At the Botanical Gardens of Rome, the team took part in the COST-funded Bottoms-Up conference.
Bottoms-Up
compiled years of research and information on forest multi-taxon biodiversity,
to inform sustainable forest management, at its final conference on 19-21
March.
Since the project
began, collaborations between over 100 research groups from 30 different
countries, collected data locally, to help the project gather the most
comprehensive knowledge of multi-taxonomic forest biodiversity in Europe, to
influence forest managers, decision makers, Natura 2000 site managers and
non-governmental organisations to make decisions that support biodiversity.
For hundreds of years, timber production has changed European and UK woodlands, contributing to their habitat’s sometimes unfavourable conservation status, and with woodland sustainability indicators mostly based on properties not always related to forest diversity, land managers can struggle to encourage it. However, the shared research and monitoring tools developed through Bottoms-Up, aims to support them through the process.
Besides presentations from several working groups, including guest speakers from LIFE Goodwater IP and Go Pro For Med (both EU LIFE funded projects), we talked about the future of woodland management and shared our best practices and experiences for making our woodlands more resilient and diverse.
After a couple of days of insightful discussions, a site visit to a ravine woodland (Tilio-Acerion) in the mountains of the Province of Rome, wrapped up the conference nicely. The visit provided a unique opportunity to see the diversity of vegetation and wildlife, with some similarities and some differences to our own Peak District Dales ravine woodlands.
Overall, the conference was a valuable and instructive experience that highlighted the importance of collaboration in achieving sustainable forest management. As we progress with restoration activities, we’ll take on board some of the innovative approaches discussed to help us improve our monitoring work.
To learn more about Bottoms Up, visit Bottoms-Up-Home Page