Studies On Public Participation And Broblems In Forest Management Plan Formulation

Public participation in forest management plan formulation can provide guidance for programming decisions, make the plan formulation consistent with the scientific and reasonable development needs, resolve or ease conflicts in past formulation and enhance the quality and practicality of forest management plan formulation.In this study, aiming to such problems as lack of public participation and experience, imperfect participation system, we presented a technological system of public participation in China forest management plan formulation based on the discussion of public participation effects in forest management plan formulation in developed forestry country via analysis of stakeholder conflicts in forest management plan and discussion on results, demonstrated this system in Fuping natural forest management plan formulation, discussed the institutional guarantee and technical support about how to enhance effectiveness of public participation in forest management plan formulation, and at last, analyzed the major problems and countermeasures of public participation in China forest management plan formulation that may be encountered. The main results were as follows.(1) The reason why public participation should be introduced into forest management plan formulation was that many stakeholders were involved in utilization of forest resources companied by many contradiction and conflict because of lack of communication and exchange. Public participation in the foreign forest management plan formulation had relatively perfect system to be embodied in various participants and participation ways, considerably perfect law system and in-depth participation assessment. But in China, there was a little public participation and single participation way in forest management plan formulation because of starting late.(2) Stakeholder analysis was used to study public participation mainly. According to Roscoe Pound’s interest classification criteria, Stakeholders in forest management plan were divided into forest departments, experts, related enterprises and public institutions, and general publics. Forest departments and some experts belonged to decision maker and were main participation body and technique source. Some experts belonged to valuator, were core of assessment and assessed public participation independently. (3) According to stakeholder analysis, the implementation scheme of public participation in forest management plan was determined4procedures in3stages. Three stages meant public participate in each stage of preparatory stage, formulation stage and implementation stage. Four procedures referred to be from analyzing stakeholders, next to determining participation object, then determining participation pattern and last feedback participation information and modifying plan.(4) Different participants should be taken different participation ways in forest management plan formulation. As an initiator, organizer and participant, forest departments should participate in the whole process, from initiation of participation, design of participation ways and contents, organization of participation to information collection of participation. As to general public, questionnaire survey was used, but we should pay attention to effectiveness and understandability of questionnaire design and representativeness of respondents. Questionnaire survey with a combination of symposium was used for related enterprise and public institution and symposium for experts. Symposium can not become formalistic. It was very important to prepare the contents of discussion before symposium.(5) The results of public participation in Foping forest management plan formulation showed that, forestry farmers urgently needed technology services due to extensive decentralized management and lack of participation sense and forestry knowledge. The measures which could effectively remit contradiction between ecological benefit of forest and economic benefits of forest farmers should be presented. Class Ⅱ investigation to forest resources should be carried out. Cultivation of medium-big diameter commercial forest and fungi should be enhanced. Low-efficient forest transformation and young forest management should be speeded. Cultivated area of economic forest in near mountain should be enlarged and characteristic economic forest base should be established.(6) Effectiveness of public participation in forest management plan formulation could be improved through enhancing institutional guarantee and technical support. On the institutional guarantee side, we should improve legal rules about public participation in forest management plan formulation, built information disclosure system, enhance sense of public participation. On the technical support side, we should ensure universality and representative of participation bodies, diversification, convenience and standardization of participation ways and scientificalness and transparency of feedback information.