The use of Geographic Information Systems as innovative tools for sustainable development strategies and enhancing the efficiency of forest sector entities

Abstract

The article examines the ways of using the potential of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for integrating ecological and economic parameters of forest use into forest management processes. The research methodology was based on the analysis of scientific publications on the application of GIS in forest management and comparison of various forest management practices. The obtained results showed that GIS provides high accuracy in forest condition monitoring, automation of forest resource inventory processes, assessment and analysis of biodiversity and the cost of ecosystem services. It was found that the use of Sentinel-2 and Landsat satellite data combined with NDVI and EVI indices in GIS systems allows for identifving critical biodiversity zones and making timely management decisions regarding the conservation and restoration of natural resources in these areas. The study characterized the results of modeling various forest management scenarios. The models utilized satellite sensing data and GIS spatial models that took into account the level of biodiversity conservation, carbon accumulation, and economic benefits. The findings of ecological-and-economic modeling of three management scenarios (intensive logging, sustainable development, and conservation) demonstrated that the sustainable development strategy provides an optimal balance between economic and ecological efficiency in forestry while preserving up to 80% of biodiversity and increasing carbon accumulation by 10%. The intensive logging scenario showed the potential for rapidly achieving high profitability, but it showed a 35% reduction in carbon accumulation and a 50% decrease in forest biodiversity. The conservation scenario showed the best environmental results (up to 90% of forest biodiversity is preserved, and the level of carbon accumulation increases by 35%). However, the economic efficiency of conservation practices is low due to limited forest exploitation. The economic efficiency of GIS for forestry entities is manifested through the positive effects of integrating spatial data into automated processes for data collection, accounting, economic analysis of forest resources, forecasting changes, and management support. It was found that GIS makes it possible to identify economically advantageous timber harvesting areas, reduce the costs of forest monitoring and inventory, assess the profitability of individual ecosystem service components, calculate the optimal amount of energy production, and minimize the loss of forest resources. The study confirms that the use of GIS and mathematical modeling methods allows for achieving maximum economic benefits and developing measures to reduce the environmental damage from forest exploitation. The conclusions emphasize the importance of using GIS to integrate ecological and economic parameters into forestry strategies in order to enhance their efficiency, as well as for participation in international programs supporting sustainable forest management practices, such as REDD+.

Keywords

• digital technologies
• managerial decisions
• ecological parameters
• economic effect
• costs
• revenues
• forest resources