Cultural values and sustainable forest management: the case of Europe

European forests, shaped by centuries of human activity, hold significant cultural heritage value yet are often managed using ecological conservation tools that overlook their biocultural significance. Research reveals a critical gap: while Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in Europe prioritizes ecological and economic values, sociocultural values remain underrepresented, threatening the preservation of forests' historical identity. The study highlights how an emphasis on 'naturalness' risks erasing cultural landscapes, promoting abandonment rather than sustainable stewardship. It advocates for integrating tools like the MCPFE Guidelines and the UNESCO-sCBD Florence Declaration to reconcile cultural heritage with SFM practices, ensuring forests are managed holistically as biocultural assets.

Agnoletti, M., & Santoro, A. (2015). Cultural values and sustainable forest management: the case of Europe. Journal of Forest Research, 20(5), 438–444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-015-0500-7