The nation-wide Danish National Forest Programme is a long-term national sectoral programme for sustainable forest management equally based on economic, ecological, environmental and social concern. The programme aims at long-term conversion towards a forest management regime, which increasingly supports and utilises the natural processes of forests. Its main objectives include the promotion of efforts for the protection of biodiversity and securing the physical environment and the basis for forest management, development towards increasingly economically sustainable framework conditions for the forest sector, development of the role of forests as a national welfare benefit through the opportunities for the population for using forests to develop health and awareness, afforestation and efficient capacity building and information sharing in the forest sector. The Programme aims to achieve sustainable use and management of forestry in compliance with the Denmark’s international obligations and national legislation. The efforts will mainly be concentrated on development and dissemination of a conversion to near-to-nature forest management and conservation and improvement of the nature values of forests, including wetlands, key biotopes, natural forest and nature in the forest in general. The implementation of the Programme falls under the Ministry of Environment and its specialized agency, the Danish Forest and Nature Agency. Among other ministries of relevance to the forest sector is the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, particularly due to the coordinating role of the ministry in the fields of land and plant genetic resources. The international cooperation is mainly the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Forest, while the private forest owners are well organized in various associations and a wide range of NGOs are active in the national forest debate.
Denmark · 2002-01-01