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.
2024
Abstract
Semi-natural grasslands are amongst the most species-rich habitats in Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe. However, the ecological values of these habitats are threatened, by intensification of agriculture in some areas and by abandonment in others. A key question is whether current measures aiming to protect this biodiversity in Norway are in fact successful. We evaluated, in the field, the condition of 55 localities of semi-natural pastures and hay meadows recorded in the Norwegian nature database, Naturbase. We found that only 20 localities (36%) were receiving the agri-environmental subsidies for which they were all eligible. All but one of the localities receiving the subsidies were in fair to good condition, compared with just 41% of the localities that did not receive subsidies. However, only four the 16 most valuable localities, those classed as nationally important, received agri-environmental subsidies. Through a questionnaire to landowners, we found that many were not aware of the biodiversity value on their properties. Of 33 respondents, 20 (61%) knew that they had these valuable ecosystems on their property, whilst 13 (39%) did not. Further, twenty respondents were not aware that they were eligible for financial support to maintain their species-rich grasslands. We conclude that to achieve long-term conservation in habitats dependent on management, it is essential to improve dialogue with landowners.
Abstract
The Norwegian monitoring programme for agricultural landscapes has been running for 25 years, collecting data on status and change in agricultural landscapes. The programme is based on mapping of a thousand 1 x 1km squares from aerial photographs, with field work to record birds and plants at around 10 % of the squares. In 2021, the programme introduced field recording of butterflies and bumblebees along a 1 km transect at ten monitoring squares. In spite of the low number of sites, we found a clear trend between landscape spatial structure and number of pollinators. Both the number of individuals and number of species increased with increasing landscape heterogeneity. This mirrored patterns that have been detected in the monitoring of farmland birds. Much is known about how to improve farming landscapes for pollinators. In Norway, agri-environmental subsides are available to encourage the management of flowery pollinator zones adjacent to arable land. First, farmers received payment to sow nectar-rich plants such as the non-native Phacelia tanacetifolia in field margins. Then higher subsidy rates were introduced for using seed mixes of regional plant species. The latest development is payment for managing zones adjacent to the crop, typically woodland edges. This saves agricultural soil for food production, whilst expanding the role of farmers in contributing to pollinator-friendly landscapes.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Europe’s Earth Observation programme for climate and environmental monitoring, Copernicus, provides ready-made thematic layers in the form of High-Resolution Layers (HRL). Examples include Water and Wetness, Small woody features, Grassland and Imperviousness. These datasets are freely available and comparable across Europe, but are they of high enough quality to be useful in national monitoring? In a collaborative project between Norway and Poland, we tested the accuracy and usefulness of these products for environmental monitoring, either alone or in combination with national data. We identified several challenges, ranging from errors in the data, difficulties finding information needed in the verification work, issues related to definitions and thresholds and the time-lag before data are available. However, the work also highlighted gaps and weaknesses in the national geographic datasets. We conclude that there is a clear need for the CLMS products. We advise caution in using the products until they have been improved but see that they have great potential for future use in environmental monitoring.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Geir-Harald Strand Eva Solbjørg Flo Heggem Linda Aune-Lundberg Agata Hościło Adam WaśniewskiAbstract
Land cover maps are frequently produced via the classification of satellite imagery. There is a need for a practicable and automated approach for the generalization of these land cover classification results into scalable, digital maps while minimizing information loss. We demonstrate a method where a land cover raster map produced using the classification of Sentinel 2 imagery was generalized to obtain a simpler, more readable land cover map. A replicable procedure following a formal generalization framework was applied. The result of the initial land cover classification was separated into binary layers representing each land cover class. Each binary layer was simplified via structural generalization. The resulting images were merged to create a new, simplified land cover map. This map was enriched by adding statistical information from the original land cover classification result, describing the internal land cover distribution inside each polygon. This enrichment preserved the original statistical information from the classified image and provided an environment for more complex cartography and analysis. The overall accuracy of the generalized map was compared to the accuracy of the original, classified land cover. The accuracy of the land cover classification in the two products was not significantly different, showing that the accuracy did not deteriorate because of the generalization.
Abstract
Vegetasjon langs bekker og vannveier er viktig for biologisk mangfold, jordvern, erosjonskontroll, reduksjon av risiko for flom og tørke, og for elvens hydromorfologi. Copernicus Land Monitoring Service tilbyr geografiske produkter til støtte for forvaltning av land og vann. I denne rapporten analyserer vi potensialet til Riparian Zones temakart (RZ) for bruk til kartlegging og overvåking av vegetasjon langs bekker og vannveier i Norge og Polen. Vi inkluderer også analyser av temakartet Small Woody Features (SWF) innenfor områder kartlagt i RZ. Vi sammenlignet RZ med nasjonale data og flybilder for å verifisere kvaliteten til datasettet, både for status og endringer i arealdekke og arealbruk langs bekker og vannveier. Vi konkluderer med at den tematiske nøyaktigheten var ganske god for vann, jordbruksareal og skog, men at andre klasser ikke korresponderte like godt med de nasjonale dataene. Mange av avvikene kan skyldes forskjeller i klassifiseringssystemene, kildedatene og kartleggingsinstruksene for de forskjellige datasettene. I tillegg fant vi at den romlige oppløsningen av RZ er utilstrekkelig for detaljert overvåking, særlig i jordbrukslandskap. Likevel gir RZ en standardisert og harmonisert metodikk for hele Europa, og er et steg i riktig retning for å kunne overvåke arealdekke og arealbruk i disse dynamiske og viktige områdene.
Authors
Ragnhild Aabøe Inglingstad Tove Gulbrandsen Devold Nicola Damiano Anna Caroline Holene Nina Svartedal Irene Comi Tone Inger Eliassen Tora Asledottir Ellen Kathrine Ulleberg Gerd VegarudAbstract
Six cattle breeds native to Norway, have for almost half a century been at risk of extinction. Due to their small population sizes, they have hardly been improved by breeding for many decades. Still, the endangered breeds represent a source of genetic diversity with special milk qualities compared to the modern breed, Norwegian red (NRF). This study reports for the first time a detailed overview of their milk composition. Milk from seven native breeds, in total 200 individuals, were included in the study. Rare genetic variants of αs1-and αs2-casein, and β-casein A1 and κ-casein B were more prevalent in milk form the endangered breeds compared to NRF. Moreover, milk from these six breeds showed better renneting properties and lower incidences of non-coagulating milk, compared to the NRF milk, which showed better acid coagulation properties. This study shows the potential for native breeds in small-scale production of high-quality rennet cheeses.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered