Climate change impacts on the forest ecosystems in Serbia | Uticaj klimatskih promena na šumske ekosisteme u Srbiji

Forest ecosystems are the planet's largest and most important terrestrial ecosystem. They have the ability to sequester carbon dioxide, and a large influence on the structure and function of the human habitat, both locally and globally. In this paper will be analyze a significance of forest ecosystems in Serbia, problems and challenges in forestry caused by climate changes, consequences of climate changing impacts on the forests and forest management, and sustainability of forest ecosystems in Serbia. For forestry and other natural resources management, the major challenge is development of adaptive measures in forest management, and reducing vulnerability under various climate change scenarios. Analysis of air temperature trend in Serbia in the period 1950-2008, shows that on the greater part of territory is recorded the growing trend of mean air temperature (about 1,2 deg C in the twentieth century), except in the southeastern part of Serbia, where is registered a negative trend of air temperatures. On the territory of Serbia, in the period 1950-2004, the largest reduction of annual rainfall (120 mm) was recorded in Negotinska Krajina, while in Vojvodina during the past decade, reducing the rainfall was considerably less. Weaker growth of annual rainfall was recorded mainly in the mountain area of southern Serbia and western parts of Kosovo and Metohija. The greatest economic damages in Serbia are caused by droughts, floods, storms disasters, landslides, water erosion, and in recent years the frequency of occurrence of the heat waves and forest fires is significantly increased. It is expected that these trends of climate change in Serbia will continue in the future, which will significantly change the structure and function of forest ecosystems and on that way will influence to the need of change the previous way of forest management. In order to predict newly changes and adaptability of forest ecosystems it is necessary to start new scientific researches, innovate policies of forestry and apply more adaptive practices of forest management in Serbia.