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Can Adaptation to Climate Change at All Be Mainstreamed in Complex Multi-level Governance Systems? A Case Study of Forest-Relevant Policies at the EU and Swedish Levels

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Implementing Climate Change Adaptation in Cities and Communities

Part of the book series: Climate Change Management ((CCM))

Abstract

Mainstreaming adaptation to climate change in forest-relevant policy can be as a “most difficult” case, relevant for asking the question to extent to which adaptation can at all be mainstreamed in complex multi-level governance systems. This study examines the case of to what extent EU and national (exemplified by Swedish) legal and policy frameworks are able to integrate with each other in ways that may support climate change adaptation in forests. To move as close to the real life situation of mainstreaming challenges as possible, the study focuses on not only one area of mainstreaming or integration, but on the three broad policy areas: (a) adaptation per se; (b) forest biodiversity and habitat protection with respect to invasive species; and (c) water protection in relation to forest use. The study concludes that conflicts between international legal principles such as precaution and free trade, as well as distribution of competences at EU and national level, results in a great discrepancy in terms of opportunities for a nation to effectively act independently as well as for effectively integrating adaptation aims in the connected EU-national systems.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Given the complexity of forest as a field for policy-making, it should be expected that also areas other than the three treated here will have an impact on adaptation relevant to forest: most notably, general forest policy (included here only in its relation to each subfield), rural policy, policies on storm risk, and pest outbreak management, and private sectors such as insurance. Thus, despite including three areas of particular relevance to adaptation, the study will still underestimate, rather than overestimate, the complexity of mainstreaming adaptation. However, it can serve as an indication of the large requirements in each of these fields and, when taken together, in the three cases.

  2. 2.

    In order to govern forest issues as a whole and mainstream adaptation in this context, this study thus indicates only one of the specific cases that need to be understood in order to mainstream adaptation. While the focus on detailed case-studies in only one country may seem limited, the multiple concerns as regards correlating and integrating adaptation within existing frameworks, which are likely to have a fundamental impact on the potential for implementing adaptation policies at the local level in different states, are illustrated.

  3. 3.

    In addition, as requirements in production forest are limited and rest on consideration for other uses rather than specific legal limitations in harvesting, it has been argued by some that levels of formal protection are too low (see e.g., Lisberg Jensen 2002).

  4. 4.

    The criteria for including IAS on the Union list are the core instrument of application of the Regulation. Besides being alien to Union territory, the conditions for inclusion on the list include that the species-based on available scientific evidence—are capable of establishing a viable population and spreading in the environment under current conditions and in foreseeable climate change conditions, and are likely to have a significant adverse impact on e.g., biodiversity. In addition, it must be demonstrated by a risk assessment that action at Union level is required to prevent IAS introduction, establishment or spread, and that the inclusion on the Union list is likely to effectively prevent, minimise or mitigate the adverse impact of the IAS (Art. 3).

  5. 5.

    It should be noted here that the WTO Agreement allows for precautions in line with sustainable development; the preamble explicitly adheres to the sustainable development concept (WTO Agreement, Ansari and Wartini 2014).

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the FORMAS and the Future Forest programme (funded by the MISTRA Agency for Swedish Strategic Environmental Research, the forest industries, Umeå University, and SLU) for funding our work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Economic History, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden

    E. Carina H. Keskitalo & Maria Pettersson

Authors
  1. E. Carina H. Keskitalo
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  2. Maria Pettersson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. Carina H. Keskitalo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research and Transfer Center, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. School of Science & The Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Kathryn Adamson

  3. School of Science & The Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Rachel M. Dunk

  4. CFE University of Coimbra, Universidade Aberta, Porto, Portugal

    Ulisses M. Azeiteiro

  5. School of Research, Enterprise, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Sam Illingworth

  6. Centre for Functional Ecology, Coimbra, University of Coimbra, Porto, Portugal

    Fátima Alves

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Keskitalo, E.C.H., Pettersson, M. (2016). Can Adaptation to Climate Change at All Be Mainstreamed in Complex Multi-level Governance Systems? A Case Study of Forest-Relevant Policies at the EU and Swedish Levels. In: Leal Filho, W., Adamson, K., Dunk, R., Azeiteiro, U., Illingworth, S., Alves, F. (eds) Implementing Climate Change Adaptation in Cities and Communities. Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28591-7_4

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