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Section 6Forests and forestryForests are key habitats for the conservation of many rare plant, fungi, moss and lichenspecies. Europe has a wide diversity of forest types from the expanses of conifer forestsin the north and the Baltic, to the unbroken belts of oak-beech and beech-spruceforests of central Europe and the species rich deciduous and mixed forests of southernEurope. Some of the forests of southern Europe were not affected by glaciation andhave forest compositions that have existed for many thousands of years. Old growthforests, areas where there has been little or no human activity for over one hundredyears, are extremely species rich.They are increasingly rare and these few remainingareas should be prioritised for protection. Sustainable management should be appliedalso in forests that are commercially exploited.Several million people are employed in the forestry industry in Europe today, andforestry is an important economic sector.There is an urgent need to find a sustainablebalance between the needs of economic forestry and the need to conserve Europe’sforest heritage for the future.Threatened forest habitatsThe EU Habitats Directive recognises 65 threatened forest habitats and the Council ofEurope, Bern Convention recognises 109 threatened forest habitats, such as the Alvarforests of Estonia, flood plain forest, beech forests and Scots pine forests. Many ofEurope’s rarest tree species are listed in the World List of Threatened Trees.The most important impacts of human activity on forest biodiversity are:• Clearing old growth and deciduous forest and replacing them with plantations ofexotic and coniferous species.• Harvesting of trees before they reach maturity, which results in a decrease in thenumber of species associated with old and decaying trees.• Clearing of alluvial forests for agriculture and plantations of fast growing hybridpoplars, and changing the hydrological systems of swamp forests• Modifying the species composition of existing forests and creating formations that donot occur naturally• Draining of peat soils and humid forests to accelerate forest growth• Constructing timber road networks in wilderness areas• Reforestation of abandoned agricultural land and formerly grazed environmentsQuality not quantity: afforestation in EuropeThe area of forest in Europe is increasing, partly through afforestation programmes cofinancedby the EU (1 million hectares since 1991), but also through natural regenerationon agricultural and formerly grazed land. Although this is generally viewed as a positivetrend, there are concerns for plant conservation.• In afforestation projects, the preference for conifers over deciduous trees, and exoticover indigenous species, has a negative effect on biodiversity• The rise in forest area conceals the fact that many of the last old growth forests inEurope are still threatened with deforestation and replacement with plantations• Afforestation projects often occur on key natural and semi-natural open and grasslandhabitats.All afforestation programmes should be subject to thorough and effective environmentalimpact assessments to ensure that Europe’s most valuable forests are not lost in thenumbers game of quantity rather than quality.84
Habitats and land usesIPAs and forestry:544 IPAs (68%) contain forest habitats (deciduous 412 IPAs, coniferous 313 IPAs, mixed186 IPAs).448 IPAs (56%) contain threatened forest habitat from the EU Habitats Directive, 353IPAs (44%) contain priority forest habitats.123 IPAs (15%) contain Bern Convention threatened forest habitats.363 IPAs (46%) record forestry activity as a land use.Threats to IPAs from forestry activity212 IPAs (27%) are threatened by intensified forest management159 IPAs (20%) are threatened by afforestation130 IPAs (16%) are threatened by deforestationProtecting Europe’s forestsSome of Europe’s most valuable forests are currently designated as protected areas innational or regional systems. However many more have no protection or are vulnerableto illegal logging.The EU forestry strategy and the Ministerial Conference on theProtection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) recommend guidelines for sustainable forestrybut these actions are voluntary.Another effective way of ensuring forests are managedsustainably is through forest certification systems, for example the Forest StewardshipCouncil (FSC) scheme.ReferencesEuropean Commission, 2004, Natura 2000and forests “Challenges and opportunities” –interpretation guide.Forest Stewardship Council (www.fsc.org)Ministerial Conference on the Protectionof Forests in Europe(http://www.mcpfe.org/)1st, 1990, Strasbourg Conference2nd, 1993 Helsinki Conference3rd, 1997 Lisbon Conference4th, 2003 Vienna ConferenceOzinga, S., 2004: Footprints in the forest –Current practice and Future challenges inforest certification. FERN, Gloucestershire,UK. (www.fern.org)UNEP-WCMC 1998 World List ofThreatened Trees (www.unepwcmc.org/trees/)Veen, P.,Virgin Forests Project(www.veenecology.nl) (www.knnv.nl)WWF Forestry Section (www.panda.org)Old growth forest in Slovakia.TOMAS KUSÍK85
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IMPORTANTPLANT AREAS INCENTRAL ANDE
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AcknowledgementsAcademy of Sciences
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ContentsBRANO MOLNARContentsExecuti
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Executive SummaryExecutive SummaryT
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Executive SummaryRecommendations:IP
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IntroductionMONICA SARBUDANKA PETRO
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IntroductionTransparency is one of
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IntroductionDANA TURONOVAThreats to
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MethodologyBRANO MOLNARBRANO MOLNAR
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MethodologyLichensThere were 34 lic
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MethodologyIPA site selection crite
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IPA databaseThe online IPA database
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Summary of IPA data149 threatened s
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Summary of IPA dataIPAs and Key Bio
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Summary of IPA dataDamaging forestr
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Summary of IPA dataIPAs and land us
Page 33 and 34: Summary of IPA dataNumber of IPAs w
Page 35 and 36: BelarusMethodology summaryCriteria
Page 37 and 38: BelarusOLEG MASLOVSKYRecommendation
Page 39 and 40: Czech RepublicCriteria listsCriteri
Page 41 and 42: Czech RepublicQualifying criteria f
Page 43 and 44: EstoniaEstoniaBy Mart Külvik, Anne
Page 45 and 46: EstoniaApart from nature conservati
Page 47 and 48: PolandPolandBy Zbigniew MirekPoland
Page 49 and 50: PolandHabitats and land usesNo. ofI
Page 51 and 52: RomaniaRomaniaBy Anca SârbuRomania
Page 53 and 54: RomaniaHabitats and land use:No. of
Page 55 and 56: RomaniaANCA SARBUReferences:Jalas,
Page 57 and 58: RussiaJONATHAN RUDGEOngoing workBel
Page 59 and 60: SlovakiaMethodology summaryCriteria
Page 61 and 62: SlovakiaOf the 154 IPAs in Slovakia
Page 63 and 64: SloveniaSloveniaBy Nejc JoganSloven
Page 65 and 66: SloveniaQualifying criteria for IPA
Page 67 and 68: IPAs in South East EuropeIPAs in so
Page 69 and 70: BulgariaPETKO TSVETKOVCriteria and
Page 71 and 72: CroatiaTONI NIKOLICCriteria and met
Page 73 and 74: MacedoniaCriteria and methodologyCr
Page 75 and 76: Serbia and MontenegroDANKA PETROVI
Page 77 and 78: Serbia and MontenegroCurrent IPA st
Page 79 and 80: IPA Projects in other countriesANDR
Page 81 and 82: Habitats and land usesANCA SARBU ˘
Page 83: Habitats and land usesBRANO MONLART
Page 87 and 88: Habitats and land usesSustainable p
Page 89 and 90: Existing legislation & programmesIP
Page 103 and 104: ContactsContactsPlantlife Internati
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