Prof. Per Angelstam on the need for forest reserves to protect biodiversity in Sweden. | Video

'How many of Sweden's forests needs to be protected to prevent biodiversity loss?' asked the Swedish government to Prof. Per Angelstam in the 1990s. To answer that question, Angelstam wrote the article 'Estimates of the Needs for Forest Reserves in Sweden.' It had a tremendous impact.

The article led to the protection of 700,000 hectares of forest in Sweden. To grasp the magnitude of that, imagine an area equivalent to one-sixth of the Netherlands: 'You must realize that it demanded a lot from politicians. It requires not only awareness but also a lot of money,' Angelstam explains.

We have invited Professor Per Angelstam, a specialist in Sustainable Forest Management at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, to tell us more on this paper. The paper we are focusing on discusses the estimation of forest reserves in Sweden and has contributed to the protection of 700,000 hectares of nature reserves.

Professor Per Angelstam is an international fellow of the Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development