This study represents the first attempt to operationalize a novel methodological approach that couples the expanded business model canvas (BMC) with an analytical evaluation of business model items ...and incorporates context-intervention-mechanism-outcome logic (CIMO-logic). We applied the designed methodology to analyse ten forest-related business models in eight European countries. This study aims to enhance the understanding of the challenges and opportunities generated by changing forest ownership due to the use of new business models. The adopted procedures both enhance the understanding of existing business models and the associated mechanisms and suggest improvements for existing business models. In other words, these procedures facilitated the understanding of business model dynamics. The changing operational environment forces the traditional forestry industry to adapt, and the analysed European cases indicate that business system innovations should always be considered to meet consumers' needs. The analysed business models are mostly grounded on traditional forestry and mainly include either new services or organizational improvements. The analysed business models introduce new organizational channels for reaching customers, satisfying new customer needs, targeting unique customers, reducing transaction costs, and improving customer relationships.
•We operationalized a novel methodology for business model analysis.•The analysed business models consider either new services or organizational improvements.•Infrastructure and offerings are key factors in the analysed business models.•When designing business models, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms.•Business system innovation should use both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
This paper examines the level of payment for ecosystem services (PES) concept implementation in the financing of water-related forest ecosystem services (ES) in the Republic of Croatia, the ...Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H), the Republic of Slovenia, and the Republic of Serbia. The focus is on water-related forest ES recognised by the millennium ecosystem assessment (MEA). For the purpose of this paper, the term pure PES describes schemes that comply to all five conditions set by Wunder definition and term PES like for those schemes that miss some of those conditions. In the first step, the most important legislative documents related to forests, water, and environmental protection were selected. The second consists of a content analysis; focusing on the definition of ES; the definition of fees or payments; the establishment of ‘forest funds’, ‘water funds’, or ‘environmental funds’; and the way these funds were spent. Here we looked at the flow of funding into the forestry sector recognising forest management as the main water-related forest ES provider. Research revealed existence of well-established payments schemes in forestry in Croatia for almost 30 years and in FB&H for some 20 years which were assessed as closest to pure PES. In Serbia and Slovenia, there were no PES or PES like schemes in the forestry sector. In the water sector the well-established PES like payments schemes existing in all four countries. The environmental protection sector, however, rely more on the tax like rather than on the PES like schemes. Legislation in general recognised the link between forests and water, but this was much more evident in the forestry than in the water or environment sector. The role of the state is strongly pronounced in all countries studied, and was the main driving force behind all payments. However, this position of the state represents also the main obstacle for the development of pure PES schemes, together with underdeveloped private forestry and complex socio-economic conditions. Nevertheless, there is room for further development of pure PES and PES like schemes based on EU or global experiences.
In recent decades, the concept of forest certification under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has been widely adopted in selected Southeast European countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, ...Serbia, and Slovenia). As sustainability is traditionally recognised as a leading principle in the forest management doctrine in these countries, the aim of this study was to understand whether, and how, FSC forest certification contributes to the sustainable management of state forests. The research was carried out in two phases. First, in order to assess forest management compliance with FSC standard, non-conformities for the period 2014–2018, identified in audit Public Summary Reports, were analysed in all public companies that managed state-owned forests in selected countries. Further, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the professionals responsible for forest certification in these companies were conducted (n = 11) to determine the contribution of forest certification to the economic, ecological, and social aspects of sustainable forest management. In total, 185 non-conformities were analysed. The results showed that FSC certification was successful in addressing certain problems in forest management practices and contributed to sustainable forest management, mainly covering social and ecological issues. The most frequently identified non-conformities were those related to FSC Principle 4 Community relations and worker’s rights (32.3% of all non-conformities) and Principle 6 Environmental impact (30.4% of all non-conformities). The contribution of FSC certification to sustainable forest management is mainly reflected in the following aspects: Worker’s rights; health and safety of employees; availability of appropriate personal protective equipment; consultation with local people and interest groups; awareness of environmental impacts of forestry operations; waste disposal and storage of fuel; improving the image of forest companies and maintenance of high-conservation-value forests. The majority of non-conformities were minor and required procedural changes to be closed. Moreover, there are no statistically significant differences between the countries with regard to the number of non-conformities for all principles. It can be concluded that FSC certification, as a market-driven mechanism, plays an important role by influencing forest management practices and business operations of public forest companies in a positive manner.
Private forests in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia are highly fragmented into small plots of land with low productivity level and a large number of owners. Nevertheless, they are ...recognized in the strategic plans and programs concerning renewable energy as having a significant potential for woody biomass production. A regional research was conducted among 350 private forest owners in each of the three South-East European countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia. It analyzed management activities and readiness of private forest owners to produce additional quantities of woody biomass. Smart regulation principles were selected as analytical framework in order to understand how the design of forest policy instruments, based on specific characteristics of the target groups, can contribute to the improvement of private forest owners' readiness to mobilize additional quantities of woody biomass from their forests. The results of this research indicated that although the majority of private forest owners use their forests for producing firewood to meet their own needs--91.2% of private forest owners in Croatia, 85.0% in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 89.7% in Serbia, there is economic interest of private forest owners to produce additional quantities of woody biomass beyond their own fuelwood household consumption--43.9% in Croatia, 45.8% in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 54.8% in Serbia. Moreover, private forest owners' socio-demographic characteristics, forest property characteristics and management objectives significantly impacted the owners' readiness to produce additional quantities of woody biomass. The readiness for woody biomass mobilization could be increased by providing different policy instruments, since this is deemed important by private forest owners. Hence, forest policy recommendations were proposed that may support the private forest owners' readiness to produce additional quantities of woody biomass. Keywords: woody biomass, mobilization, private forest owners, forest policy, smart regulation
Economic analysis of even-aged fir stand management was illustrated using the example of the forests of the Croatian Dinaric region, as well as their transformation into more stable unevenaged ...structures. Two scenarios (even-aged, uneven-aged) were simulated against the backdrop of the existing forest stand structure of future forest stand management during a 140-year period using forest growth modeling software MOSES version 3.0 in order to identify economic differences amongst different scenarios both at stand level and at forest level. The research included forest management analysis throughout the transformation period and subsequently the continuation of balanced state forest management. Moreover, the research also provided the opportunity of forest purchase within the price range from 1000 to 12,500 EUR/ha, amid assumed fluctuation of selling prices of timber assortments throughout the simulation period. Discount rates from 1% to 5% were used during the economic analysis. The research findings showed that, according to harvesting costs, Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return, uneven-aged forest management system, including the transformation period, achieved superior economic results, albeit at discount rates that exceeded 1.24%. The conclusion was reached that, according to all economic criteria, uneven-aged mixed silver fir-beech management system is preferred compared with the pure even-aged silver fir management. Keywords: silver fir, management transformation, cost control, NPV, IRR
Background and Purpose: Population growth, urbanisation and technological development are creating a growing need for urban forests and parks, which are becoming green oases for recreation and ...relaxation. Apart from the sociological and economic components, urban forest valuation is presented through tourism, the market value of main and secondary forest products, and the growing value of real estate in the vicinity of green areas. Environmental economics explores the optimal ratio between the costs and the benefits received from the investment in the environment. The aim of this research is monetary valuation of urban trees.
Materials and Methods: A Danish model for tree value determination was applied in Ribnjak Park as a case study. The model is based on tree growing costs and the present value. It is limited by the subjective aesthetic tree value estimation, but it is used in Europe because of its practicality. Individual tree value estimation is used because of the tree damage from vehicles or new residential buildings. The method is suitable for individual trees or groups of trees, but it is not appropriate for forest stands. Twenty random selected trees from nine different tree species have been analysed in the park. Diameter at breast height, tree height, expected age, aesthetic value and location were recorded for each tree. Furthermore, ecological, social and health tree values were taken into account separately with the calculation of points.
Results: According to the evaluation, the average monetary value of one tree in Ribnjak Park is 542 EUR. The average diameter at breast height is 57.86 cm with the average age of 96.14 years. Plane trees have the highest value in comparison to other sampled species.
Conclusions: Tree values vary depending on age, dimension or aesthetic values. The disadvantage of this method is in the estimation of very old tree value and in high involvement of personal estimation, which creates an opportunity for future development of the model and for its modification. The calculation of urban forest values is a complex process because of its impossibility to do a market evaluation of all of the benefits that could be considered as public wealth.
Šumski požari predstavljaju ozbiljnu sigurnosnu prijetnju jer ugrožavaju ljudske živote, štetno utječu na okoliš te uzrokuju materijalnu štetu. Ovim radom istražila se percepcija uzroka i posljedica ...šumskih požara u Hrvatskoj te potencijalna rješenja za njihovo sprječavanje. Isto tako, istražilo se postoji li razlika u percepciji ovih pitanja između stručnjaka koji su profesionalno vezani uz šume i šumske požare, i nestručnjaka, odnosno, osoba koje posjećuju šume rekreativno. Anketa je bila postavljena na internetu te je bila dostupna potencijalnim ispitanicima u razdoblju od lipnja do listopada 2023. godine. Istraživanjem je obuhvaćen prosudbeni uzorak od 119 ispitanika, koji se sastojao od 79 stručnjaka i 40 nestručnjaka. Analiza dobivenih odgovora provedena je pomoću hi-kvadrat testa te Mann-Whitney U testa. Istraživanje je pokazalo da se za većinu požara odgovornima smatraju ljudi i njihove aktivnosti, posebice osobe koje namjerno podmeću požare. Kao najteže materijalne posljedice šumskih požara ispitanici navode troškove obnove infrastrukture, javne imovine i industrije te krajolika nakon požara. Ispitanici smatraju da se šumski požari najdjelotvornije mogu spriječiti boljom edukacijom, boljim nadzorom šuma te strožim kaznama za osobe koje namjerno podmeću požare. Istraživanjem je također utvrđeno da kod većine pitanja ne postoje statistički značajne razlike između stručnjaka i nestručnjaka u percepciji uzroka i posljedica šumskih požara.
Forest fires pose a serious safety risk as they endanger human lives, damage the environment and cause material damage. Considering the significant share of forests in the total area of Croatia, fire safety is of particular interest to the Republic of Croatia. Although media and public interest in forest fires increases during the summer, probably because most fires break out in the wider coastal region, which is the most tourism-intensive part of Croatia, the causes of forest fires in Croatia are still insufficiently studied. The aim of this paper is to explore how the causes and consequences of forest fires are perceived and what solutions can be considered for their prevention. It is also analysed whether there is a difference in the perception of these issues between experts and non-experts. Experts in this paper are people who are professionally involved with forests or forest fires, and non-experts are all other respondents who visit forests as a hobby and may have come into contact with forest fires without practicing their profession. The survey was published online and was available to potential respondents from June to October 2023. During this period, the responses were collected from 119 respondents: 79 respondents are professionally involved with forests or fires and form the group of experts in this study, and 40 respondents visit forests as a hobby and form the group of non-experts. The collected responses were analysed using the Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests. This study showed that for most questions, there are no statistically significant differences between experts and non-experts in their perception of the causes and consequences of forest fires. Non-experts rated the statement that sufficient measures are taken in Croatia to reduce the risk of forest fires at 2.97, and experts gave it a slightly higher rating, namely 3.18. Most respondents in both groups (55.00% of experts and 45.57% of non-experts) believe that deliberate ignition is the most important factor in the outbreak of forest fires. In the non-expert group, poor forest management and an increased number of visitors and tourists in the forests are the next most common cause (12.50%), while among the experts, the majority of respondents believe that burning of waste on agricultural land is responsible for the outbreak of fires (21.52%). Regarding forest visitors, non-experts indicated that forest fires have the most negative impact on hikers and mountaineers (47.50%) and campers (20%), while experts believe that forest fires have the most negative impact on hunters (40.51%) and hikers and mountaineers (35.44%). The respondents were also offered eight variables describing potential economic losses due to forest fires. Non-experts believe that the biggest economic losses are the costs of restoring infrastructure, public property, and industry after a fire. Experts believe that the costs directly related to forests are the greatest economic loss, such as the cost of restoring the landscape after a fire and the loss of income due to burned trees or delayed timber harvesting. No statistically significant differences were found between experts and non-experts in the questions on possible solutions for forest fires. Respondents from both groups believe that forest fires can be prevented most effectively through better monitoring of forests, stricter penalties for arsonists, and better education. Education should improve the lack of knowledge and awareness about forest fires and consequently lead to fewer fires. This research has shown that there is an interest in education about forest fires, but also that the information about education is not sufficiently disseminated. The answers obtained in this study can serve as a guide for stakeholders responsible for the design of the fire protection system and the structuring and design of future forest fire education.
Background and Purpose: The South-east Europe (SEE) region is facing a new market economy era where establishing new businesses is more than needed in all sectors. The forest sector, faced with new ...market emerging opportunities, is affected by the constant increase of a number of forest related enterprises. This paper describes the challenges and opportunities related to the use of marketing tools for improving business of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) dealing with non-wood forest products (NWFPs) in SEE region. The research on this subject in the SEE region is scarce despite the rich biodiversity as a solid base for establishing eco-businesses.
Materials and Methods: The method used in this paper is quantitative, based on survey data collected from enterprises in the NWFPs sector followed by statistical data analyses using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The survey was conducted during 2011 and 2012 in four SEE countries: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Macedonia.
Results: The results showed that developed channels of distribution, branding and advertising of NWFPs are recognized in all countries as important and very important, but these marketing tools are used only few times per year. The majority of respondents pointed out advertising as the most frequently used and as the most successful tool. Interviewees’ future investments are to be focused on improving equipment for drying, packing, refrigerating and transport. Several entrepreneurs from Macedonia pointed out that they would invest in increasing the number of buying points and herb plantations while almost all Croatian entrepreneurs will invest in advertising, branding and promotion. Majority of respondents from Serbia are also of the opinion that financial resources should be invested in new equipment. The reasons for these investments can be summarized in reducing costs and increasing profit or in faster turnover.
Conclusions: The use of marketing tools is important because they have positive influence on sale, improve communication and cooperation between enterprises and with consumers, build reliable buyers and increase the number of consumers, which leads to higher profit and creates new opportunities for NWFPs based enterprises. Intensive use of promotion tools should be seen as an opportunity for these enterprises in the SEE region to overcome current challenges and improve their business. The main reason for this situation, as it was stated in the interviews, is the fact that most of the enterprises do not have a final product. Another reason is lack of funds, because of which the question: “If you have financial sources where you should invest?” was answered with promotion, branding and other marketing tools.
Wood processing and furniture manufacture in the Republic of Croatia have been developed on high quality forest raw material, and their activities are based on the use of forest raw material, long ...wood-processing tradition and good quality of human resources. Therefore, this is an important economic segment of the country. However, due to global economic trends, and also due to inadequately developed and low production efficiency, insuffi cient use of capacities and underdeveloped production of higher processing stages, the total income of the industrial wood processing is relatively low with respect to the potential of raw materials. It is, therefore, important to determine the position of the sector with the focus on market research. For this reason, the analysis was conducted and comparison made between certain market indicators such as production, exports, imports, consumption, and sales share of Croatian manufacturers, wood processing (DD 20) and furniture manufacture (DN 36), in the domestic market. In the observed period, an increasing trend was recorded of the production of other wood products and furniture manufacture, in favor of production of other wood products. From 2000 to the end of 2008 export values of other wood products were higher in relation to furniture export values, while in the field of import determinant values reversed. In the observed period, product sales of Croatian manufacturers in sectors DD 20 and DN 36 in the domestic market were variable.
U radu je analizirana uloga ekoturizma na području Plitvičkih dolina, točnije važnost ekoturizma u Općini Rakovica koja je dio širega turističkoga konteksta Nacionalnoga parka. Plitvičke doline šire ...su područje koje gravitira obližnjemu Nacionalnomu parku Plitvička jezera. Opisan je povijesni razvoj turizma ove regije, definirani su oblici turizma, a naglasak je stavljen na izuzetno važan oblik turizma, na ekoturizam. Ta vrsta turizma na prvo mjesto stavlja očuvanje prirode i okoliša te je glavni pokretač turizma te regije. Sustavnim razvojem ponude usluga, atrakcija i aktivnosti cijelo se područje oko Nacionalnoga parka pretvorilo u jednu od privlačnijih turističkih destinacija u Hrvatskoj pod imenom Plitvičke doline. Kako bi se analizirala ponuda i potražnja toga turističkoga tržišta te zadovoljstvo turista, kreiran je i proveden anketni upitnik među posjetiteljima (vrijeme skupljanja: ljeto 2023, broj ispitanika: 60). Rezultati uključuju analizu frekvencije posjeta te njihovu sezonalnost, ocjenu kvalitete prirodnih resursa, analizu utjecaja ljepote okoliša na zadovoljstvo posjetitelja, stavove posjetitelja o cijeni ulaznica i opću ocjenu nakon posjeta. Zaključak je da treba poraditi na ponudi i kvaliteti sadržaja izvan sezone kako bi se turizam tijekom ljeta rasporedio i na ostala godišnja doba barem donekle.
The paper analyzes the role of ecotourism in the area of the »Plitvice Valleys«, specifically the importance of ecotourism in the municipality of Rakovica, which is part of the wider tourist context of the National Park. »Plitvice Valleys« is a wider area that gravitates to the nearby Plitvice Lakes National Park. The historical development of tourism in this region is described, the forms of tourism are defined, and the emphasis is placed on an extremely important form of tourism – ecotourism. This type of tourism puts the preservation of nature and the environment first and is the main driver of tourism in the region in question. Through the systematic development of the offer of services, attractions and activities, the entire area around the National Park has turned into one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Croatia, called »Plitvice Valleys«. In order to analyze the supply and demand of this tourist market and the satisfaction of tourists, a survey questionnaire was created and conducted with visitors (time of collection: summer 2023, number of respondents: 60). The results include an analysis of the frequency of visits and their seasonality, an assessment of the quality of natural resources, an analysis of the impact of the beauty of the environment on visitor satisfaction, the attitudes of visitors towards the ticket and a general assessment after the visit. The conclusion is that we need to work on the offer and quality of off-season content, in order to spread summer tourism to other seasons, at least to some extent.
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