Enhancing policy instruments and stakeholder collaboration for climate change governance in selected forest regions and national parks in Serbia

The successful implementation of climate change (CC) policies and strategies in forestry and related sectors (nature conservation, environment, energy) may be hindered by a lack of appropriate regulatory, economic and informational policy instruments, weak cross-sectoral coordination, and limited stakeholder collaboration during their implementation. This study aims to assess opportunities to improve policy instruments and collaboration for CC governance in the forestry and related sectors in selected forest regions and national parks in Serbia. Data were collected in 2022 through 23 interviews with decision-makers, public and civil sector experts, and representatives of "good practice"examples of stakeholder collaboration in CC. The majority of respondents (87%) support the improvement of regulatory instruments through the development of agreements with local self-governments and different public and civil organizations, and outreach plans in forestry and related sectors. A large number of respondents (70%) advocate for greater variety of economic policy instruments involving local self-government in knowledge sharing programs and creating additional incentives for private forest owners. Informational policy instruments were endorsed by 91% of respondents, who emphasized the importance of local information exchanges, workshops, and forums to enhance community knowledge on CC governance. The majority of public and civil sector representatives (87%) recommend establishing cross-sectoral forums to improve dissemination of information and contacts between stakeholders. All respondents agree with the inclusion of civil sector representatives in the work of emergency management departments. Further research could investigate the feasibility of proposed solutions in the broader Serbian context among a wider group of stakeholders.