Jens-Christian Svenning

Stories

Europe's ancient vegetation was a woodland-grassland mosaic, study finds

Senior author of the 2026 review

European countries pay landowners to plant dense forests for carbon storage and biodiversity. A review of 23 million years of fossil pollen, charcoal, teeth and ancient DNA says that baseline is wrong. Before large herbivores declined, much of Europe was a mix of open woodland, meadow and grass.

Updated 2 hours ago

Notable Quotes

The study shows that current reforestation practices are on the wrong track - both here in Denmark, where subsidies are only granted for planting dense forests, and elsewhere in Europe.

from Europe's ancient vegetation was a woodland-grassland mosaic, study finds · Updated 2 hours ago

Restoration efforts should place greater emphasis on creating and maintaining mosaics of woodland and open habitats, not least through the restoration of natural-living large herbivores.

from Europe's ancient vegetation was a woodland-grassland mosaic, study finds · Updated 2 hours ago