Forestry in protected areas between the reasons of the heart and passions of reason

Abstract

The past few decades have seen the establishment of a culture of development based on three “E”s: Ecology,
Economics, Ethics. In this context, forest managers must aim towards the protection of natural resources and forests on the regional, national and global level.We must support and promote a legal framework that considers the centrality of forest ecosystems and recognizes the “intrinsic value” of the forest. If the status of “biological system” is assigned to the forest, legal and ethical problems arise. Rights that are granted to biotic communities must be assigned also to the forest, i.e. the “rights of the forest”. It is necessary to think about forest management not only from a practical point of view, but also in the metaphysical, aesthetic and ethical sense. The forest is the laboratory where you can discover the true essence of the art and science of forestry and acquire that spiritual, ethical and cultural nourishment which foresters cannot abdicate.