Policy integration of forest ecosystem services-Cases of Catalonia, Estonia, Grisons, and Hesse & Thuringia

Abstract

To ensure the long-term utilization of various services provided by forest ecosystems (FES), it is crucial that policy governing different FES are sustainable. To achieve this, policy coherence and choice of policy implementation is fundamental. This case study provides an insight in policy contexts for FES across Europe, illustrates how policies are targeting the same objectives, and identifies the synergies and conflicts in important nexuses. The aim is to use the measures of policy integration and implementation to highlight how forest ecosystem services are integrated in policy, to potentially increase the synergies and determine the suitable level of governing for future policymaking. The case study regions included are Catalonia (Spain), Estonia, Grisons (Switzerland), and Hesse & Thuringia (Germany), which represent a wide geographical span of European forests. The results indicate that the active policies governing FES are to a high degree adjusted to the region-specific forests, and showcase integration of environmental priorities, in accordance with EU-targets concerning forests and forestry. The findings of this study can help guide EU forest-related policy and broaden the perspective compared to earlier studies by including a unique composition of EU- and non-EU-member countries.