The science/policy interface in logic-based evaluation of forest ecosystem sustainability

Abstract Numerous efforts around the world are underway to apply the Montreal criteria and indicators to assess the sustainability of temperate and boreal forests. In this paper, we describe a logic-based system for evaluating the sustainability of forests at regional and national levels. We believe that such a system can make evaluation of sustainability more consistent and transparent. This effort also makes two points abundantly clear: (1) a systematic way to organize expert judgment about ecological, economic, social and institutional relationships (here, using ‘fuzzy logic’) is crucial to building such a system and (2) that the structure of this logic-based system reflects a policy framework and a series of decisions about values and what is meant by ‘sustainability’.

[1]  R. J. Raison,et al.  Application of criteria and indicators to support sustainable forest management: some key issues. , 2001 .

[2]  H. M. Steven,et al.  Forest Management , 2020, Nature.

[3]  Sharachchandra Lele,et al.  Sustainability and the Scientist's Burden , 1996 .

[4]  Lotfi A. Zadeh,et al.  The concept of a linguistic variable and its application to approximate reasoning-III , 1975, Inf. Sci..

[5]  J. W. Thomas,et al.  Forest ecosystem management : an ecological, economic, and social assessment. Report of the forest ecosystem management assessment team , 1993 .

[6]  Alan Brown,et al.  Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management , 2001 .

[7]  Cifor C I Team.  The CIFOR criteria and indicators generic template , 1999 .

[8]  D. Bryant,et al.  Environmental indicators : a systematic approach to measuring and reporting on environmental policy performance in the context of sustainable development , 1995 .

[9]  Ravi Prabhu,et al.  Guidelines for developing, testing and selecting criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management: a C & I developer's reference , 1999 .

[10]  K. Johnson,et al.  Bioregional assessments : science at the crossroads of management and policy , 1999 .

[11]  Ravi Prabhu,et al.  Between voodoo science and adaptive management: the role and research needs for indicators of sustainable forest management , 2001 .

[12]  J. Woelfer,et al.  Assessing people’s perceptions of forests in Danau Sentarum Wildlife reserve , 1996 .

[13]  G. Aplet,et al.  Defining sustainable forestry , 1993 .

[14]  B. Ritchie,et al.  CIMAT (criteria and indicators modification and adaptation tool) version 2: criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management , 2000 .

[15]  Lotfi A. Zadeh,et al.  The Concepts of a Linguistic Variable and its Application to Approximate Reasoning , 1975 .