BEAR: Indicators for monitoring and evaluation of forest biodiversity in Europe

• Forschungsstelle: EU FRP
• Projektnummer: 98.0087
• Projekttitel Englisch: BEAR: Indicators for monitoring and evaluation of forest biodiversity in Europe

Schlüsselwörter (Englisch)

Biodiversity; forest management

Alternative Projektnummern (Englisch)

EU project number: FAIR5-CT97-3575

Forschungsprogramme (Englisch)

EU-programme: 4. Frame Research Programme - 4.3 Biomedical/Health research

Kurzbeschreibung (Englisch)

See abstract

Partner und Internationale Organisationen (Englisch)

Coordinator: Swedish EPA (S)

Abstract (Englisch)

The main aim of this Concerted Action is to concert a working group of 27 researchers of eighteen European countries to draw together their experience in formulating an integrated system of indicators of forest biodiversity that are applicable over a wide range of European biogeographic regions, and at the national/regional, landscape and stand level. Specific objectives are:

a) Analysis of important forest types in the six major European Biogeographic regions with respect to the structure and function of major forest types in order to identify key parameters of, and determining, biodiversity.
b) Harmonize the systems for the analysed forest types into a pan-European forest biodiversity indicator system consistently adapted to the national level, the landscape level and the stand level.
c) Develop assessment methodologies for indicators by agreed and standardised techniques.
d) Having a dialogue on feasibility and communication of the results to end-users, establishing a specific user-panel.
e) Synthesising the results into Biodiversity Evaluation Tools (BETs) defined as the combination of biodiversity indicators and the standardised methodology needed to apply them.

This concerted action has successfully contributed to the coordination of scientific research efforts in the field of multifunctional management of forests through e.g. :
· Presenting an original concept for analysing and assessing biodiversity, that can be widely used in the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity and related actions, e.g. the EU NATURA 2000 initiative.
· The report 'Biodiversity Evaluation Tools for European Forests' giving advice on how to assess forest biodiversity at European/national, landscape and stand level directed to the specified users, incl, the Ministerial Process for Protection of Forests in Europe.
· Creating a dialogue between scientists and user groups in the fielf of forest biodiversity, e.g. through the BEAR user-panel, the Electronic Conference on Research and Biodiversity and the Electronic Conference on 'Cost-effective Indicators to Assess Biological Diversity in the Framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, presentations at seminars and excursions etc,
· Consolidating a European-level network of active researchers in the field of forest biodiversity for EU level research projects in the Fifth Framework Programme.

Datenbankreferenzen (Englisch)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 98.0087