The role of voluntary certification in promoting sustainable natural resource use in transitional economies
Failid
Kuupäev
2012-05-15
Autorid
Ajakirja pealkiri
Ajakirja ISSN
Köite pealkiri
Kirjastaja
Abstrakt
Doktoritöö uurib vabatahtliku sertifitseerimise rolli ja mõjusid Ida-Euroopa üleminekutingimustes. Uurimus tugineb suurel määral juhtumiuuringule Eestis, kus möödunud 20 aasta jooksul on toimunud üleminek nn nõukogude plaanimajanduslikult majandusmudelilt kapitalistlikule turumajandusele. Tulemuste laiendamiseks Ida-Euroopale, uuriti FSC sertifitseerimisauditite käigus selle piirkonna metsamajandajatele kehtestatud parandusnõudeid. Üleminekumajanduse tingimuste välja selgitamiseks ja üldistuste tegemiseks on sertifitseerimise mõju Ida-Euroopas võrreldud Lääne-Euroopaga. Töös väidetakse, et sertifitseerimine täiendab edukalt avaliku sektori püüdlusi reguleerida metsaressursi jätkusuutlikku kasutust üleminekumajanduse tingimustes, kus valitsuse suutlikkus ühiskaupade kasutuse edukaks reguleerimiseks on piiratud.
Peale Eesti iseseisvumist 1991, toimusid mitmed olulised muudatused. Omandireformi ja mitmete poliitiliste reformide samaaegne käivitamine tõi kaasa üldise poliitilise ja seadusandliku vaakumi ning vähenes valitsuse võimekus seaduste täitmist jõustada. Metsasektoris tõi see kaasa raiemahtude mitmekordse kasvu ja ebaseaduslike tegevuste levimise, mis omakorda mõjus negatiivselt Eesti metsanduse ja puidutööstuse mainele. Nendes tingimustes tekkis valitsusvälistel keskkonnaorganisatsioonidel ja tööstusel ühine huvi võtta kasutusele alternatiivseid metsaressursi kasutust suunavaid vahendeid, mis aitaksid parandada Eesti metsanduse toimimist ning mainet. Alates aastast 1998 hakati välja töötama Eestile sobilikku säästva metsanduse standardit ning aastal 2000 väljastati esimene FSC sertifikaat erametsaomanikule Lembit Laks. Aastal 2002 omandas FSC sertifikaadi kolm aastat varem moodustatud riigitulundusasutus RMK.
Analoogilised protsessid toimusid ka mitmetes teistes Ida-Euroopa riikides, ning 21 sajandi alguses omandasid paljud (valdavalt avaliku sektori) metsamajandajad FSC sertifikaadi. Töö tulemused Eestis ja Ida-Euroopas näitavad, et sertifitseerimise käigus on nõutud mitmeid olulisi praktilisi muudatusi, mille järgimine aitab otseselt kaasa säästva metsamajandamise rakendamisele. Sertimisel on olnud positiivne mõju näiteks kemikaalide kasutuse vähendamisel, keskkonnariskide maandamisel, kaitsealade ja kaitsealuste liikide kaitsel, bioloogilist mitmekesisust soodustavate elementide kaitsel ja säilitamisel, läbipaistvamal suhtlusel huvigruppidega ja töötajate tööohutusnõuete rakendamisel. Eestis kaasati metsanduslikku diskussiooni uusi huvigruppe juba säästvat metsandust defineeriva standardi koostamise etapis, mille käigus tekkis mitmeid uudseid ideid, mis leidsid rakendamist ka praktikas. Samas ei ole sertifitseerimine Eestis mõjutanud näiteks lageraiete osakaalu ega raiete intensiivsust. Lisaks ei rakendatud sertimist laialdaselt erametsades, kus vajadus positiivsete muudatuste järele oli üleminekutingimustes suurim. Raiemahtude vähenemise ja säästlikuma metsakasutuse erametsades tõid kaasa eelkõige valitsuse poolt tehtud muudatused metsaseaduses ja selle rangem jõustamine, mis sai alguse aastal 2004.
Töö tulemused annavad alust väita, et vabatahtlik sertifitseerimine on oluline täiendav võimalus soodustada jätkusuutlikku loodusressursside kasutust üleminekutingimustes, kus avaliku sektori võimekus ressursikasutust kontrollida ja suunata on piiratud. Samas on ka sertifitseerimise enda suutlikkus piiratud. Vabatahtliku iseloomu tõttu on sertifitseerimise kasutuselevõtt vähene väiksema vastutustundega majandajate seas.
The thesis examines the role and impacts of voluntary certification in East-European transitional economies. The study relies largely on the case study of Estonia, a post-Soviet country which regained independence in 1991. The thesis claims that voluntary certification functions as an effective complementary non-governmental tool to support implementation of sustainable forest management in transitional economies where governments are struggling to effectively guide sustainable usage of forest resources. After regaining independence in 1991, Estonia was launched into an era of fast “capitalization” and neo-liberal policy making, which left the natural resources less protected. Forest properties were restituted; however the fresh owners often had no forestry experience. Economic depression in combination with weakly enforced liberal legislation led to unsustainable and largely illegal use of forest resources. The problems were voiced by environmental stakeholders and the reputation of the Estonian forest sector was damaged, harming also the growing timber industry and manager of Estonian state forests – RMK. As a result, these stakeholder groups started to seek options for non-state methods to rehabilitate Estonian forestry. A possible solution was seen in certification and since 1998 several key stakeholders engaged in setting the sustainable forest certification standard. In 2000 the first FSC forest certificate was issued to private forest owner Lembit Laks and in 2002, an FSC certificate was awarded to RMK, managing almost 1 million hectares of Estonian state forests. Generally similar processes occurred in several other East-European countries. As the governments were transitioning into a new economy with varying speed, managers of (mainly public) forests adopted voluntary certification rapidly during the early 21st century. Results from analyzing the changes required from forest managers across East-Europe show that certification has had several positive impacts. The reputation and environmental awareness of certified managers has improved. The protection of biodiversity and ecological functions improved and there has been increased attention towards safety of forest workers. Other aspects however have remained unchanged, such as the extensive usage of clear-cuts. Also certification has been only marginally adopted among the private forest owners, where the problems related to unsustainability were generally largest. In Estonia the situation in the private forests did not improve until stricter legislation was developed and enforced from 2004 onwards. Certification thus has limitations and a combination of state and non-state regulatory methods has been most successful. This study claims that certification is a useful complementary tool to aid in sustainable forest management enforcement, especially in conditions where the government’s ability is limited, such as in transitional economies. However, it cannot replace the state functions, since certification is adopted first by more responsible forest managers and is less likely to be adopted by unsustainable forestry operations.
The thesis examines the role and impacts of voluntary certification in East-European transitional economies. The study relies largely on the case study of Estonia, a post-Soviet country which regained independence in 1991. The thesis claims that voluntary certification functions as an effective complementary non-governmental tool to support implementation of sustainable forest management in transitional economies where governments are struggling to effectively guide sustainable usage of forest resources. After regaining independence in 1991, Estonia was launched into an era of fast “capitalization” and neo-liberal policy making, which left the natural resources less protected. Forest properties were restituted; however the fresh owners often had no forestry experience. Economic depression in combination with weakly enforced liberal legislation led to unsustainable and largely illegal use of forest resources. The problems were voiced by environmental stakeholders and the reputation of the Estonian forest sector was damaged, harming also the growing timber industry and manager of Estonian state forests – RMK. As a result, these stakeholder groups started to seek options for non-state methods to rehabilitate Estonian forestry. A possible solution was seen in certification and since 1998 several key stakeholders engaged in setting the sustainable forest certification standard. In 2000 the first FSC forest certificate was issued to private forest owner Lembit Laks and in 2002, an FSC certificate was awarded to RMK, managing almost 1 million hectares of Estonian state forests. Generally similar processes occurred in several other East-European countries. As the governments were transitioning into a new economy with varying speed, managers of (mainly public) forests adopted voluntary certification rapidly during the early 21st century. Results from analyzing the changes required from forest managers across East-Europe show that certification has had several positive impacts. The reputation and environmental awareness of certified managers has improved. The protection of biodiversity and ecological functions improved and there has been increased attention towards safety of forest workers. Other aspects however have remained unchanged, such as the extensive usage of clear-cuts. Also certification has been only marginally adopted among the private forest owners, where the problems related to unsustainability were generally largest. In Estonia the situation in the private forests did not improve until stricter legislation was developed and enforced from 2004 onwards. Certification thus has limitations and a combination of state and non-state regulatory methods has been most successful. This study claims that certification is a useful complementary tool to aid in sustainable forest management enforcement, especially in conditions where the government’s ability is limited, such as in transitional economies. However, it cannot replace the state functions, since certification is adopted first by more responsible forest managers and is less likely to be adopted by unsustainable forestry operations.
Kirjeldus
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Märksõnad
metsamajandus, metsapoliitika, metsad, sertifitseerimine, Eesti, forestry, forest politics, forests, certification, Estonia