A Swedish national forest programme – participation and international agreements

Abstract: Sweden is in the initial phase of forming a national forest programme (nfp). The establishment of an nfp has been evoked by international policy developments and a national debate questioning Swedish forestry and forest policy. National forest programmes are participatory processes for the development and implementation of forest-related policies and international commitments. Hence, the aim of this master thesis is to assess the stakeholders’ acceptance of participation and integration of international issues within the Swedish national forest programme. Based on the concept of governance, this study’s research questions focused on the integration of international issues and the scope and depth of participation in an nfp. To answer the research questions a literature review of European nfps and interviews with Swedish forest actors were performed. The study’s results show that the actors perceive a need for a Swedish nfp and want to participate in the programme, with the exception of ENGOs. The actors argue that the scope of participation of the programme should include expert administrators, elected representatives and professional stakeholders. The actors state that the Swedish nfp should be consultative and form the basis for policy decision by elected representatives. The interviewed actors agree on that international forest issues should be addressed within the context of the nfp and that the programme must relate to existing international agreements.