Where to restore : Connectivity forest for spatial prioritization in forest landscape restoration
Wang, Xiaoming ; Svensson, Johan ; Jonsson, Bengt Gunnar ; Singh, Navinder J. ; Bubnicki, Jakub W. ; Lopéz-Peinado, Andrés ; Angelstam, Per ; Mikusiński, Grzegorz and Ardö, Jonas LU
(2025)
In iScience
28(9).
- Abstract
Forest loss, fragmentation, and transformation negatively impact forest biodiversity and ecosystem functionality worldwide. Improving landscape intactness and connectivity through restoration is critical. Determining where to restore remains, however, a challenge. As an approach for prioritizing restoration areas, we define connectivity forest (CFs) as forests outside recognized high conservation value forests (HCVFs) with capacity to support landscape-scale connectivity and green infrastructure (GI) functionality. Across a 1.3 million-ha watershed in boreal Sweden, we identified approximately 130,500 ha of CFs, equal to double the current HCVF area. By integrating CFs with consecutively lower HCVF probabilities, we demonstrate planning... (More)
Forest loss, fragmentation, and transformation negatively impact forest biodiversity and ecosystem functionality worldwide. Improving landscape intactness and connectivity through restoration is critical. Determining where to restore remains, however, a challenge. As an approach for prioritizing restoration areas, we define connectivity forest (CFs) as forests outside recognized high conservation value forests (HCVFs) with capacity to support landscape-scale connectivity and green infrastructure (GI) functionality. Across a 1.3 million-ha watershed in boreal Sweden, we identified approximately 130,500 ha of CFs, equal to double the current HCVF area. By integrating CFs with consecutively lower HCVF probabilities, we demonstrate planning implementation at lower to higher ambition levels and identified specific restoration hotspots to guide local-scale restoration planning. Our CF approach has clear implications for efficient spatial targeting of restoration in forest regions where improving conservation in balance with continued forestry for wood production is required to meet national and international biodiversity and environmental goals.
(Less)
- author
- Wang, Xiaoming
; Svensson, Johan
; Jonsson, Bengt Gunnar
; Singh, Navinder J.
; Bubnicki, Jakub W.
; Lopéz-Peinado, Andrés
; Angelstam, Per
; Mikusiński, Grzegorz
and Ardö, Jonas
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-09
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- ecology, environmental management, environmental science
- in
- iScience
- volume
- 28
- issue
- 9
- article number
- 113263
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105014289649
- ISSN
- 2589-0042
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113263
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- bd2447ee-4e5d-4525-a7ff-b5995db10aba
- date added to LUP
- 2025-10-13 10:40:05
- date last changed
- 2025-10-14 12:37:37
@article{bd2447ee-4e5d-4525-a7ff-b5995db10aba,
abstract = {{<p>Forest loss, fragmentation, and transformation negatively impact forest biodiversity and ecosystem functionality worldwide. Improving landscape intactness and connectivity through restoration is critical. Determining where to restore remains, however, a challenge. As an approach for prioritizing restoration areas, we define connectivity forest (CFs) as forests outside recognized high conservation value forests (HCVFs) with capacity to support landscape-scale connectivity and green infrastructure (GI) functionality. Across a 1.3 million-ha watershed in boreal Sweden, we identified approximately 130,500 ha of CFs, equal to double the current HCVF area. By integrating CFs with consecutively lower HCVF probabilities, we demonstrate planning implementation at lower to higher ambition levels and identified specific restoration hotspots to guide local-scale restoration planning. Our CF approach has clear implications for efficient spatial targeting of restoration in forest regions where improving conservation in balance with continued forestry for wood production is required to meet national and international biodiversity and environmental goals.</p>}},
author = {{Wang, Xiaoming and Svensson, Johan and Jonsson, Bengt Gunnar and Singh, Navinder J. and Bubnicki, Jakub W. and Lopéz-Peinado, Andrés and Angelstam, Per and Mikusiński, Grzegorz and Ardö, Jonas}},
issn = {{2589-0042}},
keywords = {{ecology; environmental management; environmental science}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{9}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{iScience}},
title = {{Where to restore : Connectivity forest for spatial prioritization in forest landscape restoration}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113263}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.isci.2025.113263}},
volume = {{28}},
year = {{2025}},
}