Socio-Economic Aspects of Climate Change Mitigation Through Multifunctional Forestry in Scotland

Since the Kyoto Protocol (1997) climate change has become one of the most important environmental policy issues facing society. Carbon sequestration through land-use and forestry projects has been studied for many countries, including Scotland. Many Scottish policy and research initiatives that focus on carbon uptake are directed toward both woodlands expansion and using wood as a substitute for fossil fuels. However, there is a knowledge gap with respect to the socio-economic aspects of climate change mitigation. The potential benefits of forestry projects in environmental, economic and social terms could be substantial. But do Scottish forests offer a low-cost opportunity for carbon sequestration? Furthermore, there is still a great deal of uncertainty on how to define sustainability of afforestation and biomass production in a broadly acceptable way; how to translate sustainability requirements into policy guidelines; how to overcome market limitations of carbon sequestration projects and where to place biomass production in the general context of land use, where reform of CAP and contemporary agricultural change will likely be influential.

The benefits of multifunctional forestry development in Scotland could be substantial. However, there is a great deal of uncertainty on how to define the sustainability of forestry development in a broadly acceptable way, how to translate sustainability requirements into policy guidelines, and where to place carbon sequestration forestry projects in the context of multifunctional land use systems. This research will investigate both social and economic components of sustainability (e.g. biodiversity, landscape, public and private costs) and will examine how the development of multifunctional forestry in Scotland can assist in moderating carbon emissions, and whether/how it can offer a socially acceptable and low-cost opportunity for carbon uptake.