Abstract
Forests are defined in many different ways. Apart from ecological and structural factors, associated values and provided ecosystem services are an important part of forest definitions. Typically, forest types are differentiated based on climatic regions and on degrees of human modification. A better understanding of how to distinguish different forests on the basis of the values they provide is needed to advance global policies put forward by organisations such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These policies so far approach all forests in a similar manner, regardless of their condition. Without this distinction, benefits stemming from forest intactness and their contribution to global environmental challenges remain unaccounted for. Forest definitions provide the basis for policies and monitoring systems driving or enabling deforestation, degradation, reforestation, and restoration. Here, we provide a systematic approach to disentangle and synthesise different value classifications of forests. As part of a collaboration between ETH Zurich, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the University of Liège and Biotope, Forest Stewardship Council International (FSC) commissioned a systematic map that aims to clarify how definitions of forests of high value are understood and described. Focusing on forests of high value, the systematic map will address three research questions: (1) How are various terms linked to forests of high value defined in the literature?; (2) Do definitions vary between different actors?; and (3) How common are the various definitions? Bibliographic databases and organisational websites will be searched, and internet search engines used to find relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature. The searches will be conducted in English, French and Spanish. Data extraction and coding will be performed at the same time when full texts are considered for inclusion. Definitions will be extracted as well as their respective sources and other study information. We will produce a catalogue of definitions for different terms associated with forests of high value, a narrative synthesis describing the evidence base, and visualisations illustrating the relationships between definitions and terms for forests of high value and their frequencies in the literature.
Highlights
Forest loss is a key driver of global biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, and climate change [1]
Forest Stewardship Council International (FSC) Focus Forests is a collaboration between research institutions (ETH Zurich, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the University of Liège and Biotope) and FSC to explore FSC’s role in the wider forest landscapes with high importance for climate change, biodiversity, or other social and environmental values
As part of the collaboration, FSC International commissioned this systematic map to identify how terms associated with forests of high value are understood, described, and defined, by whom, and which definitions have the greatest saliency in the literature
Summary
Forest loss is a key driver of global biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, and climate change [1]. Visible indications of human activity may be perceived differently by trained and untrained observers—and can lead to inconsistencies on how the same forests are categorized on a global scale [5] This definition is not operational; different countries and stakeholders apply the term ‘primary forest’ in different ways. Using the term “IFL” in Motions 2014/07 and 2014/65, members of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) intended to strengthen landscape-scale protection in the high conservation value framework to conserve biological, ecological, social or cultural values of outstanding significance at the national, regional or global level or of critical importance at the local level Once accepted, they are binding and have to be implemented by the FSC administration). To build agreement on the definition for forests of high value, in particular, it is critical to identify the definitions that exist in the literature, recognize by whom they are made, and to understand whether there are gaps in the knowledge
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