Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.15177/seefor.12-05
Conflicts Between Forestry and Wood-Processing Industry in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Reasons, Actors and Possible Solutions
Bruno Marić
orcid.org/0000-0001-6912-5547
; Faculty of Forestry, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Mersudin Avdibegović
; Faculty of Forestry, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Doni Blagojević
; European Forest Institute, Joensuu, Finland
Dženan Bećirović
; Faculty of Forestry, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Amila Brajić
; Faculty of Forestry, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Senka Mutabdžija
; Faculty of Forestry, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Sabina Delić
; Faculty of Forestry, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Špela Pezdevšek Malovrh
; Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Forestry, Ljubljanja, Slovenia
Abstract
Background and purpose: Caused by appearance of new stakeholders and diversification of their interests towards forests, different forest-related conflicts emerged worldwide. As a country with economy in transition and relatively young democracy, Bosnia-Herzegovina might be suitable for understanding the roots, actors and varieties of these conflicts. This paper deals with the most frequent forest-related conflicts, main actors involved as well as undertaken actions in order to manage them in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Materials and methods: The theoretical framework is based on the Conflict Management Progress Triangle consisting of three dimensions of conflict: substance, process and relations. As particular focus in this paper is given to conflicts between forestry and wood-processing industry, the primary parties in this study were public forestry companies and wood processing companies. For the purpose of this survey a special questionnaire has been designed. The survey population included the most important actors of forest and wood-processing industry as follows: ministries of forestry, nature protection and physical planning at all levels, managers/owners of wood-processing companies, managers of public forest companies and public forest administration, representatives of the most important environmental NGOs and professional associations, managers of protected areas and water management authorities, heads of forest research institutions, economy of chambers and international institutions. In total 136 questionnaires were collected, out of which 68 respondents identified conflicts between forestry and wood-processing industry as the most important ones.
Discussion and conclusions: The results show that the main causes of these conflicts are: differences in demand and supply of wood assortments, way of selling of wood assortments (including quantities and delivery dynamics) as well as wood assortments prices. As the most prominent action among the undertaken ones to manage the conflicts, the respondents underlined adoption of criteria for transparent selling of wood assortments. The results of this paper might be useful for both, public forest companies and wood-processing companies. Timely identification and implementation of possible solutions in order to overcome the most pronounced conflicts would increase competitive advantages for both sides.
Keywords
Forest-related conflicts; forestry; wood-processing industry; conflict management; Bosnia-Herzegovina
Hrčak ID:
95539
URI
Publication date:
17.12.2012.
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