Biodiversity in the forest: New concepts for sustainable forest management!

Biodiversity in the forest: New concepts for sustainable forest management!

Biodiversity in Europe's forests faces significant challenges, primarily caused by large-scale uniform or intensive use. To address these problems, an international research team led by the universities of Göttingen and Jyväskylä has developed a new forest management concept called “Triad”. This concept aims to balance economic and ecological goals.

The “triad” concept envisages dividing forests into different zones: zones for timber production, unused areas for species protection and zones with gentle use, which combine both goals. The research results were published in the scientific journal PNAS and are based on data collected at nine locations in France, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic on different creatures such as birds, beetles, plants, lichens and fungi. These fundamentals are crucial for understanding the effects of management strategies on biodiversity.

Zones and biodiversity

The study showed that the highest biodiversity was found in landscapes consisting of 60% unused protected zones and 40% intensively managed forests. In contrast, purely intensively managed forest landscapes had the lowest biodiversity, while extensively managed forests could hardly make a contribution to biodiversity. However, given the increasing demand for wood, it is unrealistic to assume that 60% of Europe's forests can remain unused.

The researchers recommend increasing the proportion of unmanaged forests and promoting heterogeneity in extensively managed forests. Proposals include creating a mosaic of open and closed forest areas and preserving large old trees and deadwood. These approaches are crucial for the conservation of biodiversity and have been supported by the EU funding program Horizon 2020 as well as by COST, DFG and the Kone Foundation.

Model projects in Austria

In parallel to these international efforts, work is being carried out in Austria as part of the “Biodiversity and Multifunctional Management in Forests” (BIMUWA) project to develop a model concept for biodiversity protection in forests. This project, funded by the Rural Development 14-20 program, focuses on PEFC Region 6, which includes parts of Styria and Carinthia.

The forests there cover almost 50% of the area and play a central role in biodiversity conservation. The project aims to create a model for ecological forest management, regardless of protection status, and to promote collaboration between forestry stakeholders and environmental organizations.

By using the red lists, targeted data analyzes are created for biodiversity protection. In addition, recommendations and suggested measures for forest owners and landowners should be developed. Two specialist events and a best practice excursion in Carinthia are part of the project's communication strategy to disseminate the results.

The brochure “Active for Special Biotopes”, which was published in December 2023, is a further step towards raising awareness of natural features in PEFC Region 6. The promotion of voluntary, integrative nature conservation measures in forest management is the focus of these initiatives and is comprehensively supported.

For further information on this important topic and the programs that contribute to the conservation and promotion of biodiversity in forests, we refer to the reporting by University of Göttingen, the BUND Guide and Federal forests.