Skip navigation
Other publication

Forest futures: Linking global paths to local conditions

Eric Kemp-Benedict / Published on 22 October 2014
Citation

Kemp-Benedict, E., W. de Jong and P. Pacheco (2014). Forest futures: Linking global paths to local conditions. Chapter 5 in P. Katila, G. Galloway, W. de Jong, P. Pacheco and G. Mery (eds). Forests Under Pressure: Local Responses to Global Issues. IUFRO World Series vol. 32. International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), Vienna.

Forest & lake

The chapter establishes links between elements of long-term global scenarios and the prerequisite conditions of sustainable forest management (SFM). It uses a component from a new global scenario exercise: the shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs), which are narratives that cover a spectrum of climate change mitigation and adaptation challenges.

The chapter tests how different SSP narratives relate to the prerequisite conditions for SFM through two approaches: 1) by analysing how the prerequisite conditions are represented in the SSP narratives, and 2) by postulating prerequisite condition scenarios and linking those to the SSPs.

Two SSPs that foresee high adaptation challenges foresee deteriorating social cohesion and reduced international cooperation in addressing shared global challenges linked to climate change. The narratives of these two SSPs both suggest several challenges for SFM. The SSP that foresees high mitigation challenges generally suggests positive trends for the prerequisite conditions but also progressive influence of market mechanisms with unpredictable outcomes for environmental management.

A three-tier scenario for the prerequisite conditions and testing them against the SSP narratives suggests a fairly comprehensive alignment but also indicates a marked difference between the two SSPs that foresee adaptation challenge

Download the book or chapter (link to publisher’s website)

SEI author

Eric Kemp-Benedict
Eric Kemp-Benedict

SEI Affiliated Researcher

SEI US

Related centres
SEI Asia