Checklist of the “Forest policy” course

Module “Introduction”

  • Definition of mountain: which problems? Criteria?
  • Discuss the relationship between mountain, forests and people
  • Common features of mountain areas (in general)
  • The 4 hot issues: life, water, degradation, poverty and hunger
  • Common features of European mountain
  • Discuss the dualistic development of European mountains
  • Which are the constituents of well being?The classification of ecosystem services in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
  • The 3 crises
  • Which are the ongoing structural changes affecting the mountain forest economy?
  • Market and policy failures: examples
  • The role of technology in solving mountain problems
  • Recent population dynamics in the Alpine area. Who are the new comers?

Module “Basics of policy”

  • The component of the policy decision making process
  • Describe the context
  • Describe the issue(s); what’s a hidden issue?

-Relations among issues, interests, individual values, social values; definition of social capital; bonding, bridging and linking social capital

  • Describe the stakeholders; direct vs. indirect stakeholders; internal vs. external stakeholders; definition of institution
  • What’s the role of coalitions, advocacy groups and lobbyists
  • The political process: describe the key elements of the political process; participation: different types
  • Describe the instruments of policy
  • Plan and Programs: how they differ?
  • The problem of the time span
  • Elements that characterize the new scenario in managing mountain policies
  • Definition of government, governance: “new” governance, “good” governance and related criteria
  • Which is the meaning of horizontal and vertical subsidiarity?
  • Policies coordination: how many types?
  • The 5 instruments of coordination
  • The new role of civil society in the political process: the 3 distinct ways to recognize the role of civil society and for setting agendas

Module “Stakeholders: who is who?”

Describe the structure and activities of the following institutions (main institutions):

  • United Nations network (FAO and ECE)
  • International institutions working specifically for the mountain areas
  • European Union
  • Other international organizations (MCPFE)
  • R&D organizations (EFI)
  • Institutions representing the industrial sector
  • ENGOs
  • Other non governmental institutions

Modules “Sectoral policies affecting the mountain environment”

Forest Policies

•Describe the main steps in the development of the EU forest policy

•Describe the contents of the EU Forest Strategy approved in 2005

•Describe the contents of the EU Forest Action Plan approved in 2006

•How can the EU Strategy develop in the future?

•Which are the motivations for having a EU forest policy?

CAP-RDP

  • Describe the role of forest measures in the 3 planning periods
  • Main contents of the first planning period?
  • Main contents of Agenda 2000?
  • Main contents of the planning period 1992-99?
  • Main contents of the planning period 2000-06?
  • RDP 2007-13: main contents

-Definition of decoupling

-Definition of direct payments

-Definition of single payment scheme

-Definition of cross compliance

-Forest measures in RDP 2007-13

  • The future of the CAP-RDP: the new (still provisional) decisions
  • Which are the open questions for the mountain and forest areas related to CAP-RP reform?

Climate policy

  • Describe the process from Rio to the KP
  • The main strategies to fight climate changes
  • The main measures related to the forest sector in climate change mitigation
  • Contents of art. 3.3 of the KP and related problems of implementation
  • Contents of art. 3.4 of the KP and related problems of implementation
  • What are the flexible mechanisms?
  • What are the CERs, ERUs EUAs and VERs?
  • What is the average price of 1 EUA? of 1 VER?
  • Can forest owners claim credits for carbon sequestration?
  • How the ETS is working?
  • Why the EC did not include forestry and agriculture in ETS?
  • Describe the main criticisms to include Carbon sink projects in market based mechanisms
  • Describe the problems of non-permanence
  • Describe the problems of baseline and C sinks monitoring and verification
  • Describe the problems of leakage
  • Describe the problems of additionality
  • How transactions in the voluntary market are organized?
  • Examples of C offset voluntary projects
  • What’s the utility/use of Voluntary Carbon Standards

Trade policy

•General feature of the problem of deforestation, illegality and trade

•Causes, driving forces, definition of illegality; impacts (conflict timber)

•Development of initiatives on IL

•FLEGT: describe the process

•Suggested elements of EU-FLEGT VPAs

•Which are the open questions in FLEGT implementation?

•ENA-FLEG: describe the process

•MCPFE: describe the process

•G8-G7: describe the process

•Most common general instruments in the control of illegal wood

Only for the FES-MEDfOR students

Energy policy

•Describe the 2020 targets of the EC RES policy

•Which is the role of the agriculture and forest sectors in the EC RES policy?

•The role of biomass in the EU and Italy primary energy balance

•Which biomass consumption (demand) typologies can be defined?

•Describe the contents of the Italian NAP?

•Which are the problems related to the role of solid biomass in the Italian NAP?

•Describe the macro-economic aspects of the wood-energy market

•Describe the micro-economic aspects of the wood-energy market

•Which are the main problems and conflicts in developing wood biomass as a RES?

Mediterranean forest policy

•Describe the Mediterranean institutions involved in forest matters

•Describe the forest resources-population dynamic

•Characteristics of wood production in Med regions

•The role of NWFPs in rural economy; the Huma conceptual model; NWFPs as specialized productions

•The role of Environmental services: values and dynamics; role of PES

•Employment trends in forestry

•General remarks on the contradiction and paradoxes of Med forest governance

Only for the FES students

Module Italy: the mountain policy context

Define the 4 structural aspects to define the main policy context:

  • Forest = mountain; describe the issue
  • Local and small owners; which impacts?
  • Expansion of forest cover; describe the issue
  • Active management decreasing; positive and negative impacts

Define the 4 policy issues:

  • Rethinking the relation between public administration and civil society

- Some examples of the role of the State in controlling the sector

  • Re-thinking decentralisation/devolution policies:

- Why a problem in linking the international context to the local one?

  • New markets  new instruments of forest policy
  • Contrasting the shift of policy focus from mountain to plain areas

Module Italian stakeholders: who is who?

  • Central authorities: old and ongoing frame (simplification process)
  • Ministries and other administrative structures
  • R&D institutions
  • Other public institutions
  • Institutions representing the production sector
  • ENGOs
  • Other institutions from the civil society
  • Sub-nationals institutions
  • Regions and Autonomous Provinces
  • Research organizations
  • Other public organizations
  • Other private organizations