Abstract
ContextAs forest harvesting remains high, there is a crucial need to assess the remaining large, contiguous and intact forests, regionally, nationally and globally.ObjectivesOur objective was to analyze the spatial patterns and structural connectivity of intact and primary forests in northern Sweden with focus on the Scandinavian Mountain region; one of the few remaining large European intact forest landscapes.MethodsOver 22 million ha with 14.5 million ha boreal and subalpine forest and with data consisting of a 60-70 year retrospective sequence, we analyzed distribution, density and connectivity of forests that have not been clear cut, using moving window and landscape analyzes derived from Circuitscape.ResultsWe revealed a contiguous, connected and semi-connected intact forest landscape forming a distinct Green Belt south to north along the mountain range. Almost 60% of the forestland remains intact, including contiguous clusters 10,000 ha and larger. The connectivity is particularly high in protected areas with primary forests outside contributing substantially to overall connectivity. We found gaps in connectivity in the southern parts, and furthermore low or absent connectivity across the whole inland and coastal areas of northern Sweden.ConclusionsGiven its ecological values, the Scandinavian Mountains Green Belt is a key entity supporting ecological legacies, boreal biodiversity and ecosystem services, resilience and adaptive capacity, which needs to be safeguarded for the future. On the very large areas outside the mountain region, forestlands are severely fragmented, connectivity values are lost, and forest landscape restoration is needed for conservation and functional green infrastructure.
Highlights
With 70% and more of the earth’s land surface (Barnosky et al 2012) and 80% and more of remaining forests (Watson et al 2018) modified by land use, the Anthropocene human footprint immensely influences key ecological functions, habitat characteristics, ecosystem services and biodiversity (e.g., Venter et al 2016; Tucker et al 2018)
Given its ecological values, the Scandinavian Mountains Green Belt is a key entity supporting ecological legacies, boreal biodiversity and ecosystem services, resilience and adaptive capacity, which needs to be safeguarded for the future
On the very large areas outside the mountain region, forestlands are severely fragmented, connectivity values are lost, and forest landscape restoration is needed for conservation and functional green infrastructure
Summary
With 70% and more of the earth’s land surface (Barnosky et al 2012) and 80% and more of remaining forests (Watson et al 2018) modified by land use, the Anthropocene human footprint immensely influences key ecological functions, habitat characteristics, ecosystem services and biodiversity (e.g., Venter et al 2016; Tucker et al 2018). Natural configuration of forest landscapes are seriously transformed by rotation forestry systems that, amongst other impacts, interrupt spatial connectivity and temporal continuity of forest cover (e.g., Boucher et al 2009; Svensson et al 2018). Large area and rich ecological values in the boreal biome (e.g., Moen et al 2014) this transformation profoundly impacts a globally important biodiversity and ecosystem services source, disturbs ecosystem resilience to climate and land use changes (Mantyka-Pringle et al 2012; Blumroeder et al 2019), and contests sustainability- and conservation-oriented policies and Landscape Ecol (2020) 35:2113–2131 environmental targets (Sverdrup-Thygesson et al 2014; Chazdon et al 2016; IPBES 2018; Angelstam et al 2020). Remaining primary forests, old-growth forests and intact forest landscapes needs to be identified, mapped and assessed regarding threats to and opportunities for maintaining their ecological status (Potapov et al 2017; EC 2020)
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