New Project at University of Freiburg to Study Regional Forest Policies

A comparative analysis will examine which approaches regional regimes are successful with and why. It is now generally recognized that forest policy does not end at national borders: globalization and environmental challenges like climate change and threats to biodiversity demand an international approach. However, little is known about the forest policies regional organizations pursue, the scale on which they are implemented, and their effectiveness. The project "Forest Governance Performances of Regional Regimes" aims to close these gaps: A comprehensive comparative analysis by the political scientist Diana Panke and the forest and environmental policy scientist Daniela Kleinschmit, both of the University of Freiburg, will receive funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG). More than 70 regional organizations. "Although there are more than 70 regional organizations pursuing forest policies in addition to the European Union or the Congo Basin Forest Partnership, we know very little about their political performance. This is surprising, because the competency spectrum of these regional organizations has been extended over time and now covers a large number of different policy domains," says Panke.