Report on actors driving FMMs in selected European countries

Based on the RIU Model, forest relevant actors and their networks will be identified and their actions analysed in the case study areas. These role models include private and public actors of the forest sector. The most important actors are forest owners of different types and forestry professionals within the case study areas. Some important actors will represent other sectors (e.g. nature conservation) whose interests in forests have increased. The analysis focuses on actors’ interests and power to act in forest management. The interests of the actors will be empirically investigated primarily by assessing forest use up to the present. Their basis of power is identified by observing the means of coercion, incentives, and dominant information sources. The researchers of UGOE will take the lead and will train field researchers from other countries’ project partners in the method of actor analysis during a joint seminar in Göttingen. Then a joint field survey will be conducted in all case study areas to examine actors, their interests, power and actions.