Potential conflicts between recreation and natural values in Torup : a noble broadleaved forest in Southern Sweden

Abstract: The estate Torup in southern Scania, Sweden, was established in medieval times, and the broadleaved forest has a continuity of at least 400 years. Today, the area has the second most red-listed saproxylic insects in Scania, and the vegetation type (beech forest with abundant herb layer) is threatened. At the same time it is a frequently used, and a very appreciated recreational forest, mainly used by the citizens of Malmö. The forest lies app. 1.5 km from Malmö city centre, is owned and managed by Malmö municipality, and has recently been proposed as a nature reserve. The main potential conflict is the one concerning the presence of dead wood, which is crucial as habitat for the concerned species, while percieved as un-tidy by some visitors. In the present study, most visitors were neutral or positive to dead wood, and very few other conflicts were found.