Strict forest reserves in Europe

This dataset includes the sizes of strict forest reserves across 26 European countries. Data were compiled from the most recent information available in each country. Strict forest reserves were defined as areas where wood extraction is prohibited, such that forests develop under natural processes. Criteria for inclusion in the dataset were 1) a minumum size of 5 ha, 2) forest cover (i.e. in cases where a large protected area included other non-forest ecosystem types, only the share of forest area was included), and 3) formal protection under a legal framework. The database includes two columns (country and reserve size (ha)). Each row is a strictly protected forest area. Names of individual reserves are not included. 

This database is accompanied by a publication that includes detailed information on how the data were compiled for each country. Note that data on strict reserves in Germany were used in the publication, but are not included in this database due to privacy considerations.