Historical maps improve the identification of forests with potentially high conservation value

Ewa Grabska-Szwagrzyk; Michał Jakiel; William Keeton; Jacek Kozak; Tobias Kuemmerle; Kamil Onoszko; Krzysztof Ostafin; Mahsa Shahbandeh; Piotr Szubert; Anna Szwagierczak; Jerzy Szwagrzyk; Elżbieta Ziółkowska; Dominik Kaim

doi:10.1111/conl.13043

Historical maps improve the identification of forests with potentially high conservation value

Ewa Grabska-Szwagrzyk^*, Michał Jakiel, William Keeton, Jacek Kozak, Tobias Kuemmerle, Kamil Onoszko, Krzysztof Ostafin, Mahsa Shahbandeh, Piotr Szubert, Anna Szwagierczak, Jerzy Szwagrzyk, Elżbieta Ziółkowska, Dominik Kaim

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Agroecology - Agricultural biodiversity, Aarhus

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 aims to better protect natural ecosystems with high biodiversity and climate change mitigation potential. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to identify forests worth protecting, such as those characterized by long continuity and old age. Here, we propose a robust approach that combines historical maps from the mid-19th century with remote sensing data to identify areas that have been forested for over 150 years, aiming to reduce the need for detailed and time-consuming field investigations in potential conservation areas. We tested this approach in a 20,000 km² region in the Polish Carpathians, an area likely containing many unprotected forests of high conservation value, where historical maps from the mid-19th century are representative of much of Central Europe. Our results showed that an area of approximately 4200 km² has been continuously forested since at least the mid-19th century. Currently, 50% of these forests are outside protected areas, representing an important conservation opportunity. More generally, our approach can support the identification of valuable forests worth protecting before they are lost and provide useful insights for policymakers and stakeholders in the ongoing debate on the challenges of improving forest conservation in the Carpathians, and Europe more widely.

Original language	English
Article number	e13043
Journal	Conservation Letters
Volume	17
Issue	5
ISSN	1755-263X
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13043
Publication status	Published - Sept 2024

Keywords

Carpathian Mountains
forest continuity
Green Deal
historical maps
persistent forests

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Grabska-Szwagrzyk, E., Jakiel, M., Keeton, W., Kozak, J., Kuemmerle, T., Onoszko, K., Ostafin, K., Shahbandeh, M., Szubert, P., Szwagierczak, A., Szwagrzyk, J., Ziółkowska, E., & Kaim, D. (2024). Historical maps improve the identification of forests with potentially high conservation value. Conservation Letters, 17(5), Article e13043. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13043

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abstract = "The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 aims to better protect natural ecosystems with high biodiversity and climate change mitigation potential. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to identify forests worth protecting, such as those characterized by long continuity and old age. Here, we propose a robust approach that combines historical maps from the mid-19th century with remote sensing data to identify areas that have been forested for over 150 years, aiming to reduce the need for detailed and time-consuming field investigations in potential conservation areas. We tested this approach in a 20,000 km2 region in the Polish Carpathians, an area likely containing many unprotected forests of high conservation value, where historical maps from the mid-19th century are representative of much of Central Europe. Our results showed that an area of approximately 4200 km2 has been continuously forested since at least the mid-19th century. Currently, 50% of these forests are outside protected areas, representing an important conservation opportunity. More generally, our approach can support the identification of valuable forests worth protecting before they are lost and provide useful insights for policymakers and stakeholders in the ongoing debate on the challenges of improving forest conservation in the Carpathians, and Europe more widely.",

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doi = "10.1111/conl.13043",

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Historical maps improve the identification of forests with potentially high conservation value. / Grabska-Szwagrzyk, Ewa; Jakiel, Michał; Keeton, William et al.
In: Conservation Letters, Vol. 17, No. 5, e13043, 09.2024.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Historical maps improve the identification of forests with potentially high conservation value

AU - Grabska-Szwagrzyk, Ewa

AU - Jakiel, Michał

AU - Keeton, William

AU - Kozak, Jacek

AU - Kuemmerle, Tobias

AU - Onoszko, Kamil

AU - Ostafin, Krzysztof

AU - Shahbandeh, Mahsa

AU - Szubert, Piotr

AU - Szwagierczak, Anna

AU - Szwagrzyk, Jerzy

AU - Ziółkowska, Elżbieta

AU - Kaim, Dominik

PY - 2024/9

Y1 - 2024/9

N2 - The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 aims to better protect natural ecosystems with high biodiversity and climate change mitigation potential. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to identify forests worth protecting, such as those characterized by long continuity and old age. Here, we propose a robust approach that combines historical maps from the mid-19th century with remote sensing data to identify areas that have been forested for over 150 years, aiming to reduce the need for detailed and time-consuming field investigations in potential conservation areas. We tested this approach in a 20,000 km2 region in the Polish Carpathians, an area likely containing many unprotected forests of high conservation value, where historical maps from the mid-19th century are representative of much of Central Europe. Our results showed that an area of approximately 4200 km2 has been continuously forested since at least the mid-19th century. Currently, 50% of these forests are outside protected areas, representing an important conservation opportunity. More generally, our approach can support the identification of valuable forests worth protecting before they are lost and provide useful insights for policymakers and stakeholders in the ongoing debate on the challenges of improving forest conservation in the Carpathians, and Europe more widely.

AB - The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 aims to better protect natural ecosystems with high biodiversity and climate change mitigation potential. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to identify forests worth protecting, such as those characterized by long continuity and old age. Here, we propose a robust approach that combines historical maps from the mid-19th century with remote sensing data to identify areas that have been forested for over 150 years, aiming to reduce the need for detailed and time-consuming field investigations in potential conservation areas. We tested this approach in a 20,000 km2 region in the Polish Carpathians, an area likely containing many unprotected forests of high conservation value, where historical maps from the mid-19th century are representative of much of Central Europe. Our results showed that an area of approximately 4200 km2 has been continuously forested since at least the mid-19th century. Currently, 50% of these forests are outside protected areas, representing an important conservation opportunity. More generally, our approach can support the identification of valuable forests worth protecting before they are lost and provide useful insights for policymakers and stakeholders in the ongoing debate on the challenges of improving forest conservation in the Carpathians, and Europe more widely.

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KW - forest continuity

KW - Green Deal

KW - historical maps

KW - persistent forests

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JO - Conservation Letters

JF - Conservation Letters

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ER -

Historical maps improve the identification of forests with potentially high conservation value

Abstract

Keywords

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