**6. Acknowledgements**

116 Sustainable Forest Management – Case Studies

system promotes a participatory approach through the engagement of landowners into the decision-making in order to combine land use interests with best practices. Furthermore, the system proposed integrates Local Ecological Knowledge – LEK – into the technical framework; as such, the result is a locally adapted management of natural resources. However, new approaches such as that outlined here face important challenges. Initially, it requires knowledge from different areas of expertise that is not always available, mainly in more isolated communities. Secondly, changing the top-down approach usually employed by technicians demands further training and willingness to share authority over decisionmaking. Thirdly, a turnover in mentality towards a group commitment for achieving common objectives might be a slow process; however, the introduction of co-operatives supported by adequate public financing and technical institutions is likely one of the best solutions for overcoming problems such as scale production. Finally, the most important contribution of this project is proposing solutions focused on enhancing economic

By introducing production diversification, landowners can reduce their dependency on the price of globalized commodities that are mostly driven by policies at the national level focused on large-scale productions for international competition. In such situations, smallscale, unsubsidized agriculture (as subsidies and financing are generally designed for largescale business) has little chance of success. Managing the land in integrated systems of production that involve forests and agroforestry and allow for forest and non-forest wood products to be produced together with crops and livestock has the potential to lead to

The lapSFM system also re-introduces the forest component as an economic alternative for landowners. Current legislation that restricts land use together with antiquated ideas related to conservation and responsibility regarding natural resources has generated antagonism between farmers and forests. Although most forest fragments in Southern Brazil are found in small properties, the current legislation does not provide incentives for landowners to protect natural resources but rather only restricts land use and increases economic insecurity. As a consequence, while landowners are key elements in forest conservation, they solely carry the burden for maintaining land under protection. Altering this situation involves various strategies and includes changes in the legislation, public education and pro-active government policies. In the last few years, new public policies in Brazil have introduced programs for financing small-scale agriculture with clear beneficial consequences. Other policies such as the payment for environmental services (PES) have only recently started to be regulated and require further development and study. While PES has been used to promote reforestation and agroforestry, it is mostly used in the context of water protection. Many initiatives are now being implemented by states and municipalities and a National Policy of Environmental Services is being discussed in Congress. Ultimately such initiatives are helping to create a common ground on which relationships between

Other alternatives derived from international agreements such as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) are important international policies and positive incentives relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries. In the second part of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC] Conference in Copenhagen (2009), the importance of including the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries was recognized in its initial

prosperity tied to conservation.

prosperity while protecting the natural resources.

landowners and forests can develop.

This project was made possible through the cooperation of a number of agencies and institutions including: the Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Corporation of Santa Catarina (EPAGRI), Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR), Rural Extension Institute of Paraná (EMATER/PR), and Environmental Institute of Paraná (IAP). We would like to thank the following institutions for their kind financial support: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Rottenburg University of Applied Forest Sciences, the Secretary of Science, Technology and Post-Secondary Education (SETI) of Paraná State, and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). Finally, we would like to thank our colleagues for their assistance in developing and carrying out the research described herein, including: Ana Hernando, Arnaldo de Oliveira Soares, Carlos Henrique Nauiack, Carlos Roberto Úrio, Evaldo Muñoz-Braz, Fernando Luis Dlugosz, Flavia Colla, Gabriel Berenhauser Leite, Lisâneas Albergoni, Luziane Franciscon, Nelson Carlos Rosot, Osni Ruppel, Pablo Cruz, and Pilar Gallo.
