Planning of Direct Payment Program that Guarantees Sustainable Forest Management

根据2001年修订的《森林及林业基本法》，政府于2002年推出“促进区域森林维护活动补助金”，以实践可持续的多功能森林。第一期对直接支付方案的效果和存在的问题进行了实验研究，并对直接支付方案的问题进行了探讨。首先，我们发现补助的使用与森林经营计划相关，根据以下两项指标可分为四种类型：1)计划规划者是否为森林所有者或其他受托方；2)森林合作社参与计划的程度。其次，其效果因类型而异。不仅是为了实际规划或实践确定的区域活动，而且该计划还带来了更强的森林合作社官员和成员之间的关系，振兴农村社区，监测森林认证和JA的低地森林管理。这是由于当地人民的操作，即直接支付计划，不同于现有的造林补贴。对当地森林问题的了解和能够执行项目的组织机构被视为项目成功实施的关键。最后，通过对农业政策直接支付制度的理论研究，指出了环境直接支付制度的必要性，以促进制度的合规和结算。今后在森林政策中引入环境直接支付方案，需要参考现行造林补贴制度或地级市森林环境税制度。因此，我们也开始讨论森林环境税。

Under the revision of Forest and Forestry Basic Law in 2001, Grants for Promoting Regional Activities for Forest Maintenance' was introduced to practice sustainable multifunctional forests in 2002. An experimental study was conducted on its effects and problems in the first period and discussion on the issues of direct payment program was done.Firstly, we found that the usage of the grants could be categorized into four types based on the following two measures since it is related to forest management plan: 1) if the program planners are forest owners or other consigned parties, 2) how much forest cooperatives participate in the planning.Secondly, its effects vary depending on the types. Not only for the sake of actual planning or practicing of the defined regional activities, but also the program brought a stronger relationship between the forest cooperative officers and members, revitalization of rural communities, monitoring for forest certification and lowland forest management by JA This is due to local people's operation, that is, direct payment program, unlike the existing afforestation subsidies. Knowledge of local forest problems and organization that can execute the program are seen as essential keys in those communities where the program is successfully done.At last, through theoretical study of the movement on direct payment program for as agricultural policy, we pointed out the necessity of environmental direct payment that can promote compliance as well as settlement of the system. In case of introducing the environmental direct payment program to forest policy in the future, we need to refer the existing afforestation subsidy system or prefectural forest environmental tax system. Therefore, we started discussing about the forest environmental tax as well.