Évaluation de l’état de conservation des habitats forestiers à l’échelle d’un site Natura 2000 : du concept vers un outil pour le gestionnaire

The conservation status of a natural habitat is a complex issue which has taken on special importance with the « Habitats » directive. We propose a standardised and consistent evaluation method for all French forest habitats of Community interest at the scale of a Natura 2000 site. It is based on select criteria and indicators for the status of structure and functionality of the habitat that are reliable and simple. These are tree composition, some plant species typical of good conservation status, big living trees, dead wood and regeneration dynamic. Severe damage (invasive species, soil or hydraulic disturbance, etc.) and more diffuse damage (deer browsing, overuse by public, forest fires, etc.) are also taken into account. The analysis is done with a precise system of progressive scoring. Applying the analysis yields useful guidance for site management targeted at achieving good conservation status.