Biodiversity-oriented forest management aligns with societal preferences across Europe

Marek Giergiczny (), Jette Bredahl Jacobsen, Klaus Glenk, Jürgen Meyerhoff, Jens Abildtrup, Fitalew Agimass Taye, Wiktor Budziński, Mikołaj Czajkowski, Borys Draus, Michela Faccioli, Tomasz Gajderowicz, Michael Getzner, Tom X. Hackbarth, Piotr Janiec, Thomas Lundhede, Marius Mayer, Alistair McVittie, Rachel Oh, Roland Olschewski, Henrique M. Pereira, Martin Quaas, Jarosław Socha, Niels Strange, Milan Ščasný, Sviataslau Valasiuk, Adam Wasiak and Néstor Fernández
Additional contact information
Marek Giergiczny: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Jette Bredahl Jacobsen: University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics
Klaus Glenk: SRUC, Department of Rural Economy, Environment and Society
Jürgen Meyerhoff: Technische Universität Berlin, Institute for Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
Jens Abildtrup: Université de Lorraine, Université de Strasbourg, AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRAE, BETA
Fitalew Agimass Taye: Griffith University, Griffith Business School
Wiktor Budziński: University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences
Mikołaj Czajkowski: University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences
Borys Draus: Bureau for Forest Management and Geodesy
Michela Faccioli: University of Trento, School of International Studies and Department of Economics and Management
Tomasz Gajderowicz: University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences
Michael Getzner: TU Wien, Institute of Spatial Planning
Tom X. Hackbarth: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Piotr Janiec: University of Agriculture in Krakow
Thomas Lundhede: University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics
Marius Mayer: Munich University of Applied Sciences, Department of Tourism
Alistair McVittie: SRUC, Department of Rural Economy, Environment and Society
Rachel Oh: National University of Singapore, Department of Geography
Roland Olschewski: WSL Swiss Federal Research Institute, Economics and Social Sciences
Henrique M. Pereira: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Martin Quaas: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Jarosław Socha: University of Agriculture in Krakow
Niels Strange: University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics
Milan Ščasný: Charles University, Environment Centre
Adam Wasiak: Regional Directorate of State Forests in Radom
Néstor Fernández: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

No 2026-25, Working Papers from Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw

Abstract: Forests across Europe are undergoing rapid transformation as biodiversity loss and climate change reshape priorities for forest management. Strategies that promote biodiverse and structurally complex forests are increasingly advocated to enhance ecological resilience, yet they are often assumed to conflict with societal preferences, potentially limiting public support for conservation and restoration. We examined whether forest characteristics associated with biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation are consistently valued by society across Europe. We combined a visual discrete choice experiment involving 11,622 respondents from twelve European countries with a travel cost model to evaluate whether stated societal preferences were reflected in observed recreational behaviour. We then integrated harmonized preference estimates with continental forest inventory and remote-sensing data to map the spatial distribution of societal values associated with forest ecosystem condition. Across all countries, respondents consistently preferred forests characterized by taller canopies, greater tree-species richness, heterogeneous age structures, and more deadwood. These preferences closely aligned with observed visitation behaviour despite substantial differences in geography, accessibility, and recreational traditions. Spatial analyses further showed that forests with greater structural complexity consistently exhibited higher societal value. Our findings demonstrate that biodiversity-oriented forest management and societal values largely converge across Europe, suggesting that many interventions promoting ecological resilience can simultaneously strengthen public support for forest conservation and restoration, providing a stronger foundation for adaptive, multifunctional forest governance under global environmental change.

Keywords: biodiversity conservation; forest management; structural complexity; forest recreation; ecosystem services; discrete choice experiment; travel cost method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q23 Q26 Q51 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 36 pages
Date: 2026
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