Nationale Forstprogramme: Internationaler Kontext, erste europäische Erfahrungen und Lehren für die Schweiz | National forest programmes: Context and first experiences in Europe and lessons for Switzerland

Since UNCED 1992, national forest programmes(NFP) have served as a strategy to formulate and implement forest policies aiming at sustainable forest management. At the international policy level, the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests and the United Nations Forum on Forests have issued a set of proposals for action. A number of countries have started to plan and implement national forest programmes. However, precisely what NFPs are, and what their impact might be, is not entirely clear. This article gives an overview of the international forest policy debate and discusses first experiences made with NFPs in European countries. Against this background the article reflects on the lessons learnt and discusses the prospects for an NFP in Switzerland.