Stakeholders' Perception as Support for Forest Landscape Planning

Social sustainability is a key concept introduced in recent decades by international environmental and forestry policies. Heightened sensibility, particularly towards issues such as sustainability, together with an increased awareness of the threat posed to the environment, a threat that in the past was largely dismissed, has intensified public opinion to the point where citizens claim the right not only to express their views in regard to issues concerning the forest, but also to be able to influence directly such issues. This being the case, forest policy and planning today needs to be aware of people’s perception of the forest and of the issues related to this topic, and to take into consideration the entire range of values attributed thereto.The paper illustrates the process of stakeholder consultation for the definition of the objectives of the forest landscape plan conducted in a district of the Italian Apennines. Special attention was given to the farmers group, by reason of the great importance of wood pasture in the management system of this area. The results show that the majority of the interviewees feel a strong bond with their territory and with the traditional activities still carried out there, such as forest grazing. However, there are internal differences within the group, mostly linked to age and territory of origin. The multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) supported the investigation of these differences and the analysis of the relationship between farmers and their territory. Information emerged from the interviews with farmers allowed a better understanding of the dynamics of the territory and was revealed to be useful for the development of the forest landscape plan.