The project resulted in a report Framework and review of biodiversity indicators for forest management in LCA context.
The report organises biodiversity indicators within a shared cause-and-effect framework: driving forces, pressures, state, midpoint impacts, endpoint impacts and responses (DPSMER). This structure distinguishes changes along an impact pathway, such as habitat fragmentation, from changes in biodiversity itself, such as shifts in species numbers or distribution. Comparing indicators at the same level also helps reveal where indicator coverage is missing.
The review considers proposals from international and regional forest processes, research and certification approaches. Because these initiatives differ in scope and in the aspects of biodiversity they address, the framework provides a consistent way to place their indicators side by side. The report is a review and comparison framework; it does not establish one final indicator set for every forest or management decision.
Examples include annual harvest yield per forest area and the spatial or age distribution of harvested trees. The report also discusses pressures from physical changes such as roads, drainage, soil compaction and planting. These measures need context: indicators should account for the type and sensitivity of the affected ecosystem and relate pressure to area and time. This helps connect forest-management activity with potential changes in biodiversity.
