Munteanu Catalina, Senf Cornelius, Nita Mihai D, Sabatini Francesco Maria, Oeser Julian, Seidl Rupert, Kuemmerle Tobias
Geography Department, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Wildlife Ecology and Management, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Conserv Biol. 2022 Apr;36(2):e13820. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13820. Epub 2021 Nov 9.
High-conservation-value forests (HCVFs) are critically important for biodiversity and ecosystem service provisioning, but they face many threats. Where systematic HCVF inventories are missing, such as in parts of Eastern Europe, these forests remain largely unacknowledged and therefore often unprotected. We devised a novel, transferable approach for detecting HCVFs based on integrating historical spy satellite images, contemporary remote sensing data (Landsat), and information on current potential anthropogenic pressures (e.g., road infrastructure, population density, demand for fire wood, terrain). We applied the method to the Romanian Carpathians, for which we mapped forest continuity (1955-2019), canopy structural complexity, and anthropogenic pressures. We identified 738,000 ha of HCVF. More than half of this area was identified as susceptible to current anthropogenic pressures and lacked formal protection. By providing a framework for broad-scale HCVF monitoring, our approach facilitates integration of HCVF into forest conservation and management. This is urgently needed to achieve the goals of the European Union's Biodiversity Strategy to maintain valuable forest ecosystems.
高保护价值森林（HCVF）对于生物多样性和生态系统服务的提供至关重要，但它们面临着许多威胁。在缺乏系统性高保护价值森林清查的地方，比如在东欧部分地区，这些森林在很大程度上仍未得到认可，因此常常得不到保护。我们设计了一种新颖的、可推广的方法来检测高保护价值森林，该方法基于整合历史间谍卫星图像、当代遥感数据（陆地卫星）以及当前潜在人为压力（如道路基础设施、人口密度、木柴需求、地形）的信息。我们将该方法应用于罗马尼亚喀尔巴阡山脉，绘制了该地区1955 - 2019年的森林连续性、树冠结构复杂性以及人为压力图。我们识别出了73.8万公顷的高保护价值森林。该区域超过一半被认定易受当前人为压力影响且缺乏正式保护。通过提供一个大规模高保护价值森林监测框架，我们的方法有助于将高保护价值森林纳入森林保护和管理。这对于实现欧盟生物多样性战略中维护宝贵森林生态系统的目标而言是迫切需要的。
