MANUALS

The aim is to produce technical and practical documents that will enable proprietors and experts to obtain an overall picture of each habitat and help them to define the most appropriate management practices. Therefore, the manuals must serve to: (1) evaluate the current state of the habitat, (2) decide what end objectives are sought for each area, and (3) recommend what steps need to be taken to achieve those objectives, bearing in mind the starting point and the implicacations of each step. Each manual consists of four parts:

1. Description. Description of the characteristics of the principal species in the habitat, their area of distribution in Catalonia and the flora and fauna which may be aassociated with them.
2. Function. Description of the principal characteristics of forest regeneration, dynamics and structure, trophic relations and response to disturbances of each habitat.
3. Indicators. Analysis and discussion of a series of indicators on species, protected habitats and different types of possible uses of the habitat.
4. Good practice index cards. For each habitat the principal relevant management topics (forestry products, hunting, pests and diseases, biodiversity management) are indexed, together with a guide to their proper application.