Vulnerability and resilience of coupled socio-ecological systems in multi-use forests

Project description

Multi-use forests – i.e. forests used for forestry, reindeer herding, tourism, and recreation – are often subject to conflicts over policy aims, land use rights and management. Policy and management systems are often sectorially developed, and do not sufficiently integrate the needs of different land users. Under external challenges, such as climate change, such systems may face increasing problems. This project aims to identify the needs and goals that stakeholders in forestry, reindeer herding, tourism and recreation place on multi-use forests, and especially to identify vulnerable nodes in these socio-ecological systems. The project also aims to identify good examples in terms of resilient, adaptive, nodes in the systems, and ways in which the systems can be made more resilient. Using a interdisciplinary approach, including interviews, stakeholder meetings and literature surveys, the study will develop qualitative narratives as well as models to describe the system and its functioning, especially in light of external forces such as climate change.