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Biosphere Forests for the Future is an initiative that aims to emphasize UNESCO biosphere reserves as model regions for climate adaptation in forest landscapes. Biosphere reserves from different climate and vegetation regions provide learning opportunities about forest ecosystems and forest management in different climates. International collaboration and exchange will increase the awareness of forest landscape’s vulnerability due to climate change. Dialogue about practical experiences will result in an analysis of challenges related to climate change adaption in forest landscapes, including an overview of how landowners and other actors can change their actions in order to create more climate-adapted forestry strategies.
Project background
Climate change is one of our biggest challenges. A large part of the increased emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere comes from the way we extract, transform and use fossil energy. As a result of the increased emissions, we are likely to go against an average global warming that exceeds two degrees Celsius. We can already see effects in the forest, where new pests and diseases, droughts and fires increase the stress in the forest ecosystem and hamper the development of sustainable forestry.
Climate change thus changes the conditions for the entire forest landscape, which can lead to reduced resilience and weakened ecosystem services, including the forests ability to store coal.
UNESCO biosphere reserves (BRs) are designated to be model regions for sustainable development, where new methods are tested and developed. The biosphere reserves provide suitable areas for gathering knowledge about the effects of climate change in forest landscapes and for projecting future scenarios based on available climate models. The 686 biosphere reserves in the world form a global network, where experiences and knowledge are shared. The network is a resource for strategic global surveillance, while it is a channel for establishing collaborations and creating opportunities for international exchanges. Biosphere reserves are strategic arenas to learn from when implementing the 2030 Agenda.
Biosphere Forest for the Future is an initiative that aims to produce a project description for the further development of biosphere reserves as model regions for climate adaptation in forest landscapes. Biosphere reserves from different climate and vegetation regions can thus provide learning about forest ecosystems and forest management in different climates.
In 2018, the Swedish Forest Agency funded a preparatory study with the aim to explore the need and interest of initiating an international collaboration between UNESCO biosphere reserves to address climate change adaptation in forest landscapes.
Participating biosphere reserves
Link to websites:
North Karelia, Finland
Tuchola Forest, Poland
Dolni Morava, Czech Republic
North Devon, UK
Appennino Tosco-Emiliano, Italy
Kristianstads Vattenrike, Sweden
Blekinge Archipelago, Sweden
East Vättern Scarp Landscape, Sweden
Lake Vänern Archipelago, Sweden
River landscape of Nedre Dalälven, Sweden
Vindelälven-Juhtatdahka, BR candidate, Sweden
Voxnadalen, BR candidate, Sweden
Documents
Report Forest Symposium, December 2018 (pdf)
Presentations Forest Symposium:
Vindel River BRcandidate – C Nilsson
Diseases, humans and animals – M Magnusson
Forest landscape adaptation – P Hallgren
Governance methods – C Blennow
Climate change adaptation and forest management – M Johnston
Bring down the sky to Earth – A Sténs
Climate Communication – G Vulturius
Funding opportunities – C Grabbe
Om Biosphere Forests for the Future (sv)
Biosphere Forests for the Future är ett initiativ som fokuserar på biosfärområden som modellområden för klimatanpassning i skogslandskapet. Biosfärområden finns i olika klimat- och vegetationsregioner och kan därmed komma att utgöra en bred plattform för lärande kring skogsekosystem och skogsskötsel i olika klimat. Klimatförändringarna är en av vår tids största utmaningar och biosfärområdena utgör lämpliga områden för att projicera framtidsscenarios utifrån tillgängliga klimatmodeller.
I Biosphere Forests for the Future, samlas biosfärområden från norra till södra Europa i ett internationellt kunskapsutbyte. Initiativet ska leda till ökad medvetenhet om skogslandskapets sårbarhet pga klimatförändringar, ökad samverkan inom Unescos Biosfärprogram, samt ökad kunskap om forskningsbehov knuten till lokal praktik.