world news - 24.10.2007
Trade in recreational values promotes multiple use of forests.
The Finnish traditional everyman rights give everybody an
opportunity for recreation in the forests. Increasing out-door
activities, hiking, nature oriented tourism and time spent in leisure
time houses have created a need for new ways of co-ordinating the use
and exploitation of forests and other natural areas.
The Finnish Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners
(MTK) has developed the concept of trade in recreational values for
particularly valuable areas, for example particularly beautiful
landscapes.
The purpose is to co-ordinate the needs and interests both of landowner
and of other people enjoying the recreational values of the area
concerned. Trade in recreational values means that the landowner
maintains or improves the recreational value of his or her forest and
sells it to people taking advantage of it, for example entrepreneurs in
the tourist business or people having leisure time houses in the
vicinity.
This model can be applied for example in cases where a neighbour or a
village community is interested in the particular recreational value of
a private landowner's land and is prepared to trade with the landowner
for the maintenance and improvement of such land. A typical case would
be that a neighbour or an entrepreneur in the tourist business is
interested in maintaining a forest landscape, but the landowner plans
regeneration felling. Other similar areas subject to trade in
recreational values could be for example forests and old cultural
landscapes in the vicinity of urban areas and which are particularly
suitable for recreational purposes. The agreement for creating
recreational values could also concern the creation and maintenance of
a fireplace, or even opening up a view to a lake from a village street.
Other objects of such trade could be management and maintenance of
forests in proximity to an outdoor or riding pathway.
The landowner is the seller of recreational values. The buyer could be
for example a private person, for example a neighbour who is interested
in maintaining the recreational value of a beautiful landscape. Other
potential buyers could be village communities, outdoor or sports
associations, a municipality, a fund, a business or a tourist centre.
The agreement is concluded for a fixed period against an agreed
consideration, based on market principles.
See also:
- — World Bank unveils new forest carbon funding scheme
- — Fire risk closes entire Los Padres forest
- — Russia might drop export tariff increase on timber
- — Engineered Wood Construction Guide Now Available
- — No disaster fund for Swedish forest owners