Openko I. Ecological and Economic Basis of Rational Use and Protection of Forestry Land in Conditions of the Decentralization of Power

The theoretical and methodological approaches to rational environmental management formulated in the dissertation. It helps to solve an important scientific and applied problem of the formation of a system of rational use and protection of forest lands in decentralization processes. The terminological basis of scientific research has been improved. It based on the principles and ideas of the philosophical foundations of rationalism. The conceptual model for research of forest ecosystems in the context of sustainable environmental management developed and tested. The European practice of rational use and protection of forestry lands analysed in the dissertation. There is a private form of ownership of forestry land use in the EU member states, unlike Ukraine. A common feature of European countries is the fragmentation of privately owned forest lands into small plots. It complicates the economic use of forest lands and requires their consolidation into the forested area. The main reasons for the increase in the area of private forest lands investigated. Whereas in Ukraine legally these circumstances are characterized as improper land use, therefore appropriate administrative sanctions in the form of a fine can be imposed. A conceptual model of introducing market ecosystem services through blockchain technology is proposed. It allows to invest and receive economic dividends from the forestry land preservation and to increase the value of environmental capital with limiting emissions of CO2 and to provide the financial support to rural communities (based on the principle of the international program «REDD+», approved by the UN) under the decentralization of power for the development of educational, medical services, the creation of energy-saving infrastructure. The economic mechanism (graph) of forestry lands use in Ukraine is developed in the dissertation. The proposed methodological approach allows forming a holistic science-based system that combines the existing organizational, social, economic, environmental elements of forestry lands use in Ukraine. The applied mathematical models for forecasting and determination of the optimal scenario of rational use and protection of forestry lands in Ukraine are created based on the developed matrix.