Kf. Herbohn et al., Lessons from small-scale forestry initiatives in Australia: the effective integration of environmental and commercial values, FOREST ECOL, 128(3), 2000, pp. 227-240
Due to growing environmental awareness and increasingly difficult economic
conditions, much small-scale forestry policy is characterised by the often
competing objectives of generating adequate commercial returns on the one h
and, and on the other, achieving of environmental benefits (e.g. reforestat
ion of degraded farm land). Within the current paper we outline the small-s
cale forestry initiatives that have been launched in Australia at the natio
nal, state and regional levels to develop a viable forestry sector that suc
cessfully balances commercial and environmental considerations. The initiat
ives include national reforestation schemes. joint ventures, sharefarming s
chemes, trust arrangements and regional programs supported by federal, stat
e and local governments, From this review, it is evident that all of the in
itiatives - encompassing schemes with solely conservation objectives to tho
se marketed from a purely commercial perspective - result in some environme
ntal benefits (e.g. restoration of degraded land, provision of wildlife hab
itats). However, at this stage a particular program has not emerged from th
e confusing tapestry of often overlapping forestry initiatives in Australia
as the most viable approach to the development and maintenance of multi-us
e forestry, private sector forestry. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rig
hts reserved.