Title: Creating a spatial knowledge database for protective functions in sustainable forest management: the case of Greece

Authors: Dimitrios Raptis; Vassiliki Kazana; Christos Stamatiou; Angelos Kazaklis; Stefanos Tsiaras

Addresses: Department of Forestry and Natural Environment, International Hellenic University, 66100 Drama, Greece ' Department of Forestry and Natural Environment, International Hellenic University, 66100 Drama, Greece ' Department of Forestry and Natural Environment, International Hellenic University, 66100 Drama, Greece ' OLYMPOS-Centre for Integrated Environmental Management, 55132 Kalamaria-Thessaloniki, Greece ' Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Abstract: One of the basic indicators required to assess and monitor sustainable forest management at the national level within the mandatory for the EU countries FOREST EUROPE policy initiative concerns the area occupied by the protective forests. However, within this policy, no operational harmonised definition of the 'protective forest' term has been adopted to date, thus making it difficult to identify and map accurately the forest land area with protective functions. This paper presents a methodological approach for creating a spatial knowledge database for the protective functions related to soil, water, and infrastructure compatible with the FOREST EUROPE policy frame. The approach was implemented in Greece and it was found that about 40% of the country's productive forest land has an increased protection effect on soil and water, and about 15% of it on infrastructure.

Keywords: protective forests; sustainable forest management indicators; spatial analysis; FOREST EUROPE; Greece.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSAMI.2021.116068

International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics, 2021 Vol.7 No.2, pp.111 - 128

Received: 28 Dec 2020
Accepted: 14 Feb 2021

Published online: 07 Jul 2021 *

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