At the centre of concerns related to curbing thedecline in forest biodiversity caused by increasing anthropogenic pressure andglobal change, old-growth forests are mainly characterised by the continuity oftheir tree cover. This has been defined mainly by their appearance onhistorical maps and by ecological criteria dating back to certain temporalcut-off points (about two centuries). Inherited over hundreds, even thousands,of years of interaction between Man and Nature, these ancient forests have beenmanaged and shaped by past societies to meet their various needs, both domesticand industrial. Also, studying the historical trajectories of such forests,their responses to environmental and anthropogenic stress, and the long-termconsequences of past human activities, is essential in order to betterunderstand their current ecology and rethink their conservation. Thedevelopment of pluridisciplinary and interdisciplinary research (ecology,paleoecology, history, archaeology, geography, sociology) now makes it possiblenot only to push back the hitherto accepted thresholds of ancientness, but inparticular to understand old forests in their entirety and complexity over thelonger term.
This book, comprising both theoretical andmethodological contributions along with case studies, reflects the diversity ofcurrent approaches and thinking and promotes interdisciplinarity as the onlyroute to a comprehensive understanding of ancient forests as natural andcultural assets.