Transdisciplinary Concepts and Methods
project website
http://www.senckenberg.de/bik-f/english/english.htm
Project:
Knowledge transfer & social-ecological aspects of climate-induced changes in biodiversity
Responsible
Funding:
Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre
Woodlands and Forest Systems in the Future
In Europe it is has come to be recognized that forests produce economic, ecological and cultural value for society. As woodlands and forest systems are both used and in need of protection, they face a series of problems and conflicts of interest. In light of climate caused changes in biodiversity, decisions concerning forestry projects and the future economic use of forests will have to be made based on sound scientific analyses of species composition. This is part of research activity at the Centre. Issues related to the future sustainability of forests the lumber industry will need to be addressed using a wider basis, including the involvement of societal actors. Thus social-ecological impact analyses must be employed that take into account an array of changed circumstances and conditions. as the scarcity of public financial resources, the globalization of the lumber trade and the competitiveness of the forestry and lumber sectors (technology and technological innovation), as well as the requirements of ecological tolerability and social tolerability (recreation function of forests), and changes in public forestry management and private ownership and use. A special challenge arises from the fact that forest ecosystems have their own temporal scales: given the long temporal span within which the forestry industry works, and the temporal dimensions of forest development, decisions concerning, for example, promoting climate adaptive forestry must be made with a long term perspective (100 years) in view.