Open Knowledge (FSC OK)

Until relatively recently, forest governance across the globe followed a �top down� or hierarchical approach. In this traditional model, policy goals were determined and developed within the confines of the nation state and implemented by state officials invoking a variety of �command and control� policy instruments. However, the limitations of traditional forest governance produced �bottom up� approaches, which emphasized interdependence, collaboration, and policy learning among state and societal organizations. New patterns of interaction, known broadly as �policy networks�, have since led to the development of an array of new institutional arrangements within the forest sector, including international forest deliberations, national forest programmes, forest certification, decentralization, devolution of public rights, and forest self-organization. The causes of the shifts in forest governance are related to the increasing demands from civil society at national and international levels, as well as to the processes of globalization and internationalization. The strength of these shifts, and the reactions to them, differ between industrialized and developing countries, and between countries with low and high forest cover. New governance initiatives often encourage voluntary, self-regulatory, or market mechanisms that raise important issues of accountability and legitimacy. We argue that rather than reducing the role of nation-states, these initiatives create new challenges for them. The main issues for future research are the interaction between state and non-state authority, and the ability of new governance arenas to simultaneously promote democratic governance and address global forest problems.