Natural Versus National Boundaries: the Importance of Considering Biogeographical Patterns in Forest Conservation Policy

Conservation Letters

Lena Gustafsson³  Adam Felton²  Annika M. Felton²  Jörg Brunet²  Alexandro Caruso³  Joakim Hjältén¹  Matts Lindbladh²  Thomas Ranius³  Jean-Michel Roberge¹ 

[1] Department of Wildlife, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Sweden;Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Sweden;Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden

关键词: Biodiversity;    biogeography;    conservation;    decision‐support;    forest;    policy;    Sweden;   

DOI  :  10.1111/conl.12087

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

Applying biogeographical insights to the regulation of production forestry and the determination of forest reserve strategies is expected to increase the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation actions. Here, we assess the extent to which such applications take place. By using Sweden as a case study, we demonstrate fundamental differences among biogeographical regions in natural patterns and processes, past land-use, and anthropogenic impacts that need to be better incorporated into strategic conservation planning and decisions. Furthermore, assessment of specific forestry regulations and biogeographical variation in a number of other countries/provinces embracing boreal and temperate biomes also indicate that natural boundaries are insufficiently considered in forest management policies. We suggest that a substantial potential exists to better align conservation priorities with biogeographical characteristics. To illustrate the application of such an approach, we present a decision support model on how forest conservation policies that rest on natural boundaries and ecological processes can be developed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC   
© 2014 The Authors. Conservation Letters published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.