BioMatNet Item: FAIR-CT97-3575 - BEAR: Indicators for monitoring and evaluation of forest biodiversity in Europe

FAIR-CT97-3575
BEAR: Indicators for monitoring and evaluation of forest biodiversity in Europe

Contacts

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FAIR Area 1.3 - Forestry-Wood Chain : Forestry

	Type of Project	Shared Cost
	Contract No	FAIR-CT97-3575
	Total Cost
	EC Contribution	216 000 ECU
	Start Date
	Duration

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

Note: The co-ordinator of this project has now moved to the European Environment Agency (EEA). His contact details are provided should you require further information. EEA was not a participant in the contract.

Objectives
The main aim of this Concerted Action is to concert a working group of 26 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:

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.
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.
Develop assessment methodologies for indicators by agreed and standardised techniques.
Having a dialogue on feasibility and communication of the results to end-users, establishing a specific user-panel.
Synthesising the results into Biodiversity Evaluation Tools (BETs) defined as the combination of biodiversity indicators and the standardised methodology needed to apply them.

The project results will be continuously disseminated in newsletters and the web. The final conclusions will appear in reports giving the framework for the use of BETs for forests in Europe, including a report specifically directed to the Helsinki process, and be presented at a final meeting in Brussels.

Expected results
The Concerted action will generate following results:

R 1. A paper from each of the of four regional groups identifying key parameters of biodiversity of major European forest types (4 Internal reports)

R2. The analysis of the four regional groups identifying key parameters of forest biodiversity is harmonized on an European level (Steering committee minutes)

R 3. A paper from each of the four regional groups with tentative indicators of forest biodiversity based on the identified key parameters (4 Internal reports)

R 4. A report with recommendations on indicators for assessing European forest biodiversity (Newsletter No 2)

R 5. A protocol for the preferred assessment technologies, including aspects of data collection, analysis and interpretation (Internal report).

R 6. A leaflet presenting the project (Newsletter No 1 )

R 7. Establishment of a WWW site presenting the project, being updated regarding current activities, newsletters and eventually also presenting "the BET manual" (also to download as a pdf-file).

R 8. Establishment of a user-panel representing a wide variety of end-users.

R 9. A short description of Biodiversity Evaluation Tools for European Forests (Newsletter No 3).

R10. A report with recommendations on indicators of European forest biodiversity at the national scale (to be considered in the Helsinki process, Newsletter No 4)

R11. "The BET manual": A concluding report that for each biogeographical zone identifies key ecological and management parameters with relevance to biodiversity for the forest types presenting a hierarchical package of indicators for each forest type, preferred assessment methodology and notes on the interpretation and presentation of results.

R12. A final meeting in Brussels presenting the project results.

The relation between the specific objectives and results is:

Specific objective	Results
a) "analysis of forest types"	R1: "Key parameters" R2: "Harmonized key parameters"
b) "pan-European forest biodiversity indicator system"	R3: "Regional tentative indicators" R4: "Recommendations on indicators for assessing European forest biodiversity"
c) "Assessment methodologies for indicators"	R5: "Protocol for the preferred assessment technologies"
d) "End-user communication"	R6: "Leaflet presentig the project" R7: "WWW Site" R8: "User panel"
e) "Synthesising the results"	R9: "Short description of BETs" R10: "Report to be considered in the Helsinki process" R11:"The BET manual" R12:"Seminar in Brussels"

Contacts

Contact for further infor

Tor-Bjorn LARSSON / European Environment Agency DENMARK

Coordinator

Swedish Environment Protection Agency Research Department / SWEDEN

Participant