Bayreuth (dpa / lby) - The area of particularly species-rich pine forests in Franconian Switzerland has shrunk dramatically in recent decades, despite the designation as a Natura 2000 protection area. The area covered with dolomite pine forests in the northern Franconian Jura has declined by more than three quarters since 1990 and by around 99 percent since the middle of the 20th century, the University of Bayreuth announced on Thursday. For the long-term study published in the journal "Biodiversity and Conservation", researchers at the university compared forest inventories with reconstructed forest stands in 1950.
"The protection of the dolomite pine forests in the Franconian Jura has been neglected for decades," said the first author of the study, Andreas Hemp. One reason for the decline is the end of traditional livestock farming in the forests, which resulted in more spruce and beech trees growing on the land. On the other hand, forest authorities have converted pure pine and spruce forests into mixed forests, which are more productive in terms of forestry and more stable ecologically. However, these would impair the living conditions of light-demanding, low-growing plants such as orchids.
A new project in the district of Nürnberger Land is now intended to help protect the remaining forests. The Bavarian Nature Conservation Fund is funding the project with around 460,000 euros.
