A conceptual framework for assessing pathways towards climate neutrality and biodiversity conservation in a circular forest-based economy
Iliev, Bogomil ; Bentsen, Niclas Scott ; Brownell, Huntley ; Droste, Nils LU
; D'Amato, Dalia
; Arto, Iñaki
; May, Wilhelm
LU
and Thomsen, Marianne
(2025)
In Ecological Economics
238.
- Abstract
This study presents a conceptual framework for assessing the sustainability of the forest-based economy and resulting synergies and trade-offs between forest harvest, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation. The framework adopts a comprehensive systems approach to map economic activities and associated flows of resources and embodied environmental impacts along the value chain. It builds on methodologies for environmental-economic national accounting, carbon accounting, life cycle assessment and national forest monitoring. The scope includes changes to the marketed ecosystem service of timber provision and the partially or non-marketed ecosystem services of carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. The study... (More)
This study presents a conceptual framework for assessing the sustainability of the forest-based economy and resulting synergies and trade-offs between forest harvest, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation. The framework adopts a comprehensive systems approach to map economic activities and associated flows of resources and embodied environmental impacts along the value chain. It builds on methodologies for environmental-economic national accounting, carbon accounting, life cycle assessment and national forest monitoring. The scope includes changes to the marketed ecosystem service of timber provision and the partially or non-marketed ecosystem services of carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. The study provides a structured approach for identifying pathways towards a nature-positive forest-based economy that can simultaneously preserve biodiversity, enhance carbon sequestration for climate benefits, and support sustainable wood resource extraction for downstream producers and consumers. The framework is intended to facilitate an integrated assessment of whether current trends in the forest-based economy could serve as effective strategies for achieving long-term climate neutrality and biodiversity conservation. Key contributions include the design of an operational framework that outlines modelling requirements, data needs, and knowledge gaps, The study emphasizes the necessity for integration of data on ecosystem services with national statistics and international modelling structures to enable robust assessments and informed policy evaluations.
(Less)
- author
- Iliev, Bogomil
; Bentsen, Niclas Scott
; Brownell, Huntley
; Droste, Nils
LU
; D'Amato, Dalia
; Arto, Iñaki
; May, Wilhelm
LU
and Thomsen, Marianne
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Biodiversity conservation, Cascade utilisation, Circular forest-based economy, Climate neutrality
- in
- Ecological Economics
- volume
- 238
- article number
- 108749
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105012520578
- ISSN
- 0921-8009
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108749
- project
- Green forest policies - a comparative assessment of outcomes and trade-offs across Fenno-Scandinavia
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors
- id
- db0de7e5-31b6-4511-be9d-16ce8736613e
- date added to LUP
- 2025-09-16 08:45:25
- date last changed
- 2025-12-08 15:19:38
@article{db0de7e5-31b6-4511-be9d-16ce8736613e,
abstract = {{<p>This study presents a conceptual framework for assessing the sustainability of the forest-based economy and resulting synergies and trade-offs between forest harvest, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation. The framework adopts a comprehensive systems approach to map economic activities and associated flows of resources and embodied environmental impacts along the value chain. It builds on methodologies for environmental-economic national accounting, carbon accounting, life cycle assessment and national forest monitoring. The scope includes changes to the marketed ecosystem service of timber provision and the partially or non-marketed ecosystem services of carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. The study provides a structured approach for identifying pathways towards a nature-positive forest-based economy that can simultaneously preserve biodiversity, enhance carbon sequestration for climate benefits, and support sustainable wood resource extraction for downstream producers and consumers. The framework is intended to facilitate an integrated assessment of whether current trends in the forest-based economy could serve as effective strategies for achieving long-term climate neutrality and biodiversity conservation. Key contributions include the design of an operational framework that outlines modelling requirements, data needs, and knowledge gaps, The study emphasizes the necessity for integration of data on ecosystem services with national statistics and international modelling structures to enable robust assessments and informed policy evaluations.</p>}},
author = {{Iliev, Bogomil and Bentsen, Niclas Scott and Brownell, Huntley and Droste, Nils and D'Amato, Dalia and Arto, Iñaki and May, Wilhelm and Thomsen, Marianne}},
issn = {{0921-8009}},
keywords = {{Biodiversity conservation; Cascade utilisation; Circular forest-based economy; Climate neutrality}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Ecological Economics}},
title = {{A conceptual framework for assessing pathways towards climate neutrality and biodiversity conservation in a circular forest-based economy}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108749}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108749}},
volume = {{238}},
year = {{2025}},
}