According to a report by WWF, the global conservation organization, lack of veteran trees and deadwood in forests is a major cause of biodiversity loss. The report, Deadwood ? Living Forests, reveals that a third of forest-dwelling species rely on dead or dying trees, logs, and branches for their survival. The removal of decaying timber and old trees from forests lead to a decline in species such as insects, beetles, fungi, and lichens. Woodpeckers, bats, and squirrels which nest in hollow trees also loose their natural habitats.
The amount of deadwood is at a critically low level in most of the forests today, mainly due to the lack of recognition of its importance, inappropriate management practices in commercial forests and even protected areas.
Whereas forests with dead and veteran trees are often much healthier and resistant to disease, pests, and climate change than young tidy forests. Deadwood keeps forests productive by providing organic matter and nutrients for trees, preventing soil erosion, and providing long-term storage for carbon, which mitigates some of the impacts of climate change.
Cleaning off the forest from decaying and dead trees has been a traditional practice in Turkey too. Conservation of biodiversity should be considered not only in protected areas, but also in managed forests as well. Therefore, in parallel with the growing trend in the world, intervention on forest ecosystem should be kept at minimum level and old trees should be allowed to die and decay in the forest, which would be the most environmentally appropriate approach.
However, implementing it on the ground depends on changing the traditional mentality/behavior and internalizing the environmentally-friendly approaches among those who have impact on forests by planning, managing and/or using them.
The proposed project aims to contribute to the conservation of Turkey?s forest biodiversity by increasing the awareness among forest planners/managers; young forestry students and schoolchildren on the role and importance of veteran and dead trees in forest ecosystems.
A set of publications (including a 16-page-booklet, a poster and a postcard) will be published and distributed among the target groups, which will be complemented by a series of seminars and communications activities.
The project proposer, WWF-Turkey will cooperate with relevant governmental organizations (e.g. General Directorate of Forestry, General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, etc), environmental NGOs, scientists, selected forestry faculties and schools towards achieving the project goal.