ZLV Online

Abstrakt

Public participation in forestry planning stems from the general interest of various stakeholder groups in the use and protection of forests. It is rooted in society’s concern for sustainable forest management and the need to ensure the provision of forest ecosystem services. The aim of the article is to analyze the quality of public and stakeholder participation in selected forestry planning processes. The methodological approach was qualitative, using semi-structured interviews and their thematic analysis where meaningful “themes” that reflect respondents’ experience with the participation process were identified. Using three decision-making processes in forestry planning, the participation process and its perceived quality were evaluated. Public participation in Slovakia is often symbolic and implemented as a one-time information activity rather than a process of open discussion with stakeholders. The quality of participation varies depending on the type of process and the participation methods used but was assessed as insufficient. Respondents expressed the view that broader stakeholder engagement in forestry planning can help reduce conflicts in forest management.