Biodiversity Management in Swiss Mountain Forests

In Switzerland, the forest area has been increasing since the 19th century and is growing at a rate of 0.4%$\text{yr}^{-1}$. Three factors explain this growth: the Federal Forest Law that requires all forest clearings to be counterbalanced by reforestation, the reduction of agricultural activities,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological bulletins 2004-01 (51), p.101-108
Main Authors: Neet, Cornelis R., Bolliger, Markus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
A Wide Range of Actors Pose Questions
Biodiversity conservation
Forest conservation
Forest cover
Forest ecology
Forest ecosystems
Forest habitats
Forest management
Forest reserves
Mountain forests
Species
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Summary:In Switzerland, the forest area has been increasing since the 19th century and is growing at a rate of 0.4%$\text{yr}^{-1}$. Three factors explain this growth: the Federal Forest Law that requires all forest clearings to be counterbalanced by reforestation, the reduction of agricultural activities, and the decreasing demand for timber. From an area perspective, Swiss mountain forests have therefore been widely conserved and have one of the lowest proportions of endangered bird species in comparison with other ecosystems in the country. Nevertheless, there are threats to biodiversity in mountain forests. Plantation forestry, insufficient timber harvest, free public access to all forests and high forest road densities facilitating recreational activities are some of the factors affecting mountain forest biodiversity. In particular this has had a negative impact on forest dwelling species, e.g. capercaillie Tetrao urogallus. In recent years, however, species dependent on old-growth structures have not been declining. The national forest biodiversity conservation strategy is based on close-to-nature silviculture, conservation of important ecological objects, and forest reserves. The target is to establish forest reserves corresponding to ca 10% of the country's forest cover, including 5% of reserves without active management. Species-specific action plans, forest planning and forest certification are three other tools for forest biodiversity conservation in Swiss mountain forests. Recently, a principle of public consultations to be undertaken during local forest planning has been introduced, which promotes multi-functional forest use. The development of a new national forest policy programme was launched in 1999. The main conservation targets developed through this programme for 2015 are presented.
ISSN:0346-6868