What is Social Forestry?
Presentation on social research in forestryto the Hampshire Woodland Forum
19th October 2010
Claudia CarterSocial and Economic Research Group (SERG)
Centre for Human and Ecological Sciences
19 October 20102
• What is social research?• How might it be useful to you?• FR’s Social & Economic
Research Group• Examples of social research
• Active England• Partnership working
• Access to research findings
I am drawing on research and material produced by several colleagues
Overview
19 October 20103
Def: Forestry for the benefit of rural and urban communities
Environment: Improve the environment for rural and urban population
Social: Improve quality of lifeEconomic: Improve access to forest resources and
create jobs
Spending time in the woodland environment has a great positive influence on health, wellbeing and personal development.
What is SOCIAL FORESTRY?
19 October 20104
Study of society and the way people perceive, use, manage and impact on their environment.
Collection, classification and analysis of information about people such as customers,
stakeholders, individuals, communities and social groups of interest to those involved in forest management.
These data can be related to the social, political, economic, geographical and culture situations in which people live.
Social Research in Forestry
19 October 20105
What? DESCRIPTIVEWhat do people think / perceive / believe / want / value / do?
Why? EXPLANATORYWhy? - how are these perceptions, beliefs, values, actions
related to cause and context?
So what? EXPLANATORY AND PREDICTIVEWhat are the consequences of these perceptions, beliefs,
values, actions?
Common Questions in Social Research
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Social research can be conducted in a variety of ways
Three key approaches:
1) Quantitative methods to answer ‘what’ and ‘how many’type questions
2) Qualitative methods to answer ‘why’ and ‘how’ type in-depth questions
3) Economic methods to identify monetary values for tangible and intangible goods and services
Methods in Social Research
19 October 20107
How might it be useful for you?
• Gain understanding of visitors to a site: their activities, preferences and needs, and the benefits they derive
• Build a profile of the local community surrounding a specific site and compare with users’ profile identified through a site survey
• Evaluate who benefits, and how, from a specific project or intervention/programme or grant scheme
• Assess the likely social/economic impacts of new projects and policies
• Derive economic values for the various contributions forests make to society and the economy
• Explore partnership working for project/site delivery
Social Research in Forestry
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Public benefits:Health and wellbeingEducationLivelihoodsCommunity capacity ParticipationCultural values
Trees, woods & forests:
ForestryEcologyPlanning Species choiceClimate change
Governance:PolicyDecision-making processesInstitutionsPartnershipsParticipatory processes
SERG explores the interface between people and trees and the institutional and organisational processes through which sustainable forest management is undertaken
Social and Economic Research in Forestry
SERG’s5 work areas:well-being & QoLsociety & diversityforest governanceforest economicsevaluation & IA
19 October 20109
13 researchers: Alice Holt (5), NRS (6) and Wales (2)
… from backgrounds in forestry, economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, human ecology, geography
Carry out applied, interdisciplinary work; collaborate with universities and research organisations
Work in GB and Europe (through EU-funded projects)
• We carry out research ourselves• Manage contracted research• Advise on design and conduct of social research• Advise on social issues in forestry
The Social and Economic Research Group
Amy Stewart
Jonathan Starling
Example 1:Evaluation of Active England ProgrammeLiz O’Brien and Jake Morris
Example 2:Partnership WorkingBianca Ambrose-Oji, Anna Lawrence, Jenny Wallace, Amy Stewart
Examples
19 October 201011
Established in 2003 with £94.8 million lottery funding and £31 million Sport England funds
Aim: to increase community participation in sport and physical activity in England
241 projects funded for 3 years
Target groups:• People on low incomes• People with disabilities• Women and girls• Black and ethnic minorities• Young people (under 16)• 45+ age group
Example 1: Active England
Active England Programme
19 October 201012
Example 1: Active England
Five woodland projects funded• 3 site-based and 2 community forests• Cost: £500,000 to £2 million per project
Key activities• Infrastructure improvements –
cycle/walking tracks, play areas, visitor centre
• Equipment purchase
• Organised events• ‘Led’ activities; e.g. health walks• ‘Facilitated access’ – people
brought to the site• Outreach staff
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Methodology• Phase 1 – On-site surveys (at 8 sites) to profile visitors and
monitor changes in visitor activity• Phase 2 – Spatial analysis to produce a catchment profile of
the surrounding population of each site• Phase 3 – Qualitative research with ‘users’ (identify benefits)
and ‘non-users’ (explore barriers). Interviews with project staff to explore challenges/successes
Data2898 questionnaires completed from 8 sites (baseline data and
a survey 1-1.5 years into the projects)114 people involved in activity and focus group discussion
Example 1: Active England
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Phase 1: Site surveys
Significant increase in the 16-44 age class at site based projects due to infrastructure improvements at sites with creation of play areas, family cycle and walk tracks, equipment for archery, laser quest. 59.4%39.7%Site group
16-44
40.6%60.3%Site group45+
52.2%53.1%Community group 45+
47.8%46.9%Community group 16-44 age group
After project
Beforeproject
Community or site based group
224,00080,00010,000Haldon
273,000182,00051,000Bedgebury
2007/82006/72005/6Year:Sites:
Significant increase in site users at Bedgebury Forest and HaldonForest Park
Example 1: Active England
19 October 201015
Act
ivity
Walking without a dogDog walking
Nature watchingPlay Area
CyclingPicnic
Special EventsRunning
Mountain BikingPhotography
Seeing SomethingHorse Riding
EducationalOrienteering
AfterBefore
Act
ivity
Walking without a dogDog walking
Nature watchingPlay Area
CyclingPicnic
Special EventsRunning
Mountain BikingPhotography
Seeing SomethingHorse Riding
EducationalOrienteering
% of visitors6040200
% of visitors6040200
Community
OtherSite Based
Example 1: Active England
Significant increase in site based grouping for cycling, play areas and mountain biking
Time spent at the sites increased for both groups, particularly for the site grouping, from a mean of 1.74 hours before the projects started to 2.33 hours afterwards
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Post code data from the on-site survey was used to map where visitors were coming from. This was then combined with census data to look at the profile of visitors and surrounding communities.
Phase 2: Spatial profile of surrounding catchmentwithin 20 miles radius of the sites
Example 1: Active England
19 October 201017
Phase 3: Evaluation - users of the projects
Adventure, fun, escapism, having a laugh, exhilarated
Enjoyment
Support and advise from staff/volunteers, meet others, motivation to continue activity
Social networks and socialising
Keeping mobile, energised, mental well-being, relaxed, feel healthy, therapeutic, stress reduction
Health: physical and mental
Sense of achievement, developing new skills, gaining confidence, accomplishment
Achievement and learning
Leading on to further exercise, new friends, training to be a volunteer, undertaking challenge
Wider life impacts
Fresh air, scenery, variety, changing seasons, seeing, feeling, smelling, woods screening traffic and noise
Nature – outdoors, senses and aesthetics
Memories, family experiences, childhood use and experience, climbing trees, building dens
Personal childhood use of green space
Project usersBenefit themes
Example 1: Active England
19 October 201018
Non-users: Barriers to accessing, using and enjoying woodlands
Negative perceptions, fear and safety concerns
Under-represented, excluded groups feeling unwelcome Lack of knowledge
Lack of motivation
Physical accessibility
Embedded deprivation
Lack of reasonable facilities
Perceived barriers – personal safety worries, lack of knowledge
Emotional barriers – previous bad experience, feeling unwelcome
Physical and structural barriers – on site problems or problems getting to the site
Example 1: Active England
19 October 201019
Strategic objectiveExamples
Regular once a week / fortnight for those who lack confidence or a partner
Health walks, cycle rides, nature walks
Led activities
Reach groups not confident to visit alone, lack of cultural norms to visit, e.g. BME groups
Bring target group to site for activity
Facilitated access
One-off taster sessionsFun runs, craft fairs, cycle event, activity day
Events
Transportable to communities, school grounds - take to people
Laser quest, archery, climbing wall
Equipment purchases
Can benefit all and attract new users
Cycle tracks, walk trails, play areas, visitor centre
Site infrastructure improvements
Design and implementation of the projects
‘Led’ activities and ‘facilitated access’ are critical to reaching under-represented groups
Example 1: Active England
Under-represented groups
People benefiting
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Lessons learnt
• Targeted outreach work needs to be supported and adequately funded
• Project staff need support in long-term strategic and business planning
• Volunteers provide a vital human resource and help sustain projects
• Users emphasise the high social value of regular and scheduled group activities
• Often the group itself becomes a primary motivation for continued involvement in the activity
• Regular supported activities appear to encourage under-represented groups in sport to become more active than one-off events or infrastructure improvements
Example 1: Active England
19 October 201021
• FC: firm commitment to working in partnership with others across all sectors including public, private and third sector organisations. Supporting and developing partnerships is seen as the best way to deliver the forestry strategy at woodland, community and landscape scale levels.
Example 2: Partnership Working
Partnership Working – How best to support delivery ofstrategic objectives?
Research questions:• What forms of ‘partnership’ exist?• What kind of relationships are necessary for the achievement of specific objectives?• What factors influence the attainment of successful outcomes/impacts from partnerships?
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Partnerships in Theory (benefits) & Practice (aims)
purchaser - inter-organisational systemicprovider negotiation co-ordination
(‘best value’) (bargaining and coordination) (shared vision / joint working)
Example 2: Partnership Working
Features•Equality•Mutuality•Collaborative advantage
Models (after Mackintosh 1992)
•Synergy•Transformation•Budget enlargement / rationale
Strategic: high impact, forward looking relationships connected with decision making
Policy delivery: direct and explicit actions set to deliver against a specific policy target
Operational: related to day-to-day operations
Networking: communication and institutional contacts
Continuum (after Stoker 1998, in Powell & Dowling 2006: 306)
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SCOPING STUDY:
Interviews conducted in
• 3 countries (included Regions / Conservancies and Districts)
• 18 staff from Forestry Commission and 2 partnerships
PARTNERSHIP DATA (i.e. scoping study and FCE work)
• Examination of form, function, funding, and organisations involved in 135 partnerships across FCE Districts and Regions
• 6 detailed case studies• 51 semi-structured interviews
(33 FC; 18 from civil society)
Example 2: Partnership Working
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FCE third sector/civil society engagement study:
Third sector = organisations and institutions that are value driven rather than profit driven and re-invest surpluses or raise funds to further social, environmental or cultural objectives
336198Total
3120Local Authority partnership staff
10280Third Sector - Small and medium sized organisations
2110Third Sector - Large organisations
4-40Forestry Commission England, National staff
7133Forest Enterprise, District staff
7115Forestry Commission, Regional staff
Case studies
Semi-structured interview
Questionnaire Total
Research Method
Respondent’s organisation and role
Example 2: Partnership Working
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climate change13% natural
environment29%
quality of life26%
business and markets
16%
sustainable resource
16%
FC England’s partnerships with third sector
Example 2: Partnership Working
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0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Operational Strategic Netw ork Delivery
type of partnership
num
ber p
artn
ersh
ips/
rela
tions
hips
count of partnershipssum of Third Sector relationshipsSum of public sector relationships
Example 2: Partnership Working
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Factors influencing outcomes/impacts
Not the form of partnership which is important but the features
• Mutuality and respect are key• Clarify and agree roles and responsibilities• Collaborative advantage (complimentarity)
The type of organisation/s in partnership and the relationships they can build • Local/national • Size• Capacity• Transform and accommodate• Learning organisations
Power – agreed roles more important than asymmetries• Communicability of partnership meaning
Example 2: Partnership Working
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Conclusions
Principles of partnership working important• Communication• Shared working practice -
finance, reporting, delivery• Understanding• Trust
Dual/multiple scale organisations• Strategic view (governance) and local delivery• Commissioning efficiency
Complimentary competencies
Organisational capacity – risk management
Space for innovation – not over managed
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-7WCDZH
Example 2: Partnership Working
M&E(learning)
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Glossy publications of individual research projects or seminar/conference discussions
Glossy Publications
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Newsletter
• 4 pages
• 2 issues per year
• Posted/e-mailed to people (mailing list)
SERG Newsletter
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