Is integrated forest management effective in conserving biodiversity? The inter-disciplinary ConFoBi research programme

Abstract

ConFoBi (Conservation of Forest Biodiversity in Multiple-use Landscapes of Central Europe) is a major research and qualification programme of Freiburg University, Germany. ConFoBi combines multi-scale ecological studies on forest biodiversity with social and economic studies of biodiversity conservation. In addition to this interdisciplinary approach, ConFoBi is maintaining a lively exchange of expertise between scientific research and the demands of forestry and conservation practice throughout all stages of the project. Twelve PhD students supervised by researchers of Freiburg University, as well as the State's Forest Research Institute Freiburg (FVA), focus on the effectiveness of structural retention measures, namely habitat trees and dead wood, for the conservation of biodiversity in managed forests. ConFoBi focusses explicitly on multi-functional forests of Central Europe, using the mixed mountain forests of the Black Forest as a model system. ConFoBi formulates two lead questions: 1) What is the contribution of the landscape context to the effectiveness of retention for conserving biodiversity in multi-functional forests? 2) What is the role of the socio-economic context for the integration of such measures in forest management? The research programme comprises 4 Modules: A will provide tools for Multi-Scale Assessment of Structures ranging from trees to landscapes; B focussed on linkages between Structures and Forest Biodiversity by studying components of biodiversity (mainly epiphytes, vascular plants, insects, bats, and birds) along gradients of forest structure and connectivity; C uses social science and economic approaches to assess Human Dimensions of Forest Biodiversity such as opportunity costs and stakeholder perceptions; D focusses on the interface between science and society in order to study and foster Integration and Translation between ConFoBi and forest management. To maximize synergies, ConFoBi adopted an "all-measurements-on-all-plots" approach. All 12 research projects of ConFoBi work on the same 135 study plots, which were selected along two gradients: 1) forest structure, as indicated by the number of standing dead trees at the plot scale (1 ha), and 2) landscape connectivity, as measured by the proportion of forest with the 25km² surroundings of study plots. First results will be presented at this conference.