Simple Principles for Guiding of Large-Scale Landscape Restorations

Restoration projects are complex and especially upscaling of restoration represent challenges that must be solved in a multidisciplinary setting. To establish cooperation between the wide range of professions there is a need for “fixed points” of communication that allows for constructive dialogue and to prevent misconceptions. We have developed and tested four simple principles that are aimed for use throughout the restoration process and to be immediately applicable for “on-the-ground” interventions. They are designed to work dynamically in the dialog between all personnel involved in a project, such as project owners, contractors, authorities, and consultants. By organizing the dialogue towards the four simple principles it is easier to explain the link between goals, specific work procedures and how they are solved. The principles can also be used when the projects are evaluated. The article focuses mainly on the use of the principles for nature diversity and landscapes, but they are also used and intended for all professions involved in restoration projects. Ecosystem Restoration; Project Principles; “Green Training”; Multidisciplinary Integration; Natural Processes; DialoguepublishedVersio

Working with Natural Processes: Restoring a Mining Landscape in the High Arctic, Svalbard, Norway

The Svea coal mines in Svalbard have been closed, and the area is under restoration. The goal of the landscape restoration was to enable dynamic ecological and geomorphological processes by removing roads, housing, industrial facilities, airports, landflls, and quarries that once dominated the area. Cultural heritage features, such as pre-1946 buildings, structures, and mining traces, have been preserved, while the rest of the landscape has been restored to a near-natural state. The focus has been restoring geodiversity in this arctic environment, where biotic processes are slow. Geomorphological processes such as glacial, slope, fuvial, coastal, and permafrost processes dominate and give the landscape its geological character. The objective of the restoration is not merely to re-create the landscape’s previous appearance but rather to ensure that natural processes can function as they did in the past, contributing to the ongoing development and evolution of all restored land surfaces. As of 2023, most of the area has already been restored. In areas with rapid geomorphological processes, the land will soon be dominated by these processes. Revegetation is one of the major ecological processes the restoration seeks to facilitate. Revegetation is a slow process in arctic environments, and it will take many decades before vegetation covers restored bare surfaces. The project forms a valuable baseline for studying and discussing geomorphology, landscape dynamics, geodiversity, biodiversity, and ecology for nature management and landscape restoration.publishedVersio

Index Measuring Land Use Intensity—A Gradient‐Based Approach

To monitor the changes in the landscape, and to relate these to ecological processes, we need robust and reproducible methods for quantifying the changes in landscape patterns. The main aim of this study is to present, exemplify and discuss a gradient‐based index of land use intensity. This index can easily be calculated from spatial data that are available for most areas and may therefore have a wide applicability. Further, the index is adapted for use based on official data sets and can thus be used directly in decision‐making at different levels. The index in its basic form consists of two parts where the first is based on the data of buildings and roads and the second of infrastructure land cover. We compared the index with two frequently used ‘wilderness indices’ in Norway called INON and the Human Footprint Index. Our index captures important elements of infrastructure in more detailed scales than the other indices. A particularly attractive feature of the index is that it is based on map databases that are updated regularly. The index has the potential to serve as an important tool in land use planning as well as a basis for monitoring, the assessment of ecological state and ecological integrity and for ecological accounting as well as strategic environmental assessments. infrastructure; land use; index; landscape; planning; monitoringpublishedVersio

Characterisation and mapping of landscape types, a case study from Norway

The European Landscape Convention emphasises the human perception of landscapes in its definition of the landscape, and promotes citizen participation in landscape management processes. On the other hand, landscape definitions adopted by the natural scientific tradition of landscape research, emphasises a material understanding of the landscape, with a more descriptive focus that includes landscape mapping. We discuss the inherent conflict between the ELC definition and propose that the ELC and natural scientific landscape definitions can be made complementary by considering landscape research as a two-phase process. The landscapes are typified, characterised and mapped in accordance with the natural science-based material landscape tradition in the first phase, and stakeholders of all kinds can be invited into an open process of landscape evaluation and development of management strategies and policies in a second phase of landscape analysis. We exemplify how the first phase in this two-phase process can be carried out, giving an overview of the system for landscape typification and characterisation developed for Nordland County, Norway as part of the Nature in Norway (NiN) system for typification and description of nature’s variation. The role of such a system in landscape research is briefly outlined and plans for further development of the system into a landscape classification system intended for mapping of landscapes in all of Norway, are presented.Das Europäisches Landschaftsübereinkommen (ELK) definiert Landschaft als “ein vom Menschen als solches wahrgenommenes Gebiet, dessen Charakter das Ergebnis des Wirkens und Zusammenwirkens natürlicher und/oder anthropogener Faktoren ist” und betont die Notwendigkeit die Öffentlichkeit aktiv an der Entwicklung von Landschaften zu beteiligen. Der vorliegende Artikel diskutiert den Konflikt zwischen der Landschaftsdefinition der ELK, die die menschliche Wahrnehmung ins Zentrum rückt, und einem naturwissenschaftlichen Verständnis des Landschaftsbegriffes, welches mehr auf die physischen Gegebenheiten und deren Erfassung und Beschreibung konzentriert ist. Um diese unterschiedlichen Perspektiven zusammenzubringen wird ein zweistufiger Ansatz zur Landschaftsanalyse vorgestellt: In der ersten Phase werden die Landschaften im Untersuchingsgebiet - einer naturwissenschaftlichen Herangehensweise folgend - anhand ihrer physischen Gegebenheiten typisiert, karakterisiert und kartiert, Auf dieser Grundlage können dann in der zweiten Phase Anspruchsgruppen und die Öffentlichkeit an der weiteren Landschaftsanalyse, sowie ihrer Bewertung und der Indentifikation von Zielen und Massnahmen der Landschaftsentwicklung beteiligt werden.Am Beispiel des norwegischen Regierungsbezirkes “Nordland” wird aufgezeigt, wie die erste Phase eines solchen Zwei-Stufen-Prozesses umgesetzt werden kann. Es wird das hierfür entwickelte System zur Typisierung and Karakterisierung der Landschaften vorgestellt und mögliche Anwendungsbereiche eines solchen Systems in der Landschaftsforschung diskutiert. Schliesslich werden Pläne für eine Weiterentwicklung dieses Systems für eine nationale Anwendung in Norwegen umrissen

VALORACIÓN DEL PATRIMONIO GEOLÓGICO EN EUROPA

Los orígenes del estudio del patrimonio geológico en Europa se sitúan en la segunda mitad del siglo XX, si bien mucho antes ya se habían puesto en marcha iniciativas para la protección de enclaves singulares de interés estético. Desde entonces, cada una de las 50 naciones europeas ha diseñado distintas estrategias y mecanismos para el estudio y conservación del patrimonio geológico, con diferente grado de desarrollo y avance. Este ha dependido generalmente de la iniciativa de los geocientíficos pero también del interés mostrado por las administraciones competentes en conservación del patrimonio natural, de manera que, aunque cada país tiene su problemática particular, hay muchas situaciones comunes. Algunos programas globales promovidos desde Europa, como la Red Global de Geoparques y Global Geosites, han impulsado el inventario y divulgación del patrimonio geológico, si bien a día de hoy no existe una directiva europea que promueva la conservación del patrimonio geológico, lo que sin duda impulsaría definitivamente la geoconservación en todos lo estados. Algunos países pueden servir de ejemplo al destacar en la elaboración de inventarios nacionales, en la legislación o en el diseño de metodologías para la geoconservación, pero en términos generales, el patrimonio geológico en Europa siempre ha ido a remolque de las iniciativas de conservación de la biodiversidad y que aún queda mucho camino por recorrer para desarrollar sistemas de valoración y estrategias de geoconservación en todos los países

Utvidelse av Skyggestein grustak på Geiteryggen, Skien kommune. Konsekvensutredning for kvartærgeologiske naturverdier

Skyggestein is a gravel pit on the ice marginal deposit Geiteryggen in Skien municipality, Telemark County. The deposit belongs to the Ås-Ski sub stage and was deposited about 11 400 years ago. The deposit was built up to the marine limit at Skyggestein and a small remnant of the delta flat is still visible in the area. Distally several shore lines is visible and gullies are found in marine deposits on both sides. Geiteryggen is included in regional overviews of areas of Quaternary geological natural values. Five defined areas have been given priority and suggested for protection. The planned extension impacts one of these areas. The natural values of the area are described as regional to national and the values impacted by the plans are defined as medium to large. The plans will let parts of the delta flat remnants and distal shorelines intact and the impact is therefore described as medium to small negative impacts. Possible mitigation is linked to small adjustments in the plan and to the process of securing the delta flat remnant that borders the existing gravel pit.Utvidelse av Skyggestein grustak på Geiteryggen, Skien kommune. Konsekvensutredning for kvartærgeologiske naturverdier. NINA Rapport 515. 22 s. Skyggestein er et grustak som ligger på Geiteryggen i Skien kommune, Telemark. Geiteryggen er en stor israndavsetning som tilhører Ås-Skitrinnet, avsatt for ca 11 400 år siden. Ved Skyggestein grustak er avsetningen bygget opp til marin grense og det finnes fremdeles en liten deltaflate igjen som dokumenterer dette. På utsiden av avsetningen finnes flere strandlinjer. Raviner i finkornet materiale finnes både på utsiden og innsiden. Geiteryggen inngår i oversikter over verneverdige kvartærgeologiske områder for Telemark. Fem definerte områder er prioritert for vern på Geiteryggen, og utvidelsen av grustaket berører ett av dem. De kvartærgeologiske naturverdiene på Geiteryggen er av regional karakter til nasjonal karakter, og verdiene som blir berørt av grustaket betegnes som middels til store. Den planlagte utvidelsen vil la en del av de viktigste elementene bli stående igjen slik at konsekvensene ved utvidelsen betegnes som middels til liten negativ konsekvens. Avbøtende tiltak som vil redusere konsekvensen, er knyttet til detaljer i grustakets avgrensing og sikring av den gjenværende deltaflaten i området.© Norsk institutt for naturforskning. Publikasjonen kan siteres fritt med kildeangivelse

Utvidelse av Skyggestein grustak på Geiteryggen, Skien kommune. Konsekvensutredning for kvartærgeologiske naturverdier

Skyggestein is a gravel pit on the ice marginal deposit Geiteryggen in Skien municipality, Telemark County. The deposit belongs to the Ås-Ski sub stage and was deposited about 11 400 years ago. The deposit was built up to the marine limit at Skyggestein and a small remnant of the delta flat is still visible in the area. Distally several shore lines is visible and gullies are found in marine deposits on both sides. Geiteryggen is included in regional overviews of areas of Quaternary geological natural values. Five defined areas have been given priority and suggested for protection. The planned extension impacts one of these areas. The natural values of the area are described as regional to national and the values impacted by the plans are defined as medium to large. The plans will let parts of the delta flat remnants and distal shorelines intact and the impact is therefore described as medium to small negative impacts. Possible mitigation is linked to small adjustments in the plan and to the process of securing the delta flat remnant that borders the existing gravel pit

Vannmiljøtiltak i raviner - muligheter og utfordringer. To eksempler fra Nittedal

Ravinedal er en rød listet naturtype i kategori VU (sårbar) og det kan være en målkonflikt mellom naturtype- og vannforvaltning. Denne rapporten foreslår et vurderingssystem for hvordan en skal forholde seg til vann miljotiltak innen vannområd ene i naturtyp en ravin edal. To fangdamlokaliteter i Nittedal er brukt som eksempel, og områdene ble feltbefart og kartl agt for biologisk mangfold. Det ble gjort en vurderin g av om mulige vannmi ljøt iltak var akseptable i henhold til intensjonene i naturtypeforvaltning.Klim amodellene med scenarioer med okt ned bor tilsier at vi må påregne økt interesse for sikrings- og vannmiljøtiltak. De mest aktuelle tiltakene som er vurdert her er steinsetting, fangdammer, terskeldammer og kvistdammer . Det foreligger et flytskjema for verdivurdering av geotopen ravin e og denne rapporten foreslår noen kriterier og utvid else av flytskjem aet for å vurdere vannmiljøtiltak i ravin er