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Is forest related decision-making in European treeline areas socially innovative? A Q-methodology enquiry into the perspectives of international experts

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  • Nijnik, Maria
  • Nijnik, Anatoliy
  • Sarkki, Simo
  • Muñoz-Rojas, Jose
  • Miller, David
  • Kopiy, Serhiy

Abstract

Treeline areas provide a range of ecosystem services, but there are diverging views as to how and for whose benefit, these ecosystem services are managed. Applying a Q-method, we explore experts' attitudes towards forest related decision-making and governance in treeline areas to reveal the attitudinal divergences that exist and analyse patterns of shared assumptions forming attitude-related communities. Experiences, trends, opportunities and challenges in European treeline area decision-making are considered. Our results reveal four attitude-related communities, representing four distinctive types of expert attitudes. Findings demonstrate a number of similarities in attitudes among experts indicating, for example, that treeline area decision-making is hardly socially innovative as it tends to happen in a top-down manner. However, some do and others don't see tree-line governance beneficial from an ecological perspective. The attitudinal heterogeneity identified offers insights into treeline decision-making and could, therefore, be useful to public decision-makers in addressing the opinions of each attitudinal group on a case-by-case basis. The general conclusions are that forest related decision-making in treeline areas requires social innovation and a high level of stakeholder competence and capacity-building; and that an improved knowledge of experts' attitudes, together with an emphasis on increased participation in decision-making, could be of help to policy and practice communities in triggering innovative changes locally.

Suggested Citation

  • Nijnik, Maria & Nijnik, Anatoliy & Sarkki, Simo & Muñoz-Rojas, Jose & Miller, David & Kopiy, Serhiy, 2018. "Is forest related decision-making in European treeline areas socially innovative? A Q-methodology enquiry into the perspectives of international experts," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 210-219.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:forpol:v:92:y:2018:i:c:p:210-219
    DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2018.01.001
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    1. Weiss, Gerhard & Hansen, Eric & Ludvig, Alice & Nybakk, Erlend & Toppinen, Anne, 2021. "Innovation governance in the forest sector: Reviewing concepts, trends and gaps," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    2. Adams, Marshall Alhassan & Carodenuto, Sophia, 2023. "Stakeholder perspectives on cocoa’s living income differential and sustainability trade-offs in Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    3. Živojinović, Ivana & Rogelja, Todora & Weiss, Gerhard & Ludvig, Alice & Secco, Laura, 2023. "Institutional structures impeding forest-based social innovation in Serbia and Slovenia," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    4. Louda, Jiří & Dubová, Lenka & Å paÄ ek, Martin & Brnkaľáková, Stanislava & Kluvánková, Tatiana, 2023. "Factors affecting governance innovations for ecosystem services provision: Insights from two self-organized forest communities in Czechia and Slovakia," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    5. Ludvig, Alice & Weiss, Gerhard & Sarkki, Simo & Nijnik, Maria & Živojinović, Ivana, 2018. "Mapping European and forest related policies supporting social innovation for rural settings," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 146-152.
    6. Nijnik, Maria & Secco, Laura & Miller, David & Melnykovych, Mariana, 2019. "Can social innovation make a difference to forest-dependent communities?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 207-213.
    7. Kluvánková, Tatiana & Brnkaľáková, Stanislava & Špaček, Martin & Slee, Bill & Nijnik, Maria & Valero, Diana & Miller, David & Bryce, Rosalind & Kozová, Mária & Polman, Nico & Szabo, Tomáš & Gežík, Ver, 2018. "Understanding social innovation for the well-being of forest-dependent communities: A preliminary theoretical framework," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 163-174.
    8. Nhem, Sareth & Lee, Young Jin, 2019. "Using Q methodology to investigate the views of local experts on the sustainability of community-based forestry in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 1-1.
    9. Maria Nijnik & Tatiana Kluvánková & Mariana Melnykovych & Albert Nijnik & Serhiy Kopiy & Stanislava Brnkaľáková & Simo Sarkki & Leonid Kopiy & Igor Fizyk & Carla Barlagne & David Miller, 2021. "An Institutional Analysis and Reconfiguration Framework for Sustainability Research on Post-Transition Forestry—A Focus on Ukraine," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-21, April.
    10. Ivana Živojinović & Alice Ludvig & Karl Hogl, 2019. "Social Innovation to Sustain Rural Communities: Overcoming Institutional Challenges in Serbia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-27, December.
    11. Loučanová, Erika & Paluš, Hubert & Báliková, Klára & Dzian, Michal & Slašťanova, Nikola & Šálka, Jaroslav, 2020. "Stakeholder's perceptions of the innovation trends in the Slovak forestry and forest based sectors," MPRA Paper 109679, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Weiss, Gerhard & Ludvig, Alice & Živojinović, Ivana, 2020. "Four decades of innovation research in forestry and the forest-based industries – A systematic literature review," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    13. Maria Nijnik & Tatiana Kluvánková & Albert Nijnik & Serhiy Kopiy & Mariana Melnykovych & Simo Sarkki & Carla Barlagne & Stanislava Brnkaláková & Leonid Kopiy & Igor Fizyk & David Miller, 2020. "Is There a Scope for Social Innovation in Ukrainian Forestry?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-19, November.
    14. Ludvig, Alice & Sarkki, Simo & Weiss, Gerhard & Živojinović, Ivana, 2021. "Policy impacts on social innovation in forestry and back: Institutional change as a driver and outcome," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    15. Secco, Laura & Pisani, Elena & Da Re, Riccardo & Rogelja, Todora & Burlando, Catie & Vicentini, Kamini & Pettenella, Davide & Masiero, Mauro & Miller, David & Nijnjk, Maria, 2019. "Towards a method of evaluating social innovation in forest-dependent rural communities: First suggestions from a science-stakeholder collaboration," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 9-22.

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