Strict forest reserves in Europe: efforts to enhance biodiversity and research on forests left for free development in Europe (EU-COST-Action E4)

Protected forest areas have become increasingly important and strict forest reserves have an important role to play on two fronts: they are in themsel ves important protection sites, and they also provide the necessary referen ce data for nature-based silviculture in production forests. The EUCOST-Act ion E4 (European Forest Reserves Research Network) underlined their importa nce and found that there is a wide variation in conceptual approach, histor ical background, size and share of strict forest reserves throughout Europe . These differences are clearly linked to local forest type and forest hist ory, land use and natural forest dynamics. Moreover, the term 'strict' rese rve is interpreted very differently in different countries: in many cases g ame control, fire control and the removal of invading exotic species are al lowed. The concept of complete non-intervention does not seem to be realist ic for Europe. The total strictly protected forest area, for the 26 countri es involved in COST-E4, is calculated to be nearly 3 million hectares or ab out 1.7 per cent of the total forest area. However, subjects, goals, methodologies and constraints for scientific rese arch seem to be strikingly similar throughout Europe. Transboundary co-oper ation is therefore evident, and needs further promotion. For this purpose, an electronic database on strict reserves, which can be consulted through t he Internet at http://www.efi.fi/Database_Gateway/FRRN, has been constructe d within the framework of the COST action. Judging from the number of visit s, it is likely to become an important tool for future scientific co-operat ion.