Protected Forest Areas have featured in most inter-governmental forestry processes since 1992. Attention has also been focused by the target set by WWF and IUCN in 1996 for 10 per cent of the world’s forests to be within protected areas by 2000. The IUCN defined six categories of protected area, ranging from “strict reserves” to “managed resource” in order to provide internationally consistent terminology. The aims of this study were to collate data on the extent of the various types of protected forest areas in the UK; to evaluate how representative and effective they are; and to appraise how the network of protected forest areas in the UK fits within the IUCN categories. A broad interpretation of “protected area” is used to ensure that the study covers all types of protective measure and mechanism rather than just classic “nature reserves”.

Type of Case
Printed publication (book, sourcebook, journal article…)

Publisher
WWF & the Forestry Commission UK

Region
Europe

Biome
Temperate

Forest Type
All forest types (natural and planted)

Primary Designated Function
Conservation of biodiversity, Protection of soil and water