Systemic forest management in the Mediterranean region

Abstract

Forest management has traditionally considered technocratic and productivist model as the most appropriate for preserving or restoring forest efficiency. In recent years, advances in scientific knowledge and awareness of the limits to growth have triggered a profound change in the attitude towards the forest, together with the development of a new conceptual approach towards forest management and the identification of alternative solutions. The culture of complexity is changing the concept of management from “forest management” to “ecosystem management”. Today forest management does not aim at favoring one or more functions of the forest, it aims to the sustain resilience of the forest, a complex biological system. Systemic forest management, based on the application of systemic silviculture, determines high ecological stability and biodiversity conservation and is the most appropriate for the complex conditions of the Mediterranean region.