5 Solutions for Safeguarding Forest Biodiversity and Forest
Ecosystem Functioning
Loss of ecosystem functions and associated services in the context of global change
are amongst the most important ecological threats for humanity in the twenty-first
century. Here, we emphasize the vital importance of safeguarding biodiversity and
sustaining ecological continuity to tackle these challenges. This would lead to
co-benefits from management, conservation and restoration measures under multiple
international environmental agreements, such as biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
5.1 Wilderness Areas and Forest Protection
The most important step to protect forest diversity (at all diversity levels, i.e. α-, βand γ-diversity) is to increase the total protected forest area (i.e. wilderness areas
with no or almost no human interference) across all forest biomes.
Forest wilderness areas provide an optimal protection of forest biodiversity,
because these areas allow for an optimal development of ecological processes
(cf. Sect. 4.2), which in turn support a maximum of diversity typical of the respective
ecosystems. The success in biodiversity conservation in turn provides an important
indicator for assessing the sustainability of forest protection and management (Stork
et al. 1997).
The highest percentage of protected areas is found on the American continent
(about 20%) and the lowest in Europe (about 5%; MEA 2005). As a consequence,
European countries in particular need to enlarge their wilderness areas in forest
ecosystems typical of Europe, for example in beech forests (with dominant Fagus
sylvatica), which are restricted to the temperate zone of Europe).
The increase in forest wilderness areas needs to be shaped by participative
processes including local communities and stakeholders to improve acceptance
and to avoid illegal activities such as logging, wildlife poaching or agricultural
encroachment (Barber et al. 2004).
5.2 Ecosystem-Based Forest Management
Forest management often has strong impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, as key attributes for forest species conservation and ecological processes
critically depend on management intensity (Erb et al. 2018; Watson et al. 2018).
Consequently, allowing a maximum temporal extent of anthropogenic undisturbed
ecological processes and species interactions by minimizing silvicultural
Forest Ecosystems: A Functional and Biodiversity Perspective
397
Ecosystem Functioning
Loss of ecosystem functions and associated services in the context of global change
are amongst the most important ecological threats for humanity in the twenty-first
century. Here, we emphasize the vital importance of safeguarding biodiversity and
sustaining ecological continuity to tackle these challenges. This would lead to
co-benefits from management, conservation and restoration measures under multiple
international environmental agreements, such as biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
5.1 Wilderness Areas and Forest Protection
The most important step to protect forest diversity (at all diversity levels, i.e. α-, βand γ-diversity) is to increase the total protected forest area (i.e. wilderness areas
with no or almost no human interference) across all forest biomes.
Forest wilderness areas provide an optimal protection of forest biodiversity,
because these areas allow for an optimal development of ecological processes
(cf. Sect. 4.2), which in turn support a maximum of diversity typical of the respective
ecosystems. The success in biodiversity conservation in turn provides an important
indicator for assessing the sustainability of forest protection and management (Stork
et al. 1997).
The highest percentage of protected areas is found on the American continent
(about 20%) and the lowest in Europe (about 5%; MEA 2005). As a consequence,
European countries in particular need to enlarge their wilderness areas in forest
ecosystems typical of Europe, for example in beech forests (with dominant Fagus
sylvatica), which are restricted to the temperate zone of Europe).
The increase in forest wilderness areas needs to be shaped by participative
processes including local communities and stakeholders to improve acceptance
and to avoid illegal activities such as logging, wildlife poaching or agricultural
encroachment (Barber et al. 2004).
5.2 Ecosystem-Based Forest Management
Forest management often has strong impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, as key attributes for forest species conservation and ecological processes
critically depend on management intensity (Erb et al. 2018; Watson et al. 2018).
Consequently, allowing a maximum temporal extent of anthropogenic undisturbed
ecological processes and species interactions by minimizing silvicultural
Forest Ecosystems: A Functional and Biodiversity Perspective
397