Globalization of the forest sector: Causes and consequences

Abstract

The successes of the post-industrial development of the world economy largely depend on the globalization process. Different sectors of the economy with varying degrees of preparedness and results participate in the processes of globalization. The greatest success in this process was achieved so far by the global trade. Already in the first half of the past century, tools were developed to regulate the process of trade globalization. These tools streamline the spontaneous actions of individual countries with the help of a common and mandatory for all countries code of “traffic rules” in the global market for goods and services. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has emerged due to the increase in the volumes and nomenclature of the international exchange of goods and services, expanding international production cooperation and growing dependence of all countries on the international exchange of goods and services. Another sector of politics and economics that is subject to globalization processes is nature management and environmental protection. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (UNCED) was the result of a realization of the need to prevent negative environmental impacts. The Conference has adopted the “Forest Principles”. They secured a global consensus on the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests, although they lacked of legal force. Forest principles were the first global consensus to offer all countries a common path for the creation and development of their national forest policy. In accordance with the stated principles, national states have the sovereign and inalienable right to use their forests, manage them and conduct forestry in accordance with their needs and their level of socio-economic development. National forest policy must not contradict the principles of sustainable development and forest legislation. Forest principles have formed the framework and conceptual approaches to the development and implementation of the national forest policies in globalization context. Future planning is becoming one of the most important tools for the sustainable forest management at the national and regional levels in globalization era. © Forest-Based Industries in the Global Economy .All right reserved.