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.
2016
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Gisela Lüscher Youssef Ammari Aljona Andriets Siyka Angelova Michaela Arndorfer Debra Bailey Katalin Balázs Marion Bogers R.G.H. Bunce Jean-Philippe Choisis Peter Dennis Mario Díaz Tetyana Dyman Sebastian Eiter Wendy FjellstadAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Abstract Questions Vegetation mapping based on field surveys is time-consuming and expensive. Distribution modelling might be used to overcome these challenges. What is the performance of distribution modelling of vegetation compared to traditional vegetation mapping when projected locally? Does the modelling performance vary among ecosystems? Does vegetation type distribution and abundance influence the modelling performance? Location Gravfjellet, Øystre Slidre commune, southern Norway. Methods Two comparable neighbouring areas, each of 4 km2, were mapped for species-defined vegetation types. One area was used for model training, the other for model projection. Maximum entropy models were run for six vegetation types, two from each of the ecosystems present in the area: forest, wetland and mountain heath- and shrublands. For each ecosystem, one locally abundant and one locally rare vegetation type were tested. AUC, the area under the receiver operating curve, was used as the model selection criterion. Environmental variables (n = 9) were selected through a backwards selection scheme, and model complexity was kept low. The models were evaluated using independent data. Results Distribution modelling of vegetation types by local projection gave high AUC values, and the results were supported by the evaluation using independent data. The modelling ability was not affected by ecosystem differences. A negative relationship between the number of points used to train the models and the AUC value before evaluation suggests that models for locally rare vegetation types had better predictive performance than the models for abundant types. This result was not significant after evaluation. Conclusion Provided that relevant explanatory variables are available at an appropriate scale, and that field-validated training points are available, distribution modelling can be used for local projection of the six tested vegetation types from the boreal–alpine ecotone.
Abstract
Accessibility is a central issue for human activity, particularly in mountain areas. We investigate changes in physical accessibility in a Western Norwegian mountain area during the past 40–60 years and identify driving forces of changes. Changes in accessibility were measured as changes in travel time between permanently and seasonally inhabited farmsteads. Additionally, travel time from new access points in the mountains was calculated. C.75% of the investigated access routes to seasonal farmsteads have remained unchanged due to continued use or maintenance work, or been slightly improved due to development of paths into roads. In addition, new access routes have emerged as a result of road construction. Regrowth of paths due to abandonment of seasonal farming has reduced accessibility. Changes in accessibility have led to a concentration of activities in more easily accessibly parts of the study area. Documented changes in accessibility result from a complex interaction of driving forces that initiate or influence change. Important drivers interacting with road construction and abandonment of seasonal farming can be categorized as socio-economic, political and technological. However, the importance of culturally rooted commitment of local people or a small number of enthusiasts must not be underestimated.
Authors
Ilse R. Geijzendorffer Stefano Targetti Manuel K. Schneider Dick J. Brus Philippe Jeanneret Robert H.G. Jongman Martin Knotters Davide Viaggi Siyka Angelova Michaela Arndorfer Debra Bailey Katalin Balázs András Báldi Marion M.B. Bogers Robert G.H. Bunce Jean-Philippe Choisis Peter Dennis Sebastian Eiter Wendy Fjellstad Jürgen K. Friedel Tiziano Gomiero Arjan Griffioen Max Kainz Anikó Kovács-Hostyánszki Gisela Lüscher Gerardo Moreno Juri Nascimbene Maurizio G. Paoletti Philippe Pointereau Jean-Pierre Sarthou Norman Siebrecht Igor Staritsky Siyka Stoyanova Sebastian Wolfrum Felix HerzogAbstract
1.To evaluate progress on political biodiversity objectives, biodiversity monitoring provides information on whether intended results are being achieved. Despite scientific proof that monitoring and evaluation increase the (cost) efficiency of policy measures, cost estimates for monitoring schemes are seldom available, hampering their inclusion in policy programme budgets. 2.Empirical data collected from 12 case studies across Europe were used in a power analysis to estimate the number of farms that would need to be sampled per major farm type to detect changes in species richness over time for four taxa (vascular plants, earthworms, spiders and bees). A sampling design was developed to allocate spatially, across Europe, the farms that should be sampled. 3.Cost estimates are provided for nine monitoring scenarios with differing robustness for detecting temporal changes in species numbers. These cost estimates are compared with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget (2014–2020) to determine the budget allocation required for the proposed farmland biodiversity monitoring. 4.Results show that the bee indicator requires the highest number of farms to be sampled and the vascular plant indicator the lowest. The costs for the nine farmland biodiversity monitoring scenarios corresponded to 0·01%–0·74% of the total CAP budget and to 0·04%–2·48% of the CAP budget specifically allocated to environmental targets. 5.Synthesis and applications. The results of the cost scenarios demonstrate that, based on the taxa and methods used in this study, a Europe-wide farmland biodiversity monitoring scheme would require a modest share of the Common Agricultural Policy budget. The monitoring scenarios are flexible and can be adapted or complemented with alternate data collection options (e.g. at national scale or voluntary efforts), data mobilization, data integration or modelling efforts.
Abstract
Increased forest biomass production for bioenergy will have various consequences for landscape scenery, depending on both the landscape features present and the character and intensity of the silvicultural and harvesting methods used. We review forest preference research carried out in Finland, Sweden and Norway, and discuss these findings in relation to bioenergy production in boreal forest ecosystems. Some production methods and related operations incur negative reactions among the public, e.g. stump harvesting, dense plantation, soil preparation, road construction, the use of non-native species, and partly also harvest of current non-productive forests. Positive visual effects of bioenergy production tend to be linked to harvesting methods such as tending, thinning, selective logging and residue harvesting that enhance both stand and landscape openness, and visual and physical accessibility. Relatively large differences in findings between studies underline the importance of local contextual knowledge about landscape values and how people use the particular landscape where different forms of bioenergy production will occur. This scientific knowledge may be used to formulate guiding principles for visual management of boreal forest bioenergy landscapes.
2015
Authors
Lars Aksel OpsahlAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Sebastian EiterAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Lars Vesterdal Nicholas Clarke Bjarni D. Sigurdsson Helena M Stefánsdóttir O. Janne Kjønaas Per Gundersen Inge Stupak Teresa Gómez de la Bárcena Lars Pødenphant KiærAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered