9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012, Vassiliki Kazana

1. SWOT Analysis for sustainable
forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
Authors
Vassiliki Kazana, Angelos Kazaklis, Dimitrios Fotakis,
Christos Stamatiou, Paraskevi Koutsona, Anastasia Boutsimea
9th Meeting of
Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

2. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
OBJECTIVE OF THE SWOT STUDY
1. Identify the most important internal and external factors in the four groups:
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for sustainable
management assessment
(Case study: Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace)
2. Identify strategies resulting in a good fit between the internal and external
factors of the SWOT basic frame to analyze the strategic decision situation
towards sustainable forest policy and management
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

3. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
ASSESSMENT OF SUSTAINABLE FOREST
MANAGEMENT (SFM) IN GREECE
 Several planning and evaluation tools particularly in the form of criteria and
indicators have been developed to address aspects of assessing sustainable
forest management.
 In the EU territory the best known such tools have been expressed through
the MCPFE criteria and indicators, which the member states are committed
to use in order to assess, monitor and certify sustainable forest management.
 In many member states, Greece among them, several problems exist with
estimation processes of the MCPFE criteria and indicators.
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

4. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
THE INFORM PROJECT (LIFE08/ENV/GR/000574)
Two main problems are targeted with INFORM:
1. The lack of a knowledge base to develop and implement a national forest
policy on Sustainable Forest Management assessment and implementation
monitoring through recording and estimation of the MCPFE criteria and
indicators.
National Authorities have been committed to fulfil the resolutions of all the Ministerial Conferences on
the Protection of Forests in Europe and particularly of the 4th Ministerial Conference, as well as its
working program. The commitments involve better cross-sectoral integration and inter-sectoral
collaboration, the interactions between forests and other biome/habitat types within a landscape, and
issues of biodiversity conservation, in particular through continued development of criteria, indicators
and programmes of forest management certification, including and protected areas. Commitments
have been made also with regard to CBD and UNFF.
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

5. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
THE INFORM PROJECT (LIFE08/ENV/GR/000574)
Two main problems are targeted with INFORM:
2. The lack of a knowledge base for assessing impacts on forests from climate
change and the biodiversity, in order to develop adaptation and mitigation
policies at national, regional and local level and contribute to the EU climate
change strategy development efforts for post 2012.
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

6. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
THE SWOT SURVEY (Open ended questionnaires)
Implemented through the National Forest Governance Council (NFGC)
The NGFC consists of:
• Forest Service top-level staff (District Offices)
• Expert scientists-researchers and
• A moderating team
Through NFGC following a specific expert opinion eliciting methodology is
followed to identify all the processes/ functions/ driving forces related to the
country forests and the interactions of forests and their environment for which
specification of policies are required.
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

7. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
STRENGTHS
for SFM assessment in the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace (NFGC, 2012)
STRENGTHS FREQUENCIES (%)
Firewood production 100%
Water quality of watersheds 100%
Sightseeing of natural and cultural attractions
100%
(mountains, natural parks, aesthetic forests, caves, etc)
Income generation for the local population 100%
Ground water and Spring water 100%
Non-wood products 100%
Forest recreation/ecotourism 100%
Technical wood production 90%
Pulpwood production 90%
Forage production 90%
Mammalian game species 90%
Avian game species 90%
Employment of local population in forest works 90%
Wild flora biodiversity 90%
Wild fauna biodiversity 90%
Water fauna biodiversity 90%
Honey production 20%
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

8. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
WEAKNESSES
for SFM assessment in the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace (NFGC, 2012)
FREQUENCIES
WEAKNESSES
(%)
Degraded wood stock 100%
Resistance to change 100%
Endangered plant species 100%
Endangered bird species 100%
Illegal logging 100%
Illegal game 100%
Forest land encroachment 100%
Mining activities 100%
Land use change 100%
Land ownership problems 90%
Lack of tools for sustainable forest management
90%
assessment
Difficulties to enforce the law 90%
Endangered water species 90%
Endangered mammalian species 90%
Personnel shortage 80%
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

9. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
OPPORTUNITIES
for SFM assessment in the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace (NFGC, 2012)
FREQUENCIES
OPPORTUNITIES
(%)
New standards for forest management plans 100%
Improvement of forest income (revenues from production of non-
wood products, eg honey, mushrooms, forest fruits, aromatic 100%
plants etc)
Environmental awareness on sustainable forest management 100%
New tools for sustainable forest management assessment 100%
Forest cadastre 100%
Personnel training on new technologies for sustainable forest
100%
management assessment
Expansion of forests/ forest lands 90%
Participation in projects 90%
Prevention of natural disasters 90%
Improvement of forest infrastructure (forest roads, constructions
90%
for flood control etc)
Increase of forest contribution to the regional GDP 80%
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

10. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
THREATS
for SFM assessment in the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace (NFGC, 2012)
FREQUENCIES
THREATS
(%)
Danger of wildfires 100%
Danger of deseases 100%
Lack of funds for investments 100%
Bureaucracy 100%
Lack of tools for sustainability assessment in forest management and
100%
planning
Obsolete standards for management plans 100%
Danger of flooding 90%
Danger of insects 90%
Climate change 90%
Danger of landslides 90%
Lack of funds for forest management studies 90%
Forest Legislation 90%
Exploitation system of public forests (Presidential Decree 1126/1986) 90%
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

11. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
STRENGTHS
Percentage Response Rate for top 5 levels of importance in terms of Strengths
for SFM in the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace (NFGC, 2012)
Importance levels
STRENGTHS
1 2 3 4 5
Firewood production 40% 20% 0% 10% 20%
Technical wood
20% 10% 10% 0% 20%
production
Employment of local
0% 10% 40% 10% 0%
population in forest works
Income generation for the
0% 20% 0% 30% 0%
local population
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

12. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
OPPORTUNITIES
Percentage Response Rate for top 5 levels of importance in terms of
Opportunities for SFM in the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace (NFGC, 2012)
Levels of importance
OPPORTUNITIES
1 2 3 4 5
Improvement of wood stock 50% 30% 0% 0% 20%
New standards for forest
30% 20% 0% 10% 0%
management plans
Improvement of forest income
(revenues from production of non-
wood products, eg honey, 0% 0% 10% 0% 30%
mushrooms, forest fruits,
aromatic plants etc)
Prevention of natural disasters 20% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Expansion of forests/ forest lands 0% 0% 20% 0% 10%
Environmental awareness on
0% 0% 0% 10% 0%
sustainable forest management
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

13. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
WEAKNESSES
Percentage Response Rate for top 5 levels of importance in terms of
Weaknesses for SFM in the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace (NFGC, 2012)
Levels of importance
WEAKNESSES
1 2 3 4 5
Illegal logging 30% 30% 20% 20% 0%
Personnel Shortage 10% 0% 30% 30% 10%
Forest land
0% 20% 20% 20% 30%
encroachment
Land use change 20% 0% 20% 10% 0%
Illegal game 10% 20% 10% 10% 0%
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

14. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
THREATS
Percentage Response Rate for top 5 levels of importance in terms of Threats
for SFM in the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace (NFGC, 2012)
Levels of importance
THREATS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Lack of funds for
60% 0% 10% 10% 10% 0% 0%
investments
Danger of wildfires 40% 10% 10% 0% 0% 0% 10%
Forest legislation 10% 10% 10% 10% 20% 10% 0%
Lack of funds for
forest management 0% 0% 30% 10% 10% 20% 0%
studies
Bureaucracy 0% 30% 0% 0% 0% 30% 30%
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

15. SWOT Analysis for sustainable forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
STRATEGIES FOR SFM in the Region of Eastern
Macedonia-Thrace
1. Improvement of wood stock for production of fire
wood, technical wood and pulpwood
2. Forest recreation/ Ecotourism
3. Production of non-wood products
4. Preservation of biodiversity
5. Game
6. Protection from abiotic factors
7. Protection from biotic factors
9th Meeting of Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012

16. SWOT Analysis for sustainable
forest policy and management
The Eastern Macedonia-Thrace case.
Thank you for your attention!
9th Meeting of
Multiple Criteria Decision Aid
Kavala,Greece October 11-13, 2012