Some terms from the world of science and sustainability are not so easy to understand. But don’t worry – in our new series “Simply explained”, we break down complex topics and technical terms into understandable words. This makes science accessible, entertaining and exciting for you!
What is a primeval forest?
A primeval forest is a natural, original forest that has been influenced very little or not at all by humans. If a primeval forest has been cleared or used in the past, it can only be called a primeval forest again when sufficient time has passed since it was used. Primeval forests, also known as primary forests, are stable and complex ecosystems that are better able to overcome disturbances than species-poor and uniform commercial forests.
Huge trees, dense and old stands of trees, large amounts of dead wood, humus-rich soil and plants in various stages of development – these are all special features of a primeval forest.
Primeval forests are characterized by an enormous diversity of species. From a global perspective, they are still of great importance for species conservation. Due to their diversity of plants and animals, these forests are robust, resistant and therefore less affected by disease. Their ability to sequester large amounts of carbon also makes them important ecosystems in the fight against the climate crisis.
Do primeval forests still exist?
Larger areas of virgin forest can currently still be found in the rainforests around the equator – which we have already reported on in this article – or in the coniferous forests of Siberia. Russia, Canada, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the countries with the largest areas of virgin forest in the world. But there are also still a few primeval forests in the USA and Europe.
Europe's last primeval forests
Currently, only around 2.2% of Europe’s forests are still classified as primeval forests or natural forests, as hundreds of thousands of hectares of European primeval forest have already been lost in recent decades. It’s hard to imagine, but around 6000 years ago, 80% of Europe was covered by forest – today only 40% of Europe is forested.
The majority of Europe’s primeval forests are located in the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine, Romania and Slovakia. Romania in particular has a large area of primeval forest. Even in Austria there are still remnants of primeval forest covering a few hectares: the Rothwald forest in the Dürrenstein-Lassingtal wilderness area, for example, is the largest contiguous spruce-tree-beech primeval forest in Central Europe. There are also some small remnants of primeval forest in the Austrian Hohe Tauern and Gesäuse National Parks.
If you would like to get a more detailed overview of the last primeval forests in Europe, you can view a map on the protection of untouched forests from the Humboldt University in Berlin here. This map shows 1.4 million hectares of primeval forest in 34 different European countries.
