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State of Biodiversity in the Nordic Countries

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State of Biodiversity in the Nordic Countries TemaNord 2009:509 2009:509 TemaNord Store Strandstræde 18 DK-1255 Copenhagen K www.norden.org State of biodiversity in the Nordic countries State of biodiversity in the An assessment of progress towards achieving the target Nordic countries of halting biodiversity loss by 2010 The Nordic countries have agreed on a common target to halt the decline in biodiversity by 2010. This report aims at evaluating the 2010-target by presenting indicators that can describe trends in biodiversity in the Nordic countries. Our results comprise the most comprehensive documentation of land use in the Nordic countries to date. The area of important na- ture types such as mire, grassland and heathland have decreased significantly over the past one to two decades, whereas the area of constructed habitats, including city areas and transport networks, has grown considerably in all of the Nordic countries. Each of these trends in land use will cause biodiversity to decline. Looking into the quality aspect of biodiversity, our results reveal that two-thirds of the quality indicators presented show declines and the remain- ing one-third show improvements (or steady-state). Overall, our results indicate that biodiversity has declined in the Nordic countries since 1990. In particular, farmland, mire, grass- land and heathland habitats show declines in biodiversity, but also the remaining habitats show negative trends. Therefore, based on the findings from this study, we conclude that it is highly unlikely that the target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010 can be achieved by the Nordic countries. Our results should be perceived as a first attempt to make an over- all assessment of biodiversity in the Nordic countries. We believe that if further efforts were directed towards scrutinising existing and historic monitoring programmes and data sources, additional indicators could be calculated and hence a better knowledge base would be achieved. TemaNord 2009:509 978-92-893-1825-9 State of biodiversity in the Nordic countries An assessment of progress towards achieving the target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010 Bo Normander, Gregor Levin, Ari-Pekka Auvinen, Harald Bratli, Odd Stabbetorp, Marcus Hedblom, Anders Glimskär & Gudmundur A. Gudmundsson TemaNord 2009:509 State of biodiversity in the Nordic countries An assessment of progress towards achieving the target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010 TemaNord 2009:509 © Nordic Council of Ministers, Copenhagen 2008 ISBN 978-92-893-1825-9 Cover Photo: Thomas Larsen Printed on environmentally friendly paper This publication can be ordered on www.norden.org/order. Other Nordic publications are available at www.norden.org/publications Printed in Denmark Authors: Bo Normander, Gregor Levin, National Environmental Research Institute of Denmark. Ari-Pekka Auvinen, Finnish Environment Institute. Harald Bratli, Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute. Odd Stabbetorp, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. Marcus Hedblom, Anders Glimskär, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Gudmundur A. Gudmundsson, Icelandic Institute of Natural History. Nordic Council of Ministers Nordic Council Store Strandstræde 18 Store Strandstræde 18 DK-1255 Copenhagen K DK-1255 Copenhagen K Phone (+45) 3396 0200 Phone (+45) 3396 0400 Fax (+45) 3396 0202 Fax (+45) 3311 1870 www.norden.org Nordic co-operation Nordic cooperation is one of the world’s most extensive forms of regional collaboration, involving Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and three autonomous areas: the Faroe Islands, Green- land, and Åland. Nordic cooperation has firm traditions in politics, the economy, and culture. It plays an important role in European and international collaboration, and aims at creating a strong Nordic community in a strong Europe. Nordic cooperation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. Common Nordic values help the region solidify its position as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive. Table of contents Preface................................................................................................................................ 7 Summary ............................................................................................................................ 9 Dansk resumé ................................................................................................................... 13 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 15 2. Developing indicators for biodiversity ........................................................................... 17 2.1 Indicators for measuring biodiversity................................................................... 17 2.2 Types of biodiversity indicators ........................................................................... 19 2.3 Aggregation of indicators..................................................................................... 20 3. Nordic biodiversity indicator framework...................................................................... 23 3.1 Definition of indicator framework........................................................................ 23 3.2 Setting a baseline.................................................................................................. 24 4. Definition of quantity indicators................................................................................... 27 4.1 Nordic habitat classification................................................................................. 27 4.2 Description of Nordic habitat classes ................................................................... 31 4.3 Bio-geographical regions ..................................................................................... 34 4.4 Aggregation of sub-habitats ................................................................................. 37 4.5 Geographical coverage and data availability ........................................................ 38 5. Definition of quality indicators..................................................................................... 39 5.1 Selection of indicators.......................................................................................... 39 6. Definition of a biodiversity index................................................................................. 41 7. Indicators for constructed habitats................................................................................ 45 7.1 Quantity of biodiversity........................................................................................ 45 7.2 Quality of biodiversity.......................................................................................... 47 7.3 Biodiversity index ................................................................................................ 50 7.4 Conclusions and recommendations ...................................................................... 51 8. Indicators for farmland ................................................................................................. 53 8.1 Quantity of biodiversity........................................................................................ 53 8.2 Quality of biodiversity.......................................................................................... 55 8.3 Biodiversity index ................................................................................................ 59 8.4 Conclusions and recommendations ...................................................................... 60 9. Indicators for coastal habitats ....................................................................................... 63 9.1 Quantity of biodiversity........................................................................................ 63 9.2 Quality of biodiversity.......................................................................................... 65 9.3 Biodiversity index ................................................................................................ 68 9.4 Conclusions and recommendations ...................................................................... 68 10. Indicators for inland waters ........................................................................................ 69 10.1 Quantity of biodiversity...................................................................................... 69 10.2 Quality of biodiversity........................................................................................ 71 10.3 Biodiversity index .............................................................................................. 77 10.4 Conclusions and recommendations .................................................................... 77 11. Indicators for unvegetated/ sparsely vegetated habitats.............................................. 79 11.1 Quantity of biodiversity...................................................................................... 79 11.2 Quality of biodiversity........................................................................................ 81 11.3 Biodiversity index .............................................................................................. 81 11.4 Conclusions and recommendations .................................................................... 81 6 State of biodiversity in the Nordic countries 12. Indicators for mires .....................................................................................................83
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