Der Wald und die Zukunft der Nachhaltigkeitspolitik (Essay)

The forest and the future of sustainability policies (essay) In accordance with the “Rio +20” conference in June, future policies for sustainability will be characterised by the necessary transformation of our economic system into a “green economy”, and the reinforcement of the institutional framework for sustainable development. Forests and forestry policy fit into these priorities extremely well. An increased but sustainable use of wood in order to achieve ecological and economic aims lies directly on target for a green economy. The ban on clearances or the associated reforestation policies are pioneering institutional measures in forestry policy, and these should be applied to other resources. Swiss sustainability policy for the next few years has been defined by the Federal Council in the document “Strategy for sustainable development 2012–2015”. This goes in the direction of the efforts named above, but does not make any statement concerning implementation plans in the realm of forestry. Rather it is the responsibility of forestry policy to put into effect the general strategy as presented.