Biodiversity in production forests: Both costs and benefits shape the financial picture
Forests provide timber as well as many other ecosystem services. An important question is how measures to conserve biodiversity affect the profitability of forest operations focused on wood production. Researchers from Wageningen University & Research and the University of Freiburg reviewed studies worldwide that compared forest management with biodiversity conservation measures against…
Forests provide timber and many ecosystem services, but the impact of biodiversity conservation on production forest profitability remains complex. A study published in Current Forestry Reports analyzed 53 studies comparing biodiversity measures with traditional forest management. Overall, biodiversity measures resulted in about a 5% reduction in profitability, but this varied widely depending on factors such as the specific conservation measures, forest type, and assumptions about future conditions like climate change.
When financial benefits associated with biodiversity, such as insurance against climate risks and additional income from ecosystem services, were included, profitability improved by nearly 20%. However, many studies failed to quantify these benefits, leading to a systematic negative bias. The researchers emphasize that while profitability is important, it should not be the sole factor in forest management decisions, as forests also have intrinsic value and serve numerous societal needs.
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