Forest Policies in a Changing International Context

Abstract

National forest policies all over the world are increasingly influenced by the global context, international commitments and market trends. Portugal is no exception and, especially after Portugal's integration in the European Union, national forest policies are strongly associated with European policies mainly related to the international treaties and conventions. These commitments include those related to environment matters, such as climate change, renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, desertification, but also those related to other aspects as combating illegal timber logging and trading. The EU Forest Strategy tries to respond to these various issues by promoting sustainable forest management, and the National Forest Strategy of 2006 also deals with the various components of the forest sector aiming at maximizing the total economic value of the forests. Recent trends and perspectives of the international markets and their possible consequences in the Portuguese forest sector are analysed.