Connectivity of Natura 2000 forest sites in Europe

Background/Purpose: In the context of the European Biodiversity policy, the Green Infrastructure Strategy is one supporting tool to mitigate fragmentation, inter-alia to increase the spatial and functional connectivity between protected and unprotected areas. The Joint Research Centre has developed an integrated model to provide a macro-scale set of indices to evaluate the connectivity of the Natura 2000 network, which forms the backbone of a Green Infrastructure for Europe. The model allows a wide assessment and comparison to be performed across countries in terms of structural (spatially connected or isolated sites) and functional connectivity (least-cost distances between sites influenced by distribution, distance and land cover). Main conclusion: The Natura 2000 network in Europe shows differences among countries in terms of the sizes and numbers of sites, their distribution as well as distances between sites. Connectivity has been assessed on the basis of a 500 m average inter-site distance, roads and intensive land use as barrier effects as well as the presence of "green" corridors. In all countries the Natura 2000 network is mostly made of sites which are not physically connected. Highest functional connectivity values are found for Spain, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. The more natural landscape in Sweden and Finland does not result in high inter-site network connectivity due to large inter-site distances. The distribution of subnets with respect to roads explains the higher share of isolated subnets in Portugal than in Belgium.Comment: 9 pages, from a poster published in F1000Posters 2014, 5: 48

Measuring and Reporting on Forest Landscape Pattern, Fragmentation and Connectivity in Europe: Methods and Indicators

This report presents and demonstrates possible solutions to implement two headline policy indicators listed under the biodiversity criteria: the EEA/SEBI2010 Indicator 13 ¿fragmentation and connectivity of ecosystem¿ and the MCPFE 4.7 Indicator ¿Landscape level forest spatial pattern. Focus is clearly on large regions assessment and on the change in the forest landscape structure (spatial pattern), not its function or quality. A brief review of knowledge enabled to select important concepts and principles to address spatial pattern processes likely to have ecological effects. It is proposed to make the assessment at local level with relatively fine-grained data and the reporting per spatial units which best capture local processes without loosing too much information. In some cases, forest losses must be disaggregated from forest gains and treated separately. Measures for MCPFE 4.7 are based on (1) the morphology of the forest cover in terms of core forest (interior forest with a 100m edge width) and forest edge, also providing an insight on connectors, and on (2) the landscape context of forest in its close (50 ha) surroundings (natural context or mixed forest-non forest interface zones with agriculture and/or infrastructure). The temporal stability of core forest (i.e. forest potentially staying in the same conditions), the increase of edges and the loss of forest in a natural context are measured. For the SEBI2010 indicator 13, fragmentation is looked upon when associated to core forest loss and each of the four spatial pattern processes (attrition, perforation, shrinkage, fragmentation/breaking-apart) that potentially contribute to four effects (sample, area, edge, isolation) on forest habitat and species is quantified. Measures on forest connectivity combine the landscape and organism dimensions; they account for the habitat availability and inter-patch functional distances. The measures were based on the application of three methods and GIS techniques. Data inputs were forest-non forest masks, the forest spatial pattern maps obtained by applying the mathematical morphology based software GUIDOS, the landscape patterns maps obtained by applying the landscape mosaic index and the equivalent connectivity area index derived from the Conefor Sensinode software. The analysis was conducted to demonstrate the methods with the only readily available, harmonized, relatively fine-grained and bi-temporal European-wide land cover data from CORINE Land Cover (100 m spatial resolution, 25 ha minimum mapping unit) of years 1990 and 2000. Forest habitat maps do not exist over large regions. For each measure, local spatial information was aggregated per province (NUTS level 2 or 3, 564 provinces in total) and results were presented on the basis of European-wide maps and tabular data. Indicator layers can be queried on line at the map viewer of the European Forest Data Centre (EFDAC): http://efdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/. The additional delivery of a European-wide snap-shot of hot-spot provinces was proposed to identify provinces where changes in spatial pattern (particularly forest loss, loss of forest in natural context, core forest fragmentation, forest connectivity loss) were significant (both in area and proportionally to the forest). Ecological impacts of spatial pattern processes would be more likely in those provinces. With the data at hand used for demonstrating the methods, 106 hot-spot provinces were flagged. It will be now essential to further compare local change in forest spatial pattern with net forest area change, and add complementary field-based data on forest quality.JRC.H.7-Land management and natural hazard

Text mining for horizon scanning: An insight into agricultural research and innovation in Africa

This report presents methodological aspects and the results of a horizon scanning exercise where the text mining capacities of the JRC's "Tool for Innovation Monitoring" were harnessed to analyse bibliometric data in the field of agricultural research and innovation in Africa in the last five years. The exercise included scanning the institutional landscape and partnerships, resuming key thematic areas, and identifying new emerging fields of research, capturing trends, weak signals and the innovation uptake inside particular topics. The relevance of such exercise is first discussed in the contrext of enhancing research capacities and strengthening weak institutional networks. Then, a funnel approach is proposed to tackle the broad and multifaceted thematic content of agricultural research in Africa ; the value added and limitations of the outcome results are addressed. Ultimately, it is recommended to ap[ply a hybrid approach i.e. a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches, the latter being based not only on academic records but also enriched with grey literature and real time data media coverage, to implement an horizon scanning exercise.JRC.D.6-Knowledge for Sustainable Development and Food Securit

Enhancing Connectivity, improving Green Infrastructure. Cost-benefit solutions for forest and agri-environment. A pilot study in Lombardy

This pilot study over Lombardy addresses the cost-effective spatial development of a well-connected Green Infrastructure (GI) relevant to the integration of forest, agri-environment and regional development policies. The structural continuity and functional connectivity of semi-natural vegetation, as recommended component of the GI, are assessed. Corridors most favourable to species dispersal are mapped and gaps in connectivity are identified. Spatially explicit solutions are then proposed to prioritise improvement actions based on their monetary cost through payments of ‘greening’ subsidies and their benefit for connectivity. This is demonstrated at micro-scale to benefit pollinators and pest predators and at regional scale to benefit ‘connectivity sensitive’ terrestrial species

Forest Landscape in Europe: Pattern, Fragmentation and Connectivity

The JRC demonstrated the feasibility to assess and report in a harmonized manner, forest landscape pattern and fragmentation in Europe, on the basis of an easily reproducible set of indices. Results were used in the Forest EUROPE, UN ECE and FAO joint ministerial reporting process on the protection of forests in Europe where data on forest pattern do not exist from national forest inventories. In the EU, 40% of the forest lands are within a 100m distance from other lands, thus potentially less suitable as interior habitat and more likely to be exposed to invasive species, pests and diseases. Forest edges are also mainly (60%) along intensive land uses. In Europe, 40% of woodlands have in their 1km2 surroundings a mosaic landscape of other natural/semi-natural lands, agriculture and artificial lands, 15% of woodlands are strongly fragmented by mainly intensive land uses. Landscapes with woodlands poorly connected represent 70% of the European territory and are potentially more vulnerable to further fragmentation in the future. National profiles of forest pattern were also provided. The mitigation of ecosystem fragmentation is also important in new targets of the European Biodiversity strategy to 2020. By affecting ecological processes, fragmentation affects ecosystem services such as habitat provision, pollination, and has also an impact on pest propagation in different ways. Forest area is still increasing in Europe at an annual rate of 0.4% but the JRC assessment showed that new forest areas do not always enhance connectivity. For example, in the Iberian Peninsula, the net forest gain in the 1990-2006 period had no impact on connectivity for nearly 10% of the landscapes. Further, the forest fragmentation processes that were found need to be captured at landscape level. They consist of minor forest losses due to intensive agriculture, transport infrastructures, settlements and fires. These findings support the consideration of forest spatial pattern in sustainable forest management plans for a regional landscape planning of clearings and re/afforestation measures.JRC.H.3-Forest Resources and Climat

Linking and Harmonizing Forest Spatial Pattern Analyses at European, National and Regional Scales for a Better Characterization of Forest Vulnerability and Resilience

The project ¿Linking and harmonizing the forests spatial pattern analyses at European, national and regional scales for a better characterization of the forests vulnerability and resilience¿ (JRC contract 382391 F1SC) covers one of the seven topics to be studied in the frame of the Regulation (EC) 2152/2003 on the monitoring of forest and environmental interactions, the so-called "Forest Focus" Regulation. It first demonstrates the application of the mathematical morphology based forest spatial pattern analysis tool developed at the Joint Research Centre (GUIDOS); it then develops one index related to potential forest vulnerability, resistance and resilience (FVRR index) on the basis of multi-criteria fuzzy modelling technics. Its final aim is to address linkages between forest spatial pattern and forest ecological functionality with emphasis on forest vulnerability, resistance, resilience. This study was conducted by a European consortium coordinated by the University of Molise (Italy) and included partners from the University of Hamburg (Germany), the European Forest Institute (Finland) and the Forest Research (United Kingdom). The overall supervision of the project and the processing of forest spatial pattern were done by the Joint Research Centre.JRC.DDG.H.7-Land management and natural hazard

Use of National Forest Inventories to Downscale European Forest Diversity Spatial Information in Five Test Areas, Covering Different Geo-Physical and Geo-Botanical Conditions

The project ¿Use of National Forest Inventories to downscale European forest diversity spatial information in five test areas, covering different geo-physical and geo-botanical conditions¿, referred also as ¿forest downscaling¿ (JRC contract 382340 F1SC) covers one of the seven topics that have been studied in the frame of the Regulation (EC) 2152/2003 on the monitoring of forest and environmental interactions, the so-called "Forest Focus" Regulation. This study was conducted by a European consortium coordinated by the Italian Academy of Forest Sciences (Italy) and included partners from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Institute of Forest Ecosystem Research of the Czech Republic, the German Federal Research Centre for Forestry and Forest Products, and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research. The overall supervision of the project and the processing of forest spatial pattern were done by the Joint Research Centre. This study addressed the link between field based forest biological diversity data and landscape-level forest pattern information. The former were made available from National Forest Inventories (NFIs) at plot level in five different countries; their harmonisation was implemented for the first time and benefited from outcomes of the COST Action-E43 on core biodiversity variables. For the latter, landscape level forest spatial pattern maps were automatically derived from available remote sensing based forest cover maps. The relation-ships between selected pattern and biodiversity variables available from the two different data sources were studied. Seven case studies for a total area of about 100,000 km2 were selected in five European ecological regions: one site in Germany (Atlantic zone), one in Sweden (Boreal zone), two in Czech Republic (Continental zone), one in Switzerland (Alpine zone) and two in Italy (Mediterranean zone).JRC.DDG.H.7-Land management and natural hazard

Implementation of the CAP Policy Options with the Land Use Modelling Platform - A first indicator-based analysis

This report presents the results of a study aiming to assess the environmental impact of two alternative scenarios for the new Common Agricultural Policy, evaluated by using the features of the Land Use Modelling Platform (LUMP). The first scenario set the baseline conditions in form of the Status Quo; the second was a policy alternative, Integration. The scenarios set the framework for the economic drivers as analysed by CAPRI, which the LUMP integrates to produce detailed and geographically specific projections of changes in land use/cover between 2006 and 2020. The changes in land use/cover were then evaluated for their impact on various environmental sectors by comparing their effect on a set of relevant indicators of environmental conditions. The simulations have shown that the greening options expressed under the Integration policy option produce an overall impact that can be measured with a set of land use/cover based indicators. In general terms, the greening options reduce the pressure on naturally vegetated areas and on environmentally sensitive sites. This modelling approach has proven to be applicable for the evaluation of the new CAP scenario and the implementation of policy options, in the frame of the overall objectives of the reform. Due to the characteristics of the modelling framework, the set of computed indicators shows the differentiation of the impacts at national and regional levels, allowing the assessment of the impacts of the new CAP in the proper geographical context.JRC.H.7-Land management and natural hazard

Strategic Green Infrastructure and Ecosystem Restoration

This report draws on a range of European-wide datasets, geospatial methods, and tools available for green infrastructure (GI) mapping. It shows how two complementary mapping approaches (physical and ecosystem based) and the three key GI principles of connectivity, multifunctionality and spatial planning are used in case studies selected in urban and rural landscapes; it provides guidance for the strategic design of a well-connected, multi-functional, and cross-border GI, and identifies knowledge gaps. GI mapping has been demonstrated to enhance nature protection and biodiversity beyond protected areas, to deliver ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation and recreation, to prioritise measures for defragmentation and restoration in the agri-environment and regional development context, and to find land allocation trade-offs and possible scenarios involving all sectors.JRC.D.6-Knowledge for Sustainable Development and Food Securit

ARTEFACTS: How do we want to deal with the future of our one and only planet?

The European Commission’s Science and Knowledge Service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), decided to try working hand-in-hand with leading European science centres and museums. Behind this decision was the idea that the JRC could better support EU Institutions in engaging with the European public. The fact that European Union policies are firmly based on scientific evidence is a strong message which the JRC is uniquely able to illustrate. Such a collaboration would not only provide a platform to explain the benefits of EU policies to our daily lives but also provide an opportunity for European citizens to engage by taking a more active part in the EU policy making process for the future. A PILOT PROGRAMME To test the idea, the JRC launched an experimental programme to work with science museums: a perfect partner for three compelling reasons. Firstly, they attract a large and growing number of visitors. Leading science museums in Europe have typically 500 000 visitors per year. Furthermore, they are based in large European cities and attract local visitors as well as tourists from across Europe and beyond. The second reason for working with museums is that they have mastered the art of how to communicate key elements of sophisticated arguments across to the public and making complex topics of public interest readily accessible. That is a high-value added skill and a crucial part of the valorisation of public-funded research, never to be underestimated. Finally museums are, at present, undergoing something of a renaissance. Museums today are vibrant environments offering new techniques and technologies to both inform and entertain, and attract visitors of all demographics.JRC.H.2-Knowledge Management Methodologies, Communities and Disseminatio