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Red-listed species in the Swedish forest

A new report from the Swedish Species Information Centre (Artdatabanken) shows that intensified forestry is at the expense of the forest species.
 
  Different reasons for vulnerability: Ash ( Fraxinus excelsior) is heavily attacked by a fungus causing dieback, and is classified as ”Vulnerable” in the Red List. Photo: Sanna Black-Samuelsson, Swedish Forest Agency

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During the last century, the Swedish forestry managed to increase forest growth and timber production thanks to systematic efforts. The downside of this development is that it also greatly changed the conditions for animals, plants and fungi. The result is that one of ten Swedish forest species today is red-listed. The pattern is similar in Finland and Norway. In the long term, conditions are serious or uncertain for some 5 000 forest species in Fennoscandia.
 
In the report, the Swedish Species Information Centre at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) summarizes the state of red-listed forest species in Sweden and makes a comparison with the conditions in Denmark, Norway and Finland. The objective of the report is to contribute to better management of biodiversity.

Among other things, the report concludes that the Swedish forest landscape has been transformed into a landscape of “biologically monotonous” production forests. These forests are not really old and are less diverse. Thus, the conditions for forest species have changed. There are some benefits, but significantly more disadvantages. Three of the four red-listed species decrease so strongly that their future is not assured, and about five percent of these species have already become extinct in Sweden.
 
Finnish and Norwegian Red Lists show that Swedish forest species to a large extent also are red-listed in the neighboring countries, and of similar reasons. A greatly expanded area of ​​forest protected in a long-term perspective, combined with general conservation considerations in all day-to-day management in production forests, is required to halt the loss of biodiversity.

Find more information and download the report at the Swedish Species Information Centre’s webpages  (in Swedish).

Vastaava:  Kjersti Holt Hanssen

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