•Combining satellite and airborne remote sensing data outperforms single data sources for habitat mapping significantly.•Unbalanced reference data results in lower class accuracies for small classes, ...although the training samples are balanced.•Model-based habitat classification reveals reference data errors and habitat shifts.•Pixel-based habitat classification approach using remote sensing data works good for frequently present classes.
Mapping and monitoring of habitats are requirements for protecting biodiversity. In this study, we investigated the benefit of combining airborne (laser scanning, image-based point clouds) and satellite-based (Sentinel 1 and 2) data for habitat classification. We used a two level random forest 10-fold leave-location-out cross-validation workflow to model Natura 2000 forest and grassland habitat types on a 10 m pixel scale at two study sites in Vienna, Austria. We showed that models using combined airborne and satellite-based remote sensing data perform significantly better for forests than airborne or satellite-based data alone. For frequently occurring classes, we reached class accuracies with F1-scores from 0.60 to 0.87. We identified clear difficulties of correctly assigning rare classes with model-based classification. Finally, we demonstrated the potential of the workflow to identify errors in reference data and point to the opportunities for integration in habitat mapping and monitoring.
Environmental co-management has been advocated and applied in diverse contexts as an integrative and inclusive approach to make biodiversity conservation more effective and contextual. Co-management ...however requires the actors involved to overcome tacit boundaries and reconcile different viewpoints to reach a shared understanding on the environmental problem and envisioned solution(s). We depart from the assumption that a common narrative can serve as a base for a shared understanding and analyze what types of actor relations in co-management influence the emergence of a common narrative. Empirical data is collected using a mixed-method case study design. We apply the idea of narrative congruence, which relates to the similarity of narrations that actors tell, to investigate the effects of the types of relationships between two actors as well as specific leadership roles using an Exponential Random Graph Model. We find that frequent interaction between two actors and a trusted leader with many reciprocal trust ties to be important drivers to support the emergence of narrative congruence ties. Connecting leaders, i.e. actors in brokering positions, show a statistically significant negative correlation with narrative congruence ties. The results suggest that a common narrative tends to emerge in sub-groups around a highly trusted leader, in which actors talk frequently to each other. A brokering leader, however, seems to face strong difficulties of forming narrative congruence ties with others, although such brokers may play central roles in the co-design of common narratives to form the basis for motivating collective action in co-management. Lastly, we discuss the importance of common narratives and how leaders can better succeed in co-designing these in environmental co-management approaches.
•Common narratives are important for joint action in co-management.•Qualitative narrative interview and quantitative relational data is combined for analysis in an ERGM.•We find frequent interaction and a trusted leader to shape a common narrative.•A brokering leader is found to have a strong negative effect on a common narrative.
Natura 2000 (N2k) is a multinational and coordinated conservation network designated to support the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable species and habitats. It is the key conservation tool ...in the European Union. We reviewed 510 peer-reviewed publications (period 1998–2014) focusing on ecological aspects of N2k, with the aims of identifying key research gaps and proposing future research priorities for improved conservation success. We categorized the articles by spatial scale, biogeographical regions, taxonomic groups, habitat types, and the analytical methods used. The majority of studies were performed in single N2k sites or at the regional level within countries. The Mediterranean region had the greatest number of publications and the terrestrial Black Sea, Macaronesia, Pannonian and Steppic regions were overrepresented in relation to their total area and to the area of N2k sites that they comprised. Grasslands, freshwater and wetland habitats were overrepresented in comparison to their area within N2k. Plants were the most commonly studied taxonomic group and quantitative empirical studies dominated. Future N2k research should address knowledge gaps by directing more efforts towards: 1) the Boreal region, 2) alpine, agricultural, forest and marine habitats, and 3) underrepresented taxonomic groups such as reptiles, amphibians, lichens and fungi. For enhanced evaluation and realization of the conservation potential of N2k, more studies will need to encompass large spatial scales and utilize modelling approaches to effectively address future climate and land-use changes.
•We conducted a review of ecological research on Natura 2000 network.•Regional or single-site studies, and those from the Mediterranean region dominate.•Research gaps include alpine, agricultural, forest and marine habitats.•Underrepresented were reptiles, amphibians, lichens, fungi and Boreal region.•Future studies should focus on larger spatial scales and use modelling approaches.
Human-induced biodiversity decline has been on the rise for the past 250 years, due to various causes. What is equally troubling, is that we are unaware which plants are threatened and where they ...occur. Thus, we are far from reaching Aichi Biodiversity Target 2, i.e., assessing the extinction risk of most species. To that end, based on an extensive occurrence dataset, we performed an extinction risk assessment according to the IUCN Criteria A and B for all the endemic plant taxa occurring in Greece, one of the most biodiverse countries in Europe, in a phylogenetically-informed framework and identified the areas needing conservation prioritization. Several of the Greek endemics are threatened with extinction and fourteen endemics need to be prioritized, as they are evolutionary distinct and globally endangered. Mt. Gramos is identified as the most important conservation hotspot in Greece. However, a significant portion of the identified conservation hotspots is not included in any designated Greek protected area, meaning that the Greek protected areas network might need to be at least partially redesigned. In the Anthropocene era, where climate and land-use change are projected to alter biodiversity patterns and may force many species to extinction, our assessment provides the baseline for future conservation research, ecosystem services maintenance, and might prove crucial for the timely, systematic and effective aversion of plant extinctions in Greece.
Succession caused by agricultural land abandonment is one of the most serious threats to the biodiversity of non-forest ecosystems in Europe. The aim of the study conducted in the Biebrza National ...Park (NE Poland) was to develop a remote sensing method to analyze the process of tree and shrub encroachment into the open peatland area of the Lower Biebrza Basin of 245 km2. The study covered a period of 50 years, from 1966 to 2015. Tree and shrub coverage was analyzed independently on the basis of airborne imagery acquired in 1966, 1980, 1997, 2006, 2010 and hyperspectral and ALS data from 2015.
The method used, which consisted in assigning the area covered by trees and shrubs to permanent reference areas in a grid of squares enabled us to analyze the succession process by integrating various types of airborne data retrieved from various sensors with different geometric, radiometric and spectral resolutions. Owing to this, the process of succession could be characterized on the map by illustrating the spatial distribution of tree and shrub area and the dynamics and directions of their changes in time, and quantitatively by calculating the area of trees and shrubs as well as the dynamics, pace and directions of its change over time. It will be possible to integrate the results of the analysis of archived data with those acquired in the future, which will contribute to even wider use of remote sensing in succession process monitoring. The findings suggest that in the study period the area covered by trees and shrubs increased by 3020 ha, and the open areas decreased from 75.78% of the study area in 1966 to 63.31% in 2015. During the last study period (2010–2015) encroachment of trees and shrubs was inhibited to the rate of 2.7 ha/year as a result of the conservation program being implemented in the Lower Biebrza Basin.
•Remote sensing investigation of succession in the Lower Basin of the Biebrza river.•Assigning the area covered by trees and shrubs to permanent reference areas.•Spatial distribution, dynamics, directions of tree and shrub area changes in time.•Possible integration of analysis of archived data with those acquired in the future.
A União Europeia (UE), através da sua iniciativa Natura 2000, estabeleceu a classificação e seleção de áreas protegidas na Europa, a fim de assegurar a conservação da biodiversidade. No entanto, não ...há parâmetros claros e uniformes para permitir que os países membros tomem as melhores decisões de zoneamento para a conservação da biodiversidade. Por esta razão, uma metodologia baseada na avaliação de critérios de importância para a conservação da biodiversidade é apresentada nesta tese. A metodologia introduzida visa estabelecer critérios relevantes que podem ser analisados através do método estatístico de análise multicritério e interpolação de dados com o método geoestatístico de krigagem. O objetivo é verificar a adequação das áreas designadas para a rede Natura 2000 em Castilla y León, Espanha, e desenvolver uma proposta de zoneamento baseada em valores de importância da biodiversidade quando considerando o uso da terra. A metodologia proposta foi realizada com critérios básicos de conservação da biodiversidade que podem ser adaptados e aplicados em diferentes países membros da UE, contribuindo para uma seleção ótima de áreas protegidas com parâmetros claros e uniformes para o zoneamento.
The aim of the present study consists on the establishment of any relationship or interaction between geomorphological processes and vegetation/habitat distribution in an area with strong ...environmental gradients: an active saline lake in NE Spain. The resulting maps of the major geoforms and CORINE habitats within the lacustrine area were overlain to determine any significant relationships, taking into account the elevation derived from Lidar data. Whereas the geoforms resulted to have a roughly concentric distribution, the habitats appeared to be spread across different areas, and flooding frequency seemed not to be a determining factor in their altitudinal distribution. The correspondence matrix for geoforms and habitats underlined the coincidence between presently active morphodynamic units, flooding/salinity, and habitats typical of saline environments. Geomorphological units associated with the presently active shoreline dynamics host the habitats more typically related to frequent flooding and high salinity levels. The delay between geomorphological dynamics and vegetation changes, together with the opportunistic character of vegetation, promote the coexistence of different geomorphological processes and a great variety of plant communities and habitats. As a major conclusion, the present study provides a method through which a standard procedure may be set up to further determine the interaction between geomorphological processes and vegetation distribution, very useful for understanding vegetation patterns and conservation biodiversity, and the planning and managing of Natura 2000 sites.
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•Geomorphology and vegetation are inseparable within water-terrestrial systems.•The maps of geoforms and CORINE habitats inventory the lacustrine natural resources.•The habitats appear to be principally conditioned by coastal or littoral dynamics.•Local factors control the geoform-habitat correspondence out of coastal environment.
Research on the habitats protected by the European Union's Habitats Directive (HD) has increased rapidly since its adoption in 1992. However, the methods and tools used to assess their conservation ...status are varied. In this context, we reviewed and summarized the scientific literature related to the coastal Natura 2000 habitats to list and sort parameters used to assess and map their conservation status. We found 225 papers that specifically focused on the assessment of conservation status of coastal habitats. An analysis of the papers was conducted based on the four parameters (“Range”, “Area”, “structure and functions”, “Future prospects”) specified in the guidelines. Results highlight knowledge gaps regarding the availability of data and methods that measure the “Range”, “Area”, “Structure and functions” and “Future prospects”. Most of the papers focused on coastal dunes and were located in the Mediterranean biogeographic region. Therefore, the process of assessing the conservation status of coastal habitats remains complicated to implement because methodological approaches are mainly dominated by expert statements. Moreover, all the procedures of the HD are carried out within each member country and the final assessments are often the synthesis of these partial assessments. However, the multiscalar approach and the use of innovative technologies (databases, remote sensing) can be particularly relevant to develop replicable approaches and facilitate monitoring and the implementation of management measures.
•The implementation of HD remains complicated today to assess and monitor the conservation status.•Methodological disparities exist between coastal habitats, between countries and between biogeographic regions.•Currently, methodological approaches remain mainly based on expert judgements.•Recent and innovative methods for automatic and objective modelling can help to assess habitat range and area.•Concerted and multiscalar approaches can help to improve knowledge on structure, functions and future prospects.
Unsustainable fossil fuel emissions have prompted a global shift towards renewable energy sources, such as wind. This has led to a strong expansion of wind power generation infrastructures, often ...conflicting with biodiversity conservation. Relatively large flying animals, such as birds and bats, have frequently been reported to collide with wind turbines, resulting in casualties that can depress population size and lead to local extinctions. Migratory species that move across continents through their year-round displacements may be especially at risk. We comprehensively assessed wind turbine exposure for a colonial migratory raptor of European conservation interest, the lesser kestrel Falco naumanni, based on the distribution and size of >1800 colonies and a large GPS-tracking dataset (>350 individuals) for three distinct biogeographical populations (from Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas). 26 % of the European population has at least one wind turbine within the foraging areas around colony sites, Italian colonies being most at risk. The main European network of protected areas, the Natura 2000 network, failed to mitigate the potential negative impact of wind turbines on breeding populations. GPS-tracking revealed that exposure was negligible in the African non-breeding areas (Sahel region), particularly high during migration, and lower during breeding for Iberian and Balkan individuals but not for Italian ones. Different countries should prioritize different measures to mitigate collision risk with wind power generation infrastructures. This case study can be leveraged by conservationists and renewable energy stakeholders to mitigate conflicts between biodiversity conservation and expected wind energy infrastructure development in the near future.
Knowledge of species distribution is crucial for their protection, and this was our motivation to identify hotspots of the Habitats Directive (HD) species in the Carpathians. As a data source we used ...reports and species distribution maps submitted by the EU Member States according to the Habitats Directive Article 17 in 2019.
The highest HD species richness areas are in the south-eastern part of the Western Carpathians and in the south-west outcrops of the Carpathians at the SK/AT and CZ/AT borders. The south-eastern part of the Western Carpathians is important for all studied species groups, specific patterns of distribution exhibit fish (distribution along big rivers), amphibians (high diversity also in the outer Western Carpathians and Transylvanian Basin) and partially plant species (besides SE Western Carpathians, quite high diversity also in other parts of the Western Carpathians).
We analysed the relation between species richness, proportion of species groups, and concentration of rare species. Mammals are the dominant taxonomical group, especially in species-poor grid cells. The proportion of invertebrates increases with increased species richness. The widespread species prevail in species-poor grid cells and their proportion decreases with increasing species richness.
We also identified areas with low Natura 2000 coverage, but with high biodiversity or a high number of rare species. These areas have high potential to improve protection of the HD species by designating new Natura 2000 sites or enlarging existing ones.
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•Habitats Directive Article 17 data for analyse hotspots of HD species in Carpathians•SE part of the Western Carpathians is a hotspot of the Habitats Directive species.•Valuable areas with low Natura 2000 coverage were identified.•Analyse of species richness, species groups, and concentration of rare species
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