Quantitatively defining the conservation status of Natura 2000 forest habitats and improving management options for enhancing biodiversity

The main goal of Natura 2000 network is to guarantee the favourable conservation status of habitats and species ensuring European biodiversity. As a result, certain forest areas have been included in this network listed as 9230-Quercus pyrenaica habitat and 9340-Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia forest habitat. These areas were previously used for firewood extraction or livestock grazing and browsing. Nowadays these habitats are coppice forests with asexual regeneration, which is far from the desired conservation status. Traditional timber harvesting plans do not take account of the new objectives required for these Natura sites, which attempt to ensure biodiversity and recreational uses instead of simply focusing on timber production. This paper proposes a flexible methodology (applied to the study area “Dehesa Boyal” in Ávila, Spain) for managing Natura 2000 forest sites by stands for sustainable forest management and the new requirements. The methodology has two phases. The first, “Division of the forest area into stands”, defines homogeneous patches of vegetation distinct in species composition, physiognomic structure and future management. The second, “Conservation status assessment of stands”, quantifies the conservation status of each previously classified stand considering a series of factors such as: functional health, restoration, floral richness and structure. A total value integrating the conservation status of stands is then calculated for the habitat. Both phases use Geographic Information System tools for managing information and visualizing results. The proposed methodology provides forest managers with a good knowledge of the territory and subsequently enables them to take appropriate conservation measures to maintain biodiversity.