Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2025
Abstract
The value of genetic resources in agriculture is hard to overestimate as they are decisive for food safety, provide options for adaptation of future diet needs, and underpin a vast amount of biodiversity. To enable an effective conservation of these resources, we need knowledge about where they are located. The EU project GenRes Bridge showed that this knowledge is indeed modest at the European level. A source of genetic resources with particular potential for use in agriculture, e.g. related to the future adaptation to climate change, are crop wild relatives (CWR). Crop wild relatives are plant species categorized as wild relatives of cultivated plants and are used here as an indicator of genetic resources in the landscape. We therefore wanted to explore new ways of identifying hotspots of genetic resources, highlighting the landscape as a starting point. It is well established that landscape heterogeneity is closely related to biodiversity, although to our knowledge studies hitherto have rarely looked at the relation between landscape and genetic resources. Focusing on crop wild relatives, used here as an indicator for genetic resources in the landscape, we wanted to assess whether we could identify how landscape variation in topography and land cover has consequences for the spatial distribution of genetic resources that may be important in the future development of agriculture. Here we report the results from this pilot study where we have tested whether there is a correlation between landscape heterogeneity and agricultural genetic resources, using 5 x 5 km grid cells as spatial units. We used the presence of the crop wild relatives (CWR) which are prioritized for conservation in Norway as indicators of agricultural genetic resource diversity and extracted landscape heterogeneity descriptors from publicly available sources. The results from our study do suggest that landscape diversity could be a path worth following in searching for these resources in the landscape, and thus also important in decision-making on planning and management in these diverse landscapes.
Abstract
Studien undersøker hvordan vegetasjonsdekke (NDVI) og overflaterefleksjon (albedo) varierer gjennom året i norske utmarksområder som er beitet og ubeitet. Utmarkene har stor betydning for beitebruk, biologisk mangfold og karbonlagring, men endringer i landbruk og redusert beitepress påvirker vegetasjonen og kan ha klimakonsekvenser. Analysen bygger på satellittdata fra 18 lokaliteter i perioden 2019–2023. Resultatene viser tydelige sesongmønstre: NDVI er lav om vinteren og høy om sommeren, mens albedo er høy i snødekte perioder og lav når vegetasjon dominerer. Det ble ikke funnet signifikante forskjeller mellom beitede og ubeitede områder samlet sett, selv om enkelte lokaliteter viste små variasjoner. Dette tyder på at sesong og fenologi har større betydning enn beite, og at metodiske begrensninger – særlig grov oppløsning i albedodata – kan maskere lokale effekter. Studien anbefaler bruk av høyoppløselige data og mer avanserte metoder for å bedre forstå klimaeffektene av endret beitebruk.
Authors
Christian Levers Marcel Schwieder Petra Dieker Stefan Erasmi Roberto Azofeifa Rodríguez Ulrike Bayr Ana Julieta Calvo Obando Wendy Fjellstad Satsuki Furubayashi Janne Heliölä Felix Herzog Terho Hyvönen Linda Ieviņa Pēteris Lakovskis Eliane Meier Hannu Ojanen Timo Pitkänen Walfrido Moraes TomasAbstract
This paper outlines the rationale for, and the current state of, mapping habitat diversity. It provides an overview of progress in assessing and monitoring farmland habitat biodiversity at the national level, in line with the proposed OECD Farmland Habitat Biodiversity Indicator (FHBI). The paper describes pilot studies by eight countries, summarising the approaches to mapping habitats, assessing habitat quality, and implementing the FHBI at the national level. Drawing from the experience of the FHBI pilot countries, this paper offers general guidelines for defining habitats and assigning biodiversity values of habitats for calculation of the FHBI. It provides guidance on selecting the appropriate tier level for data acquisition, processing, and reporting, and summarises strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of the current FHBI structure used in the pilot studies.
Abstract
In modern agricultural landscapes, field margins are important for the survival of many species of plants and animals. We recorded vascular plant species in three kinds of field margins: road verges, margins adjacent to pasture, and strips of vegetation with arable fields on either side (“corridors”). Field margins are not included in the current national monitoring programme, due to limited funds and difficulties standardising recording methods. In this study, we repeated a survey done 15 years earlier. For both surveys, recording effort was standardised by using the shape and size of the mapped field margin to calculate the time allocated for recording a full species list. We found that there were fewer flowering plants in the margins than previously, including a decline in many pollinator plants. However, invasive species had increased in frequency. Road verges were the most species rich, presumably because the vegetation is regularly cut for traffic safety reasons. But the Norwegian Public Roads Administration are also managing species-rich roadsides through adapted mowing. Considering international ambitions to restore nature, regular management of field boundaries could be a suitable measure in agricultural landscapes, to increase their value for biodiversity.
Authors
Christian PedersenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Christian Pedersen Svein Olav Krøgli Shivesh Karan Svein Dale Grete Stokstad Diress Tsegaye AlemuAbstract
Over recent decades, farmland and meadow-breeding bird populations in Europe have markedly declined, attributed to factors like agricultural intensification and land abandonment. Parts of the Norwegian Monitoring Programme for Agricultural Landscapes explore the correlation between land use and bird species, aiming to understand how spatial heterogeneity and land use diversity affect the richness, abundance, and distribution of farmland birds. Between 2000 and 2023, we saw declining populations and reduced distributions of several farmland bird species within the monitoring squares. Additionally, we found that both spatial heterogeneity of land use and high land type diversity positively influenced farmland birds. This gives important insight on how to design biodiverse agricultural landscapes. We also examined the impact of agricultural intensity on 25 farmland bird species, using livestock density and pasture size as indicators. Larger pastures generally benefited a wide range of farmland bird species. Different bird species responded variably to livestock numbers, but high livestock density led to a decrease in overall farmland bird abundance. Many countries subsidize sustainable farming to protect biodiversity. We studied Norwegian agri-environmental schemes' impact on farmland and meadow-breeding birds. We found that bird observations rose when these measures were in place but often declined once the support ended. Furthermore, the schemes were geographically limited and relatively few farmers participated. While short-term benefits were evident, long-term effects remain uncertain, highlighting the need for improved conservation strategies. Emphasizing the importance of spatially heterogeneous agricultural landscapes with high land type diversity and natural areas, the study indicates the type of agricultural landscapes we should be aiming for to maintain and restore biodiversity.
Abstract
The study focuses on ecosystem services, historical aspects, and natural diversity. Specifically, it assesses possible proxies for investigating a set of cultural ecosystem services from the Norwegian agricultural landscape. Agricultural areas on the Norwegian land cover map surrounded by a 100 m wide buffer zone were analyzed for recorded historical buildings, cultural heritage sites, red-listed vascular plant species (defined as being at varying degrees at risk of extinction), and red-listed nature types (defined as endangered or vulnerable). The results indicate significant contributions from agricultural landscapes with respect to historical buildings, cultural heritage sites, and red-listed plant species. Regarding red-listed nature types, the contributions were diverse. The ecosystem proxies investigated showed increasing distribution trends with increasing proportions of agricultural landscapes in the spatial units, with a sharp increase with smaller area sizes. However, for cultural heritage sites the trend was different when the proportion of the agricultural landscape was below 25%; it showed a very slow increase. In conclusion, the study highlights the agricultural landscape’s diverse contributions to the investigated ecosystem services in Norway, prompting the need for further research on additional ecosystem services to ensure the continued delivery of environmental and social well-being.
Abstract
Recycling nutrients and organic matter available as waste in urban areas may close nutrient gaps and improve soil quality, but the concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are commonly higher than in mineral fertilisers. How quickly may the limits for soil quality be exceeded, and for which elements, if such materials are applied intensively? For a rough answer to this question, we used soil data from ten case farms near Oslo and Bergen (Norway) to estimate how PTE concentrations increased when the demand for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in a theoretical carrot crop produced every year was covered by compost or digestate from source-separated food waste, or composted garden waste, compared with manure from horses and poultry which are often kept in peri-urban areas. With the intensive fertilisation assumed here, the Norwegian soil quality limits for PTEs were reached within 20–85 years, and faster for soil with more organic matter since regulatory limits set by weight discriminate soils with low bulk density. The limits were reached first for Cu and Zn, which are both essential micronutrients for crop plants. The concentrations of macronutrients in the urban waste-based fertilisers were not well balanced. Rates covering the K demand would lead to high surpluses of P and N. In peri-urban vegetable growing, high applications of compost are not unusual, but more balanced fertilisation is required. The Norwegian regulations for PTEs in organic soil amendments and agricultural soil are stricter than in the EU, and do not support recycling of organic matter and nutrients from urban waste. Many materials which can only be applied with restricted amounts to Norwegian agricultural soil, may be applied according to crop demand in the EU. Growers utilising urban waste-based fertilisers intensively should monitor the soil regularly, including PTE analyses. Soil sampling should occur on fixed sampling points to reveal changes in concentrations over time. Norwegian authorities should consider a revision of the organic fertiliser regulation to support recycling of valuable organic materials. There is a need for more data on the PTE concentrations in agricultural soil and organic fertiliser materials.
Abstract
Agricultural land abandonment is increasingly affecting rural and low-intensity farming regions across Europe, raising concerns about its impact on biodiversity. While some species may benefit from reduced human disturbance, many species in semi-natural ecosystem types depend on traditional agricultural management to maintain their ecological integrity. This study examines whether abandoned agricultural land in Norway contains semi-natural ecosystems that may hold important remnant populations of red-listed plant species and where continued cessation of farming may further threaten these biodiverse ecosystems. Using spatial data on abandoned farmland, semi-natural ecosystem types and species observations, we identify areas of conservation interest and assess the extent to which these areas support endangered species. In addition, we conducted a time-series analysis of vegetation change using NDVI data (2017–2024) to evaluate whether abandonment led to detectable ecological succession. We also analyzed the spatial distribution of abandonment and its correlation with proximity to active farms to understand regional patterns of abandonment. Our results show that only a small percentage (3.7 %) of the abandoned agricultural land considered in this study overlaps with known semi-natural ecosystem types, yet these areas support a significant number of red-listed plant species. The NDVI analysis revealed generally weak but positive greening trends, suggesting early successional changes that are not yet statistically significant across most habitat types. Our method thus suggests a potential approach to allocate limited management resources to key locations. At present, the amount of semi-natural ecosystems is probably underestimated, however, because of limited and time-consuming mapping activity. These findings emphasize the need for more extensive mapping and targeted conservation efforts and highlight the risks posed by abandonment in biodiversity rich semi-natural ecosystem types.
Authors
Alexandra Kruse Csaba Centeri Elena Athanasiadou Deborah Bartlett Sebastian Eiter Martina Kaup Zdenek Kucera Mateja Smid Hribar Martina Slamova Jana Spulerova Hans Renes Pierre-Francois ToulzeAbstract
No abstract has been registered