Implications of forest management on the conservation of protected areas: A new proposal in Central Spain

• Published in: Forest ecology and management 2023-11, Vol.548, p.121428, Article 121428
• Main Authors: Ezquerro, Marta, Diaz-Balteiro, Luis, Pardos, Marta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: biodiversity; biodiversity conservation; Biodiversity indicators; Close-to nature alternatives; conservation areas; ecosystems; forest ecology; Forest management scenarios; forests; Goal programming; Integrated management; land use; multi-criteria decision making; national parks; Protected areas; Segregated management; Spain; timber production
• ISSN: 0378-1127; 1872-7042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121428

•New biodiversity indicators are considered on managing protected areas.•Close-to nature alternatives are used to achieve conservation thresholds.•Scenario modelling is a powerful tool to analyse changes on forest management.•Multicriteria techniques are suitable to deal with conflicting objectives.•A shift from segregated to integrated management is proposed. Multifunctional forest management is a strategy increasingly shared by forest managers. In the drive towards multifunctionality, different policies are widely being developed to integrate timber production and biodiversity conservation into forest management. To achieve this aim, both segregated and integrated approaches have been used. Segregated approaches aim to provide different ecosystem services (ES) separately in stratified forest areas based on land-use zoning, whereas integrated or integrative approaches promote land-use sharing management. This type of approach has also led to the design of close-to-nature silvicultural alternatives, where different ES can be satisfied simultaneously. In the context of this new paradigm, we carried out a study to compare segregated versus integrated management strategies in Valsaín forest in Central Spain. Part of Valsaín forest was declared a protected area in 2013 and the whole forest could be declared a National Park in 50 years’ time. For the purposes of the study, we analyzed new biodiversity indicators and compared them to the traditional forest management indicators. The scenario modelling was resolved using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making techniques. Our results showed greater trade-offs between the two types of indicators when considering the forest as a whole rather than a zoning approach. Therefore, a shift from segregated to integrated management will be proposed once the whole area of Valsaín forest is declared as National Park.