Who owns European Forests?

The Seminar on the Forest Ownership in the UNECE Region: trends – opportunities – challenges

14 December 2018, European Forestry House, Rue du Luxembourg 66, Brussels

While forest ownership may appear to be a relatively straightforward concept, it is quite complex, entailing different rights, responsibilities, organizational procedures and understandings that vary considerably depending on country and context. These differences, in turn, profoundly affect the way forests are managed and thereby the benefits that can be derived from them.

To understand how ownership is changing and the implications for management and policy, UNECE and FAO, in cooperation with the COST Action FACESMAP as well as EUSTAFOR and FECOF, developed a study “State of Forest Ownership in the UNECE Region”, based in large part on a survey of national data and expert opinions.

At the event, authors of the study presented analyses on forests, forest policies and forest management under different ownership. The presentation of the main results of the study, including the launch of the thematic inter-active database, set the scene for discussions on the status, trends, opportunities and challenges, with the representatives of European Institutions, representatives of forest owner organizations and the Brussels-based stakeholders.