Is Forest Landscape Restoration Socially Desirable? A Discrete Choice Experiment Applied to the Scandinavian Transboundary Fulufjället National Park Area

• Main Authors: Sviataslau Valasiuk, Mikołaj Czajkowski, Marek Giergiczny, Tomasz Żylicz, Knut Veisten, Askill Harkjerr Halse, Iratxe Landa Mata, Marine Elbakidze, Per Angelstam
• Format: Report
• Language: unknown
• Subjects: Norway; Fennoscandia
• Online Access: https://www.wne.uw.edu.pl/index.php/download_file/3434/

Landscape restoration can improve functionality of land cover patches as green infrastructure, which is essential to ensure the provision of a diverse range of ecosystem services. However, so far designation of protected areas in Fennoscandia has focused primarily on remnant patches of naturally dynamic forests, and not on landscape level restoration. We applied stated preference methodology to assess citizens’ preferences for forest landscape restoration in a cross-border region primarily managed for the industrial forestry, and – at the same time – hosting the transboundary Fulufjället National Park, shared between Sweden and Norway. There is scope for improving green infrastructure functionality by landscape restoration in adjacent forest areas, and including them into the National Park, which aims at gradual restoration of natural processes. In both countries, 54% and 55% choices made, respectively, indicated willingness to pay for extending the National Park by some area of forest landscape restoration. stated preference valuation, passive protection, transboundary nature protected areas, naturally dynamics boreal forests, willingness-to-pay