Integrate+

The Integrate+ team received the group in their demonstration site ‘Rosskopf’ near Freiburg. They introduced to the ongoing debate on how much forest area should be strictly protected to ensure biodiversity conservation and to what extent managed forests can contribute. The team introduced the concept behind integrative forest management which targets combining various elements at landscape level including, e.g. stepping stone habitats, linear elements and habitat trees besides protected areas.

Integrate+ demonstration sites allow implementing tree selection exercises which can be displayed on site using a novel tablet software (‘I+’). ‘I+’ allows immediate feedback on economic and ecological implications of a virtual selection. It thus can serve as a tool for silvicultural training or support the implementation of new forest management strategies.

Examples of previous tree selection exercises at ‘Rosskopf’ were presented conducted by different groups including students, state foresters and silvicultural trainers.

The delegation was then encouraged to implement a virtual tree selection exercise. Participation was enthusiastic and the immediate feedback on the consequences of their decision making was intensively debated. In particular the approach to assign ecological values to each tree in addition to its economic value was lively discussed. Participants expressed the tool being very useful as training tool but also as a vehicle for communication between research, policy and practice.

Among participants were the Deputy Minister of Environment and Natural Resources (Mr. Besarion Abashidze), the Head of Forest Policy Service (Mr. Carl Amirgulashvili) and the Head of National Forestry Agency (Mr Tornike Gvazava). Mr. Lipp, coordinator of GIZ-projects in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, was present accompanied by further GIZ representatives.

Integrate+ demonstration sites are currently being established with local partners in numerous European countries.

Photos: Andreas Schuck