Publication

Journal	Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen
Volume (Issue)	171(1)
Page(s)	3 - 10
Title of proceedings	Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen
DOI	10.3188/szf.2020.0003

Regulations in the forest sector in transition: danger prevention, multifunctionality and coordinationSince the enactment of the first federal forest law in 1876, the Federal Act on the Supervision of the Forest Police in High Mountain Regions, regulations in the forest have changed considerably. The prevention of hazards moved into the background, while the promotion of forest management, biodiversity and improved economic structures gained in importance. This article traces these developments from a political-economic perspective and analyses why conflicts and implementation problems have increased. In the beginning, regulation was largely limited to the definition of the objectives. How the objectives were to be achieved was delegated to the territorially organised enforcement structure, the Forest Service. Until about the 1980s, the forest community was able to distinguish itself from neighbouring sectors and also defend the forest sector against explicit management regulations. Since the 1980s – as a result of increasing pressure on natural resources – there have been a constantly intensifying need for coordination and an increasing density of regulation. Due to the many and varied demands, a reduction in the regulatory density in the forest sector is unlikely. In order to give forest owners more freedom, regulations, for example in the field of biodiversity, could be more impact oriented rather than measure oriented. Furthermore, efforts should also be made to design regulations in such a way as to create markets in which forest owners can offer products or services. If the legal conditions are met, the coordination of compensations for clearances and of biodiversity offsetting compensations according to article 18 (1ter) of the Nature and Cultural Heritage Act could support the formation of a compensation market. However, the effectiveness of such regulations continues to depend on a sufficient capacity for implementation and monitoring.