Thursday, October 9, 2025
In early 2024, Stora Enso, in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Newcastle University, embarked on a groundbreaking initiative aimed at improving forest biodiversity. The partnership’s primary goal was to create a framework that allows the forestry sector to achieve a net positive biodiversity impact through active forest management practices. This effort focused on reducing species threats while also conserving and restoring ecosystems. Now, the collaboration has concluded with remarkable progress.
The project set out to demonstrate how sustainable forestry practices could promote biodiversity while maintaining economic viability. This approach challenges the traditional view that forestry and biodiversity conservation are incompatible. Stora Enso, a global leader in sustainable forestry, sees this partnership as a milestone in proving that responsible forest management can support both ecological health and economic interests.
Toby Croucher, Chief Sustainability Officer at Stora Enso, shared his excitement over the results of the project. “The forest sector now has a practical tool to become a positive contributor to biodiversity,” he stated. “This marks the start of a broader journey to embed long-term positive biodiversity outcomes into core business processes. By doing this, Stora Enso wants to show how forestry can be both economically viable and ecologically credible.”
One of the most notable achievements of the partnership is the development of a proof of concept integrating the Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) biodiversity metric with the Heureka forest planning system. The Heureka system, created by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, is already in use by Stora Enso to guide its forestry decisions. By combining STAR with Heureka, the project created a tool that prioritizes biodiversity actions across forest landscapes. This integration allows for the identification of the most critical threats to biodiversity and enables forestry managers to take targeted actions. Not only does this system ensure effective biodiversity management, but it also allows for sustainable wood production, creating a balanced approach that benefits both ecology and economy.
Dr. Thomas Brooks, Chief Scientist at IUCN, praised the significance of the partnership’s results. “Incorporating the calculation of the opportunity for species extinction risk reduction into forestry management models is ground-breaking. It enables the development of scenarios for biodiversity to predict the current and future state of species in space and time, a breakthrough both from a scientific perspective and in its practical implications.”
The STAR metric is essential in assessing how different forestry management practices affect species extinction risks and biodiversity over time. This innovation allows for more accurate predictions and scenario modeling, making it possible to visualise how forests can evolve under different management strategies. It provides valuable insights into the potential long-term benefits of biodiversity-friendly practices.
The successful development of the framework was a result of teamwork between Stora Enso’s forest planning experts and researchers from Newcastle University. This collaboration linked actionable biodiversity management strategies with measurable outcomes. The outcome is a dynamic tool that allows forest planners to balance economic objectives with biodiversity preservation.
Stora Enso’s forest planners typically explore various management scenarios to optimise long-term financial returns. However, the new biodiversity framework extends this analysis by integrating the Red List of threatened species into the decision-making process. This approach enables planners to align forestry management with global biodiversity conservation goals.
Dr. Philip McGowan, Professor of Conservation Science and Policy at Newcastle University, emphasised the broader implications of the project. “If applied at scales, this model using the STAR metric provides the mechanism through which forestry companies could finally deliver their full potential contributions to global goals for nature as agreed in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals. This could be a real game changer, not only for the sector but to accelerate progress towards a nature-positive future.”
Piloting the new framework in Sweden
Stora Enso has already piloted the new framework in its Swedish forest holdings. The pilot tested various scenarios for forest management that would provide a verifiable net positive impact on biodiversity. This approach compared the current state of the forest with management strategies designed to enhance biodiversity outcomes. The results were promising, showing that forestry operations could significantly contribute to species conservation while maintaining economic returns. The reference for a “net positive impact” on biodiversity was either the current state of the forest or a no-management scenario. This comparison serves as a baseline for measuring the success of the management strategies in terms of biodiversity conservation.
The results of this collaboration, along with the technical details of the new modeling framework, will soon be published in a scientific journal. Additionally, the findings will be presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi in October 2025. This presentation is expected to showcase the transformative potential of integrating biodiversity into forest management on a global scale.
The work done by Stora Enso, IUCN, and Newcastle University has the potential to revolutionise how the forestry industry addresses biodiversity loss. By integrating the STAR metric into forest planning, companies can ensure that their operations contribute positively to biodiversity conservation while maintaining economic sustainability.
This partnership project represents a significant step forward in the global effort to reconcile forestry practices with biodiversity conservation. With the successful integration of the STAR metric and the Heureka forest planning system, the forestry industry now has a powerful tool to help balance ecological and economic goals. The collaboration between Stora Enso, IUCN, and Newcastle University demonstrates that sustainable forestry is not only possible but can be a driving force for positive environmental change. As the forestry sector continues to evolve, this model could serve as a blueprint for future biodiversity-friendly forest management practices.
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Tags: biodiversity, forest planning, forestry management, species conservation, species threat abatement, sustainable forestry
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