NINA Brage (Norsk institutt for naturforskning)
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Taksering av fjellrype med drone. Pilotstudie hausten 2023
Full text linkHilde, C.H. & Molværsmyr, S. 2024. Taksering av fjellrype med drone. Pilotstudie hausten 2023. NINA Rapport 2521. Norsk institutt for naturforskning
I dette pilotprosjektet har vi undersøkt om drone med termisk kamera eignar seg for taksering av fjellryper. Under gode forhold var det relativt enkelt å oppdage fjellryper opp til 120 meter over bakkenivå. På grunn av låg tettleik av fjellryper i studieområdet og tidvis dårleg vær, blei færre ryper enn ønskeleg observert. Ingen av dei observerte fjellrypene flykta ved droneoverflyging, men enkelte viste teikn til stress når drona stilla over dei.
For å avgjere om drone med termisk kamera er ein eigna metode for å taksere fjellryper i Norge, krevst det ytterlegare undersøkingar. Prosjektet viser at metoden kan være nyttig for å observere og kartlegge fjellryper i høgfjellet, men det er framleis usikkert kor god oppdagbarheit metoden har. For å estimere oppdagbarheit bør ein utføre gjentatte målingar i same transekt og samanlikne funna med eksisterande metodar som linjetaksering til fots eller i områder med GPS-merka ryper.
Taksering av fjellryper med drone er foreløpig på eit tidleg stadium, men dette prosjektet antydar at metoden kan være effektiv. Vidare utvikling av metodikken er naudsynt for å kunne skalere opp og effektivisere taksering over større områder. I dette prosjektet blei identifisering av ryper utført in situ mens drona følgde førehandsprogrammerte transekt, og i tillegg ble alle bilete gjennomgått manuelt i ettertid, noko som er tidkrevjande. Å trene opp kunstig intelligens til å identifisere ryper på bilete kan effektivisere arbeidet. I tillegg har dronedata potensialet til å kartlegge fleire aspekt av økosystemet til fjellrypene ved f.eks å identifisere andre artar og registrere vegetasjonstypar i høgfjellet
Predicting fine-scale downstream migratory movement of Atlantic salmon smolt (Salmo salar) in front of a hydropower plant
Full text linkThe Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is an iconic species of significant ecological and economic importance. Their downstream migration as smolts represents a critical life-history stage that exposes them to numerous challenges, including passage through hydropower plants. Understanding and predicting fine-scale movement patterns of smolts near hydropower plants is therefore essential for adaptive and effective management and conservation of this species. We present a spatially explicit individual-based model for predicting the movement of Atlantic salmon smolts in regulated rivers in Norway, parameterised for smolt movements in the River Mandal and the River Orkla. The model is rooted in statistically derived relationships between observed smolt swimming behaviour and the hydraulic variables they encounter. The aim of the model was to provide fast yet representative swimming patterns past hydropower plants, based on the hydraulic conditions experienced by the smolts. The model outperformed a ‘drift-only’ model in portraying observed swim tracks when comparing simulated and observed tracks. It was found to represent smolt swimming behaviour well. Our results show that by constructing swim models using relatively simple and general statistical relationships between smolt swimming behaviour and the hydraulic environment, we can produce fast and relevant outputs for an adaptive management process, aimed at exploring how physical implementations or changes in flow regulations might affect smolt populations. Individual based models, Spatial modeling, Fish behavior, Boosted regression trees, 3D telemetry, Fish conservationpublishedVersio
Tilstand for drikkevannskilden Gjersjøen basert på artssamfunn. Inkludert informasjon om tre nærliggende innsjøer: Kolbotnvannet, Midtsjø og Nærevann
Full text linkMajaneva M., Lie E.F., Walseng B., Atienza Casas S., Tonstad A.M. & Opsahl N.N. 2024.Tilstand for drikkevannskilden Gjersjøen basert på artssamfunn. Inkludert informasjon om tre nærliggende innsjøer: Kolbotnvannet, Midtsjø og Nærevann. NINA Rapport 2517. Norsk institutt for naturforskning.
Denne rapporten inneholder resultater fra overvåking av fire innsjøer (Gjersjøen, Kolbotnvannet, Midtsjø og Nærevann) i 2023. En del av resultatene ble sammenlignet med et sett av referanse-innsjøer overvåket under basisovervåkingen (ØKOFERSK). Hovedfokus var på drikkevannskilden Gjersjøen. Iht. vannforskriften/vanndirektivet presenterer rapporten tilstanden for Gjersjøen basert på biomasse av blågrønnbakterier, klorofyll a-konsentrasjon, planteplankton trofisk indeks, total biovolum av planteplankton og et gjennomsnitt av de fire planteplanktonparameterne, sammensetning av småkreps (vannlopper og hoppekreps), eutrofiindeks for fisk (EindexW3), siktedybde, totalt fosfor og totalt nitrogen, som ble målt og beregnet iht. klassifiseringsveilederen. I tillegg presenterer rapporten tilstanden for Gjersjøen basert på andre indekser som ikke er inkludert i klassifiseringsveilederen som innsjøindekser: et forhold mellom autotrofer til heterotrofer (A/H-forhold) for eukaryote encellede organismer, eutrofieringsindeks (CIT) for småkreps, en organisk forurensningsindeks (ASPT-indeks) for bunndyr, og en sensitivitetsverdi for menneskelig næringsberikelse for fjærmygg. Rapporten inneholder også innblikk i mageinnhold av abbor og mort i Gjersjøen, samt generell artssammensetning av encellede eukaryoter, småkreps, bunndyr og fisk i de fire fokusvannene. Dataene for denne rapporten er samlet fra to kilder, med data fra eksisterende databaser og gjennom å ta nye prøver. Gamle ØKOFERSK-overvåkingsdata for de fire fokusinnsjøene og et utvalg av referanseinnsjøer ble lastet ned fra Vannmiljø. Videre ble det tatt vannprøver samt småkreps- og bunndyrprøver vår og høst 2023 i de fire fokusvannene. I tillegg ble det satt bunngarn og flytegarn i Gjersjøen om høsten. Det ble brukt to ulike tilnærminger til artsidentifikasjon og analyser i rapporten. Prøvetaking og artsidentifikasjon av småkreps samt garnfiske ble gjort iht. klassifiseringsveilederen. Bunndyr ble prøvetatt iht. veilederen og identifisert ved hjelp av DNA metastrekkoding. Encellede eukaryoter, mageinnhold av fisk og tilstedeværelse av fisk ble påvist med DNA metastrekkoding. Økologisk tilstand for Gjersjøen er avtagende – tilstanden har sunket fra “svært god” til “god” i løpet av de siste ti årene. Likevel ligger Gjersjøen fortsatt godt innenfor “god” økologisk tilstand i henhold til vannforskriften. Men basert på data og indekser som ikke inngår i klassifiseringen av norske innsjøer, er tilstanden for Gjersjøen noe dårligere. Mens ASPT-indeksen for bunndyr indikerer god tilstand, viser CIT-indeks for småkreps moderat tilstand. Fjærmygg og encellede eukaryoter indikerer eutrofe forhold i Gjersjøen. På grunnlag av disse signalene anbefaler vi at tilstanden for Gjersjøen følges årlig med tanke på hvorvidt det må iverksettes tiltak.Majaneva M., Lie E.F., Walseng B., Atienza Casas S., Tonstad A.M. & Opsahl N.N. 2024. Status of the drinking water source Gjersjøen based on species communities. Including information about three nearby lakes: Kolbotnvannet, Midtsjø and Nærevann. NINA Report 2517. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research.
This report contains results from monitoring of four lakes (Gjersjøen, Kolbotnvannet, Midtsjø and Nærevann) in 2023. Part of the results were compared with a set of reference lakes monitored during the baseline monitoring (ØKOFERSK). The focus was on the drinking water source Gjersjøen. According to the EU Water Framework Directive, the report presents the status of Gjersjøen based on biomass of blue-green bacteria, chlorophyll a concentration, phytoplankton trophic index, total biovolume of phytoplankton and an average of the four phytoplankton parameters, number of microcrustaceans per sample, eutrophic index for fish (EindexW3), Secchi depth, total phosphorus and total nitrogen that were measured and calculated according to clas-sification guide. In addition, the report presents the status of Gjersjøen based on other indices that are not included as lake indices in the classification guide: an autotroph to heterotroph ratio (A/H ratio) for eukaryotic unicellular organisms, a eutrophication index (CIT) for microcrusta-ceans, an organic pollution index (ASPT index) for benthic macroinvertebrates, and a sensitivity value for human nutrient enrichment for non-biting midges. The report also contains insights into the stomach contents of perch and roach in Gjersjøen, as well as general species composition of unicellular eukaryotes, microcrustaceans, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish in the four focus lakes. The data for this report has been collected from two sources: from databases and taking new samples. Old ØKOFERSK monitoring data for the four focus lakes and a selection of reference lakes were downloaded from Vannmiljø. New samples of microcrustaceans, benthic macroinvertebrates and water were collected from several locations in the four focus lakes in the spring and autumn of 2023. In addition, benthic and pelagic gillnets were deployed in Gjersjøen in the autumn of 2023. Two different approaches were used in species identification and analyses in the report. Sampling and species identification of microcrustaceans as well as gillnet fishing were done in accordance with the classification guide, while benthic macroinvertebrates were only sampled in accordance with the guide. Benthic macroinvertebrates and unicellular eukaryotes were instead identified using DNA metabarcoding. Stomach contents of fish and the presence of fish were also detected with DNA metabarcoding. The ecological status of Gjersjøen is declining – the status has declined from “high” to “good” over the past ten years. Nevertheless, Gjersjøen is still well within “good” ecological status based on data according to the Water Framework Directive. However, based on data and indices that are not included in the classification of Norwegian lakes, the status of Gjersjøen is somewhat lower. While the ASPT index for benthic macroinvertebrates indicates good status, the CIT for microcrustaceans shows moderate status. Non-biting midges and unicellular eukaryotes indicate eutrophic conditions in Gjersjøen. Therefore, we recommend that the status of Gjersjøen is monitored annually. If the status continues to decline in the future, measures must be taken to reverse the trend
First Evidence of Individual Sharks Involved in Multiple Predatory Bites on People
Full text linkIt is widely accepted that populations of terrestrial predators sometimes contain “problem individuals” that repeatedly attack humans, yet this phenomenon has never been demonstrated in sharks. Here, we present photographic and genetic evidence of individuals in populations of tiger Galeocerdo cuvier and oceanic whitetip Carcharhinus longimanus sharks that (1) demonstrated atypical behavior compared to the rest of the population, (2) engaged in repeated agonistic behavior directed toward humans, and (3) bit, or attempted to bite humans in probable foraging attempts. These case studies provide some of the first evidence for the existence of “problem individuals” among sharks. The percentage of fatalities due to the same shark individual are not known, so we recommend systematic swabbing of shark bite victims wounds to better understand the importance of this phenomenon and the possibility of identifying these animals. Environmentally conscientious management options for problem individuals range from prohibiting ocean activities (e.g., swimming and surfing) in their habitats to selectively removing the individual, although the latter would be challenging in the marine environment.publishedVersio
Nedlegging av gamle fylkesvegparseller og restaurering av natur
Full text linkSkrindo, A.B., Heggland, A., Hjermstad-Sollerud, H., Bargmann, T., Bernitz, P, Galaaen, J.S., Wyspianska, A., Myklebost, H & Jokerud, M. 2024. Nedlegging av gamle fylkesvegparseller og restaurering av natur. NINA Rapport 2490. Norsk institutt for naturforskning.
Vestland fylkeskommune ønsker kunnskap om tilbakeføring av vegareal til natur og belyse tilbakeføring gjennom tre eksempelvegstrekninger ved Flostranda, Heilevang og Trettetungene. Denne rapporten svarer ut oppdraget i tre hoveddeler: (i) En kunnskapssammenstilling basert på relevant litteratur og erfaring, (ii) kost/nytte-vurdering av eksempelvegstrekningene, og (iii) diskusjon av funnene med anbefalinger.
Litteratursøket viste at det finnes svært få vitenskapelige publikasjoner om tilbakeføring av vegarealer til natur i økosystem som er sammenlignbare med naturen i eksempelområdene. Samtidig finnes det litteratur fra andre økosystem og en del kunnskap fra restaureringsprosjekter i Norge som kan benyttes i dette prosjektet. Kunnskapsgrunnlaget tilsier at fjerning av vegkroppen og implementering av restaureringstiltak som igangsetter de naturlige økologiske prosessene vil redusere de negative effektene som vegen har hatt i større eller mindre grad.
Rapporten legger til grunn at hovedmålet med restaureringen er å tilrettelegge for naturlige økologiske prosesser at vegområdet vil bli en del av den omkringliggende naturen. Det er vurdert fire scenarioer som i ulik grad legger til rette for dette:
1.
Null scenarioet: Ingen tiltak og restaureringen skjer «passivt»
2.
0+ scenarioet: Få aktive tiltak.
3.
Natur-scenarioet: Flere aktive tiltak enn «0+ scenarioet», spesielt fjerning og omfordeling av masser og aktive revegeteringstiltak.
4.
Full restaurering scenarioet: En full tilbakeføring av naturen som var før veien ble bygget. Scenarioet ble forkastet som urealistisk.
Vurderingen av ikke-prissatt nytte og ulempe er utviklet fra systemet i anerkjent metodikk for konsekvensanalyser (V712 Statens vegvesen og M-1941 Miljødirektoratet). Rapporten påpeker forbedringspunkter til metodikken dersom den skal brukes i framtidige restaureringsprosjekter.
For klimagassutslipp eller grunnforurensing er det ingen forskjell på restaureringsscenarioene (0+ og natur) for noen av prosjektene. For klimagass er konsekvensen ubetydelig i begge restaureringsscenarioene, mens alle restaureringsscenarioene er vurdert å innebære positiv konsekvens for tema grunnforurensning. For naturmangfold utpeker Flostranda seg med størst gevinst. Her er det store forekomster av rødlistede naturtyper og det meste av arealene som grenser til vegen er vernet etter naturmangfoldloven. I Heilevang er det bra potensial for å oppnå vesentlig verdiøkning gjennom å restaurere et areal med naturbeitemark og supplere eksisterende naturtyper som ligger tett på dagens veg. I Trettetungene er det enkelte generelle gevinster å hente ved tilbakeføring.
Restaurering av Flostranda og Heilevang kommer ut ganske likt kostnadsmessig; 4400-6600 kr per løpemeter veg. Trettetungene har en vesentlig høyere meterpris; 8200-10 700 kr. Naturmangfoldnytten er samtidig lavest for Trettetungene. Tilbakeføring av dette prosjektet bør dermed prioriteres lavere enn Heilevang og Flostranda. Naturmangfoldnytten er størst ved tilbakeføring av Flostranda og denne strekning bør derfor ha høyest prioritet.Skrindo, A.B., Heggland, A., Hjermstad-Sollerud, H., Bargmann, T., Bernitz, P., Galaaen, J.S., Wyspianska, A., Myklebost, H. & Jokerud, M. 2024. Decommissioning of old county roads and restoration of nature. NINA Report 2490. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research.
Vestland County Council wants to gain knowledge about nature restoration after road decommissioning using three case studies at Flostranda, Heilevang and Trettetungene. This report answers the study question in in three parts: (i) a review of the literature and experience, (ii) a cost/benefit analysis of three case studies, and (iii) a discussion of findings along with recommendations.
The literature review revealed very few scientific publications about the restoration of nature after road decommissioning in ecosystems comparable to these three case studies. However, literature from other ecosystems and other knowledge from restoration measures in Norway provide valuable information that can be used in this report. The existing knowledge base indicates that road removal and restoration measures to initiate natural ecological processes will reduce the negative effects that a road has had, albeit to varying degrees.
In this report, it is assumed that the main aim of restoration is to facilitate natural ecological processes so that the area previously occupied by road will become part of the surrounding ecosystem. Four scenarios that facilitate this process were considered:
1.Null scenario: No measures undertaken, restoration takes place "passively".
2.The 0+ scenario: Few active measures.
3.The nature scenario: More active measures than the "0+ scenario”, especially the removal and redistribution of masses and active revegetation measures.
4.Full restoration scenario: A full restoration of the ecosystem that was present before theroad was built. This scenario was dismissed and considered unrealistic.The assessment of non-monetized costs and benefits is based on recognized methodology for impact assessments (V712 Norwegian Road Administration and M-1941 Norwegian Environ-ment Agency). There is no difference between the restoration scenarios (0+ and nature) for greenhouse gas emissions or ground pollution in any of the case studies. For greenhouse gases, the consequence is negligible in both restoration scenarios, while all restoration scenarios are assessed to have positive effects on reducing soil pollution. Of the three roads, Flostranda stands out as having the greatest potential biodiversity gain. It has particularly large occurrences of red-listed nature types, and most areas bordering the road are protected under the Natural Diversity Act. Heilevang has potential for significant value increase through the restoration of a natural pasture and supplementing existing habitat types close to the current road. There are also potential gains following restoration in Trettetungene. The costs of restoration at Flostranda and Heilevang are similar; NOK 4400-6600 per meter of road. Trettetungene has a significantly higher price per metre; NOK 8200-10700. At the same time, the biodiversity benefit is lowest for Trettetungene. Restoration of this road should therefore be given a lower priority than the Heilevang Flostranda roads. Biodiversity benefits are greatest at Flostranda and this road section should therefore be given the highest priority
Are sub-alpine species' seedling emergence and establishmentin the alpine limited by climate or biotic interactions?
Full text linkOne of the ways in which plants are responding to climate change is by shifting their ranges to higher elevations. Early life- history stages are major bottlenecks for species' range shifts, and variation in seedling emergence and establishment success can there -fore be important determinants of species' ability to establish at higher elevations. Previous studies have found that warming per se tends to not only increase seedling establishment in alpine climates but it also increases plant productivity, which could limit establishment success through increased competition for light. Here we disen -tangle the relative importance of several climate- related abiotic and biotic factors on sub- alpine species' seedling emergence and survival in the alpine. Specifically, we test how temperature, precipitation and competition from neighbouring vegetation im -pacts establishment, and also whether species' functional traits, or strategies impact their ability to colonise alpine locations. We found that our six sub- alpine study spe -cies were all able to recruit from seed in alpine locations under the extant alpine cli -mate, but their emergence was limited by competition from neighbouring vegetation. This indicates that biotic interactions can hinder the range shifts expected as a result of climate warming. Species with a resource conservative strategy had higher emer -gence in the extant alpine climate than species with a resource acquisitive strategy, and they were largely unaffected by changes in temperature. The resource acquisitive species, in contrast, had faster emergence under warming, especially when they were released from competition from neighbouring vegetation. Our results indicate that competition from the established vegetation is limiting the spread of lowland species into the alpine, and as the climate continues to warm, species with resource acquisi -tive traits might gain an advantage.publishedVersio
Responses of the hyper-diverse community of canopy-dwelling Hymenoptera to oak decline
Full text link1. Forest decline and dieback are growing phenomena worldwide, resulting in severe,large-scale degradation of the canopy. This can profoundly alter the provision oftrophic resources and microhabitats for canopy-dwelling arthropods. 2. In 2019, we assessed the effect of oak decline on the community of canopy-dwelling Hymenoptera. We selected 21 oak stands and 42 plots, located in threeforests in France, presenting contrasting levels of decline. Insects were sampled atthe canopy level with green multi-funnel and flight-interception traps. 3. We collected a particularly diverse community of 19,289 insect individuals belong-ing to 918 taxa, 10 larval trophic guilds and 7 nesting guilds. 4. Oak decline had no effect on the abundance or richness of the overall communitybut significantly reshaped the community assemblages. Decline had contrastingeffects depending on the taxa and guilds considered. Specialist parasitoids weremore abundant at intermediate levels of decline severity while generalists werenegatively affected. Taxa depending on ground-related resources and microhabitatswere promoted. Saproxylic taxa were more abundant while xylophagous insectswere negatively impacted. 5. Reduced leaf area index promoted several guilds and the diversity of the overallcommunity. While an increasing tree mortality rate enhanced the abundance anddiversity of deadwood resources, it had negative impacts on several Hymenopteraguilds. Our results suggest that micro-environmental changes at the ground leveldue to canopy decline have major cascading effects on the communities of canopy-dwelling Hymenoptera.6. Our study highlights the relevance of studying Hymenoptera communities to inves-tigate the outcomes of disturbances on forest biodiversity. canopy openness, deadwood, habitat guild, temperate forest, trophic guildpublishedVersio
Novel large-scale mapping highlights poor state of sea trout populations
Full text link1. The state of sea trout in 1251 Norwegian watercourses was assessed based on a scoring system for human pressures, abundance data, and local knowledge. 2. Over 16,000 km of rivers and lakes were available to sea trout in these watercourses, spanning from the temperate to Arctic regions. 3. Sea trout were classified to be in a good or very good state in fewer than 25% of the watercourses and in a poor or very poor state in almost 40%. Twenty-nine watercourses had lost their sea trout populations. 4. Salmon lice from aquaculture salmon farms had by far the largest adverse effect on sea trout among the human impact factors, both in the number of watercourses (83%) and river area affected (60%), and the total effect on sea trout abundance. 5. Agriculture and hydropower production also had strong adverse impacts (35% and 19% of watercourses), but substantially lower than that caused by salmon lice. Culverts related to road crossings and other habitat alterations also had impacts on sea trout in many watercourses (27%). 6. Exploitation of sea trout has been reduced in Norway in recent years, both in the marine and freshwater fisheries. Yet, the exploitation pressure was moderate or high in almost 14% of the watercourses where the state of sea trout was poor or very poor, suggesting a high potential for overexploitation in these. 7. The state of sea trout was best in the northern sparsely populated areas. However, distribution of watercourses with sea trout in a poor or very poor state was more linked to aquaculture, agriculture, and hydropower production than human population density. 8. The developed approach for large-scale mapping of state and pressures, which is vital for prioritizing management measures, may inspire other nations in their conservation effort for this important species. acidification, anthropogenic pressures, brown trout (Salmo trutta), culverts, exploitation, hazardous substances, salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis), sewagepublishedVersio
National mapping and assessment of ecosystem services projects in Europe – Participants’ experiences, state of the art and lessons learned
No full textBacked by the Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and 2030, numerous ‘Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Services’ (MAES) projects have been completed in recent years in the member states of the European Union, with substantial results and insights accumulated. The experience from the different approaches is a valuable source of information for developing assessment processes further, especially with regard to their uptake into policy and more recently, into ecosystem accounting. Systematic approaches towards best practices and lessons learned from national MAES projects are yet lacking. This study presents the results of a survey conducted with participants of national MAES projects overviewing 13 European MAES processes. Focus hereby is put on the types of methods used, the assessed ecosystem services, and the perceived challenges and advancements. All MAES projects assessed ecosystem services at several levels of the ecosystem service cascade (69% at least three levels), using a diverse set of data sources and methods (with 4.7 types of methods on average). More accessible data was used more frequently (e.g., statistical and literature data being the most popular). Challenges regarding policy uptake, synthesizing results, and data gaps or reliability were perceived as the most severe. Insufficient evaluation of uncertainty was seen as a major critical point, and emphasized as crucial for uptake and implementation. Moving towards accounting for ES in the frame of environmental-economic accounts, considering uncertainties of ES assessments should be even more important. Ecosystem assessment Ecosystem service models Uncertainty Ecosystem service cascade Ecosystem condition types Biodiversity Strategy 2020publishedVersio
Videreutvikling av indikatorer for å vurdere tilstand for økosystemer på land. En oppfølging av Nybø mfl. 2023
Full text linkKolstad, A.L., Adjei, K.P., Bakkestuen, V., Framstad, E., Grainger, M., Gray, A., Kyrkjeeide, M.O., Lyngstad, A., Mienna, I.M., Sydenham, M.A.K., Venter, Z., Øien, D.-I. 2024. Videreutvikling av indikatorer for å vurdere tilstand for økosystemer på land. En oppfølging av Nybø mfl. 2023. NINA Rapport 2523. Norsk institutt for naturforskning
Norge har som mål at økosystemene skal være i god økologisk tilstand og i stand til å levere naturgoder, og Naturmeldingen (Meld. St. 34 (2023-2024)) peker på regelmessige naturregnskap som et viktig bidrag for å få målt dette. Økologiske tilstandsvurderinger er sentrale i naturregnskapet, men på grunn manglede kunnskap, utviklingsarbeid og systematisk datainnhenting mangler slike tilstandsvurderinger for flere økosystemer i dag. Nybø mfl. (2023) startet et utviklingsarbeid for å få på plass flere indikatorer på god økologisk tilstander i våtmark, semi-naturlig mark og naturlig åpne områder under skoggrensa. I denne rapporten følger vi opp flere de prioriterte utviklingsbehovene for tilstandsindikatorer som sto igjen etter at det prosjektet var ferdig.
Normalisering av tilstandsvariabler (tidligere bare kalt skalering) og romlige aggregering av både tilstandsvariabler og -indikatorer er vanlig i en tilstandsvurdering. Det er derimot ikke trivielt å hverken normalisere variabler eller å aggregere de, og vi presenterer i denne rapporten tydelige retningslinjer for hvordan variabler skal normaliseres og aggregeres. Vi kommer med forslag til entydig terminologi rundt hva vi beskriver som ulike aggregeringsløyper.
Heldekkende kart over tilstandsvariabler trenger kartavgrensning av økosystemer for å kunne framstille verdier for indikatoren. Vi har beskrevet hvilke eksisterende kart vi tror kan benyttes i nær framtid for å beregne indikatorverdier for Norge. Konklusjonen er at svært mange av indikatorene kan beregnes, kanskje spesielt de som er direkte kartavhengige, men at det varierer hvor relevante indikatorene kan gjøres med tanke på både tematisk og romlig oppløsning. Det mangler blant annet nasjonalt dekkende kart over semi-naturlige og naturlig åpne økosystemer, og generelt for alle naturtyper som ligger under hovedøkosystemnivået. Dette gjør at indikatorer basert på fjernmåling ikke kan gjøres heldekkende i de fleste tilfeller.
En indikator som viser gjengroing i åpne økosystemer basert på LiDAR er videreutviklet, og vil med mindre justeringer kunne brukes i nasjonale tilstandsvurderinger for de økosystemene der det finnes gode nok kart. En ny gjengroingsindikator baser på flybilder fra omløpsfotograferingen er utviklet for å kunne erstatte den LiDAR-baserte indikatoren på sikt. Den nye gjengroingsindikatoren er mulig å oppdatere med 5-10-års mellomrom, men den kan ikke beregnes for hele Norge, kun for utvalgte (men relativt store) områder. Dette prosjektet har også laget et konsept for hvordan et kart over grøfter i myr kan omformes til verdier for en tilstandsindikator. Indikatoren kan beregnes for hele Norge, gitt at det kommer på plass et nasjonalt grøftekart. Muligheten for å oppdatere indikatoren over tid er beskrevet. Til slutt presenteres videreutvikling av indikatoren for pollineringspotensial for semi-naturlig eng. Indikatoren baserer seg på modellerte utbredelseskart for pollinerende insekter og de karplantene som det er kjent at de benytter seg av i løpet av livssyklusen. Indikatoren virker lovende, men har utfordringer med validering av indikatorverdier og begrenset kunnskap om hvor semi-naturlig eng finnes.
Det er viktig at arbeidet med indikatorberegninger og -design er etterprøvbart og gjennomsiktig. Dette gjør at beregningene kan gjøres på nytt ved nye iterasjoner i fremtidige tilstandsvurde-ringer, og når metodene videreutvikles. Det vil også kunne bidra til at indikatorverdiene som presenteres får større aksept i samfunnet. Vi lanserer derfor en ny publiseringsplattform for å dokumentere og kvalitetssikre arbeidsflyten som leder fram til indikatorverdier. Plattformen heter ecRxiv og har som mål å være et helhetlig sted for lagring og synliggjøring av kode, data og annen dokumentasjon. Plattformen gir også en faglig begrunnelse for hvordan tilstandsindikatorer beregnes.Kolstad, A.L., Adjei, K.P., Bakkestuen, V., Framstad, E., Grainger, M., Gray, A., Kyrkjeeide, M.O., Lyngstad, A., Mienna, I.M., Sydenham, M.A.K., Venter, Z., Øien, D.-I. 2024. Indicators for assessing the condition of terrestrial ecosystems. A follow-up to Nybø et al. 2023. NINA Report 2523. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research.
Norway has a goal to maintain and restore ecosystems to be in good ecological condition and capable of delivering ecosystem services, and the national biodiversity action plan (Meld. St. 34 (2023-2024)) points to regular ecosystem accounts as an important contribution to measuring this. Ecological condition assessments are central to these accounts, but due to a lack of knowledge, development work, and systematic data collection, such assessments are missing for several ecosystems today. Nybø et al. (2023) developed more indicators of good ecological conditions in wetlands, semi-natural areas and naturally open areas below the tree line. In this report, we follow up on several of the prioritised development needs that remained after that project was completed.
Normalization of condition variables and spatial aggregation of both variables and indicators are common in ecosystem condition assessments. However, it is not trivial to neither normalize variables nor to aggregate them, and in this report, we present clear guidelines for how variables should be normalized and aggregated. We propose unambiguous terminology for aggregation pathways.
Wall-to-wall maps of condition variables need ecosystem maps to be able to produce indicator values. We describe which existing maps we believe can be used in the near future to calculate indicator values for Norway. The conclusion is that a many of the proposed indicators can be calculated, perhaps especially those that are directly map-dependent, but that it varies how relevant the indicators can be made in terms of both thematic and spatial resolution. Among other things, there is a lack of maps with national coverage of semi-natural and naturally open ecosystems, and in general for all habitat types that lie below the main ecosystem level. This means that indicators based on remote sensing cannot be made wall-to-wall in most cases.
An indicator showing woody encroachment in open ecosystems based on LiDAR has been further developed, and with minor adjustments can be used in national condition assessments for those ecosystems where there are good enough maps. A new encroachment indicator based on aerial images has been developed to replace the LiDAR-based indicator in the long term. The new indicator can be updated every 5-10 years, but it cannot be calculated for the whole of Norway, only for selected (but relatively large) areas. This project has also created a concept for how a map of trenches in peatlands can be transformed into ecosystem condition indicator values. The indicator can be calculated for the whole of Norway, given that a national map of trenches is in place. The possibility of updating the indicator over time is described. Finally, further development of the indicator for pollination potential for semi-natural meadows is presented. The indicator is based on modelled distribution maps for pollinating insects and the vascular plants they interact with. The indicator shows promise but has challenges with validation of indicator values and limited knowledge of where semi-natural meadows are found.
It is important that the work on indicator calculations and designs is reproducible and transparent. This means that the calculations can be repeated in future condition assessments, and when the methods are further developed. It will also contribute to the indicator values gaining greater acceptance in society. We therefore introduce a new publishing platform to document and quality-control the workflows that lead to indicator values. The platform is called ecRxiv and aims to be a comprehensive place for storing and presenting code, data and other documentation. The platform also provides a scientific justification for how condition indicators are calculated.Miljødirektoratet: M-2875|202