Policy and Practices for Biodiversity in Managed Forests

Is it possible to sustain biological diversity in managed forests? Or should biodiversity strategies focus solely on reserves and protected areas? A group of well-known scientists specializing in forestry issues apply scientific expertise to the “hot politics” of the forestry debate and present compelling evidence as to the sustainability of biological diversity in managed forests.

Seventeen major questions facing policy-makers, managers, and researchers are posed in this book. These questions are grouped under three major headings: Where are we going? How do we get there? How will we know when we are there? The first three chapters set the stage and provide context. Fred Bunnell reviews the changing values desired from forests and changing rhythms within a forest – the living dance. He and Ann Chan-McLeod then describe issues of managed forests that complicate efforts to sustain biological diversity. Jagmohan S. Maini provides an overview of policy issues confronting governments. The next five chapters treat these questions and management actions at different levels of biological organization. They begin with genetics (Gene Namkoong) and populations (Gray Merriam), proceed through communities (Daniel Simberloff) and landscapes (J. Stan Rowe), closing with a more general treatment of scale (Reed F. Noss). The final chapter integrates the treatments of different scales of organization by returning to the original 17 questions and providing answers based on current knowledge.

Policy and Practices for Biodiversity in Managed Forests addresses the major problems facing policy-makers and managers in sustaining biological diversity in managed forests. It is important because it links the scientific knowledge about biodiversity to the management of biodiversity, bridging the gap between scientists and decision-makers. The unique, focused approach of this book makes it useful for students, resource practitioners, and policy-makers.