Social Cohesion

Social cohesion may be enhanced by organising and running a localised and renewables-based energy supply system, and quality of life may be substantially increased (e.g. through the co-benefits offered by new infrastructure installations). In many countries rural areas are suffering from significant levels of outward migration, which mitigates against population stability. The introduction of a net employment and income-generating source, such as bioenergy production, can help to stem adverse social cohesion trends (examples include high levels of unemployment, rural depopulation, but also a lack of partnership between rural and urban populations).

Bioenergy projects offer considerable socio-economic benefits for local communities. However, sometimes these benefits can also represent a potential challenge, which if not addressed properly can cause serious problems in implementing a bioenergy project. One of the main examples of such cases is the requirement for cooperation and collaboration between all local stakeholders, necessary to implement local community level bioenergy projects, which if performed successfully have positive effects on social cohesion.

Social cohesion is an important prerequisite for rural communities survival		Mechanised sawing in small rural community		Bioenergy and wood products often go together