Forest Biodiversity Conservation Research Articles

Managing Forests for Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change Mitigation.

We include biodiversity impacts in forest management decision making by incorporating the countryside species area relationship model into the partial equilibrium model GLOBIOM-Forest. We tested three forest management intensities (low, medium, and high) and limited biodiversity loss via an additional constraint on regional species loss. We analyzed two scenarios for climate change mitigation. RCP1.9, the higher mitigation scenario, has more biodiversity loss than the reference RCP7.0, suggesting a trade-off between climate change mitigation, with increased bioenergy use, and biodiversity conservation in forests. This trade-off can be alleviated with biodiversity-conscious forest management by (1) shifting biomass production destined to bioenergy from forests to energy crops, (2) increasing areas under unmanaged secondary forest, (3) reducing forest management intensity, and (4) reallocating biomass production between and within regions. With these mechanisms, it is possible to reduce potential global biodiversity loss by 10% with minor changes in economic outcomes. The global aggregated reduction in biodiversity impacts does not imply that biodiversity impacts are reduced in each ecoregion. We exemplify how to connect an ecologic and an economic model to identify trade-offs, challenges, and possibilities for improved decisions. We acknowledge the limitations of this approach, especially of measuring and projecting biodiversity loss.

Anthropogenic Pressures on Gorillas: A Case of Grauer’s Gorillas in Maiko National Park, the Democratic Republic of Congo

Anthropogenic activities put biodiversity under pressure, adversely affecting the forest ecosystem and wildlife habitats. Habitat disturbance and modification are among the main threats to animal populations in tropical forests. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) are continuously threatened through forest encroachment for agricultural expansion, human settlements, new refugee camps, illegal logging, and mining across the country. Moreover, poaching and bushmeat trafficking continuously threaten gorillas’ existence. These drivers increase the proximity of humans and the risk of disease transmission. The emerging and existing zoonotic diseases, including Ebola, are continuously impacting gorillas’ lives. All of these pressures combined are disrupting natural behavior patterns and are leading to the decline in the Grauer’s gorillas’ population. Therefore, this review scrutinizes findings on the anthropogenic pressures on the habitats and survival of Grauer’s gorillas. Also, it is important to engage with people for the shared conservation role and ecotourism to support the conservation of forest biodiversity and Grauer’s gorillas’ habitats, particularly for the Maiko National Park in the DRC.

Seasonal variations in the mechanisms of understory herb diversity in a temperate forest in Northeast China

Herbaceous plants contribute greatly to plant diversity and play an important role in regulating the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems. Comparing with woody species, herbs exhibit higher sensitivity to seasonal changes from spring-growth to autumn-mortality. Despite extensive research on understory herb diversity (e.g., abundance and richness) in forests, how the underlying mechanisms change across seasons remain unclear, especially in temperate forests. We explored the seasonal dynamics of herb diversity (here abundance and richness) by surveying herbs of 174 quadrats (1 m × 1 m) in a 25-ha (500 m × 500 m) temperate forest in spring, summer, and autumn of 2022, respectively. We examined the effects of overstory trees (diversity, composition, and three-dimensional (3D) structural complexity detected by LiDAR), topography (elevation, slope, and aspect), and microsite conditions (light availability, soil nutrients, and soil water content) on herb diversity in different seasons. We found a similar seasonal pattern for herb abundance and richness, i.e., both decreased from spring to summer and then to autumn, but the driving mechanisms differed remarkably across seasons. Specifically, the importance of overstory trees, topography, and microsite conditions on herb abundance vs. richness varied inversely across seasons. For herb abundance, the importance of overstory trees (primarily 3D structural complexity) increased from spring to autumn, while the importance of topography decreased. Conversely, for herb richness, the importance of overstory trees decreased from spring to autumn, while the importance of topography increased. Microsite conditions governed spatial variations of herb abundance in all seasons but only in autumn for herb richness, with importance of soil nutrients remaining relatively constant while that of soil water content and light availability changed greatly across seasons. Our results demonstrate substantial seasonal variations in driving mechanisms of herb diversity in the temperate forest. These differentiated responses of herb abundance and richness to different drivers across seasons further highlight the significance of considering seasonal variations of the mechanisms underlying understory plant diversity in forest biodiversity conservation.

How to Optimize Carbon Sinks and Biodiversity in the Conversion of Norway Spruce to Beech Forests in Austria?

Assessments of synergies and trade-offs between climate change mitigation and forest biodiversity conservation have focused on set-aside areas. We evaluated a more comprehensive portfolio of silvicultural management adaptations to climate change and conservation measures exemplary for managed European beech forests. Based on the available literature, we assessed a range of common silvicultural management and conservation measures for their effects on carbon sequestration in forest and wood products and for substituting more carbon-intensive products. We complemented this review with carbon sequestration simulations for a typical mountainous beech forest region in Austria. We propose three priority actions to enhance the synergies between climate change mitigation and biodiversity. First, actively increase the proportion of European beech in secondary Norway spruce forests, even though beech will not be unaffected by expected water supply limitations. Secondly, optimize the benefits of shelterwood systems and promote uneven-aged forestry, and thirdly, enhance mixed tree species. Targeted conservation measures (deadwood, habitat trees, and old forest patches) increase the total C storage but decrease the annual C sequestration in forests, particularly in wood products. The establishment of a beech wood market with an extended product portfolio to reduce the use of fuelwood is essential for sustainable climate change mitigation. Since there are limitations in the production of saw timber quality beech wood on low fertility sites, C accumulation, and biodiversity can be emphasized in these areas.

Relating forest structural characteristics to bat and bird diversity in the Italian Alps

The global decline of biodiversity has affected European forests, involving many tree species and forest-dwelling threatened animals. An integrated approach linking forest structure and multi-taxon diversity is increasingly needed to maintain the multifunctionality of forest ecosystems. We investigated the relationship between forest structure, deadwood elements, canopy attributes, and tree-related microhabitats on bat and bird communities in the north-eastern Italian Alps. We collected forest attributes, bats, and bird data on 40 forest plots encompassing the diversity of forest types. To assess the different contributions of each forest attribute variables we performed a two-step statistical analysis using generalised and linear models, including bat and bird taxonomical and functional diversity indices as response variables. Our findings reveal that bats and birds respond differently to variation in forest structural characteristics. Specifically, bat species richness was higher in forests with both higher standing tree and lying deadwood volume. The Shannon diversity index for bird community was higher in forests with high volumes of coarse lying deadwood and stumps. Moreover, plots with mature trees, gaps, and heterogeneous diameter distribution fostered the presence of generalist species of bats and birds, while the abundance of tree-related microhabitats was not significant for these two taxa. This study demonstrates that the optimal habitat conditions for bats and birds in Alpine forests are multifaceted. Promoting distinctive elements within forest stands and a complex forest structure through adaptations in forest management interventions would enhance the conservation of multi-taxon forest biodiversity.

Diversity of forest structures important for biodiversity is determined by the combined effects of productivity, stand age, and management.

In forests, the amount and diversity of structural features with high value for biodiversity, such as large trees and dead wood, are affected by productivity, stand age, and forest management. For efficient conservation of forest biodiversity, it is essential to understand the combined effects of these drivers. We used data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory to study the combined effects of productivity, stand age, and management for wood production on structures with high value for biodiversity: tree species richness, large living trees, dead wood volume, and specific dead wood types. Forest management changed the relationship between productivity and amount or diversity of some of the structures. Most structures increased with productivity and stand age, but decreased due to management. The negative effect of management was greatest for structures occurring mainly in high-productivity forests, such as deciduous dead wood. Thus, biodiversity conservation should target high-productivity forests to preserve these structures.

Understanding commitment to agroforestry a crosssectional study among a sample of Nigerian farmers

Agroforestry is strategic in reconciling food production with forest biodiversity conservation. The methodical investigation of the beneficial and ecological imperativeness that informs smallholder farmers’ commitment to agroforestry is called for. This work is therefore an attempt to examine the relative importance of farmers' attitudes towards forest loss and perceived benefits of agroforestry in farmers' commitment to agroforestry among a group of farmers in Oyo State, southwestern Nigeria. The study is a cross-sectional survey that featured the interview administration of 400 structured questionnaires among crop farmers that were selected through clustered purposive sampling. Respondent’s agreement with sets of relevant statements was elicited and used in the assessment of variables. Independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the significance of the difference in respondents’ commitment to agroforestry across sub-groups of gender and age/education respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between variables. Results indicate that 57.8% exhibited a 'high' commitment to agroforestry. Gender, age and education had main effects on commitment (p < 0.05). There is no significant relationship between attitude towards forest loss and commitment to agroforestry (r = 0.038, p > 0.05) but not perceived benefits (r = 0.426, p < 0.05). Being male, middle-aged and poorly educated are significantly more predisposing to exhibiting lower commitment to agroforestry. There is hardly an ecological or forest restoration motivation for agroforestry in the study area. Ecologically smart agriculture or the restorative importance of agroforestry appears to be poorly entrenched among farmers in the study area.

Landscape Planning—Paving the Way for Effective Conservation of Forest Biodiversity and a Diverse Forestry?

Landscape Planning—Paving the Way for Effective Conservation of Forest Biodiversity and a Diverse Forestry?

The umbrella value of caribou management strategies for biodiversity conservation in boreal forests under global change

Single-species conservation management is often proposed to preserve biodiversity in human-disturbed landscapes. How global change will impact the umbrella value of single-species management strategies remains an open question of critical conservation importance. We assessed the effectiveness of threatened boreal caribou as an umbrella for bird and beetle conservation under global change. We combined mechanistic, spatially explicit models of forest dynamics and predator-prey interactions to forecast the impact of management strategies on the survival of boreal caribou in boreal forest. We then used predictive models of species occupancy to characterize concurrent impacts on bird and beetle diversity. Landscapes were simulated based on three scenarios of climate change and four of forest management. We found that strategies that best mitigate human impact on boreal caribou were an effective umbrella for maintaining bird and beetle assemblages. While we detected a stronger effect of land-use change compared to climate change, the umbrella value of management strategies for caribou habitat conservation were still impacted by the severity of climate change. Our results showed an interplay among changes in forest attributes, boreal caribou mortality, as well as bird and beetle species assemblages. The conservation status of some species mandates the development of recovery strategies, highlighting the importance of our study which shows that single-species conservation can have important umbrella benefits despite global change.

A synthesis of multi-taxa management experiments to guide forest biodiversity conservation in Europe

A synthesis of multi-taxa management experiments to guide forest biodiversity conservation in Europe

Botanical Collection Patterns and Conservation Categories of the Most Traded Timber Species from the Ecuadorian Amazon: The Role of Protected Areas.

The Ecuadorian Amazon is home to a rich biodiversity of woody plant species. Nonetheless, their conservation remains difficult, as some areas remain poorly explored and lack georeferenced records. Therefore, the current study aims predominantly to analyze the collection patterns of timber species in the Amazon lowlands of Ecuador and to evaluate the conservation coverage of these species in protected areas. Furthermore, we try to determine the conservation category of the species according to the criteria of the IUCN Red List. We identified that one third of the timber species in the study area was concentrated in three provinces due to historical botanical expeditions. However, a worrying 22.0% of the species had less than five records of presence, and 29.9% had less than ten records, indicating a possible underestimation of their presence. In addition, almost half of the species evaluated were unprotected, exposing them to deforestation risks and threats. To improve knowledge and conservation of forest biodiversity in the Ecuadorian Amazon, it is recommended to perform new botanical samplings in little-explored areas and digitize data in national herbaria. It is critical to implement automated assessments of the conservation status of species with insufficient data. In addition, it is suggested to use species distribution models to identify optimal areas for forest restoration initiatives. Effective communication of results and collaboration between scientists, governments, and local communities are key to the protection and sustainable management of forest biodiversity in the Amazon region.

Assessment of Herbaceous Plant Composition, Diversity, and Indicator Species in the Juniperus drupacea Forest Openings of the Mountain Parnonas in Greece

A significant challenge in community ecology is the establishment of ecological baselines, which permit the evaluation of the variations in ecological dynamics at different temporal and spatial scales. To our best knowledge, few studies have been conducted in the forest openings of Mt. Parnon to establish a baseline for future monitoring. Hence, a floristic study of the herbaceous plant species composition, diversity, cover, and biomass was conducted in the forest openings of the Mt. Parnon-Natura 2000 Site in Greece to develop an ecological baseline that could be utilized in decision making for conservation and the sustainable use of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services in the forest ecosystem of Mt. Parnon. In the spring season, a thorough floristic survey was performed on Mt. Parnon for two consecutive years, 2021 and 2022. Herbaceous plant composition, diversity, cover, biomass, and plant indicator species (indicator value analysis) in the forest openings of Mt. Parnon were assessed. In the studied area, 63 plant species belonging to 58 genera from 20 families were recorded. The most numerous families were Asteraceae and Poaceae, followed by Fabaceae. Variable plant diversity, herbaceous plant cover, and produced biomass were recorded in different sites. It is noteworthy that some plant species could be regarded as indicators of the sites in the study area [Geranium molle L., Cerastium candidissimum Correns, Vicia villosa Roth, Euphorbia myrsinites L., Odontarrhena muralis (Waldst. & Kit.) Endl., Medicago lupulina L., Lotus corniculatus L., Crepis fraasii Sch. Bip., Bellis sylvestris Cirillo, and Trifolium stellatum L.], and information about these indicators, including Ellenberg type indicator values, is also provided. This study contributes to the understanding of the relevant ecological topics and provides key elements that could be utilized in decision making for the conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services on Mt. Parnon.

Green tree retention as a conservation tool for the black woodpecker in managed forests

The black woodpecker, Dryocopus martius, a creator of tree cavities, is considered a keystone species and a priority in terms of forest biodiversity conservation. The aim of this paper was to understand how the structure of managed forests impacts the choice of tree for excavating cavities of the black woodpecker. The study was conducted in an extensive forest complex in northeastern Poland dominated by the pine Pinus sylvestris. The parameters of the cavity trees and surrounding forest were analyzed on different levels to determine what trees and stand types were selected by the black woodpecker. In the period from 2018 to 2021, analyses were carried out for 367 cavities excavated in trees growing in forest areas from 0 to 225 years old. The most numerous cavity trees were between 121 and 160 years old. Cavity trees were found in the stands (62%), in the residual forest patches (19%) and in the single trees remaining after logging (19%). Forty-four percent of all cavities were excavated in dead trees. Black woodpecker nesting stands were characterized by lower canopy closures and low understory and shrub layer cover. We did not find a difference between the diameters or the heights of cavity entrances among the black woodpecker nesting trees growing in different habitat types. The black woodpecker is capable of nesting in small fragments of an old stand and even in single old trees growing in clearcut areas. This is due to the high proportion of dead trees in these habitats, which are preferred by woodpeckers for excavating cavities. Leaving patches of old-growth stands in commercial forests positively affects the habitat formation of the black woodpecker and perhaps, as a consequence, that of other animal species that depend on it.

Bacterial and Fungal Community Profiling of Karst Ecosystem in Basey, Samar, Philippines Using Shotgun Metagenomic Approach

The Philippines has an abundance of karst or forest over limestone landscapes, but only a small percentage of them have been studied and protected. Although the flora and fauna of karst forests are diverse and unique, little is known about the microflora that inhabits this ecosystem. The taxonomic and functional composition of bacteria and fungi in soil samples from three locations within three karst forest zones in Basey, Samar, Philippines were analyzed using Illumina shotgun metagenome sequencing. Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria bacterial sequences were most prevalent in the karst soil, followed by those of the Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria, Verrumicrobia, Bacteriodetes, and Deinococcus-Thermus. The most abundant fungal sequences belonged to Ascomycota, followed by Basidiomycota. An average of 33 million predicted protein features was detected across all sites. Enzyme pathways for nitrogen and sulfur metabolism, and several carbon fixation pathways, appeared nearly complete. To our knowledge, this is the first report to provide baseline information on the microbial community and their possible roles in karst forest ecosystem health in the Philippines, which may lead to identifying new microbes with specialized metabolism and promoting biodiversity conservation of karst forests in the Philippines. Furthermore, correlation analysis with plant diversity will reveal plant-microbe interaction leading to the understanding of the adaptation, abundance, survival, and diversity of microorganisms and plants.

Effects of single tree selection cutting on vascular plant species diversity components in temperate forests of Hyrcanian region

Temperate forests in northern Iran are one of the most important natural ecosystems with the highest economic value and a key role in the conservation of forest biodiversity in Iran. We studied vascular plant species diversity components (alpha, beta and gamma) of herb and tree layers on 120 plots at six sites in forests managed by single tree selection and forests that have been left unmanaged for more than 30 years in the Hyrcanian forest zone in northern Iran. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) were used to analyse the effect of management on stand properties, tree and herb layer local diversity and soil characteristics. Despite the differences in herb layer local α-diversity, forest management did affect neither community composition of the herb layer nor regional γ-diversity. Also, species richness as well as α- and γ-diversity of the tree layer was significantly higher in managed forests, while β-diversity showed no directional response across herb and tree layers. According to constrained ordination analysis, main drivers for explaining variance in plant species composition were soil organic matter, total nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, pH and forest structural variables (basal area, number of trees per hectare and canopy cover) in herb and tree layers. We found that in Hyrcanian forests single tree selection management promotes environmental conditions that effectively contribute to increased diversity of the herb and tree layers at the local and regional scale compared to unmanaged forests. The higher diversity of herb and tree layers is likely being driven by higher within-stand heterogeneity, improved light availability in managed forests due to lower stocking density and larger canopy gaps, or also results from topsoil disturbances through wood extraction. This study indicated that single tree selection system has the potential to be used in order to improve biodiversity conservation, and these results can be useful for development of management guidelines and decision-making processes.Because it may not be specific enough to dismiss or prioritize forest management regimes, based only on their impact on plant diversity, further assessments of forest management effects on other crucial factors (such as fauna diversity, structural diversity and forest ecosystems services) are needed.

Evaluation of Biodiversity Maintenance Capacity in Forest Landscapes: A Case Study in Beijing, China

Understanding how landscape pattern changes impact forest biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management is crucial. This study evaluated the biodiversity maintenance capacity (BMC) of forest landscapes in Beijing, China from 2005 to 2020 based on habitat quality and carbon sink. For this, the moving window method was employed to compute landscape indices that depict variations in landscape patterns, including intermixing, connectivity, diversity, and compactness. Lastly, the relationship between landscape pattern changes and the BMC of forest landscapes was investigated using a combination of spatial correlation analysis and geographic weighted regression measurement models. The results showed the following. (1) The average BMC increased from 0.798 to 0.822. Spatially, 84.14% of the areas experienced an improvement, mainly in the mountainous region. In contrast, a decrease was observed in 4.03% of the areas, primarily concentrated in the transition zone between mountains and suburban plain. (2) The landscape pattern changed dramatically from 2005 to 2020. Landscape intermixing and compactness decreased slightly by 11.45% and 7.82%, while landscape connectivity and diversity increased significantly by 64.28% and 55.44%, respectively. (3) The BMC’s global Moran’s I values in 2005 and 2020 were 0.711 and 0.782, respectively, signifying a spatial bipolar agglomeration pattern. (4) Among the four selected landscape indices, the compactness was found to be the most critical factor. It attained a positive contribution to forests with high BMC, but had a negative impact on forests with low BMC. The results could provide a reference for planners coordinating forest management and biodiversity conservation.

Challenges and Solutions for Forest Biodiversity Conservation in Sweden: Assessment of Policy, Implementation Outputs, and Consequences

Swedish policies aim at conserving biological production, biodiversity, cultural heritage and recreational assets. This requires compositionally and structurally functional networks of representative habitats, the processes that maintain them, and resilient ecosystems. The term green infrastructure (GI) captures this. We review (1) policy concerning forest biodiversity conservation from the 1990s; (2) the implementation outputs, including the formulation of short-term and evidence-based long-term goals for protected areas, education, and the development of hierarchical spatial planning; (3) the consequences in terms of formally protected and voluntarily set-aside forest stands, as well as conservation management and habitat restoration. We assess the successes and failures regarding policy, outputs and consequences, discuss challenges to be addressed, and suggest solutions. Policies capture evidence-based knowledge about biodiversity, and evidence-based conservation planning as an output. However, the desired consequences are not met on the ground. Thus, the amount of formally protected and voluntary set-aside forests are presently too low, and have limited quality and poor functional connectivity. GI functionality is even declining because of forestry intensification, and insufficient conservation. Challenges include limited collaborative learning among forest and conservation planners, poor funding to conserve forest habitats with sufficient size, quality and connectivity, and national politics that ignores evidence-based knowledge. As solutions, we highlight the need for diversification of forest management systems with a landscape perspective that matches forest owner objectives and regional social-ecological contexts. This requires integrative approaches to knowledge production, learning and spatial planning.

Changes in soil microbial communities are linked to metal elements in a subtropical forest

As one of the primary divers of microbial changes, soil metals have been extensively studied in agroecosystems. Soil microbial processes in forests are crucial for maintaining plant biodiversity; however, the contributions of soil metals toward such processes remain poorly understood. In the present study, 1287 soil samples collected from a 20 ha forest plot were analyzed. The results showed that the levels of seven metal elements (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn) were better indicators of changes in microbial communities than soil properties (organic carbon, pH, and water content), macronutrients (AK, AP, NH4+-N, NO3−-N, TN, and TP), and topographic (elevation, convexity, and slope) or spatial factors. Furthermore, Mn was found to be the most influential metal element regarding microbial functions. The initial responses of biomarkers to metal elements influenced microbial functions. The responses of microbial α-diversity and community structure to these elements, as well as the correlations between soil metals and microbial functions, were affected by both the C:N ratio and soil pH. Although it may still be too early to assign causality, our study is one of the first to link soil metals to changes in forest microbial communities. These findings advance our capacity to predict belowground microbial processes by establishing the importance of metals in forest soils, providing a solid theoretical basis for forest biodiversity conservation under the context of global climate change.

Livelihood investments as incentives for community forestry in Africa

This study examines community incentives to participate in donor-sponsored community forestry initiatives using the case of a multi-year biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihood project in West Africa sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development. In this project, communities established community forests and prohibited most extractive uses to promote forest biodiversity conservation, receiving livelihood and water infrastructure investments in return. I assess whether livelihood investments are an effective incentive-based conservation strategy for community forestry initiatives, and in what context; and, once external project support ends, whether community forestry based on this incentive strategy persists. I examined community forestry in 27 communities across three study areas in Guinea and Sierra Leone between 2012 and 2015, when the project ended, and conducted a follow-up assessment in 2018 to see whether community forestry persisted post-project. I found that, despite mixed benefits from livelihood activities, livelihood investments were effective incentives for community forestry during the project’s lifetime. Most successful were Village Savings and Loan Associations and tree nurseries and plantations (coffee, cacao, oil palm, rubber), both of which provided tangible economic benefits to participating households. Intrinsic incentives associated with the ecosystem services community forests provide were also important. All but one community forest persisted 2.5 years post-project, though management byelaws had informally changed in many community forests to allow more extractive uses. These changes were least evident in the study area where benefits from livelihood investments were greatest and endured. This study demonstrates that livelihood investments can be effective in-kind incentives for community forestry in Africa, whether as central or ancillary incentives, but more effort is needed to design livelihood investments that deliver their expected benefits. Context also matters; there is a need to better understand the relationship between incentive types, community forestry model, and the social-ecological conditions in which community forestry occurs.

Patterns of the red-listed epiphytic species distribution in coniferous-deciduous forests of the Moscow Region

Epiphytes model the diversity of forest communities and indicate the integrity of natural ecosystems or the threat to their existence. The high sensitivity of epiphytic species to the environmental quality makes them good indicators in anthropogenic landscapes. The study deals with the distribution patterns of rare indicator epiphytic species at the border of their range in the broadleaved– coniferous forest zone, in the central part of the East European Plain within the Moscow region. The distribution and abundance of eight lichen species Anaptychia ciliaris, Bryoria fuscescens, B. implexa, Usnea dasopoga, U. glabrescens, U. hirta, U. subfloridana and the epiphytic moss Neckera pennata were studied. The main environmental factors at the regional level were climate variables based on the Worldclim database, water indices based on Sentinel-2 multispectral remote sensing data, and the anthropogenic impact factor in terms of the Nighttime lights of the earth’s surface based on the Suomi NPP satellite system. It was revealed that the vast majority of records were in the western and northern sectors of the region, i.e. in the broad-leaved–coniferous forest zone, while the vast majority of 0-records were in the southern and eastern sectors, in the area of broad-leaved and pine forests and extensive reclaimed wetlands. The association with different types of communities and biotopes, as well as tree species, was assessed at the ecosystem level, using field data. It has been established that the distribution of the studied species is governed by natural-geographic features of the territory. The principal limiting factors are air pollution, ecological restrictions (high humidity requirement of sites), cutting of mature forests and formation of local anthropogenic infrastructure. In perspective the study of ecology and living conditions of the studied rare species will help determine the optimal conditions contributing to biodiversity conservation in forests near large metropolitan areas and optimization of habitat diversity.