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Frei T, Espelta JM, Górriz-Mifsud E, Hampe A, Lefèvre F, Martín-Forés I, Winkel G. Can natural forest expansion contribute to Europe's restoration policy agenda? An interdisciplinary assessment. AMBIO 2024; 53:34-45. [PMID: 37775713 PMCID: PMC10692052 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01924-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Natural forest expansion (NFE), that is, the establishment of secondary forest on non-forested land through natural succession, has substantially contributed to the widespread expansion of forests in Europe over the last few decades. So far, EU policies have largely neglected the potential of NFE for meeting policy objectives on restoration. Synthesising recent interdisciplinary research, this paper assesses the challenges and opportunities of NFE in view of contributing to European forest and ecosystem restoration. Specifically, we discuss the potential for supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and forestry and economic use, summarize the current knowledge about societal perceptions and the policymaking on NFE, and make policy recommendations to better use the potential of NFE. We conclude that NFE has the potential to contribute to the European restoration policy agenda if local contexts and possible trade-offs are properly considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Frei
- European Forest Institute, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 7, 53113, Bonn, Germany
| | - Josep Maria Espelta
- CREAF, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Elena Górriz-Mifsud
- Forest Science and Technology Center of Catalonia (CTFC), Ctra. St. Llorenç de Morunys km.2, 25280, Solsona, Spain
| | - Arndt Hampe
- BIOGECO, INRAE, University Bordeaux, Cestas, Bordeaux, France.
| | - François Lefèvre
- INRAE, URFM, 228 route de l'aérodrome AgroParc, 84914, Avignon, France
| | - Irene Martín-Forés
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Georg Winkel
- Wageningen University, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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Vilà-Cabrera A, Astigarraga J, Jump AS, Zavala MA, Seijo F, Sperlich D, Ruiz-Benito P. Anthropogenic land-use legacies underpin climate change-related risks to forest ecosystems. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 28:1132-1143. [PMID: 37263916 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Forest ecosystems with long-lasting human imprints can emerge worldwide as outcomes of land-use cessation. However, the interaction of these anthropogenic legacies with climate change impacts on forests is not well understood. Here, we set out how anthropogenic land-use legacies that persist in forest properties, following alterations in forest distribution, structure, and composition, can interact with climate change stressors. We propose a risk-based framework to identify anthropogenic legacies of land uses in forest ecosystems and quantify the impact of their interaction with climate-related stress on forest responses. Considering anthropogenic land-use legacies alongside environmental drivers of forest ecosystem dynamics will improve our predictive capacity of climate-related risks to forests and our ability to promote ecosystem resilience to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Vilà-Cabrera
- CREAF, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain; Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK; Universidad de Alcalá, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Julen Astigarraga
- Universidad de Alcalá, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alistair S Jump
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Miguel A Zavala
- Universidad de Alcalá, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Seijo
- Instituto de Empresa, School of Global and Public Affairs, Madrid, Spain
| | - Dominik Sperlich
- Department of Forestry Economics and Forest Planning, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Paloma Ruiz-Benito
- Universidad de Alcalá, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Universidad de Alcalá, Grupo de Investigación en Teledetección Ambiental, Departamento de Geología, Geografía y Medio Ambiente, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
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Guerrieri R, Correia M, Martín‐Forés I, Alfaro‐Sánchez R, Pino J, Hampe A, Valladares F, Espelta JM. Land‐use legacies influence tree water‐use efficiency and nitrogen availability in recently established European forests. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Guerrieri
- CREAF Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions ForestalsCatalonia Spain
- DISTAL University of Bologna Bologna Italy
| | - Marta Correia
- Centre for Functional Ecology Department of Life Sciences Calçada Martim de FreitasUniversity of Coimbra Coimbra Portugal
| | - Irene Martín‐Forés
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change National Museum of Natural SciencesSpanish Council for Scientific ResearchCSIC Madrid Spain
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Adelaide Adelaide SA Australia
| | - Raquel Alfaro‐Sánchez
- CREAF Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions ForestalsCatalonia Spain
- Department of Biology Wilfrid Laurier University Waterloo ON Canada
| | - Joan Pino
- CREAF Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions ForestalsCatalonia Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Catalonia Spain
| | - Arndt Hampe
- INRAEUniversity of BordeauxBIOGECO Cestas France
| | - Fernando Valladares
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change National Museum of Natural SciencesSpanish Council for Scientific ResearchCSIC Madrid Spain
| | - Josep Maria Espelta
- CREAF Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions ForestalsCatalonia Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Catalonia Spain
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