Improvement of the forest ecological knowledge base for sustainable forestry and forest conservation in Montenegro

Currently important basic information about the forests of Montenegro is missing for the implementation of sustainable and nature conservation sensitive forestry measures. This project aims to provide this important knowledge by combining existing information (files, maps) and developing innovative assessment methods and IT solutions. To achieve the objectives and principles underlying a multifunctional, sustainable and close to nature forest program, the forestry department in Montenegro lacks important ecological information about forest ecosystems. For management purposes there is a deficiency of data concerning forest sites (nutrient, water and temperature balance), the potential natural forest communities as well as current knowledge about rare and endangered species, biotopes and habitats. Currently the following issues need to be addressed in Montenegro:

There is no forest site classification map. Although a large scale soil map (1:100.000) is available it is not precise enough for forestry purposes on a stand level. Additionally, the climatic factors that influence forest sites are not integrated in this map.

• There is no forest site classification map. Although a large scale soil map (1:100.000) is available it is not precise enough for forestry purposes on a stand level. Additionally, the climatic factors that influence forest sites are not integrated in this map.
• There is only an outdated vegetation map on national level (1:1 Mill.) available as well as a very large scale “Map of the Natural Vegetation of Europe”(LIT).
• The „Emerald Network“ maintains an inventory of rare and endangered species, biotopes and habitats, but a systematic mapping system is missing. A list of biotopes/habitats, which have to be protected, is being prepared. A lot of data about the occurrence of faunistic and floristic elements is spread out over different institutions, NGO´s or in the case of wildlife,data, only in the hunting department. The information is not provided or available in a way that could be useful for sustainable and nature conservation sensitive forestry.

The main goal of this project is to improve the knowledge base on sustainable forestry and forest conservation and to show how it could be applied. More detailed objectives and tasks are to:

• improve the knowledge base for forest site conditions;
• improve the information about „potential natural forest communities“;
• compile forest conservation information and to integrate ecological information into a publically accessible „forest ecological
  geo database“;
• provide example applications for the new ecological knowledge base within „Sustainable Forest Management Plans“ including
  definitions and forest development types (FDT) for site and vegetation types;
• integrate all existing data bases into the new „Forest Information System“(FIS);
• to improve knowledge transfer by qualifying Montenegrin forestry staff;
• to provide an example of a forest management plan incorporating the new ecological information base, for a forestry district.