Biodiversity and sectoral responsibility in Swedish forestry policy 1988-1993 : "Mellan samhället och den enskilde"

Abstract: In 1993 the Swedish parliament substantially revised the nations Forestry Act, deregulating forestry operations and establishing an environmental goal for national forestry policy equal to the previous goal of high production. long the leading aim for Swedish forestry These actions resulted from an extended process during late 1980s and early 1990s, trough which Swedish forestry developed its sectoral responsibilities for nature conservation measures, in particular the protection of biological diversity within the context of timber and pulp production. This thesis examines the legislative history behind these changes, including the ideas and concepts drawn from comprehensive environmental legislation approved during the same period. another legacy of the period is the inclusion of specific legal protection for small forest and agricultural habitats in the Nature Conservancy Act. This paper also explores the impact of this measure on Swedish forestry, specifically the efforts of the national forestry agency to retain authority to administer the habitat protection law on forestland, the majority of Sweden's land cover. Three major themes emerged from the analysis. First, the parliament and industry appeared to support increased nature conservation and biological diversity within production forestry in large parts a way to maintain the health of the forest, and thus the industry. Fundamentally, this position supported the responsible use of natural resources, and not simply protection from the effects of human influence. Second, Sweden's long history of forest use significantly shaped the discussion and outcomes. The policy now highlights the importance of nature conservation measures in the context of ordinary forestry activities, mainly because these comprise by far the largest share of forest use. National parks and forest reserves make up a relatively small portion of Swedish forestland. Third, conflicts between existing institutional actors yielded trade-offs and compromises during legislative development and implementation. The largest of these was an implicit agreement with the nation's forest owners described as "freedom under responsibility". In exchange for broader responsibility to meet the new and stronger environmental goal, forest owners received greater latitude to manage their forest without the regulatory oversight that many had found objectionable. Overall, the result is a seemingly simple system that in fact anticipates a sophistically set of shared understandings for long-term success. The thesis incorporates translations of relevant excerpts from original Swedish materials, including legislative proposals, unpublished government documents, and position statements from forest and environmental organizations. A short appendix provides an outlive of the Swedish legislative process as a guide to the documentation.