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Research article2017Peer reviewed

Value-based ecosystem service trade-offs in multi-objective management in European mountain forests

Langner, Alexandra; Irauschek, Florian; Perez, Susana; Pardos, Marta; Zlatanov, Tzvetan; Ohman, Karin; Nordstrom, Eva-Maria; Lexer, Manfred J.

Abstract

Mountain forests provide a diverse range of ecosystem services (ES). In case of conflicting ES, trade-offs must be considered in forest resource planning. In this study, simulation-based scenario analysis and multi-criteria decision analysis is used to analyse expected utilities and value-based trade-offs in multi-objective forest management related to four key ES (timber production, carbon storage, biodiversity conservation, protection against gravitational hazards) in three European mountain regions. In each case study area a set of management alternatives including no-management were simulated over 100 years and ES quantified using ES indicators. Multifunctional goal scenarios are employed to aggregate partial ES utilities, accumulated RMSE between ES are used to quantify trade-offs. In two analysed case study areas no-management generated highest ES utilities for biodiversity conservation, carbon storage and protection against gravitational hazards. Alternatives based on small-scale silviculture combined timber production and biodiversity conservation very well. In all case study areas increasing goal preferences for timber production or biodiversity and nature conservation result in increasing overall trade-offs with rather decreasing overall utilities. In all case study areas the analysed managements support multiple ES and can thus be considered as multifunctional. Based on the presented analysis management alternatives could be further improved. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

Ecosystem services; Mountain forests; Trade-off analysis; Indicators; Multi-criteria analysis

Published in

Ecosystem Services
2017, Volume: 26, pages: 245-257
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

      SLU Authors

      • Sustainable Development Goals

      Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

      UKÄ Subject classification

      Forest Science

      Publication identifier

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.03.001

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/93232