Researchers on the EU Nature Restoration Law: Opportunities for sustainable forestry – and less conflicts

In a paper published in the scientific journal Ambio, Johan Svensson, Torbjörn Ebenhard and Bengt Gunnar Jonsson, researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), provide perspectives on the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation in forests and for forestry in Sweden.

According to the regulation, restoration shall be carried out on at least 20 per cent of land and sea surfaces by 2030. Work is currently underway to develop national restoration plans for Sweden as well as for other Member States. The regulation states that EU countries have to apply the best available and latest scientific knowledge.

A crucial point of departure in implementing restoration is the defined favorable reference areas. This is the area required to ensure long-term viability of habitat types and species protected according to the EU Species and Habitats Directive. The Swedish government has decided that the reference areas for forest habitat types should be set equal to the areas estimated already in 1995, when Sweden joined the EU. In the article, the researchers note that this decision not only deviates from the directive's requirement concerning the latest, best available scientific evidence, but also that it risks maintaining the ambiguities, conflicts and heated rhetoric that characterize the current forestry debate.

–The implementation of the Species and Habitats Directive is questioned and unclear in Swedish forestry. Setting low favorable reference areas that are not scientifically based and generally setting restoration ambitions at an absolute minimum level, will not lead forward. Instead it makes it even harder to reach national environmental goals and to fulfill international agreements, and it does not resolve the heated conflicts that affect forest owners and forest machine operators today. Additionally, Sweden's reputation as a forest nation is put at risk, and we may face serious criticism from the EU, says Johan Svensson, researcher at SLU.

Opportunity for transformation

The researchers argue that an ambitious and constructive application of the regulation is a way forward for adapting forestry to future conditions including to favor biodiversity and functional, resilient forest ecosystems. In the article, they emphasize the importance of considering the holistic values of forests and forest landscapes and not, as is the case today, focusing either on timber production or to some extent on nature conservation. 

– Here, the regulation opens up for targeting alternative forestry methods and alternative value chains that contribute to a multifunctional forest landscape that is critically needed, says Bengt Gunnar Jonsson, professor of biology at Mid Sweden University and senior advisor at SLU.

The researchers also believe that the regulation is a step towards formulating measurable criteria for a forestry that is sustainable with regards to biodiversity. 

– Today, there are no such criteria. Forest certification requirements promote more responsible forestry, but do not guarantee sustainable management, nor do they allow to evaluate the level of sustainability, says Torbjörn Ebenhard, research leader at the SLU Swedish Biodiversity Centre.

A convincing legacy to rely on

The researchers point out that there is convincing historical experience and capacity to draw upon. 

– Just like restoration lead to transformation into a successful Swedish forestry during the 20th century, the implementation of the regulation is not about recreating past conditions, but about adjusting to the future. Now it is all about restoring parts of the forest landscape once again, but with a more nuanced goal that reflects current and future expectations on sustainable forestry, says Johan Svensson.

Scientific article

Ambio: The EU Nature Restoration Regulation offers new opportunities 
for resilient forests and sustainable forestry 
Johan Svensson, Bengt Gunnar Jonsson, Torbjörn Ebenhard.

A perspective article is a scientific reflection based on scientific arguments grounded in published research.

The article is part of the EU project SUPERB on upscaling restoration of forests and forest landscapes in Europe: SUPERB: Upscaling Forest Restoration and SUPERB - Forest Programme Västerbotten. 

The content has recently been presented to technical advisors, councilors and lawyers at the Swedish regional Land and Environment Courts and the national Land and Environment Court of Appeal, where legally binding decisions will be made on how the regulation should be applied in Sweden.