Management for multifunctionality in European forests in the era of bioeconomy
Coordinator: Mikko Mönkkönen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
mikko.monkkonen (at) jyu.fi
Other partners: AT, DE, NO, SE
Project duration: 04/2019-10/2022
Project abstract:
Forest management is subject to several social, economic and ecological demands. These demands are dealt with by a plethora of European and national sector policies with sometimes competing objectives and management paradigms. The inconsistency between policies may negatively impact the sustainability and multifunctionality of forests.
The project MultiForest aimed to lay a solid basis for solving the socio-ecological land-use conflicts in European boreal and temperate forests caused by incoherent EU and national policies. Novel insights were provided to forest policy, forest management and land-use planning by qualitative and quantitative impact analyses of policies and their related management practices. Forest management programs were designed to maintain biodiversity and ecosystems services simultaneously and that ensure long-term sustainability of multifunctionality in the era of bioeconomy.
Research Questions:
– How do policy documents translate into scenarios and timber demands (EU, national and regional level)?
– What are the requirements of EU and national forest related policies for forest management practices?
– How to assess forest multifunctionality with policy relevant and widely applicable metrics?
– How do policies and their impact pathways produce incoherence and how can coherence be improved?
– What are the quantitative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem service sustainability?
– Which governance and management activity can reduce incoherence and promote multifunctionality in the long run?
Project website: link
ResearchGate: link
Project presentation at ForestValue kick-off seminar 23-24 May 2019: pdf
MultiForest final policy recommendations: Better policies and management for sustainability
transformations: How can expectations for forests be met?