Determination of the Support Level of Local Organizations in a Model Forest Initiative: Do Local Stakeholders Have Willingness to Be Involved in the Model Forest Development?

Abstract

Abstract:Voluntary cooperation and the support of stakeholders carry a major importance in the development of Model Forests. The identification of the support level of local organizations as stakeholders in the Bucak Model Forest initiative, located in the Mediterranean region of Turkey, constitutes the theme of this study. Within this scope, the views of the stakeholders comprising local government units (LGUs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), village councils (VCs), professional organizations (POs) and forest products enterprises (FPEs) located in the district of Bucak were collected by utilizing a survey technique. The data were analysed by using non-parametric statistical analyses due to the absence of a normal distribution. The results show that the information provided about the Model Forest concept to the stakeholders located in the district on the Bucak Model Forest initiative was identified as a factor impacting the support level. Moreover, it was also observed that the stakeholders were more willing to provide advisory support rather than financial support. NGOs and VCs were identified as stakeholders who could not provide financial support due to their restricted budgets. We discuss the benefits for a OPEN ACCESS Sustainability 2014, 6 7182Model Forest initiative of establishing international cooperation to strengthen the local and regional sustainable development process.

Burdur Yöresi Erozyon Kontrolü Hizmetlerinin Ekonomik Değerinin ve Toplumun Ödeme Eğiliminin Belirlenmesi

“…Topluca "ekosistem işlevleri" olarak adlandırılan bu ürün ve hizmetler, ilk aklımıza gelebilecek gıda, ilaç, kereste hammaddeleri gibi malzemelerin yanı sıra daha az farkında olduğumuz fakat hiç de daha az önemli olmayan, soluduğumuz havanın ve içtiğimiz suyun temini, erozyonun ve sellerin önlenmesi, atıkların çürütülmesi gibi süreçleri de kapsıyor. Bu sebeple, geçmişte ormanların en önemli fonksiyonu olarak odun hammaddesi üretimi gösterilirken, günümüzde yerini ekosistem işlevlerine bırakmıştır [4], [5].…”