governance and forest law enforcement – experiences and ......illegal logging is actually no...

/ 20.11.2012 / Austria

Governance and forest law enforcement –experiences and lessons learned in AustriaBudapest, 20. November 2012

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Content

• Forests and forestry in Austria

− State of Austrian forests (short overview) − SFM in Austria− Legal and institutional framework− Legal and institutional framework

• What‘s needed to avoid illegal logging

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Austrian Forests – Forest Area

hectare+ 300.000 ha

FOREST COVER IN PERCENT

available for wood supply

84%

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Austrian Forests – Growing Stock

337 m³/ha

Million m³ over bark

241 m³/ha

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Austrian Forests – Tree species

SpruceSpruce~ 50 %

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Austrian Forests – Ownership Structure

Private forests < 200 haPrivate forests > 200 ha and community forestsAustrian Federal ForestsOther publicly owned forests

49 32 15 4

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

in % of total forest area

81 % PRIVATE 19 % PUBLIC

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SFM in Austria – Multifunctionality

Production

Protection… the basic principle:

All forests should cover all functions.

Recreation

Environment

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Protective FunctionsAustria is an alpine country. Stable forest are essential to protect life and infrastructure against soil erosion, floods, avalanches, land slides etc.

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Environmental Functions (e.g. Biodiversity)In Austria about 659.000 hectare forests are part of protected areas according to different categories of nature protection laws.

EU Programme Natura 2000

43% of the Austrian Natura 2000-areas are forests.areas are forests.

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Recreational FunctionsTourism is one of the most important economic sectors in Austria. Forests provide scenic beauty and important services.

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Productive FunctionsTimber is the most important forest product. Its sustainable production has a long tradition.

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Productive Function – Increment and Felling

1986-1996 1992-2002 2000-2009

Annual incrementAnnual increment

(mio. m³ over bark)27,3 31,3 30,4

Annual felling

(mio. m³ over bark) 19,5 18,8 25,9

Utilisation rate 71 % 60 % 85 %Source: BFW, National Forest Inventory

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Productive Function – Removals

21,8

16,7

17,8

15

20

25

in m

illion

m³

of ti

mbe

r ha

rves

ted,

und

er b

ark

10 y-Ø 18,0

storm Kyrill

storms Emma & Paula

18,7

Source: Holzeinschlagsmeldung, Lebensministerium

12,2

13,5

0

5

10

15

in m

illion

m³

of ti

mbe

r ha

rves

ted,

und

er b

ark

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Austrian Forests – Increment and Felling

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Productive Function – Timber: Big Business

TIMBER: A strong export factor

Timber and paper products generated in products generated in 2011 a trade surplus of € 3,84 billion.

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Legal Framework (1)

Austrian Forest Law• In the past:

− A number of forest regulations− First comprehensive forest law in 1852: established tenure rights, − First comprehensive forest law in 1852: established tenure rights,

introduced obligation to manage forest sustainable• Currently:

− Austrian Forest Act of 1975 (amended several times)− Applies to both private and public forests− Principles: Sustainability and multifunctionality− Defines SFM in accordance with FE provisions as an approach for

securing the long-term economic, environmental and social dimensions of forest comprehensively and in a balanced manner.

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Legal Framework (2)

Austrian Forest Act (1975)• Specific and quite detailed management regulations:

− Conservation of forests (prohibition of clearing, obligatory reforestation)reforestation)

− Size of clear cuts limited− Prohibition of final cutting of immature forests <60 years− Further restrictions for protection forests− Forest holdings >1000 ha have to employ certified forest

professionals− But hardly any needs for paperwork: no cutting permission for

normal logging required

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Legal Framework (3)

Austrian Forest Act (1975)• Tasks of the Authorities:

− Forest supervision− Reporting− Reporting− Advise forest owners− Co-operate in forestry subsidisation− Annual assessment of timber harvest− Forest-related education (forest pedagogics)

• Sanctions

Illegal logging is actually no problem in Austria. Only very few cases of illegal logging are reported in the annual statistics.

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Legal Framework (4)

• Taxes (income and other taxes)

− Based mainly on soil productivity− Flat rate system for small holdings: Income tax is based only on

soil productivity, not on actual logging.− Most of the forest owners are not obliged to keep books.− Forest holdings with turnover >400.000 Euro or basic value

>150.000 Euro: mandatory accounting• Subsidies

− based mainly on rural development policy (EU programme)− allocation by forest authorities and chambers of agriculture− at the time about € 25 Mio/y (without forestry measures in

protection forests)

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Institutional Framework

Forest Authority at provincial level (9)

Local Headquarters (~200) + ~ 300 rangers in Tirol and Vorarlberg

Provincial Departments (7)

Regional Headquarters (27)

Erosion, Torrents and Avalanche Control Service

Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and WaterManagementDepartment IV Forestry

Austrian Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests (BFW)

Forest Training Centers (FAST)Ort and Ossiach

Forest Authority at district level (74)

FOREST

Technical Forestry High School Bruck/Mur Technical Forestry School Waidhofen/Ybbs

mandatory

voluntary

Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry

Chambers of Agriculture at provincial level (9), Forestry department

Chambers of Agriculture at district level

Austrian Federation of Forest Owners‘

Forest Owners’ Associations at provincial level

for Forests (BFW) Ort and Ossiach

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU)

OWNERS

Austrian Forest Owner Cooperative (Österreichischer Waldverband)

8 provincial associations

257 local forest owner cooperatives

55.310 forest owners (867.000 ha)

R E P R E S E N T A T I O N O F I N T E R E S T S

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What‘s needed to avoid illegal logging

1) A solid and balanced legal framework

2) A functioning institutional framework

3) A good knowledge base

4) Forest owners’ individual motivation to SFM

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What‘s needed to avoid illegal logging (1)

A solid and balanced legal framework• A clear and stable property law to ensure long-term land tenure

− incl. inheritance law and inheritance taxes ensuring a smooth handover of forest holdings to the next generation without handover of forest holdings to the next generation without endangering economic viability

• Forest Act relevant to practice and understandable

− without excessive administrative effort− without hampering entrepreneurship of forest owners

• Tax system without incentives for evasion of taxes

− e.g. through income taxes based on soil productivity rather than on actual logging

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A functioning institutional framework• Effective (forest) authorities

− Ensuring law enforcement− Providing extension service (advisory service) and granting − Providing extension service (advisory service) and granting

subsidies facilitates getting in touch with forest owners• Strong interest groups (chambers and voluntary interest groups)

− Lobbying for practicable legislation & sufficient budgetary resources− Providing extension service for their members

• An efficient instrument for balancing the different interests on forests

− National Forest Programme (Austrian Forest Dialogue)

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A good knowledge base• Education and further training

− incl. knowledge about forestry relevant law• Research• Research

− to be able to recognize changes and adapt adequately and early enough the (legal) framework

− to improve efficiency and ensure economic viability• Monitoring (e.g. National Forest Inventory) and reporting

− to evaluate implementation of forest relevant law− in case of undesirable developments: to adapt the (legal)

framework

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Forest owners’ individual motivation to manage their forest in a sustainable (and legal) way• Possibility to get income from forestry (economic viability)!!

• Family property and a long SFM tradition• Family property and a long SFM tradition

− SFM is self-evident for forest owners in Austria.− In Austria forest owners try to hand over their forests to the next

generation in the best possible condition.• Confidence in stability of the legal and economic framework

− long-term investments require stable/predictable conditions− in case of accession to an estate the inheritance tax should not

endanger economic viability of a forest holding

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Thank you for your attention!

Johannes HanglerFederal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water ManagementDivision IV/1 – Forest Policy and Forest Information1030 Vienna, Marxergasse 2E-Mail: [email protected]: [email protected]

governance and forest law enforcement – experiences and ......illegal logging is actually no...

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