In che modo i fondi forestali nazionali possono catalizzare la fornitura di beni e servizi forestali?

Financing needs for the forest sector are increasing. Resources to be made available have to be multiplied by three by 2030 and by four by 2050 (UNEP, 2021). Besides, increasing pressures threatening forest ecosystems require innovative policy and financing approaches that will enable local forest stakeholders to protect and restore forests so they can further provide goods and services for resilient societies and economies. In this context national forest funds (NFFs) may have a critical role to play. The present research has been conducted to understand how NFFs could catalyze the provision of forests goods and services. Our analysis based on case studies show that NFFs have a clear potential to articulate payments for ecosystem services schemes, and that they can operate as relevant intermediaries between ecosystem services providers and beneficiaries. Such a role can also be achieved through private sector support provided by NFFs as it is the case through small-scale forest businesses. Our study also questioned how emerging financing opportunities linked to climate finance and covid-19 recovery programmes could influence the use of national forest funds. It appears that NFFs will have to evolve in an environment where new types of domestic funds emerge such as National Climate Funds, which can represent opportunities for the forest sector, including through the use of existing NFFs as financial intermediaries. Similarly covid-19 recovery programmes and related financing opportunities could be channeled through NFFs adopting a payment for ecosystem services approach (as suggested by the new EU forest strategy for example). Finally several policy and management orientations are proposed, which would help improve the work of NFFs managers on the four key features of NFFs : capitalization, utilization, governance and monitoring & evaluation. The thesis concludes on future research perspectives and calls for the development of a ‘NFF Global network’ which could operate as a community of practice to facilitate knowledge sharing on good practices and lessons learned on NFFs.