The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 aims to better protect natural ecosystems with high biodiversity and climate change mitigation potential. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to identify forests worth protecting, such as those characterized by long continuity and old age. Here, we propose a robust approach that combines historical maps from the mid-19th century with remote sensing data to identify areas that have been forested for over 150 years, aiming to reduce the need for detailed and time-consuming field investigations in potential conservation areas. We tested this approach in a 20,000 km² region in the Polish Carpathians, an area likely containing many unprotected forests of high conservation value, where historical maps from the mid-19th century are representative of much of Central Europe. Our results showed that an area of approximately 4200 km² has been continuously forested since at least the mid-19th century. Currently, 50% of these forests are outside protected areas, representing an important conservation opportunity. More generally, our approach can support the identification of valuable forests worth protecting before they are lost and provide useful insights for policymakers and stakeholders in the ongoing debate on the challenges of improving forest conservation in the Carpathians, and Europe more widely.

中文翻译：

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历史地图有助于识别具有潜在高保护价值的森林


欧盟 2030 年生物多样性战略旨在更好地保护具有高生物多样性和减缓气候变化潜力的自然生态系统。为了实现这一目标，确定值得保护的森林至关重要，例如那些具有长期连续性和老龄化特征的森林。在这里，我们提出了一种强大的方法，该方法将 19 世纪中叶的历史地图与遥感数据相结合，以确定已经被森林覆盖了 150 多年的区域，旨在减少对潜在保护区进行详细和耗时的实地调查的需求。我们在波兰喀尔巴阡山脉的 20,000 km² 区域测试了这种方法，该地区可能包含许多具有高度保护价值的未受保护的森林，19 世纪中叶的历史地图代表了中欧的大部分地区。我们的结果表明，至少自 19 世纪中叶以来，大约 4200 km² 的区域一直被连续造林。目前，这些森林中有 50% 位于保护区之外，这是一个重要的保护机会。更广泛地说，我们的方法可以支持在它们消失之前识别值得保护的宝贵森林，并为政策制定者和利益相关者在关于改善喀尔巴阡山脉和更广泛欧洲森林保护的挑战的持续辩论中提供有用的见解。