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Sustainability and biodiversity: from policy to implementation, with examples from Swedish forests

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Author

Summary, in English

The implementation of the Rio protocol and the preservation of biodiversity at national and regional level is an important step in achieving a sustainable forestry. This is indeed a challenging task since our knowledge of the ecology and habitat demands for but a few species is severely restricted. Research in the last years show that forest species have very different qualitative and spatial demands on their environment which requires complex and broad solutions. This poses a great problem for conservation and often forces societies/decision-makers to take decisions based on assumptions rather than on empirical data. With assumptions follow uncertainty, a factor thatwhich is necessary to controltake account of. We identify and discuss the uncertainties of steps that are considered to be important for preserving biodiversity on a regional level and exemplify this with cases from southern Sweden. We argue that there is no universal solution for the conservation of biodiversity. In strongly fragmented and transformed regions like southern Sweden, a mix of species approaches and ecosystem approaches is necessary for biodiversity conservation. Programs for preserving biodiversity should be flexible, not rigid for allowing modifications due to a constantly increasing body of knowledge and ambiental changes. Prominent gaps in our knowledge include species dispersal ability and propensity, extinction rates and the species dependence on fragmentation and landscape history. It is possible that the question of responsibility species may gain in importance, an issue with far-reaching implications for economy and inter-regional compensatory systems

Publishing year

2005

Language

English

Pages

213-226

Publication/Series

Journal of Sustainable Forestry

Volume

21

Issue

2-3

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Haworth Press

Topic

  • Ecology

Keywords

  • extinction debt
  • red-listed species
  • southern Sweden
  • dispersal
  • Conservation policies

Status

Published

Project

  • SUFOR

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1054-9811