PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Recent data of the Bulgarian Executive Forestry Agency has shown that due to increased forest damage, the level of sanitary cuttings in Bulgarian forest has increased over five times compared to the situation 10 yearsago - reaching average levels of over 40 000 ha logged per year. As in other EU countries, coniferous forests suffer the most from such damage, with many of the affected areas located within Bulgarian Natura 2000 sites.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE REFOREST project aims to enhance the restoration of damaged forest habitats within six Natura 2000 sites (SCIs) in south-west Bulgaria, by demonstrating best practices, incorporating modern methodologies for climate modelling and assessment of future effects on forest habitats, improving national forestry policies, involving key stakeholders, and replicating the best practices.
Specific project objectives are to:
Restore a total of 275 ha in five Annex I priority forest habitat types of the Habitats Directive in a way that will increase the coverage of priority forest habitats, improve their conservation status and resilience to climate change, and increase biodiversity; Enhance the development and implementation of adequate restoration approaches for forest habitats in Bulgaria by providing input for the update of national policies (i.e. normative documents such as strategies and action plans), ensuring baseline scientific/expert data, and demonstrating best habitat restoration practices, i.e. selection of restoration methods, stages and techniques, species composition and grouping, etc.; Promote sustainable and efficient forest management in non-state forests in Bulgaria by focused information and capacity building actions targeting forest owners.
By taking up the results from the ongoing LIFEFORHAB project (such as forestry databases, expert capacity, infrastructure and equipment for containerised seedling production), LIFE REFOREST aims at ensuring the larger-scale replication of LIFEFORHAB results (i.e. over 2.5 times more forest habitat will be restored) and increasing outreach at national and EU levels. The project will be well positioned to benefit future restoration in forest areas, included the entire Bulgarian Natura 2000 network where similar problems are present.
RESULTS
Expected results:
Restored priority forest habitat types listed in Annex I of the Habitats Directive on 275 ha, increasing habitat coverage, improving resilience to climate change, and increasing biodiversity (49 ha of Eastern white oak woods, 80 ha of alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior, 69 ha of Pannonian woods with Quercus pubescens, 67 ha of Mediterranean pine forests with endemic black pines, and 10 ha of Endemic forests with Juniperus spp. ) within six Natura 2000 sites (SCIs);Developed expert analysis with GIS database related to forest habitat requirements and climate change scenarios for Southwest State Forest Enterprise (SWSFE): LIFE REFOREST will apply advanced remote sensing techniques, analysis of historical climate data, forest management planning, information and modelling from EU research projects to identify best approaches for forest habitat restoration and management, taking into consideration climate change scenarios; Improved national forestry policies by streamlining climate and biodiversity concerns: LIFE REFOREST will enhance the update of national forestry policies, strategic and normative documents (e.g. the Programme of measures for adaptation of Bulgarian forests to climate change), with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, by providing baseline data, expert input and demonstrating best practices; Established capacity for priority habitat restoration in non-state forests: LIFE REFOREST will develop effective partnerships and implement capacity building and dissemination actions to demonstrate effective forest restoration, which has the potential for wider replication at national level. Key stakeholder groups (i.e. associations of non-state forest owners) will be engaged through targeted activities; Established baseline for further replication of project results; andInternational conference on forest habitat restoration will ensure the exchange of information, ideas and contacts for further replication, transfer and networking at EU level.
