0000000000660867
AUTHOR
Katja M. Raatikainen
Systematic targeting of management actions as a tool to enhance conservation of traditional rural biotopes
Traditional rural biotopes (TRBs), which are biologically and culturally valuable habitats maintained by low-intensity grazing and mowing, are a core element of biodiversity in Europe. During the last decades, TRBs have faced severe habitat loss and fragmentation due to agricultural modernization. Despite their well-known critical state, their conservation remains inadequate, thus raising a need to advance TRB conservation via spatial land-use planning. In this study we analyze a national GIS database on TRBs in order to examine how the current TRB network can be complemented in terms of conservation value based on known ecological characteristics. Given different target scenarios for the a…
Ranking Natura 2000 habitats and Natura 2000 areas for nature
We ranked 1 541 Finnish Natura 2000 areas and their 69 different habitat types for ecological restoration and nature management based on their potential for cost-effective ecosystem improvement. We did it by Zonation software and its principles: complementarity, connectivity, condition and cost-effectiveness. We had biodiversity data (GIS: location and current state of 67 N2000 habitats and threatened species) and expert knowledge of improvement methods, effects and costs. As results we got maps, curves of trade-offs and also a ranking list of Natura 2000 areas. peerReviewed
Enhancing conservation of traditional rural biotopes through spatial targeting of management actions - a practical challenge
Traditional rural biotopes (TRBs), which are biologically and culturally valuable habitats maintained by low-intensity grazing and mowing, are a core element of biodiversity in Europe. During the last decades, TRBs have faced severe habitat loss and fragmentation due to agricultural modernization. Despite their well-known critical state, their conservation remains inadequate, thus raising a need to promote TRB conservation via spatial land-use planning. In an earlier study (1) we analyzed a GIS database on Finnish TRBs in order to examine how the current TRB network can be complemented in terms of conservation value based on known ecological characteristics. Given different target scenarios…