- 4.1 Summary
- 4.2 Recommendations for Potential Study Sites Based on Literature Review.
- 4.3 Future Research
4 DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1 Summary
The upturn in forestry development since 1991 revives the issues of earlier decades when there were two major perspectives on the social and economic impacts. One represented the opportunities of employment and economic benefits to rural residents in established communities as well as the forestry towns with the increased activity of forest development. The other view highlighted the disadvantages of forest development.
However, no reports are available which provide an understanding of community impacts of forestry development since 1980.
The only reports which consider social and economic Community impacts of post 1980 forest development (refer Aldwell; Houghton) describe East Cape (Waiapu County, now Gisborne District) and Otago (West Otago and South Otago) for early in the 1980's decade. Some indications of community issues for the early 1980ts in Northland also are described in various reports.
| Otago: | Aldwell and Whyte 1984 |
| Gold & Houghton 1985 | |
| Houghton 1987 | |
| Houghton et al 1983 | |
| Houghton et al 1987 |
Gisborne District
| Waiapu: | Aldwell 1982 |
| Aldwell 1984 | |
| Smith and Wilson 1984 | |
| Northland: | Farnsworth 1983 |
| Fielder 1985 | |
| Grant 1979 | |
| Nuttall 1980,1981 | |
| Parore 1987 | |
| D Smith 1987 | |
| Smith & Makin 1982 | |
| Smith & Wilson 1982 | |
| White 1980 |
Nothing is available to report on changes since the early 1980s and no studies have been conducted for the most recent phase of development, post 1991.
Anecdotal material from newspapers suggests that in Otago and Southland the pace of development has increased; new planting has increased by 40% in 1992-93 with one-third of this by major companies and the balance by small growers. Purchase of agricultural land for forestry development is continuing and a further increase in planting is expected in the next year. Documentation of social and economic impacts is not available but public statements by local authorities express enthusiastic support for continued forestry activity.
Otago Southland land purchases in 1993 that may be planted over the next four to five years by four major companies include at least 6500 ha. It is reported that one property of 3600 ha could be planted over four years utilising 8.5 workers per annum.
Major forestry development of 50,000 ha of Maori land on the East Coast north of Gisborne city is proposed and is currently being evaluated. However, there is reserved community support for forestry development in some other localities in Gisborne District.
4.2 Recommendations for Potential Study Sites Based on Literature Review.
The regions for which earlier studies have described aspects of social or economic impacts of forestry on established communities and provide a base for farther research however statistics about land sales, forest development and new planting are not available until Part 2 of this research study is issued. Areas of interest for further research include:
Otago/Southland
Gisborne District
Northland
4.3 Future Research
Topics to be considered for community impacts of exotic forestry development that have been previously discussed in the literature are:
- Rural depopulation
- Population profile and changes in demographic features
- Rural services
- Employment
- Land Use and Ownership
There is a need for more case studies on the impact of new forestry development. Forestry is continuing to expand at a fast rate and for economic reasons, forestry is being welcomed into a number of rural communities. Yet there are no documented studies being carried out
There is also a need to follow up on the case studies that were carried out m the ear]y
1980s.
Forestry was expanding in a number of areas including; Northland, Gisborne, and the
Central North Island (Abbis 1981), and a number of studies were undertaken (see for
example Houghton 1987 (Otago), Aldwell 1984). There is a need for studies to be done to
find out what impacts did take place. The suggested outcomes and impacts of the early
studies also need to be tested.
There is a need for a reinvestigation into the social and economic impacts of forestry expansion. There has been a change in the way exotic forestry is expanding. There is still an emphasis on large scale corporate-style expansion, but at the same time there is increasing emphasis on small-scale farm forestry projects (Parore 1987). This growth in Agroforestry is changing the attitudes of the rural community towards forestry, away from fear towards acceptance. The change in attitude has come about farmers have been allowed to retain control of forestry development (Murray 1986). There have been no documented studies of the impact of agroforestry and other small scale plantings on rural communities, or any comparisons between the impacts of large scale and small-scale forestry development. Yet it is quite possible that agroforestry alleviates a number of the negative social impacts of past forestry development. The economic, employment and service industry impacts of agroforestry may also be different to large-scale forestry, and therefore be an area that requires further research.
It is interesting to note that the subject of forestry impact on communities is still a relevant one. The 14th Commonwealth Conference at Kuala Lumpur on September 1993 had as its theme is 'People, the environment and forestry; conflict or harmony'. The objective of the conference is to show how forests in tropical or temperate regions can be managed in a sustainable way for the benefit of present and future generations, to provide opportunities for economic development, to provide for the well-being of rural people, to conserve the forest as a habitat and for other environmental benefits (New Zealand Journal of Forestry May 1993).
While this conference may focus on existing forest and the effects of its destruction, it will be interesting to see whether the impact of new forestry development and its benefits are also documented. if the conference follows the trend that has been found in New Zealand literature, there will be little documentation on the impact of new forestry development
There is a need for further study. This was first recognised in the early 1980s with cans for further case study research (Smith 1981, Farnsworth 1983). However this advice does not appear to have been acted upon and few studies have been produced. Yet the conflict between forestry and farming has yet to be resolved. In the 1980's the forestry industry was restricted by planning laws and the impacts of forestry reduced. However in the 1990s forestry is again expanding, he it in a different way, and the conflict between forestry and farming may occur again. The introduction of the Resource Management Act may also produce some interesting changes The impacts of forestry do need to be re-addressed, and new issues such as agroforestry and the emerging importance of aesthetics (Killeby 1991) tackled.
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