About the project

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The overall scientific goal of FunDivEUROPE is to quantify the effects of forest biodiversity on ecosystem functions and services in major European forest types. A major aim is to understand and quantify how tree species diversity can be used to foster the provision of ecosystem services such as timber production, carbon sequestration and freshwater provisioning. Additionally, the implications of tree species diversity for the vulnerability of ecosystem services under climate change will be assessed by integrating field and modelling data on the performance of pure versus mixed species stands under different climates. The policy relevant objective is to strengthen the scienceā€policy interface by delivering timely, relevant and understandable information to policymakers and stakeholders about the relationship of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services within the framework of multifunctional forestry. This will help forest owners and forestry organizations to adapt management strategies to better utilize benefits of mixed species forests and ecosystem services. FunDivEUROPE combines the strengths of experimental, observational and modelling approaches, implementing three Research Platforms:

Experimental Platform:
The European sites of the world largest infrastructure of functional biodiversity research, the global network of tree diversity experiments (TreeDiv_Net), where new forest stands differing in tree species diversity were established since 1999.

Exploratory Platform:
A specifically designed network of approx. 300 plots in natural mature forests in 6 different focal regions in Europe, replicated across wide gradients of tree diversity, enabling a strong statistical evaluation of potential biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning.

Inventory Platform:
Datasets from national forest inventories and existing monitoring networks that are analysed for potential diversity signals, extending the scope to larger spatial and temporal scales.

In addition, FunDivEUROPE operates this Knowledge Transfer Platform to foster synthesis of project findings and communication with stakeholders, policy makers and the wider public both during project life and after completion.

To learn more about the FunDiVEUROPE project, please visit the FunDivEurope project website.

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