The command-and-control model of forest governance in Lithuania and Slovakia : past, present and possible future

Abstract

Being the countries with socialistic past, nowadays both Lithuania and Slovakia are going through the transition phase in many industrial and economical spheres. As a complex industry, forestry and forest management are strongly affected by the social and economic changes from many sides. However, despite the large-scale economic liberation and capitalisation, forest sector still stays under the commandand- control model. Regardless the growing amount of private forest properties, in both countries there is a strictly centralized forest management system, denying the decision freedom of forest managers and private forest owners. This presentation is aimed to give a wider view on the command-and-control forest administration systems in Lithuania and Slovakia, analyse their similarities and differences and suggest the possible alternative approach to the forest governance in both countries. The study is based on the data from EU Horizon 2020 project ALTERFOR.