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AMBIO

, Volume 39, Issue 8, pp 555–566 | Cite as

Environmental Services Provided from Riparian Forests in the Nordic Countries

  • Per Gundersen
  • Ari Laurén
  • Leena Finér
  • Eva Ring
  • Harri Koivusalo
  • Magne Sætersdal
  • Jan-Olov Weslien
  • Bjarni D. Sigurdsson
  • Lars Högbom
  • Jukka Laine
  • Karin Hansen
Report
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Abstract

Riparian forests (RF) growing along streams, rivers and lakes comprise more than 2% of the forest area in the Nordic countries (considering a 10 m wide zone from the water body). They have special ecological functions in the landscape. They receive water and nutrients from the upslope areas, are important habitats for biodiversity, have large soil carbon stores, but may emit more greenhouse gases (GHG) than the uplands. In this article, we present a review of the environmental services related to water protection, terrestrial biodiversity, carbon storage and greenhouse gas dynamics provided by RF in the Nordic countries. We discuss the benefits and trade-offs when leaving the RF as a buffer against the impacts from upland forest management, in particular the impacts of clear cutting. Forest buffers are effective in protecting water quality and aquatic life, and have positive effects on terrestrial biodiversity, particularly when broader than 40 m, whereas the effect on the greenhouse gas exchange is unclear.

Keywords

Biodiversity Greenhouse gas exchange Riparian forest buffer Surface water quality Clear cutting 
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Notes

Acknowledgement

This article is the result of an activity in the Centre of Advanced Research on Environmental Services (CAR-ES—Project number SNS-CAR 02/2005) supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers through SamNordisk Skogforskning (SNS). The study was also in part supported by national funds: the Swedish contribution through the multi-disciplinary research programme ‘Future Forests’; the Norwegian contribution by the project ‘Biodiversity in Norwegian Forests’ financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food; and the Icelandic contribution by the ForStreams project.

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Copyright information

© Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 2010

Authors and Affiliations

  • Per Gundersen
    • 1
  • Ari Laurén
    • 2
  • Leena Finér
    • 2
  • Eva Ring
    • 3
  • Harri Koivusalo
    • 4
  • Magne Sætersdal
    • 5
  • Jan-Olov Weslien
    • 3
  • Bjarni D. Sigurdsson
    • 6
  • Lars Högbom
    • 3
  • Jukka Laine
    • 7
  • Karin Hansen
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Forest and Landscape Ecology, Forest and Landscape DenmarkUniversity of CopenhagenHørsholmDenmark
  2. 2.Joensuu Research UnitFinnish Forest Research InstituteJoensuuFinland
  3. 3.Skogforsk Uppsala Science ParkUppsalaSweden
  4. 4.AaltoFinland
  5. 5. Skog og LandskapFanaNorway
  6. 6.Agricultural University of IcelandBorgarnesIceland
  7. 7.Parkano Research UnitFinnish Forest Research InstituteParkanoFinland

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