The Approach of the British Forestry Commission to the Conservation of Forest Biodiversity

The New Forest Suicide Prevention Initiative (NFSPI)

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910.26.1.25 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 25-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Elizabeth King ◽

Neil Frost

Keyword(s):

Environmental Issues ◽

Exhaust Gas ◽

Telephone Number ◽

Forestry Commission ◽

Car Exhaust ◽

Gas Poisoning ◽

Car Park ◽

Annual Total ◽

New Forest ◽

Car Exhaust Gas

Abstract. A retrospective suicide study revealed that the Forestry Commission car parks in the New Forest in southern England were a previously unrecognized magnet for nonlocal suicides, attracting as high a proportion of “visitors” (35/43 in 1993-97) as among suicides who jumped from the cliffs at the infamous Beachy Head (39/48 in 1993-97). Over 95% of the car park suicides died from car exhaust gas poisoning. A multiagency initiative aimed to reduce the number of suicides in the 140 New Forest car parks where restricting access was impossible, and environmental issues paramount. Signs displaying the Samaritans' national telephone number were erected in the 26 car parks in which 50% of the car park suicides had occurred. Numbers, location, and residence of all car park deaths were monitored for 3 years. Corresponding changes in other forest registration districts were also monitored. During the 3-year intervention period the number of car park suicides fell significantly from 10/year, 1988-1997, to 3.3/year. The average annual total number of suicides in the New Forest registration district also decreased. No significant changes were found in comparable forest districts. The number of suicides in the New Forest car parks remained low during the 2 years following the evaluation.

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Waldpolitisch relevante Gremien in Europa | Important forest policy organisations in Europe

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2011.0128 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 162 (4) ◽

pp. 128-132

Author(s):

Christoph Dürr

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Forest Policy ◽

The European Union ◽

Global Level ◽

National Interests ◽

Political Processes ◽

Forestry Commission ◽

European Forest ◽

International Forest Policy ◽

Regional Processes

International forest policy is mainly shaped by the participation of countries at global level, which is why forest-related organisations in Europe and their political processes have received little attention up to now. Meanwhile, however, global forest policy is being increasingly influenced by regional processes. Efforts are underway in the context of various European processes to put sustainable forest management on a firmer footing and make it better known outside the sector. Hence the safeguarding of national interests in the European context is becoming more important for Switzerland. This contribution presents the main forest policy organisations in Europe from Switzerland's perspective, i.e. Forest Europe, the FAO European Forestry Commission, the UNECE Timber Committee, the European Union and the European Forest Institute, so as to provide a better understanding of where European forest policy originates.

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