PEFC Spain has launched an interactive digital platform that visualises ecosystem services in Catalonia’s PEFC-certified forests, supporting sustainable forest management through accessible, science-based insights. Developed under the DigiMedFor project in collaboration with CREAF, the open-access tool enables users to explore how PEFC-certified forests contribute to key ecosystem services. These include carbon sequestration, soil organic carbon, mushroom production, biodiversity indicators based on bird observations, and water runoff.
The platform translates complex scientific data into clear, interactive dashboards, making it easier for forest managers, policymakers, researchers, and the public to understand the environmental value of sustainable forest management. It integrates cartographic data, certification information and scientific models from organisations including the Catalan Forestry Laboratory, CREAF, PEFC Spain and ENSCAT.
Information is presented through thematic dashboards, allowing users to filter and compare results by municipality and province. The analysis estimates that PEFC-certified forests in Catalonia contribute approximately 262,537 tonnes of carbon sequestration annually, averaging 0.98 tonnes per hectare per year — around 6.5 times more than non-certified areas.
Certified forests also show significantly higher ecosystem service outcomes: soil organic carbon is around three times higher, mushroom production more than 40 times greater, and bird populations eight times higher. In terms of water regulation, green water availability can be up to 12 times greater than in non-certified forests.
The potential of PEFC forest certification
Mediterranean forests provide numerous benefits that have historically been difficult to quantify and communicate. This tool addresses that need and demonstrates the potential of sustainable forest management and PEFC certification to contribute to the improvement of ecosystem services in the Mediterranean region.
