Scenario Development to Strengthen National Forest Policies and Programmes

Abstract

Forest policies require a broad perspective on land use and natural resource management, and necessitate a focus on the value of forests to society. Forest policy documents need to be updated on a regular basis and stakeholder involvement plays an important role in this process, often through workshops and interviews. A broad variety of approaches and tools exist to support policy-makers in their consideration of different future scenarios and possible responses. Many of these allow involvement of stakeholders, supported by information technology. However, the choice, availability and applicability of software tools is not always clear-cut. In consequence, participatory scenario development, with a focus on future perspectives on forests and their management, is often not undertaken when countries revise their national forest policies or programmes, despite the potential high added value. This report provides a brief overview of some selected methods and tools available for stakeholder involvement and future-oriented policy-making.