Developing a Forest Naturalness Indicator for Europe - Concept and Methodology for a High Nature Value Forest Indicator. Chirici, G., Malak, D. A., Eggers, J., Bastrup-Birk, A., den Herder, M., Lindner, M., Lombardi, F., Barbati, A., Marchetti, M., Zolli, C., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., Estreguil, C., Biala, K., & Pereira Martins, I. .
Developing a Forest Naturalness Indicator for Europe - Concept and Methodology for a High Nature Value Forest Indicator [link]Paper  abstract   bibtex   
[Excerpt] European forests represent around 25\,% of world's forests and are the result of complex interactions between man and environment over the last thousands of years. Over more than 200 years, the forest cover has steadily increased in Europe. Intensive afforestation and reforestation projects were started in many countries since the beginning of the 1800'ies as a response to the lack of timber resources. In more recent times, urban areas have increased determining a stronger pressure on natural and semi-natural environments. And at the same time, natural reforestation is increasing as a consequence of the abandonment of rural mountain pasture and agricultural lands. Over the 15 years large effort was dedicated for developing a system for monitoring the level of naturalness in agriculture areas in Europe, developing the concept of High Nature Value Farmland adopted as specific indicator in the SEBI process (Area under management practices potentially supporting biodiversity, SEBI 019). So far no similar concept has been developed for assessing the area of High Nature Value forests in Europe. Whatever the definition and the monitoring method adopted, the assessment of forest naturalness is essential to support European environmental protection policy implementation. This development is mirrored in the policy agenda of the EU (Europe 2020, Biodiversity Strategy 2020, 7th EAP). A study by the IEEP (2007) proposed a first definition for HNV forest areas that was strongly influenced by the work done for HNV farmland: 'all natural forests and those semi-natural forests in Europe where the management (historical or present) supports a high diversity of native species and habitats, and/or those forests which support the presence of species of European, and/or national, and/or regional conservation concern' (IEEP, 2007). As a response to the integrative approach of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, the European Environmental Agency started in 2011 a project to further define the HNV forest concept and explore the feasibility of developing a HNV forest indicator at European level. The approach aims to be wall-to-wall and harmonised, allowing for a cross-country assessment. The present work focuses on identifying areas of natural forests, or semi-natural forests that approximate to naturalness. The approach is different from, and not considered to be applicable to, the country indicators High Nature Value farming and forestry which are used within the rural development process. These country indicators are developed to identify agricultural/forestry systems that deliver high nature benefits (i.e. are high in biodiversity). In many cases there will be an overlap but not in all. For example, some of the most diverse woodlands in United Kingdom example are coppiced forests, highly managed and therefore not very natural at all. [...]
@report{chiriciDevelopingForestNaturalness2014,
  title = {Developing a Forest Naturalness Indicator for {{Europe}} - {{Concept}} and Methodology for a High Nature Value Forest Indicator},
  author = {Chirici, Gherardo and Malak, Dania A. and Eggers, Jeannette and Bastrup-Birk, Annemarie and den Herder, Michael and Lindner, Marcus and Lombardi, Fabio and Barbati, Anna and Marchetti, Marco and Zolli, Catherine and San-Miguel-Ayanz, Jesús and Estreguil, Christine and Biala, Katarzyna and Pereira Martins, Ivone},
  date = {2014},
  institution = {{EEA}},
  url = {https://taskman.eionet.europa.eu/issues/18749},
  abstract = {[Excerpt] European forests represent around 25\,\% of world's forests and are the result of complex interactions between man and environment over the last thousands of years. Over more than 200 years, the forest cover has steadily increased in Europe. Intensive afforestation and reforestation projects were started in many countries since the beginning of the 1800'ies as a response to the lack of timber resources. In more recent times, urban areas have increased determining a stronger pressure on natural and semi-natural environments. And at the same time, natural reforestation is increasing as a consequence of the abandonment of rural mountain pasture and agricultural lands. 

Over the 15 years large effort was dedicated for developing a system for monitoring the level of naturalness in agriculture areas in Europe, developing the concept of High Nature Value Farmland adopted as specific indicator in the SEBI process (Area under management practices potentially supporting biodiversity, SEBI 019).

So far no similar concept has been developed for assessing the area of High Nature Value forests in Europe. Whatever the definition and the monitoring method adopted, the assessment of forest naturalness is essential to support European environmental protection policy implementation. This development is mirrored in the policy agenda of the EU (Europe 2020, Biodiversity Strategy 2020, 7th EAP).

A study by the IEEP (2007) proposed a first definition for HNV forest areas that was strongly influenced by the work done for HNV farmland: 'all natural forests and those semi-natural forests in Europe where the management (historical or present) supports a high diversity of native species and habitats, and/or those forests which support the presence of species of European, and/or national, and/or regional conservation concern' (IEEP, 2007).

As a response to the integrative approach of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, the European Environmental Agency started in 2011 a project to further define the HNV forest concept and explore the feasibility of developing a HNV forest indicator at European level. The approach aims to be wall-to-wall and harmonised, allowing for a cross-country assessment. 

The present work focuses on identifying areas of natural forests, or semi-natural forests that approximate to naturalness. The approach is different from, and not considered to be applicable to, the country indicators High Nature Value farming and forestry which are used within the rural development process. These country indicators are developed to identify agricultural/forestry systems that deliver high nature benefits (i.e. are high in biodiversity). In many cases there will be an overlap but not in all. For example, some of the most diverse woodlands in United Kingdom example are coppiced forests, highly managed and therefore not very natural at all. [...]},
  keywords = {*imported-from-citeulike-INRMM,~INRMM-MiD:c-13218441,ecosystem,europe,featured-publication,forest-resources,indicators},
  options = {useprefix=true}
}

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