Forestry law
[1][2] Forestry laws generally adopt management policies for public forest resources, such as multiple use and sustained yield.
[7] The development of scientific forestry management is based on the precise measurement of the distribution and volume of wood in a given parcel, the systematic felling of trees, and their replacement by standard, carefully aligned rows of mono-cultural plantations that could be harvested at set times.
[8] Forestry laws are intended to protect resources and prevent forest clearing, logging, hunting, and collecting vegetation.
[11] Appropriate public policies and legislation serve to foster sustainable economic and social development in rural and urban areas.
The World Bank states that despite comparative studies of trends in forest legislation, there is a lack of practical guidance on how to assess improve the law.
[13] [17] Actual practices differ from one country to the next, however, in all cases public forests are viewed as a national resource, that is, the sovereign property of the state.
[13] New forest legislation has also been developed in several countries in Western Europe in order to adapt to changing economic conditions, social demands, and more political participation of interest groups and citizens at local and regional levels.
[20] The evolution of forest legislation in the European Countries indicates that understanding of how natural resources are to be used in a sustainable manner depends on a given economic and social context.
Today sustainable management is understood as forestry practices which respect the naturally given potentials of the ecosystems and maintain the diversity of forests in their typical landscapes.
[22] Meeting local needs, long-term availability of raw materials and energy, and increased outputs through better forestry practices were the issues at stake.
[27] New policies place responsibilities for, and powers over, wood fuel management into the hands of economically interested individuals and the Forest Service.
[16] Illegal forestry activities deprive governments of billions of dollars in tax revenues, as well as cause environmental damage and threaten forests.
[33] The World Bank (2002) estimates that illegal logging results in an annual loss of around US$10–15 billion in developing countries worldwide.
[16] However, the lack of information about who really uses forests presents a major problem to forestry policy makers and supportive development agencies that are mandated to adopt a pro-poor approach.
In developing countries about 1.2 billion people rely on agroforestry farming systems that help to sustain agricultural productivity and generate income.
They state a rights-based approach should be linked to governance reform programs aimed at creating public accountability and transparency in the management of natural resources and should be developed through processes of broad engagement with civil society organisations and based on national governments' commitments to reform law.
[11] The recognition of traditional-group rights to areas used in common, such as forest or pasture is still lacking, despite governments or colonial powers recognising individual claims, based on custom or usage, to land used for agriculture or housing.
In 1992, representatives of 180 countries met in Rio de Janeiro to consider, among other things, the adoption of an Agreement on Forestry Principles.
"[8] Scientific forestry was based on the precise measurement of the distribution and volume of wood in a given parcel, the systematic felling of trees, and their replacement by standard, carefully aligned rows of mono-cultural plantations that could be harvested at set times.
[8] The tendencies that become apparent from recent changes in forest laws and regulations in several European countries show a variety of approaches and may be judged from different point of views.
[39] Consistency requires the compatibility of forest regulations with constitutional values and democratic rules, with national policies addressing land-use, economic development and environmental protection, and with international commitments and multilateral agreements.
It also relates to the double nature of forests as private production means that may be used according to the decisions of land owners and as resources that yield numerous benefits to the community.
