Landscapes Forest and Global Change - ESA - Escola Superior ...

P. Angelstam & M. Elbakidze. 2010. Sustainable forest management, multi-stakeholder governance and spatial planning
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A framework for building capacity for multi-level governance and planning towards sustainable
forest landscapes is to view landscapes as interconnected social-ecological systems. This is
often termed “landscape approach”, meaning that that there is a need to expand the area for
planning from stands and local areas, and to support participation of representative stakeholders
(World Forestry Congress 2009). The social dimensions involve the institutions and all
stakeholders involved with the use of natural resources. Thus, sustainable landscapes are
integrated systems encompassing diverse cultural, natural and social functions through balanced
governance empowering the involvement of all actors and stakeholders (Norton 2005; Baker
2006). To describe the ecosystem providing renewable natural resources, its composition,
structure and function at multiple scales need to be understood. Similarly, the actions of the
social system’s actors and stakeholders from different sectors and governance levels should be
mapped. Angelstam et al. (2003) coined the term two-dimensional gap analysis to better
understand policy implementation processes in integrated social-ecological systems.
Many special initiatives have appeared globally that aim at implementing sustainability and
sustainable development on the ground (Axelsson et al. 2008). The Model Forest (MF) concept,
which originated in Canada in the beginning of the 1990s, is one example (IMFN 2008). A MF
can be seen as a social process aimed at forming a partnership and a platform for discussing and
solving a wide spectrum of issues related to sustainable management in a forest landscape by
implementing new ideas approved by MF partners, and thus developing the adaptive capacity in
an area to deal with uncertainty and change (LaPierre 2002).
This study focuses on the southern part of the Murmansk region in the northwest of the Russian
Federation. Mining and forest logging began in the late 19th century and hydro-electrical power
stations were built from the 1950s. While mining and hydropower production continues,
forestry has declined dramatically (Elbakidze et al. 2007). As a consequence, rural settlements
are declining, and people rely on local use of a wide range of wood and non-wood resources,
and emerging tourism based on natural and cultural values (e.g., Lehtinen 2006). To adapt
governance and management of forest landscapes to this situation a partnership of stakeholders
was created in 2006 in the Kovdozersky forest management unit in the southernmost part of
Murmansk region termed the Kovdozersky Model Forest (MF) (Elbakidze et al. 2007). We
mapped landscape stakeholders and their use of landscape goods, services and values in the MF
area. Our study shows the need for spatial planning at four spatial scales to communicate the
present, past and future states and trends of forest goods, ecosystem services and values to
different stakeholders at multiple level of organisation. We discuss the need to promote new
forms of forest landscape governance promote collaboration among stakeholders.
2. Methodology
2.1. Study area
The Kovdozersky state forest management unit (400,626 ha) is located in the southern part of
the Murmansk region in the north-west of the Russian Federation (Elbakidze et al. 2007).
Geographically, it occupies the lower part of the Kovda river catchment, which has its
headwaters on both sides of the Russian-Finnish border, and flows to the Kandalaksha Bay of
the White Sea, and borders with the Karelian Republic in the south. Forests are dominated by
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) at lower altitude and Norway spruce (Picea abies) on higher hills.
There are eight settlements and many abandoned logging villages from the period of
exploitative logging in the area. Local people in rural settings have retained their traditional
land-use practices, which are based on forest resources. In 2006 the total number of people
living in the area was about 15,000, and the population density was 3.7 people sq. km
(Elbakidze et al. 2007).
Forest Landscapes and Global Change-New Frontiers in Management, Conservation and Restoration. Proceedings of the IUFRO Landscape Ecology
Working Group International Conference, September 21-27, 2010, Bragança, Portugal. J.C. Azevedo, M. Feliciano, J. Castro & M.A. Pinto (eds.)
2010, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal.