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7.2 NGO Demands Concerning the Old-growth Forests of Fennoscandia

Intensive forest management has a long history in Fennoscandia. It has led to an biodiversity crisis by altering in a vast majority of the forest land natural processes like tree aging and decaying, and changes in tree species composition in different stages of succession. Today there is less than 5% of old-growth forests left in Fennoscandia where these natural processes can take place.

In recent years there have been some improvements in the forest protection and management in the region. Even though the forest industry has shown increasing consideration for nature conservation the old-growth situation remains acute. Old-growth areas continue to be logged.

The remaining old-growth forests of Fennoscandia should not be subject to any human activity (e.g., forestry) that damages their nature conservation values regarding biodiversity, structure and ecological function. The sites outlined in the maps of this report include non-protected forests, which in great extent include high conservation values and should be used as a basis in future protection plans.

The protection of old-growth forests can be achieved through a variety of means:

• areas legally protected by public authorities
• voluntarily set aside areas, verifiable by third party
• exemption of forestry operations as part of a voluntary certification scheme, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

The protection of old-growth areas is a responsibility of both public authorities and the private sector. In this work a priority should be given to regions where current protection levels are low.

Protection of the remaining old-growth forests of Fennoscandia will not be sufficient to ensure the long-term survival of all the endangered forest species, but it is one of the vital steps. There is a great need for restoration of forests currently missing old-growth features. This goes particularly for the southern parts of Fennoscandia.

If the Nordic countries are to meet their international commitments, such as the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe, there must be a combination of land area protection, increased consideration of nature conservation in forestry operations and active measures for the restoration of biological diversity. We strongly encourage all involved parties to develop a joint strategy aiming at the protection of the remaining old-growth forests in Fennoscandia.

Notes:

• It should be noted that there are forest areas of high conservation value, which may not fulfill the old growth definition.
• Please note that this statement concerns all old growth forests in Fennoscandia, not only the ones covered in this report. The information on old growth forests in the region is still incomplete. The sites outlined in the maps of this report include non-protected forests, which in great extent include high conservation values and can be used as a basis in future protection plans, but there are other areas of high conservation value which are still unregistered.

This statement is supported by:

The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation
The Finnish Nature League
Fältbiologerna
Greenpeace Nordic
Nature and Youth Norway
The Norwegian Society for Nature Conservation
The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation
WWF Finland
WWF Norway
WWF Sweden

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