Global Forest Governance

Legal Concepts and Policy Trends

Rowena Maguire, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

This book identifies the fundamental legal principles and the governance requirements of sustainable forest management. An analytical model for assessing forest regulation is created which identifies the doctrinal concepts that underpin forest regulation (justice, property, sovereignty and governance). It also highlights the dominant public international institutions involved in forest regulation (UNFF, UNFCCC and WB) which is followed by analysis of non-state international forest regulation (forest certification and ecosystem markets). The book concludes by making a number of practical recommendations for reform of global forest governance arrangements and suggested reforms for individual international forest institutions.

‘Global Forest Governance is an exhaustively researched, in-depth presentation of the legal underpinnings and governmental requirements for sustainable management of forests. . . In the modern era of climate change, Global Forest Governance is extremely timely, relevant, and valuable for its wealth of information about the value of preserving forests in spite of economic and legal obstacles, as well as the role of national governments to step in and preserve forests when most of the benefits for doing so are classified as positive externalities. Highly recommended, especially for college library collections, environmentalists, professionals in forestry management, or as a reference for legal experts fielding environmental matters.’
– The Midwest Book Review

‘Forests are important for their own values as ecosystems and for their contributions to the welfare of humankind. Dr Rowena Maguire’s book is a significant contribution to our understanding of the extent to which forests can be and indeed are, managed sustainably. It brings together clearly and authoritatively the doctrinal concepts supporting sustainable forest governance from rights of sovereignty and property through public and private sector regulatory mechanisms to the increasing use of market arrangements. This detailed analysis is set, among others, in the context of climate change. It is an impressive and substantial contribution to what has so far been a relatively limited literature on how an important natural resource is managed.’
– Douglas Fisher, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

‘Sustainable forest management is an attractive concept used in this book to frame the interdisciplinary and contextualised study of the role of a range of actors, institutions and regimes which contribute to regulating the use of forests around the world. This book effectively provides an important, broad and legal critique and assessment of transnational trends, structures and innovations currently in use for managing forests. Its conclusions provide wide ranging insights that not only clarify and critique the potential of existing strategies and trends for legally managing forests but for governance of cosystems more generally as humanity gradually acknowledges its role in the anthropocene.’
– Afshin Akhtarkhavari, Griffith University, Australia