Plädoyer für die Rückbesinnung auf den Kern der Nachhaltigkeit (Essay)

We must return to the core principles of sustainability (essay) Three hundred years ago, Hans Carl von Carlowitz, building on earlier work, made a major new contribution to the definition of sustainable forest management. Since the 1970s, it has been generally acknowledged that our planet is dependent on limited resources: many observers have acknowledged parallels with forestry. The concept of sustainable development has been discussed for 25 years, based on the notion of three dimensions or pillars of equal importance: “economic”, “ecological” and “social”. However, Nature is not a “pillar”, but rather the foundation of all human activity. To survive, we must put Nature to good use. With a growing human population and sharper global competition between different land-uses, high priority must be given to the use of our own domestic resources, in particular Swiss wood.