Abstract The efficient implementation of forest-related policies under the European Green Deal requires assessing the capacity of ecosystems to deliver ecosystem services (ES) and involving stakeholders in the decision-making process. Public involvement ensures that policies align with local needs, relevant ES are identified, ES supply is optimised, and acceptance of measures is increased. We conducted a nationwide public survey ( n = 813) in Slovenia, consisting of three sections: (1) knowledge and perceptions related to ES and the bioeconomy, (2) a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to elicit preferences for possible changes in the supply of forest ES and products based on them (FPS) that support the strategic objectives of the EU Green Deal, and (3) questions on socio-demographics, lifestyle, and consumer behaviour. The results of the DCE, together with respondents’ place of residence using Moran’s I statistic, allowed us to identify areas of distinct preferences (ADP), either positive or negative, for FPS. Based on biophysical indicators, we assessed the potential supply of FPS within and outside ADP and found statistically significant differences. Then we compared potential supply with public preferences (demand) for FPS, which yielded several findings, most notably three cases where higher potential supply of FPS within the ADP coincided with positive preferences in the same ADP: high-quality wood, strictly protected forests, and forest tourism involving non-owners. In all these cases, mobilising additional FPS would benefit communities within the ADP (meeting allocative efficiency), and their high potential supply makes this feasible as well (meeting resource use efficiency).
Plevnik et al. (Sun,) studied this question.