Abstract

Society has been tackling the concept of managing forests sustainably for many years. In 1992, Canada launched the Model Forest concept internationally as a concrete example of sustainable forest management in practice. By design, Model Forests are inclusive, transparent partnerships with a voluntary governance structure providing a mechanism for long-term engagement in research, programming, and capacity building at a landscape scale. As one of the earth’s most widespread ecosystems and as a renewable resource providing a wide range of benefits to society, forests have been at the centre of many recent policy discussions. National and international commitments such as UNFCCC, Convention on Biological Diversity, Sustainable Development Goals, Bonn Challenge, Initiative 20 x 20 and others have signalled a shift towards multi-sectoral and balanced approaches to sustainable development, which include functions and services such as recreation, health and well-being, biological diversity, local livelihoods, equality, climate change mitigation-adaptation. This further supports the understanding that processes in support of sustainable development must include healthy, broad-based partnerships that combine the interests, mandates, and objectives of diverse stakeholders. In this paper, key foundations of sustainable forest management are reviewed, including the balancing of economic and environmental objectives, the concept of landscape management, the role of science and technology, and public participation in decision-making. To examine the practical implications of these concepts, over 600 publications associated with Model Forests as platforms for demand driven research are drawn upon to highlight the benefit and contributions made to integrated natural resource management, knowledge sharing and strengthening local governance