification and trust — Different roles in different environments
Forest Policy and Economics, 2013Co-Authors: Minna PappilaAbstract:Trust is an integral element of a flourishing society. Trust can partly be created through trust-building institutions. This article scrutinizes the role played by Forest Certification in building trust at the local level of the Forest sectors of Finland and Russia. The requirements for public participation of Forest Certification schemes are being used as a tool for analyzing the trust-building capacity of Forest Certification schemes. The need for “extra” trust is different in these countries. Hence, it is no surprise that Forest Certification plays different roles in trust-building in Finland and Russia. From the Russian experience we can learn that a non-state regulation can increase openness, participation and trust in a country of a low level of trust and very little participatory rights in environmental legislation. In Russia, trust-building can be a win–win situation, where participatory mechanisms can benefit all stakeholders at the local level. Yet, enhancing trust requires both procedural and substantive rights for local communities. In Finland participatory rights are in general well defined in environmental legislation. Forest legislation is, however, an exception, and Forest Certification has not been able to increase the amount of participation in Forest management. The different trust-relationships are considered to be in conflict and especially the current interpretation of private ownership encumbers the local-level trust-building through participation and openness. It is therefore apparent that increasing openness would require wide public discussion and changes in Finnish Forest legislation.
Markku Simula - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The Forest Certification Handbook
2004Co-Authors: Ruth Nussbaum, Markku SimulaAbstract:Introduction * Part I: How Forest Certification Schemes Work * What is a Forest Certification Scheme? * Forest Standards * Certification * Accreditation * Product Tracing and Claims * Part II: Forest Certification in Practice * Getting Started * Implementing the Standard * Getting Certified * Setting up a Group Scheme * Implementing the System * Getting Certified and Making Claims * Part III: Existing Forest Certification Schemes * Introduction to Existing Schemes * Part IV: Certification in Context: Policy, Progress and Remaining Issues * Policy and the Institutional Context of Certification * The Enabling Conditions Framework * The Impacts, Costs and Benefits of Forest Certification * Phased Approaches to Forest Certification * Capacity Building * Small Forest Enterprises * Selecting a Forest Certification Scheme * New Applications of Forest Certification * Appendix 1: Overview of Existing Schemes * Appendix 2: Sources of Information * Glossary * References * Index
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Forest Certification an instrument to promote sustainable Forest management
Journal of Environmental Management, 2003Co-Authors: Ewald Rametsteiner, Markku SimulaAbstract:Forest Certification was introduced in the early 1990s to address concerns of deForestation and Forest degradation and to promote the maintenance of biological diversity, especially in the tropics. Initially pushed by environmental groups, it quickly evolved as a potential instrument to promote sustainable Forest management (SFM). To date about 124 million ha or 3.2% of the world's Forests have been certified by the different Certification schemes created over the last decade. Forest Certification shares the aim of promoting SFM with another tool, namely criteria and indicators (C&I) for SFM. C&I sets are mainly developed for the national level to describe and monitor status and trends in Forests and Forest management. They also provide an essential reference basis for Forest Certification standards, which set performance targets to be applied on a defined area. Progress in developing these two different tools has been significant. After 10 years of implementation, it is evident that the original intention to save tropical biodiversity through Certification has largely failed to date. Most of certified areas are in the temperate and boreal zone, with Europe as the most important region. Only around ten per cent is located in tropical countries. The standards used for issuing certificates upon compliance are diverse, both between Certification schemes and within one and the same scheme when applied in different regions. However, they are at least equal to legal requirements and often include elements that set actually higher standards. While the quality of actual audits of the standards is of varying quality, there are indications that independent audits are an incentive for improving Forest management. As a voluntary market-based tool, Forest Certification is depending on the ability to cover the costs incurred and thus on often-elusive green consumer sentiment. Regardless of many difficulties, Forest Certification has been very successful in raising awareness and disseminating knowledge on a holistic SFM concept, embracing economic, environmental and social issues, worldwide. It also provides a tool for a range of other applications than assessment of sustainability, such as e.g. verifying carbon sinks.
Nana Tian - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Segmenting Landowners of Shandong, China Based on Their Attitudes Towards Forest Certification
Forests, 2018Co-Authors: Nana Tian, Omkar Joshi, Neelam C. PoudyalAbstract:Forest Certification is considered a viable market-based policy instrument to promote Forest sustainability. It has an important role of play in meeting the objective of modern Forestry development in China, which is to sustain ecological and environmental benefits of Forests. To understand differences in attitudes, opinions, and interests in Forest Certification, this study segmented respondents of a landowner’s survey in Shandong, China based on their level of interest in participating in Forest Certification under different program requirements. Multivariate cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups: likely-, potential-, and unlikely-landowners. We further examined the heterogeneity of these groups in terms of their demographics, ownership characteristics, management objectives, and perceived benefits and challenges of adopting Forest Certification. The results suggested the necessity of differentiating landowners in formulating and designing specific motivation-based incentives and tailoring outreach efforts and communication strategies to improve their interests in Forest Certification. Findings will be useful and interesting to Forest policymakers interested in promoting Forest Certification among landowners in China and other countries facing similar circumstances.
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understanding landowners interest and willingness to participate in Forest Certification program in china
Land Use Policy, 2018Co-Authors: Nana Tian, Neelam C. PoudyalAbstract:Abstract Forest Certification is considered a viable market-based strategy for promoting sustainable Forest management by providing landowners with financial incentives and social recognition for responsible Forest practices. In China, it is an issue of international as well as domestic concern, especially considering the magnitude of country’s wood exports. To examine landowners’ perceived barriers to and interests in Forest Certification in China, we conducted a landowner survey in Shandong province in 2016 and analyzed whether and how landowners’ ownership motivations, management objectives, sociodemographics, and perceptions about benefits and drawbacks associated with Certification schemes influenced their willingness to participate in Certification programs. Results indicate that the majority of landowners in Shandong province are not currently familiar with Forest Certification programs but are willing to consider participating when provided with pertinent information. There may be a potential market for Certification programs in China with appropriate outreach and extension. In addition, landowners’ willingness to participate in Certification programs is significantly affected by the expected benefits and limitations associated with Certification schemes, landownership motivation, management objectives, and characteristics of the Forestland and households. Findings will be useful to institutions and policy makers interested in understanding and promoting the market for Forest Certification in China and other developing countries with similar circumstances.