Dear Colleagues,

The content and processes of how the forest policies have been developed, have great contribution for their effective implementation and ultimately, to the sustainable forest conservation. Furthermore, good policies alone is not guarantee for the sustainable forest conservation, unless it has been supported by appropriate, strong and fair institutions and good forest governance. However, currently, sustainable forest conservations have been a challenge in most parts of the world. This is mainly due to different reasons. The first is that the international and national forest policies are not being effectively implemented. Where it has been implemented, it is not supported by strong institutions and good forest governance. Furthermore, the local and forest dependent communities are also devoid of its benefits where they been implemented.

This special issue 'Forest Policies and Governance for sustainable forest conservation’ is devoted to collecting scientific studies that are devoted to help us understand how the forest policies and governance contribute to the sustainable conservation of forests. It collects and publishes the recent scientific works on the centralized forest policy, participatory forest management, the scientific analysis the content and processes of forest policy formulation, good forest governance, actors role in sustainable forest governance and similar topics related with the grand title. In doing so, it attempts broaden the existing understanding in the area.

Dr. Endalkachew Birhan

Guest Editor