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Sustaining Multifunctional Forestry Through the Developing of Social Capital and Promoting Participation: A Case of Multiethnic Mountain Communities

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Abstract

Communities with multicultural, ethnically diverse populations located in forest areas of the Carpathian Mountains often face serious social and economic problems, including high unemployment rates, weak social support and institutions with little stakeholder participation in decision-making. In this paper, we apply participatory scenario processes to address the development of multifunctional forestry in these mountains by taking as an example the case study of Slovensky Raj National Park and specifically focusing on the involvement of local communities, particularly the Roma minority, in sustainable forest management (SFM). The paper argues that development of local institutions and promotion of horizontal and vertical participation to increase social capital is necessary for addressing social and economic problems, managing potential conflicts and sustaining multifunctional forestry development. The results suggest that the way forward is the integration of multi-purpose forest management with community development, and that learning, repeated stakeholder interaction, trust-building and cooperation between and within multiethnic local communities are important preconditions for success. The scenario process applied turned out to be beneficial for both the majority and the minority populations, particularly allowing for discussions about future development of mountain regions, their local economies and communities, and for providing some guidance about what are the preferred actions for participation in multifunctional SFM.

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Notes

  1. According to Hirsch et al. (2007), in Europe as a whole, about 7% of private forests by area could be considered as SSF.

  2. For example, in Central Europe employment in the forestry sector dropped by 4.5% annually during 1990–2000 and by 3.6% annually during 2000–2005 (MCPFE 2007).

  3. Serageldin and Grootaert (2000) build this description from the definitions by Putman (1995), who analysed horizontal associations among people, including networks of civic engagement and social norms, and by Coleman (1988), whose broader concept includes not only social structures and norms of governing, but also interpersonal behaviours.

  4. Empirical evidence has been provided, for example, by Brehm and Rahn (1997).

  5. Lin (2000b) described the weaker cooperation across different ethnic groups in Latin America.

  6. This could undermine the effectiveness of even the most carefully conceived development strategies and management plans (Caroll 2001).

  7. Investment in infrastructure in these areas tends to be costly because of their terrain and remoteness and these costs are significantly higher than available municipal budgets.

  8. Recently, in some areas of the park—especially in those with high biodiversity and aesthetic values—there has been an expansion in tourism resulting in income generation for the local population.

  9. A seasonal employee is not registered, and thus neither pays taxes, no contributes to pension, health and employment insurance. He or she could still be registered as unemployed or could remain not registered in either of the systems.

  10. In this research we focused on two major groups Roma and non-Romas. By the term non-Roma population we refer to different nationalities including Slovaks, Czechs, Polish, and Ukrainian. In the case study, non-Roma stakeholders included mayors, council members, SSF owners, local business owners and civil society members.

  11. The authors of the paper, especially Livia Bizikova, were directly involved in conducting the interviews and workshops.

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Acknowledgments

The research in this paper was supported by the SPECTRA + Centre of Excellence for the Settlement Infrastructure Development of the Knowledge Based Society (no. 26240120002) from the Research and Development Operational Program funded by the ERDF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), 75 Albert str., Suit 903, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5E7, Canada

    Livia Bizikova

  2. The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK

    Maria Nijnik

  3. Centre for Transdisciplinary Studies of Institutions, Evolution and Policies CETIP, Institute for Forecasting, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Sancova 56, 811 05, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Tatiana Kluvanková-Oravská

Authors
  1. Livia Bizikova
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  2. Maria Nijnik
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  3. Tatiana Kluvanková-Oravská
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Correspondence to Livia Bizikova.

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Bizikova, L., Nijnik, M. & Kluvanková-Oravská, T. Sustaining Multifunctional Forestry Through the Developing of Social Capital and Promoting Participation: A Case of Multiethnic Mountain Communities. Small-scale Forestry 11, 301–319 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-011-9185-8

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