Pan-europski kriteriji i indikatori održivog gospodarenja šumama: Institucionalni aspekti i mogućnost primjene u šumarstvu Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine

Overexploitation of natural resources have caused serious environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, and soil and water pollution. The Pan-European criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management offer a tool to monitor progress and report on the sustainability of forest resources at sub-national, national, and regional levels. This paper examines the institutional aspects and possibilities of application of these criteria and indicators in the forestry sector of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), aiming to improve forestry conditions and develop a coherent forest policy. A survey of 360 forestry experts from FBiH revealed that the majority support the positive impact of implementing the Pan-European criteria and indicators in the forestry sector. It was determined that the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management, and Forestry of FBiH should be responsible for developing and collecting data related to these criteria and indicators. However, the primary barriers to implementation include a lack of financial resources, expertise, and commitment. While the public forest administration is formally prepared to apply these criteria, its current capacities are inadequate for effective implementation. Strengthening the capacity of the public forest administration is crucial to ensure the application of the Pan-European criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management. This would enable consistent and systematic monitoring and improvement of forest resource conditions and the overall state of the forestry sector in FBiH.