The conservation value of forests can be predicted at the scale of 1 hectare
Abstract To conserve biodiversity, it is imperative to maintain and restore sufficient amounts of functional habitat networks. Therefore, the location of the remaining forests with natural structures and processes over landscapes and large regions is a key objective. Here we integrated machine learn...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01325-7 |
| _version_ | 1797209052727476224 |
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| author | Jakub W. Bubnicki Per Angelstam Grzegorz Mikusiński Johan Svensson Bengt Gunnar Jonsson |
| author_facet | Jakub W. Bubnicki Per Angelstam Grzegorz Mikusiński Johan Svensson Bengt Gunnar Jonsson |
| author_sort | Jakub W. Bubnicki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract To conserve biodiversity, it is imperative to maintain and restore sufficient amounts of functional habitat networks. Therefore, the location of the remaining forests with natural structures and processes over landscapes and large regions is a key objective. Here we integrated machine learning (Random Forest) and open landscape data to scan all forest landscapes in Sweden with a 1 ha spatial resolution with respect to the relative likelihood of hosting High Conservation Value Forests. Using independent spatial stand- and plot-level validation data, we confirmed that our predictions correctly represent different levels of forest naturalness, from degraded to those with high and associated biodiversity conservation values. Given ambitious national and international conservation objectives and increasingly intensive forestry, our model and the resulting wall-to-wall mapping fill an urgent gap for assessing the achievement of evidence-based conservation targets, spatial planning, and designing forest landscape restoration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T09:48:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45e141875dac455695187e82ab9ba88e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T09:48:34Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj.art-45e141875dac455695187e82ab9ba88e2024-04-14T11:30:22ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352024-04-015111710.1038/s43247-024-01325-7The conservation value of forests can be predicted at the scale of 1 hectareJakub W. Bubnicki0Per Angelstam1Grzegorz Mikusiński2Johan Svensson3Bengt Gunnar Jonsson4Population Ecology, Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of SciencesDepartment of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus EvenstadSchool for Forest Management, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)Abstract To conserve biodiversity, it is imperative to maintain and restore sufficient amounts of functional habitat networks. Therefore, the location of the remaining forests with natural structures and processes over landscapes and large regions is a key objective. Here we integrated machine learning (Random Forest) and open landscape data to scan all forest landscapes in Sweden with a 1 ha spatial resolution with respect to the relative likelihood of hosting High Conservation Value Forests. Using independent spatial stand- and plot-level validation data, we confirmed that our predictions correctly represent different levels of forest naturalness, from degraded to those with high and associated biodiversity conservation values. Given ambitious national and international conservation objectives and increasingly intensive forestry, our model and the resulting wall-to-wall mapping fill an urgent gap for assessing the achievement of evidence-based conservation targets, spatial planning, and designing forest landscape restoration.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01325-7 |
| spellingShingle | Jakub W. Bubnicki Per Angelstam Grzegorz Mikusiński Johan Svensson Bengt Gunnar Jonsson The conservation value of forests can be predicted at the scale of 1 hectare Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | The conservation value of forests can be predicted at the scale of 1 hectare |
| title_full | The conservation value of forests can be predicted at the scale of 1 hectare |
| title_fullStr | The conservation value of forests can be predicted at the scale of 1 hectare |
| title_full_unstemmed | The conservation value of forests can be predicted at the scale of 1 hectare |
| title_short | The conservation value of forests can be predicted at the scale of 1 hectare |
| title_sort | conservation value of forests can be predicted at the scale of 1 hectare |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01325-7 |
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