Needs assessment of the Greek Forest Community: results and next steps
In January 2017, the needs assessment of the stakeholders engaged with the protection and management of forests in Natura 2000 areas was delivered. This assessment targeted the employees of the Greek Forest Service and other competent authorities and municipalities, the personnel of Management Bodies of Protected Areas, researchers and academics, staff from non-governmental organisations and cooperatives, representatives of professional associations, private forest owners, forest visitors etc. The results of the needs’ assessment will contribute to the design of ForestLife’s main actions and outputs, namely the online Collaboration Platform for Forests (CPF), the training seminars and the communication and dissemination products for forests within the Natura 2000 network.
The research was carried out by EKBY with the support of the Directorate General for the Development and Protection of Forests and the Rural Environment. The research was based on data collected through a quantitative method (online questionnaire) and qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The replies of the questionnaire taken into account were given between the end of January 2016 and the end of June 2016. In total 268 replies were received with most of them (152 or 56.6%) coming from Greek Forest Service staff . The rest were sent by researchers and consultants (65 or 24.25%) , from the staff of Protected Areas Management Bodies (24 or 8.96%) and the rest of the Greek forest community. The qualitative research was conducted from March to September 2016. In total 43 interviews and 14 focus groups were conducted, in 29 localities spanning all over Greece, from Evros Region in the North to the island of Crete in the South, with 125 people participating.
The response to the questionnaire and to the interviews/focus groups was more than adequate and the quality of the answers was high. Thus the data, which will be used for the planning of the following actions of the project are considered reliable. The assessments of needs and skills was based on the following axes:
- The assessment of the current level of knowledge and experience of the Greek forest community regarding the management of the forests within the Natura 2000 network, taking into account European and national legal and policy framework.
- Document the skills of the Greek forest community in information, communication and exchange of knowledge on issues regarding forest management within the Natura 2000 network.
- Detection of the appropriate means and the development of the relevant skills in order to eliminate the knowledge and experience gaps related to forest management within the Natura 2000 network.
From the results, it becomes evident that the communication, information exchange and cooperation of those who are involved in the protection and the management of forests, is a matter of individual motivation and initiative and is based on personal contact to the information source. Use of web-based collective services, such as forums and special tools for web search is limited. On the contrary, the most popular mean of communication is the participation at events such as conferences, workshops etc.
The development of CPF managed by the Directorate General for the Development and Protection of Forests and the Rural Environment, is met with positive reactions, under the condition that the information presented will be characterized by credibility and timeliness. The provision of fast and reliable access to geospatial data is of particular interest. The research documented that the individual branches of the Forest Service should be formally and regularly informed on decisions and initiatives of the authorities responsible for the implementation of European and national legislation related to biodiversity. It also revealed the need of all organisations and staff related with the protection and the management of forests within Natura 2000 sites to be fully and in depth informed about the obligations and opportunities that Natura 2000 brings. The seminars that will be organised by Project ForestLife also gathered the attention of the respondents.
Regarding the interactive services, the research shows that use of modern web-based services for in-person communication and exchange of information and best practices prevail.
In total, the research shows the presence of the necessary abilities and will to fulfill the needs and exploit the opportunities that Natura 2000 brings to the forests that fall within its network. Nevertheless, a substantial improvement of services that collect and exchange knowledge and information, along with the allocation of the personnel who will handle them are necessary.
See the full report here (In Greek with English summary).