A Cost-Efficient Approach to Selecting Forest Stands for Conserving Species: A Case Study from Northern Fennoscandia
Abstract We analyze cost-efficient conservation of boreal old-growth forests using three variants of the site selection framework. In all variants, the aim is to maximize biodiversity subject to a given resource constraint. Our benchmark, an integrated site selection model, takes into account both e...
| Published in: | Forest Science |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press (OUP)
2004
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/forestscience/50.4.527 https://academic.oup.com/forestscience/article-pdf/50/4/527/22548585/forestscience0527.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract We analyze cost-efficient conservation of boreal old-growth forests using three variants of the site selection framework. In all variants, the aim is to maximize biodiversity subject to a given resource constraint. Our benchmark, an integrated site selection model, takes into account both ecological and commercial values of the stands and defines a cost-efficient solution to conservation problems. The other two models are called the ecological and the penny-pincher models. The ecological model reflects current conservation practices and is based on ecological criteria. The penny-pincher model reflects an ad hoc preservation used earlier in many countries, which leads to selection of the stands having the lowest commercial value irrespective of their ecological features. Using Finnish data on forest dwelling species and commercial values of the stands, we demonstrate that the integrated model leads to 9–19% higher conservation cost-efficiency than the other two models. We also show that the xeric forest type may be underrepresented in the current old-growth forest preservation network in this region. FOR. SCI. 50(4):527–539. |
|---|