The Role of Forestry in the Development and Reform of Green Belts

Abstract

Forests and forestry have played an important role in the implementation of green belts. They offer important lessons for green belt planning reform. Experiences have been gained with multi-stakeholder approaches and overcoming stakeholder resistance to open space allocation. Forestry near towns has had to balance the interests of different levels of government, crucial in a time of deregulation and decentralization. Integrative approaches such as urban forestry and community forestry contribute to green space planning beyond the urban–rural divide. Finally, urban forests and community forests are multifunctional landscapes, where ‘forest’ in a judicial sense is only one element.