Ecosystem mapping for the implementation of the European Biodiversity Strategy at the national level: The case of Italy |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, RM, Italy;2. Department of BioScience and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, IS, Italy;1. Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-10691, Stockholm, Sweden;2. Institute of Estuarine & Coastal Studies, University of Hull, HU6 7RX, Hull, UK;3. BONUS Secretariat, Hakaniemenranta 6, 00530, Helsinki, Finland;1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460, USA;2. Joint Global Change Research Institute/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 5825 University Research Court, Suite 3500, College Park, MD 20742, USA;1. Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University, The Netherlands;2. Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne, Monash Rd, Parkville 3010, Australia;1. Dept of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome,Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy;2. Dept of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Viale S. Ignazio 13, 09123 Cagliari, Italy;1. DAFNE Department, Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy;2. Laboratory of Ecology, DICAM – Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering University of Trento, Italy |
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| Abstract: | Several international initiatives, including the European Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, promote the identification and mapping of ecosystems as basic tools for the conservation of biodiversity and related services. On coarse scales, the spatial representation of ecosystems is usually based on broad land cover categories that largely overlook important ecological and biogeographic features of the biotic communities they are meant to exemplify. This paper presents a nationwide ecosystem mapping approach that promotes a degree of thematic detail, which is more suited than that found in the continental maps to meeting biodiversity conservation targets in Italy. The approach is based on the rationale that current and potential vegetation cover are valuable proxies for outlining ecosystems. The resulting Ecosystem Map of Italy includes 43 types of forest ecosystems instead of the 5 woodland, forest and other wooded land types recognized at the European level. We outline the expected advantages of this enhanced thematic detail for a number of conservation purposes and highlight how the resulting maps may help to meet biodiversity conservation targets at the national level. In particular, we refer to the assessment of conservation status, the definition of restoration priorities, the planning of green infrastructure and the identification of collapse risks for the ecosystems identified. Comprehensively, the definition, characterization and assessment of ecosystem types represent the carrying structure of the recently launched national system of natural capital accounting. |
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| Keywords: | Corine Land Cover Ecosystem mapping Ecosystem service providers European Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 MAES process Potential Natural Vegetation |
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