0000000000013687
AUTHOR
Raimo Virkkala
Combining spatial prioritization and expert knowledge facilitates effectiveness of large-scale mire protection process in Finland
Conservation resource allocation involves a complex set of considerations including species, habitats, connectivity, local to global biodiversity objectives, alternative protection and restoration actions, while requiring cost-efficiency and effective implementation. We present a national scale spatial conservation prioritization analysis for complementing the network of protected mires in Finland. We show how spatial prioritization coupled with regional targets and expert knowledge can facilitate structured decision-making. In our application, discussion between experts was structured around the prioritization model enabling integration of quantitative analysis with expert knowledge. The u…
Predicting valuable forest habitats using an indicator species for biodiversity
Intensive management of boreal forests impairs forest biodiversity and species of old-growth forest. Effective measures to support biodiversity require detection of locations valuable for conservation. We applied species distribution models (SDMs) to a species of mature forest, the northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis, goshawk), that is often associated with hotspots of forest biodiversity. We located optimal sites for the goshawk on a landscape scale, assessed their state under intensified logging operations and identified characteristics of goshawks' nesting sites in boreal forests. Optimal sites for the goshawk covered only 3.4% of the boreal landscape and were mostly located outside pro…
Red List of Ecosystems: assessing the quality of boreal forests in Finland
IUCN recently published guidelines for Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) risk assessment [1]. The RLE criteria include consideration of changes in an area and the geographic distribution of ecosystems but also of changes in the biotic and abiotic ecological quality of ecosystems. In widely distributed ecosystems, such as boreal forests in Finland, ecological quality is often more important than the spatial extent of an area in assessing threat status. Therefore, it is important to find quantitative variables that are good surrogates for the overall quality of an ecosystem. In the RLE assessment of Finland, we divided boreal forests into 40 ecosystem types. Of these, forests with mineral soils (1…
Finnish protected area network in a changing climate
Climate change is projected to cause accelerating impacts on species populations, ecosystems and the services they provide. These impacts are often likely to be negative to biodiversity. Thus traditional static nature conservation should be complemented with climate-wise conservation planning perspectives, so that the dynamic changes in species distributions and assemblages will be properly taken into account (Ref. 1). In particular, the ability of Protected Area (PA) network to support viable species populations and representative habitat types and ecosystems under global environmental changes requires urgent examination. In such assessments, it is imperative to consider also the impact of…