Present opportunities for sustainable and multifunctional forest management for the development of rural areas

Bill Slee - The James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen, Scotland

The principles of sustainability and multifunctionality underpin forest policy in Europe. Other principles such as the ecosystem services approach are increasingly used to explore sustainable natural resource management under conditions of multifunctionality. The enhanced contribution of European forests to rural development will come more from innovation in response to the current need to decarbonise economic activity and wider innovation than the formal application of any of these principles. This paper reviews the organising concepts of sustainability and multifunctionality and points out some critical issues in the delivery of enhanced opportunity, recognising the need for enhanced innovation to support the necessary transition to a low carbon economy and thereby better support rural development.