New Zealand’s march towards sustainable forest management - the untold story

Authors: Don Wijewardana
Publication: New Zealand Journal of Forestry, Volume N.Z.J.For. 2016, Issue N.Z.J.For. 61(3) 2016, pp 26-29, Nov 2016
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry

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Abstract: The outcomes of international negotiation processes relating to sustainable forest management (or SFM) are generally well documented and easily accessible through published material. However what may not be available is information about the negotiation processes and country positions that led to the outcomes. It is important to understand how and why certain positions, statements or wording in the documentation were arrived at. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to fill this gap in information relating to New Zealand’s progress towards sustainable forest management from the author’s 15 years of involvement in international negotiations. It may not provide the complete picture, but it is hoped that the publication of this account will stimulate others who were also associated with the process to help improve the narrative and fill in any gaps for the sake of posterity. These are personal views.

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