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challenges for Spanish forests and also for the asso-
ciated economic sector. It also presents a vision for
forests in Spain and outlines long-term objectives
although it only briefly touches on how and when
these problems should be solved.
But the real benefit of this process was not so much
the final document as the changes in the sector that have
been driven by it. There has been very fluid communica-
tion among stakeholders and governmental institutions,
based on mutual confidence that has facilitated later work.
Communication with other governmental departments
has commenced and in particular, the relationship with
regional forest services has improved substantially. The
spirit today is that we all have a common objective and
must cooperate to reach it. Another effect was the restruc-
turing of the forest sector. New and larger associations
have been created and today there are unique counterparts
for almost every cluster of the sector. Finally, the model
of participation has changed, as all stakeholders agreed
on the need for an institutionalized participation council.
As immediate and practical consequences of the
Strategy, we can mention new tax legislation for forests
that is more favourable for owners. Also, the creation
by Royal Decree of the National Council of Forests is a
major step forward. A national standard for sustainable
forest management was approved and Spanish versions of
the Resolutions of Forests Europe and the Mediterranean
Forests Management Declaration were published.
A plan for sustainability of forests
The Spanish Forest Plan was drafted following the estab-
lishment of the Strategy. It formed part of the electoral
ized groups forming almost daily. Another problem was that there
was no institution that could represent the rural and forest-based
municipalities. Some organizations were not able to sit at the same
table with others, or tended to flag old issues independent of what
was on the meeting agenda.
All these circumstances led to the development of a completely
new system to achieve consensus. Firstly all known stakeholders
were divided into three groups: administrative organizations such as
ministries, regional forest services and municipalities. Sector groups
included forest owners, communal forest associations, industries,
contractors, importers, retailers and other economic actors. All the
others were integrated in a social group, including forest profes-
sionals, education and training institutions, research institutions,
environmentalists, consumers and trade unions.
A first draft was discussed in the three groups and all those
attending were asked to give their comments in writing. During the
process, many of those involved in the first round, particularly from
the social group, felt it was not relevant to their institutions, so they
abandoned the process.
A new draft was generated, reflecting most of stakeholders’
requirements. There were eight concrete issues on which opinions
were divergent. To find solutions for these issues, antagonists sat at
the same table for the first time. Groups were formulated to include
at least three participants – to avoid ‘one against one’ situations –
and with a clear focus on the issues to be discussed.
Finally, the last two or three paragraphs on which differing opin-
ions existed were resolved in a special meeting of dissenting parties
with a strong facilitator, and the text was drafted. The Strategy was
finally born two years after its inception and was presented to the
public by the Minister of Environment at the beginning of 2000.
The Strategy document provides an overview of forests and the
forest sector, analysing and explaining the main problems and
Water and forest interaction
Image: BDN