Researchers at the European Forest Institute have been investigating the Kottenforst in Bonn, an urban forest, for some time. This allowed them to compare how visitor numbers have changed in the Corona lockdown compared to before. Result: There are definitely more people on the road. Why is that? And what does this mean for the forest? For instance, EFI’s Jakob Derks and colleagues as well as the local forest district service Wald und Hold NRW found out that more people use the forest for recreational purposes – which can lead to conflict of interests with other forest functions. Jakob and his study were recently featured in the German television ARD. You can watch the story here.
Study on forest use in Bonn – featured by German television
