Primary forests, defined here as forests where the signs of human impacts, if any, are strongly blurred due to decades without forest management, are scarce in Europe and continue to disappear. Despite these losses, we know little about where these forests occur. Here, we present a comprehensive geodatabase and map of Europe's known primary forests. Our geodatabase harmonizes 48 different, mostly field-based datasets of primary forests, and contains 18,411 individual patches (41.1 Mha) spread across 33 countries. When available, we provide information on each patch (name, location, naturalness, extent and dominant tree species) and the surrounding landscape (biogeographical regions, protection status, potential natural vegetation, current forest extent). Using Landsat satellite-image time series (1985-2018) we checked each patch for possible disturbance events since primary forests were identified, resulting in 94% of patches free of significant disturbances in the last 30 years. Although knowledge gaps remain, ours is the most comprehensive dataset on primary forests in Europe, and will be useful for ecological studies, and conservation planning to safeguard these unique forests.

Agricultural University of Tirana Forestry Department Kodër Kamëz SH1 1029 Tirana Albania

Asplan Viak A S Kjörboveien 20 postboks 24 N 1300 Sandvika Norway

Centre for Applied Ecology Professor Baeta Neves InBIO School of Agriculture University of Lisbon Tapada da Ajuda 1349 017 Lisbon Portugal

Centre for Ecological Research Institute of Ecology and Botany Alkotmány u 2 4 2163 Vácrátót Hungary

Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management Faculty of Forest and Environment Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development Alfred Möller Str 1 16225 Eberswalde Germany

CRPF Occitanie antenne de Tarbes place du foirail 65000 Tarbes France

Czech University of Life Sciences Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences Kamýcka cesta 1176 CZ 16521 Praha6 Suchdol Czech Republic

Department of Forest Biodiversity University of Agriculture Kraków Poland

Ecosphera NGO Kapushans'ka 82a Uzhhorod 88000 Ukraine

EUROPARC Spain Fundación Fernando González Bernáldez ICEI Edificio A Campus de Somosaguas E28224 Pozuelo de Alarcón Spain

Faculty of Forestry University of Agriculture in Krakow aleja 29 Listopada 46 31 415 Krakow Poland

Forest Research Institute Vassilika 57006 Thessaloniki Greece

Frankfurt Zoological Society Bernhard Grzimek Allee 1 60316 Frankfurt Germany

Freelance forest expert and book author Vienna Austria

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle Jena Leipzig Puschstrasse 4 04103 Leipzig Germany

Greensway AB Ulls väg 24A 756 51 Uppsala Sweden

Humboldt Universität zu Berlin Geography Department and Integrative Research Institute on Transformation in Human Environment Systems Unter den Linden 6 10099 Berlin Germany

Humboldt Universität zu Berlin Geography Department Unter den Linden 6 10099 Berlin Germany

Institute for Nature Conservation of Vojvodina Province Radnička 20a Novi Sad 21000 Serbia

Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 2 Gagarin Street 1113 Sofia Bulgaria

Institute of Experimental Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Laboratory of Productivity and Stability of Plant Communities 220072 Academicheskaya St 27 Minsk Belarus

Latvian State Forest Research Institute Silava Rigas street 111 Salaspils LV 2169 Latvia

Martin Luther Universität Halle Wittenberg Institut für Biologie Am Kirchtor 1 06108 Halle Germany

Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria Agraria Department Loc Feo di Vito 89122 Reggio Calabria Italy

NGO Transparent World Rossolimo str 5 22 building 1 119021 Moscow Russia

Northwest German Forest Research Institute Department Forest Nature Conservation Professor Oelkers Straße 6 34346 Hann Münden Germany

Parque Nacional de Garajonay Avda 5 Centenario edif Las Creces local 1 portal 3 38800 San Sebastian de La Gomera Tenerife Spain

PRALES Odtrnovie 563 SK 01322 Rosina Slovakia

PSEDA ILIRIA Forestry department Tirana 1000 Albania

Réserves Naturelles de France La Bourdonnerie Dijon cedex 21000 France

Saint Petersburg State University Department of Vegetation Science University Embankment 7 9 St Petersburg 199034 Russia

Sapienza University of Rome Department of Environmental Biology P le Aldo Moro 5 00185 Rome Italy

Silva Tarouca Research Institute Department of Forest Ecology Lidická 25 27 602 00 Brno Czech Republic

Slovenia Forest Service Department for forest management planning Vecna pot 2 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia

Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje Hans Em Faculty of Forest Sciences Landscape Architecture and Environmental Engineering Department of Botany and Dendrology P O Box 235 MK 1000 Skopje North Macedonia

Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research WSL Forest Resources and Management Zürcherstrasse 111 8903 Birmensdorf Switzerland

The Danish Nature Agency Gjøddinggård Førstballevej 2 DK 7183 Randbøl Denmark

Université de Toulouse INRAE UMR DYNAFOR 24 Chemin de Borde Rouge Auzeville CS 52627 Castanet Tolosan 31326 France

University of Eastern Finland School of forest Sciences Yliopistokatu 7 80100 Joensuu Finland

University of Forestry Dendrology Department bulevard Sveti Kliment Ohridski 10 1756 Sofia Bulgaria

University of Novi Sad Institute of Lowland Forestry and Environment Antona Cehova 13d Novi Sad 21000 Serbia

University of Novi Sad Institute of Lowland Forestry and Environment Antona Cehova 13d Novi Sad 21102 Serbia

University of Tartu Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences Vanemuise 46 EE 51014 Tartu Estonia

University of Torino Department DISAFA L go Paolo Braccini 2 Grugliasco 10095 Italy

University of Zagreb Faculty of Forestry Svetosimunska cesta 25 10000 Zagreb Croatia

Vytautas Magnus University K Donelaičio g 58 LT 44248 Kaunas Lithuania

World Wide Fund for nature Lunga street 190 Brasov 500051 Romania

World Wide Fund for nature Ukraine Mushaka 48 Lviv 79011 Ukraine

Erratum v

Sci Data. 2021 Sep 20;8(1):249. doi: 10.1038/s41597-021-01036-0. PubMed

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