Abstract

Anthropogenic climate change is altering the management of production forests. These changes are motivated by the need to adapt to the uncertainties and risks of climate change, and by the need to enlist their carbon storage and sequestration capacity as part of global mitigation efforts. These changes do however raise concerns regarding the potential implications for forest biodiversity. Here we evaluate these concerns by assessing the biodiversity implications of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies (CCAMS) being implemented in the production forests of Sweden. We do so by identifying biodiversity goals aimed specifically at closing the existing gap between the habitat requirements of forest-dependent species, and the conditions provided by production forests, in terms of tree species composition, forest structures, and spatio-temporal forest patterns. We then use the existing literature to determine whether and by which pathway each CCAMS is likely to bridge or extend this gap. Our results indicate that CCAMS will often come into direct or partial conflict with Swedish biodiversity goals in production forests. Furthermore, some CCAMS which are inconsistent with biodiversity goals, such as logging residue removal, are being implemented more extensively than those which were most consistent with biodiversity goals. We nevertheless challenge the necessity of setting the preservation of forest biodiversity against climate change mitigation and adaptation. We clarify how CCAMS with negative biodiversity implications may still be implemented without adverse outcomes, if coupled with conservation interventions, or combined with other CCAMS deemed complementary in habitat provision. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Biological conservation; Ecosystem services; Global warming; Picea abies; Planted forest; Sustainable forest management

Published in

Biological Conservation
2016, Volume: 194, pages: 11-20

SLU Authors

• Felton, Adam

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Gustafsson, Lena

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Roberge, Jean-Michel

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Ranius, Thomas

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Hjältén, Joakim

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Sjögren, Jörgen

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Lindbladh, Matts

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Rist, Lucy

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Brunet, Jörg

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Felton, Annika

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

SLU Future Forests


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
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns


UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science
Ecology
Forest Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.11.030

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/69237