International Forest Governance and Policy: Institutional Architecture and Pathways of Influence in Global Sustainability

Metodi Sotirov, Benno Pokorny, Daniela Kleinschmit and Peter Kanowski
Additional contact information
Metodi Sotirov: Chair of Forest and Environmental Policy, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
Benno Pokorny: Chair of Silviculture, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
Daniela Kleinschmit: Chair of Forest and Environmental Policy, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
Peter Kanowski: Fenner School of Environment & Society, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 17, 1-25

Abstract: This paper reviews the design of the international forest governance and policy, and analyses its impacts in addressing deforestation and forest degradation as global sustainability issues. Informed by literatures on international relations, regulatory governance of global commodity production, and international pathways of domestic influence, key arrangements are aggregated into six types, and mapped in terms of their main aims, instruments, and implementation mechanisms. Key analytical dimensions, such as the actors involved (state–private–mixed), the character of legal authority (legally binding–non-legally binding), and the geopolitical scope (global–transnational) helped to identify the potential and limitations of arrangements. They were assessed and compared in terms of their main pathways of influence such as international hard-law rules, cross-sectoral policy integration, non-legally binding norms and discourses, global market mechanisms, and direct access through capacity building. Our results reveal important challenges in the design and implementation, and in the pathways of influence, of the forest governance arrangements, including major inconsistencies with forest-adverse economic sectors. We conclude about the need for coherent international forest-related policy cooperation and integrative actions in agriculture, bioenergy, and mining to enhance the prospects of achieving the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Keywords: international forest governance; deforestation and forest degradation; forest risk food commodities; legality verification; supply chain initiatives; sustainability certification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/17/7010/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/17/7010/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:7010-:d:405252

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().