We discuss the usefulness of the concept of Potential
Natural Vegetation (PNV), which describes the expected
state of mature vegetation in the absence of
human intervention. We argue that it is impossible
to model PNV because of (i) the methodological
problems associated to its definition and (ii) the
issues related to the ecosystems dynamics.We conclude
that the approach to characterizing PNV is
unrealistic and provides scenarios with limited predictive
power. In places with a long-term human
history, interpretations of PNV need to be very
cautious, and explicit acknowledgement made of
the limitations inherent in available data.
