Sites of ancient woodland in the United Kingdom (UK) are diminishing rapidly and the multifunctional forest management system with its fragmented approach fails effectively to protect such woodland. In the face of reports on the destruction of ancient woodland, the HS2 High-Speed train project in the UK signifies the extent of trade-offs among the key stakeholders. Such large infrastructure projects typically come with high environmental and social costs, including deforestation, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss, and social disruption. This article examines the protection of ancient woodland in the UK and assesses the challenges in applying the ecosystem approach, an internationally recognized sustainability strategy, in the context of such protection. A better understanding of the ecosystem approach to manage ancient woodland is critical for promoting sustainable forestry practices in the UK and informs the discussion in this article of the importance of conserving ancient woodland globally. Lessons learned from UK woodland policies and certification schemes include the need to have in place strong regulatory frameworks, introduce clear indicators, and recognize pluralistic value systems alongside economic considerations. The article concludes that the protection of ancient woodland in the UK requires distinct and strong laws that reflect multiple values of this resource, acknowledge the trade-offs among stakeholders, and adopt an inclusive approach to reduce power asymmetries.

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为什么要保护英国的古代林地？重新思考生态系统方法

英国（UK）的古代林地遗址正在迅速减少，多功能森林管理系统及其分散的方法未能有效地保护这些林地。面对古老林地遭到破坏的报道，英国的 HS2 高铁项目标志着关键利益相关者之间的取舍程度。此类大型基础设施项目通常会带来高昂的环境和社会成本，包括森林砍伐、栖息地破碎化、生物多样性丧失和社会混乱。本文研究了英国古代林地的保护，并评估了在这种保护的背景下应用生态系统方法这一国际公认的可持续发展战略所面临的挑战。更好地了解管理古代林地的生态系统方法对于促进英国的可持续林业实践至关重要，并为本文中关于保护全球古代林地重要性的讨论提供信息。从英国林地政策和认证计划中吸取的经验教训包括需要建立强有力的监管框架，引入明确的指标，并在经济考虑的同时承认多元化价值体系。文章的结论是，保护英国古代林地需要明确而强有力的法律，以反映这种资源的多重价值，承认利益相关者之间的权衡，并采取包容性的方法来减少权力不对称。