Title: Forest value orientations of interest groups in three regions varying in importance of commercial forestry

Authors: Kati Berninger, Daniel Kneeshaw

Addresses: Centre d'Etude de la Foret (CEF), UQAM, C.P. 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada. ' Centre d'Etude de la Foret (CEF), UQAM, C.P. 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada

Abstract: Differences in forest value orientations of interest groups were studied in Southeastern Finland, the Mauricie in Quebec, Canada and Central Labrador in Canada. The comparison is based on the idea that the current state of the forest, which reflects among other differences in the history of forest use of the area, interacts with people|s forest values. The objective was to study whether people|s forest value orientations are distributed along a single continuum from anthropocentric to biocentric, and whether there are trends in anthropocentric and biocentric value orientations or their polarity along the gradient of importance of commercial forestry. From a data set of 252 persons, growing inter-group differences were detected between our most and least intensively managed research areas. A high score in both anthropocentric and biocentric value orientation scales was attained simultaneously for certain groups, which may indicate the existence of a third dimension related to cultural values.

Keywords: cultural models; forest values; human–nature interaction; management intensity; value orientation; sustainable forest management; sustainable society; interest groups; commercial forestry; sustainable development; sustainability; Canada; Finland; cultural values; culture.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSOC.2009.028909

International Journal of Sustainable Society, 2009 Vol.1 No.4, pp.391 - 408

Published online: 11 Oct 2009 *

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