Ecological Networks in the European Alps

Ecological Networks in the European Alps Map

The European Alps are home to a unique and rich biodiversity of species, which is increasingly impacted by habitat fragmentation through land use changes, urbanization and expansion of transport infrastructure. In this study, they were identified 50 key issues relating to the maintenance and restoration of an ecological continuum - the connection of ecological processes in many scales, including relationship processes and trophic disorders and hydro-ecological flows in European Alps. They initiated and implemented a scoping exercise trans-national priorities, inviting 48 institutions, including researchers, conservation professionals, NGOs, politicians and administrators of the Alpine region. 

The exercise consisted of an initial call to relevant questions, a first online evaluation of incoming questions and a final discussion and selection process during a joint seminar. Participating institutions generated 484 initial questions, which were condensed to the top 50 questions for 16 workshop participants. Were suggested new approaches in dealing with the issue of an ecological continuum in the Alps by analyzing and classifying the characteristics of issues resulting from a non-prioritized way, as well as a visual conceptualization of the interdependencies between these questions. This priority setting exercise will support research institutions and funding to channel their skills and resources to the issues that need to be urgently addressed in order to facilitate significant progress in the conservation of biodiversity in the European Alps.

Sources and further information:

- http://www.alpconv.org/en/organization/g​roups/WGEcologicalNetwork/default.html

- http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org​/about-us/ecological-continuum-initiativ​e

- www.econnectproject.eu

NASA creates interactive map showing forests worldwide

The satellite Suomi NPP, managed by NASA and NOAA, enabled the creation of an interactive map that shows the details of all vegetation in the world. The tool is available online and is updated weekly, showing deforested areas and help predict weather conditions.

As Told by NOAA, the US agency that studies the atmospheric and oceanic conditions, data is collected from satellites that measure the amount of light absorbed by the earth and what is reflective into space. In forested areas, vegetation absorbs the light, unlike desert areas, where the rays are folded.

Interactive map: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Green.html

The First Ecological Land Units Map of the World

The collaborative partnership between Esri and USGS resulted in a dynamic online map representing the world’s ecological diversity at unprecedented detail and authority. This work leveraged quantitative methods, geographic science, and big data produced by government agencies and the scientific community.  To create this map the data were processed in Esri’s ArcGIS cloud computing environment. This map provides new knowledge and understanding of geographic patterns and relationships by distinguishing the geography of the planets’ ecosystems.

To better understand the significance of the new Global Ecological Land Units (ELUs) map and the data behind it, I recently met with project leads, Roger Sayre, Ph.D., Senior Scientist for Ecosystems, USGS, and Randy Vaughan, Manager of Content Engineering, Esri.

See more at:
http://blogs.esri.com/esri/esri-insider/2014/12/09/the-first-detailed-ecological-land-unitsmap-in-the-world/
http://story.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=dc91db9f6409462b887ebb1695b9c201&webmap=dd6f7f93d54341a69a47002696cf5744
http://ecoexplorer.arcgis.com/eco/

How Europe is greener now than 100 years ago

 

Within the last 100 years, Europe has experienced two World Wars, the end of communism, the emergence of the European Union and a series of other transformative political and economic developments. A team of scientists has now been able to visualize the impact of historical events in maps that show the growth and decline of settlements, forests and croplands.

The map, shown above, is the result of a research project led by Dutch scholar Richard Fuchs from the University of Wageningen. Besides regional political and economic trends, Europe's landscape was shaped by several larger developments of the 20th century, according to Fuchs.

More information:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/12/04/watch-how-europe-is-greener-now-than-100-years-ago/?tid=sm_fb

http://www.geo-informatie.nl/fuchs003/#

Italy: REN, The National Ecological Network

 REN, The National Ecological Network: Italian Vertebrates Network and

The Vertebrates Component Map

In 1999 the Italian Ministry of Environment and Territorial Protection approved a document outling the general guidelines for the National Ecological Network (REN), the defi nition of its structure and its main objectives. The Ministry contracted the Department of Animal and Human Biology of La Sapienza University to carry out the fi rst phase of a programme to develop the network. This programme was started in 2000 and has three main aims:

• to outline the distribution patterns of all 431 Italian vertebrate species;
• to determine whether the protected-area system corresponds with these distribution patterns;
• to determine which actions would improve the effectiveness of the protected-area system and the conservation of these species.

Data on species distribution and habitat suitability were combined to produce a map that shows the degree of suitability for increasing numbers of vertebrate species. This map is intended to form the basis for the design of the ecological network. In general, it is concluded that mountain areas, especially the Alps and the Appenines, will be most suitable as core areas for all vertebrate species.

REN, The National Ecological Network Info:

http://serverbau.bio.uniroma1.it/gisbau/reti_ren.php