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Species-rich production forest in Vesterskoven

Vesterskoven, Ringsted, Danmark

Copenhagen Zoo works with forest owners and nature conservation organisations to strengthen biodiversity in Danish forests. In Vesterskoven near Ringsted, we are exploring how forest management and nature conservation can go hand in hand. The aim is to create better conditions for animals, plants and fungi while allowing the forest to remain actively managed. The project is part of Copenhagen Zoo’s efforts to promote biodiversity in Denmark and develop solutions that can inspire other forest owners.

How the project started

Denmark has significant potential to strengthen biodiversity across the landscape. In 2022, Copenhagen Zoo therefore launched an initiative to enhance biodiversity in Denmark through partnerships with landowners and forest managers.

The project is based on the idea that active forest management can be combined with targeted measures that benefit nature while supporting forestry. Examples include the targeted retention of deadwood, creating a varied age structure so that trees are not all the same age, and establishing open areas that support pollination and rare pollinator species.

In 2024, the project reached an important milestone when Vesterskoven achieved ecosystem services certification through a collaboration between Vesterskoven, Copenhagen Zoo, WWF, FSC and Skovdyrkerne. The certification demonstrates that a natural area actively contributes to improving biodiversity, climate benefits and carbon sequestration, among other ecosystem services. At the same time, the experience gained through the project laid the foundation for new partnerships with other ambitious landowners.

What we are working on right now


Today, Copenhagen Zoo contributes biological expertise, advice and biodiversity monitoring to help document how nature is developing in the forests. Together with landowners and partners, we implement specific measures to improve conditions for nature and monitor their impact over time.

The experience gained from Vesterskoven is also being applied to new projects, including Store Hestehave and Humleore Forest District. In this way, Copenhagen Zoo is helping to develop and expand methods that can create more space for biodiversity across Denmark’s forest landscapes.

The future of the project

The ambition is to demonstrate that Danish production forests can contribute far more to biodiversity conservation than they do today. In the long term, we aim to develop models for species-rich forest management that can be widely adopted by forest owners across Denmark.

The goal is not only to improve conditions for selected species, but to create more resilient ecosystems that support a rich diversity of plant and animal life. At the same time, we hope the project can help make Denmark a leading example of how nature conservation and forest management can go hand in hand.

Our other projects

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