The Project

In the context of the Alpine Space Program, the MANFRED Project (Management strategies to adapt Alpine Space forests to climate change risks projects) is aimed at facing and managing the consequences of climate change on the multiple functions (ecology, economics, recreation, conservation) of Alpine forests. Fulfillment of these goals will come from the activity of the MANFRED Project’s different Working Packages (WP).

Climate change can have many negative effects on Alpine forests.

In fact, it can affect growth and health of forest's ecosystem, can alter future tree species distribution and development in the Alpine space, can threaten the economic value of forests, can harm scenic beauty and landscape and have negative effects on tourism and local and regional economy.

Alpine forests prevent climate change from causing avalanches, ground slides, floods or droughts, thus protecting Alpine settlements, local and regional economics, tourist resorts, water production, traffic and tourism.

There is lack of certainty about how the multiple functions of forests can be affected by climate change impact, thus the MANFRED project should define how to cope with increased hazards and risks caused by climate change and how to deal with extreme events due to climate alteration. This project has to provide counteractive measures for mitigating the consequences of climate change or adapting Alpine space to them, taking into consideration the needs of local population and of local or regional practitioners and stakeholders.

Objectives

Protection and preservation of forest ecosystems, on the one hand, and risk prevention and effective management of forests, on the other hand, are MANFRED project’s main objectives. These goals should be addressed in three steps consisting in:

collection of knowledge on climate change effects on forests' ecosystems,
identification of action requirements at a regional or local level and,
development, in cooperation with regional political decision makers, of the necessary adaptive strategies.

Application of these strategies will allow MANFRED project to contribute to the goal of obtaining a sustainable development of environment and use of land, in the full respect of the needs of present and future generations. All this will be done taking into strong consideration the EU Gothenburg priorities (2001) of protection and preservation of forest ecosystems as well as of risk prevention and effective management of forest ecosystems.

Clime change affects forests and mountain populations on a cross-boundary dimension. Thus, MANFRED project will be carried out by involving, when necessary, experts, students, practitioners and decision-makers from different countries of the Alpine space.

Expected results and their use

MANFRED project's activity is expected to produce numerous results which will have important practical effects.
First of all, a "Forest Tree Species Atlas" will be produced, that is a map describing original distribution and growth of main Alpine tree species and their modifications due to climate change. The atlas will be supplemented by a map of trans-alpine seed zones for tree species and a Handbook of "Alternative, Adapted Seed Sources".

Creation of a monitoring network for pests and pests complexes and a guide ("Pest Management") for forest owners and decision makers, as well as extreme events and hazard scenarios (storm, fire, drought) maps are further expected results.

Other important expected results are the creation of a complete database of extreme forest damage events due to climate change oclimate changeurred in the Alpine Space and the creation of a compendium of alpine-wide standardized protection indicators and guidelines for protective effect of forests in natural hazards assessment.

All these expected results should provide help in managing forest ecosystems through direct involvement of their target groups, that is to say, local authorities, public administrations, forest administrations, forest owners and practitioners, landscape managers, political decision makers.

Work Plan of Manfred Project's working packages

MANFRED project’s activity is the compendium of the activities of its Work Packages.