Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Sweden’s forest policy is built upon the concept of freedom with responsibility, where production and environment are equally valid. Half of Sweden’s productive forest is owned by non-industrial private forest owners (NIPF owners), making them crucial players in managing these forests from economic, ecologic, and social perspectives. In response to today’s changing climate and biodiversity loss, Sweden has established the environmental goal Living forests, to protect and preserve the Swedish forest along with its vital ecosystem services. In addition to the Swedish forestry act, which all forest owners must adhere to, forest owners can certify their property. Currently, half of the productive forest land is certified, imposing stricter requirements than the mandatory forestry act, ensuring greater consideration for the environment. This study aims to understand if there is a difference in attitude towards Swedish forest policy and the level of knowledge about nature conservation between certified and non-certified NIPF owners. Given the high percentage of forest land owned by NIPF owners, it is relevant to investigate how they perceive their role in forest policy. The analyzis is based on a survey with responses from Swedish NIPF owners, representing all NIPF owners in Sweden. The survey questions are based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (ToPB) to better understand NIPF owners’ behavior and actions. Chi-square tests are used to examine significant difference regarding knowledge and attitude towards nature conservation between certified and non-certified NIPF owners. Results indicate that certification status influence NIPF owners’ attitudes and knowledge; there is a significant difference in responses between certified and non-certified NIPF owners in Sweden. In conclusion, both groups demonstrate good knowledge of nature conservation and believe that the Swedish forest policy is sufficient for sustainable forest management and preserve biodiversity.