In 2016 the Danish government decided to expand the area of forest protected for biodiversity from 11,700 to 28,300 hectares (from 1.9 to 4.5% of Danish forest area) and to base the designations on scientific recommendations involving systematic conservation planning. The decision was part of a "Nature Package" to help stop the decline in biodiversity and thus better reach national, European Union (EU) and United Nations biodiversity targets for 2020. The main part of new protected areas shall be placed in State owned forests with 10,000 hectares of new minimum-intervention reserves and 3,300 hectares of other protection types.
One of the scientific analyses used for selection of sites was done as part of an Industrial-PhD-project carried out 2015-2018. It investigated and analyzed, where and how a more specific and effective effort can be done to achieve the political 2020-targets about halting the decline in biodiversity – especially on the c. 5% of Denmark managed by the Nature Agency.
This thesis is the culmination of the Industrial PhD project conducted 2015-2018 in cooperation between the Danish Nature Agency (Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark) and the Centre for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (CMEC, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen).
After the scientific analyses 45 sites totalling 13,800 ha have in 2018 been selected for protection. Detailed management plans are now in 2019 being drafted and implemented.
See maps and more information (in Danish)