Good forest management needed to halt loss of biodiversity: study

To halt the loss of biodiversity, both nature protection and nature management in commercial forests should be increased, according to a study report published on Monday.

Commissioned by the government,the study was conducted by the Natural Resources Institute Finland, the Metsähallitus, the Pellervo Economic Research Institute, the Finnish Wildlife Agency, and the Finnish Environment Institute, said Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in a press release.

Besides targets concerning the surface areas, halting biodiversity loss in a cost-effective way requires a capability of identifying the sites that at the moment are the best ones in terms of preserving biodiversity and, on the other hand, areas that are less significant for wood production that could be developed in a way that enhances biodiversity.

The project ‘Cost-effective measures for halting biodiversity loss in forests’ (KEIMO), conducted as part of the government’s analysis, assessment, and research activities, analysed the economic and ecological impacts of a strong increase in forest protection and nature management in commercial forests and how these could be reconciled with a simultaneous increase in the demand for wood and felling operations.

The biodiversity of forests can be preserved more cost-effectively when the wishes of landowners are taken into account in nature management and measures are targeted to areas where the preconditions for them to succeed are in place. These include areas adjacent or close to areas that are already protected.

“However, protection should also be targeted to heathland and peatland forests with an old-growth stand of significant nature value, as well as to favourably located sites with young stands or felling sites for nature management purposes where nature values are still evolving,” said Finnish Environment Institute Unit Head Kimmo Syrjänen.