Practical Guidance for Rapid Biodiversity Assessment in Central European Forests

Artikel aus einem Buch

18580BU

200212643

Establishing biodiversity surveys is crucial for consistently monitoring ecosystems and informing conservation strategies. Rapid biodiversity assessment (RBA) approaches survey multiple species efficiently, supporting conservation planning and aiding in the evaluation of protected areas. Different assessment types include baseline inventory, species-specific, change, indicator, and resource assessments. Indicator selection is pivotal and requires reliability, representability, and replicability. Indicators linked to structural elements can provide comprehensive evaluations of forest biodiversity to assist informed decision-making. We propose an RBA protocol for Central European Forest ecosystems, with the aim of gathering relevant data to assess biological diversity. It encompasses structural elements and different species groups, incorporates insights from established monitoring systems, and prioritises species for monitoring under changing climate conditions. This modular survey approach combines standard assessments providing fundamental information on forest structure, including elements like deadwood and tree-related microhabitats (TreMs), with intensive surveys focusing on specific taxonomic groups—namely, vascular plants, fungi, birds, bats, and saproxylic beetles—with trained taxonomists involved. Enhancing our comprehension of biodiversity patterns within forest landscapes can provide valuable insights into the structural connectivity of these ecosystems. Our proposed RBA protocol serves not only as a guideline for exploring this important topic but also as a foundation for subsequent population genetic analyses, investigations of species interactions, and studies on the fundamental principles of dispersal and adaption. Ongoing research efforts aim to expand our knowledge to hitherto unrepresented species groups such as soil-dwelling organisms and pollinators, thereby enabling even more comprehensive assessments in the future.