page last edited on 23-07-2010

Recommendations of the participants of the European Platform
 for Biodiversity Research Strategy meeting
held under the Swedish presidency of the EU
 in Sigtuna, Sweden, 11 - 12 June 2001

concerning

“Biodiversity of Freshwater and Forest
Science in support of the Ecosystem Approach" 

1.   During its Presidency of the European Union, Sweden hosted a high-level science policy meeting in Montpellier, with the theme "Biodiversity of Freshwater and Forest – Science in support of the Ecosystem Approach".  This, the fourth meeting of the European Platform for Biodiversity Research Strategy, was organised and funded by the Swedish Scientific Council for Biological Diversity, the Ministry of Environment, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the National Board of Forestry, the Swedish Biodiversity Centre, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, and the Research Council of Norway.

2.   The biodiversity of water and forest are strongly linked and interdependent.  These interactions extend far beyond the water’s edge.  Although the details of the interaction tend to be specific to the two ecosystems, the general principles are shared with other borders between different ecosystems. If we are to understand how to manage these and other such ecological interfaces, we must answer many important scientific questions.

3.   The meeting was preceded by an electronic workshop on the theme of the conference (Annex 2).  During the meeting scientists with international standing (annex 4) pointed out the key issues that they felt merited significant scientific research effort.

4.   The audience and speakers discussed the possible orientation and priorities for a European science strategy in the understanding of these interactions, as a significant element in the establishment of a European Research Space in biodiversity.

5.   The states that participate in the 5th Framework Programme were invited, via the Programme Committee for Environment and Sustainable Development, to nominate participants at the interface between science and policy. All EU Member States sent delegates, as did EE, LT, NO, SK, CH, and IL (annex 3). The Environment DG and the EEA were also represented.

6.   During a field excursion the audience was introduced to some highlights of biodiversity research in Swedish forests, with the aim of stimulating an exchange of information and encouraging further collaboration between Member States.

7.   The main science policy result was the agreement of the delegates, provided in annex 1.  Annex 2, a summary of the electronic conference, was the main science result.

8.   The hosts of the meeting have established a public web site that provides access to these documents and other information: http://internat.environ.se/biodiversity/. This report will also be presented to the Council Working Party on International Environment (biodiversity).

The participants of this workshop agree that:

• Forest, fresh water and extensive grasslands are among the principal repositories of biodiversity in Europe.

• The components of biodiversity in forest and water interact over great distances, with the result that the ecotone between these ecosystems is often an extensive area of mutual influence, rather than a narrow strip.

• Both forest and water ecosystems are complex, and interaction between them contributes to the complexity and richness of biodiversity in the ecotone.  These ecosystems and zones of interaction are multifunctional and provide a wide range of services and benefits to society.

• While the nature of interactions affecting biodiversity in the forest-water ecotone may be similar from one part of Europe to another, the relative importance of the interactions may vary greatly.

• Drivers of biodiversity change of particular importance in the ecotone include carbon sequestration, acid deposition, and ecosystem dynamics; the demand for energy, water, wood, and food; and in some parts of Europe, flood control, recreation and urbanisation. Management practices have a key role in the protection and restoration of biodiversity in this zone.   

• Riparian zones are dynamic and exhibit disproportionately high biodiversity relative to their surface area.  They play important economic and ecological roles in flood mitigation and water quality.  Riparian zones at the interface of forest and water act as buffer zones between the two and are affected by the management practices of both ecosystems.  

• The interaction between forest and fresh water means that activities and policies within one ecosystem may influence biodiversity in the other, and human activities place particular pressure on the intermediate zone.  For example, forest management practices may affect the biodiversity of riparian and aquatic ecosystems.  The Water Framework Directive thus has major implications for forest management in these areas.  Similarly, hydrological engineering may affect the biodiversity of nearby forests. 

• Much other EU policy is also relevant to this ecotone, including the Biodiversity Strategy and various Action Plans, and decisions affecting research on the ecotone should take into account these policies, and their possible impact on the biodiversity of non-EU countries.

• The forest-water ecotone, the riparian zone, and related groundwater are all understudied ecosystems. The interactions between them are not clearly understood, though they have important implications for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of the biological resources in the forest-water ecotone. The taxonomy and systematics of many groups of organisms in the ecotone is far from complete. Furthermore, there is considerable room for improvement in the methodologies to assess or monitor habitat quality in this ecosystem, or to identify ecosystems with low resilience. 

• Research on the interactions between these ecosystems is likely to have significant management and policy implications and should be designed accordingly. Research to help monitor, maintain and enhance forest and water biodiversity should be an integral part of national spatial strategies and land use policies. Land use planning in these ecosystems is typically scaled to the landscape, and research should be designed appropriately. 

• Research on forest-water biodiversity is more likely to have an effect on policy if it is inter-disciplinary, and involves both natural and social scientists.  Researchers and stakeholders should work together to define objectives, to develop arenas of negotiation and to review progress.  

• Research objectives, policy design and management strategies should be established to assess and provide for the interactions of climate change and biodiversity in the ecotone and for the sustainable use of its biological resources. 

The participants decided that the following five key issues have high priority for European research, both as general targets and particularly in mixed forest-water ecosystems:

a)   Inventory, taxonomy and systematics: a primary goal of research in this ecotone must be to identify, inventory and classify European species that are under threat of global, regional or local extinction.  This research should include the improvement and harmonisation of the systematics of taxa in this ecotone;

b)   Ecosystem functions and interactions: Research is required on the resilience of the forest-water ecotone and the services provided by the ecosystems that compose it, up to the catchment scale or bio-geographical region. This research must also clarify how biological diversity is related to the resilience of this ecotone, and should focus on how biodiversity and ecosystem services respond to or influence the ecosystem biology (e.g. dispersal), chemistry (e.g. acidification and eutrophication), physics (e.g. silting), hydrodynamics and hydrology, and the needs of society (including sustainable use);

c)   Modelling the effect of large-scale drivers: There is an urgent need for improved models of forest-water ecological systems, human activities and landscapes, including successional development and habitat fragmentation;

d)   Management practices: Research is urgently needed to monitor the effect of management, and where appropriate to improve management practices.  This research should also include the scientific understanding, testing and development of the CBD ecosystem approach;

e)   Biodiversity assessment tools.  Research is needed to establish criteria for setting targets and objectives for management, and to generate standardised protocols to monitor biodiversity status and trends, and ecosystem dynamics, with a view to conservation or sustainable use, taking into account human values, economic benefits, attitudes and aspirations. These five issues are presented in a sequence that starts with the underpinning or basic science and ends with research issues that have an immediate relevance to policy. There is a strong interdependence between these issues, and they are not ordered by any relative priority.