GI concept & Pan Baltic Scope approach for testing it within the Baltic Sea Anda Ruskule Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Riga, 12 December 2018
EU Policy context • The EU U Bi Biodiversity S Str trate tegy’s t s target 2 2 requires that “by 2020, ecosystems and their services are maintained and enhanced by establishing green infrastructure and restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems.” • The he ac action 6 of of the he Strategy is setting priorities to restore and promote the use of green infrastructure, • EU EU-wide s e strategy egy p promoting i g inves estments i in gr green een i infrastructure, adopted by EC in 2013 www.panbalticscope.eu 2
What is Green Infrastructure (GI)? The EU Green Infrastructure Strategy (EC, 2013) “Strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services. It incorporates green spaces (or blue if aquatic ecosystems are concerned) and other physical features in terrestrial (including coastal) and marine areas.” Other definitions, e.g. by Vallecillo et al., 2018: “GI planning is a policy tool that stands to improve human well-being through its environmental, social and economic values, based on the multi-functional use of ecosystems.” Source : Vallecillo S et al., 2018. Spatial alternatives for Green Infrastructure planning across the EU: An ecosystem service perspective. Landscape and Urban Planning, 174:41-54 www.panbalticscope.eu 3
Objectives of the GI acitivity within the PanBaltic Scope project To outline a concept of marine “green infrastructure” To test the concept by utilizing available data To collect feedback from the HELCOM-VASAM MSP WG and HELCOM State and Conservation group www.panbalticscope.eu 4
Outline of the Pan Baltic Scope concept for mapping of marine GI Marine GI is formed by a spatial network of ecologically valuable areas significant for: ecosystems’ health and resilience, biodiversity conservation and, multiple delivery of ES essential for human well-being. Areas of high Areas providing Green ecological multiple ecosystem infrastructure value services map www.panbalticscope.eu 5
Example of methodology for GI planning on EU scale (terrestrial areas) Source : Liquete C. et al., 2015. Mapping green infrastructure based on ecosystem services and ecological networks: A Pan-European case study. Environnemental Science & Policy 54: 268–280 www.panbalticscope.eu 6
Theoretical example how the methodology could be applied in marine areas www.panbalticscope.eu 7
Examples: Latvia Mapping of ecologcal values Species Annual Perrannual richness algae algea coverage coverage Ecologicaly Area Fish significant important spawnin species for birds g grounds Important Alien Proportional fishing areas species coverage of biotope www.panbalticscope.eu 8
Examples: Latvia Ecosystem service mapping Eutrophication control: Storage of pollutants Nursery sites for fish denitrification Eutrophication control: Filtration of nutrients by Carbon storage storage of nutrients mussels Sum of regulating services per grid cell www.panbalticscope.eu 9
Example how the methodology could be applied in marine areas Areas with highest scores for Areas with highest scores ecosystem service supply for ecological value www.panbalticscope.eu 10
Proposed methodology and first results www.panbalticscope.eu 11
Mapping of the areas of high ecologicl vale 1) Matrix developed, assessing HELCOM HOLAS II ecosystem components (in binary scale: 0/1) in relation to 7 criteria: biological diversity; rarity; importance for threatened, endangered or declining species and/or habitats; vulnerability, fragility, sensitivity, or slow recovery; special importance for life-history stages of species; biological productivity. 2) A hierarchical data aggregation method to avoid a domination of ecological features that are overrepresented within the HELCOM HOLAS II ecosystem components data set 21 map representing average value of each criteria in relation to each ecosystem components (value normalized between 0 and 1) 4 aggregated ecological value maps for each group of ecological components - habitats, birds, fish mammals (value normalized between 0 and 1) Overall aggregated ecological value map combining four groups of ecological components (value normalized between 0 and 1) www.panbalticscope.eu 12
Matrix for assessment of ecological value Special Importance for Vulnerability, importance for threatened, fragility, life-history species and/or sensitivity or stages of Biological Category HELCOM BSII Ecological Diversity Components Biodiversity Rarity habitats slow recovery species productivity Benthic habitat Availability of deep water habitat, based on occurrence of H2S 0 1 0 0 0 0 Benthic habitat Infralittoral hard bottom 0 1 0 0 0 0 Benthic habitat Infralittoral sand 0 1 0 0 0 0 Benthic habitat Infralittoral mud 0 1 0 0 0 0 Benthic habitat Infralittoral mixed 0 1 0 0 0 0 Benthic habitat Circalittoral hard bottom 1 1 1 1 1 1 Benthic habitat Circalittoral sand 0 1 1 1 1 1 Benthic habitat Circalittoral mud 0 1 1 1 1 1 Benthic habitat Circalittoral mixed 1 1 1 1 1 1 Benthic habitat Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water at all time (1110) 1 1 1 1 1 1 Benthic habitat Estuaries (1130) 1 1 1 0 1 1 Benthic habitat Mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide (1140) 0 1 0 0 0 0 Benthic habitat Coastal lagoons (1150) 1 1 1 0 1 1 Benthic habitat Large shallow inlets and bays (1160) 1 1 1 1 1 1 Benthic habitat Reefs (1170) 1 1 1 1 1 1 Benthic habitat Submarine structures made by leaking gas (1180) 1 1 1 1 1 1 Benthic habitat Baltic Esker Islands (UW parts, 1610) 1 1 1 1 1 1 Benthic habitat Boreal Baltic islets and small islands (UW parts, 1620) 1 1 1 1 1 1 Habitat building species Furcellaria lumbricalis 1 1 1 1 1 1 Habitat building species Zostera marina 1 1 1 1 1 1 Habitat building species Charophytes 1 1 1 1 1 1 Habitat building species Mytilus sp. 1 1 1 (0) 1 1 1 Habitat building species Fucus sp. 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pelagic habitat Productive surface waters 1 1 1 0 1 1 Fish Cod abundance 0 0 1 0 0 1 Fish Cod spawning area 1 1 1 1 1 1 Fish Herring abundance 0 0 0 0 0 1 Fish Sprat abundance 0 0 0 0 0 1 Fish Recruitment areas of perch 1 1 1 1 1 1 Fish Recruitment areas of pikeperch 0 1 1 1 1 1 Bird Wintering seabirds 1 1 1 1 1 0 Bird Breeding seabird colonies 1 1 1 1 1 0 Mamal Grey seal distribution 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mamal Harbour seal distribution 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mamal Ringed seal distribution 1 1 1 1 0 0 Mamal Distribution of harbour porpoise 1 1 1 1 0 0 www.panbalticscope.eu
Areas of high ecologicl vale: Habitats Importance for threated Biological diversity Biological productivity species Aggregated value map: habitats Importance for life- Vulnerability Rarity history stages www.panbalticscope.eu 14
Areas of high ecologicl vale: Fish Biological diversity Biological productivity Importance for threated species Aggregated value map: fish Importance for life- Vulnerability Rarity history stages www.panbalticscope.eu 15
Areas of high ecologicl vale: Birds Importance for threated Biological diversity species Aggregated value map: birds Importance for life- Vulnerability Rarity history stages www.panbalticscope.eu 16
Areas of high ecologicl vale: mammals Biological diversity Importance for threated species Aggregated value map: mammals Rarity Vulnerability www.panbalticscope.eu 17
Overall aggregated ecological value map combining four groups of ecological components Possibilities to improve the data sets Fish maps replaced with mapping results of EFH group Improving mammals data set or Excluding mammals and birds www.panbalticscope.eu 18
What could be fasible approach for ecosystem service mapping? Using expert knowledge and published studies on biophysical processes underping ES supply (spatial proxy methods): Benthic habitat/sediment maps as proxy for service supply; Spread sheed approach – interlinking habitats/ecological components with capacity to supply ES Selection of ES: regulating & maintanace services Selection of indicators for ES assessment Semi-quantitative (relative scale) or qualitative assessment (yes/no) Agregation of ES value per grid cell www.panbalticscope.eu 19
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