Understanding risk in forest ecosystem services: implications for effective risk management, communication and planning

TY - JOUR

T1 - Understanding risk in forest ecosystem services: implications for effective risk management, communication and planning

AU - Blennow, Kristina

AU - Persson, Johannes

AU - Wallin, Annika

AU - Vareman, Niklas

AU - Persson, Erik

N1 - The research by JP, AW, and NV was funded by a Linnaeus grant to LUCID, Lund University Centre of Excellence for Integration of Social and Natural Dimensions of Sustainability”, FORMAS, 2008-2018.

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - Uncertainty, insufficient information or information of poor quality, limited cognitive capacity and time, along with value conflicts and ethical considerations, are all aspects that make risk management and risk communication difficult. This paper provides a review of different risk concepts and describes how these influence risk management, communication, and planning in relation to forest ecosystem services. Based on the review and results of empirical studies, we suggest that personal assessment of risk is decisive for in the management of forest ecosystem services. The results are used together with a review of different principles of the distribution of risk to propose an approach to risk communication that is effective as well as ethically sound. Knowledge of heuristics and mutual information on both beliefs and desires are important in the proposed risk communication approach. Such knowledge provides an opportunity for relevant information exchange, so that gaps in personal knowledge maps can be filled in and effective risk communication can be promoted.

AB - Uncertainty, insufficient information or information of poor quality, limited cognitive capacity and time, along with value conflicts and ethical considerations, are all aspects that make risk management and risk communication difficult. This paper provides a review of different risk concepts and describes how these influence risk management, communication, and planning in relation to forest ecosystem services. Based on the review and results of empirical studies, we suggest that personal assessment of risk is decisive for in the management of forest ecosystem services. The results are used together with a review of different principles of the distribution of risk to propose an approach to risk communication that is effective as well as ethically sound. Knowledge of heuristics and mutual information on both beliefs and desires are important in the proposed risk communication approach. Such knowledge provides an opportunity for relevant information exchange, so that gaps in personal knowledge maps can be filled in and effective risk communication can be promoted.

U2 - 10.1093/forestry/cpt032

DO - 10.1093/forestry/cpt032

M3 - Review article

VL - 87

SP - 219

EP - 228

JO - Forestry

JF - Forestry

SN - 1464-3626

IS - 2

ER -