@techreport{JRC124671, number = {KJ-NA-30661-EN-N (online),KJ-NA-30661-EN-C (print)}, address = {Luxembourg (Luxembourg)}, issn = {1831-9424 (online),1018-5593 (print)}, year = {2021}, author = {Barredo J and Brailescu C and Teller A and Sabatini FM and Mauri A and Janouskova K}, isbn = {978-92-76-34230-4 (online),978-92-76-34229-8 (print)}, publisher = {Publications Office of the European Union}, abstract = {This report presents an assessment of the knowledge and documented spatial data on primary and old-growth forests in the EU, as well as in some neighbouring countries. The EU’s biodiversity strategy to 2030 recognises the value of primary and old-growth forests, and calls for their strict protection. This report provides a knowledge base contributing to the process of developing guidelines for the definition, mapping, monitoring and strictly protecting all the EU’s remaining primary and old-growth forests. This process is coordinated by the Working Group on Forest and Nature (sub-group of the Coordination Group on Biodiversity and Nature), which brings together representatives of the forestry and nature conservation national authorities and relevant stakeholders. The following main conclusions are drawn: - Primary and old-growth forests in the EU are rare, small and fragmented. - These forests represent below 3% of the total forest extent of the EU. - Despite the small extent, primary and old-growth forests are of paramount importance for biodiversity and provide critical ecosystem services. - The protection of these forests represents a win-win solution for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. - About 90% of the reported primary and old-growth forests in the EU is located in Sweden, Bulgaria, Finland and Romania. - The mapped area of primary and old-growth forests in the EU is ~1.35 million hectares, however there is a pronounced mapping deficit estimated at ~4.4 million hectares, which is a total area bigger than the size of the Netherlands. - About 93% of the mapped primary and old-growth forests are part of the Natura 2000 Network, and 87% are strictly protected. However, these figures should be considered with caution due to the mapping deficit calculated in this study, and to the unclear legal framework on strict protection. The analysis of the information and data gathered in this study concluded that strict protection of primary and old-growth forests is an urgent priority requiring robust and up-to-date spatially-explicit data, and an efficient monitoring system for safeguarding their integrity. This will be possible through a strong partnership with all the parties involved, including land owners, nature conservation organisations, local and regional authorities, and the local communities. }, title = {Mapping and assessment of primary and old-growth forests in Europe}, type = {Scientific analysis or review, Anticipation and foresight, Technical guidance}, url = {}, doi = {10.2760/797591 (online),10.2760/13239 (print)