A study that has assessed the remaining old-growth forests of Europe has revealed that they are in a ‘perilous state’, and lacking the appropriate protections. These ancient forests are pockets of undisturbed woodland that have had a minimal human impact for millennia.

According to the Independent, scientists from 28 institutions collated data and mapping over five years to assess the conservation status of Europe’s primary forests, discovering many of them are still subject to logging.

The study has described the ancient forests as being ‘composed of native species, where signs of past human use are minimal, and ecological processes, such as natural disturbances, operate dynamically and with little impairment by anthropogenic influences’.

The forests are essential for conserving biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem services such as carbon storage and natural watercourse management.

A third of all forest globally can be considered as primary, but typically they are located in remote areas, such as the tropics, boreal zones, or mountain regions. Primary forests are scarce in sub-tropical and temperate zones.

A millennia of land use in Europe has drastically altered and impacted the continent’s forested landscapes, and very few remain untouched from human use, less than four per cent, according to the study.

The scientists have concluded that formal conservation of the remaining primary forests needs to be a top priority, and will also assist countries in meeting their climate and biodiversity goals.

Francesco Sabatini, the study’s lead author from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research and Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, said: “While many primary forests are in fact well protected, we also found many regions where they are not – particularly where primary forests are still common.

“And where they are protected, in some cases, the level of protection is inadequate to ensure these forests will be protected in the long-term.”

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