Identification and Evaluation of Habitat Development Potentials

authored by

Christina von Haaren, Jan Bug

Abstract

The habitat development potential (HDP), as presented here, is the capability of the abiotic components of the ecosystem to produce biodiversity. We present a method for classifying sites with reference to the value of their possible habitats, including their phytocenosis. The method is based on the observation that the greatest chance for developing biocenoses, with conservation values, exists when site conditions are extreme and vary the most from the standard, ‘normal’, conditions on agricultural land. The input parameters for the model include: soil moisture level, nutrient content, and pH value. If these parameters are not available they may be deduced with the help of pedotransfer rules from primary soil data. The results offer added value for choosing sites on which; (i) habitats should be mapped in more detail, in order to check how well the state represents the potential; (ii) agri-environmental measures can be allocated with best chances of successfully developing valuable biodiversity; (iii) compensatory mitigation generates the most valuable habitats; (iv) landscapes with small shares of habitat structures can be augmented with best value for money; and (v) a market for soils/sites with a high HDP already exists in the context of habitat banking and result-oriented agri-environmental measures. In these latter cases a monetary HDP value can be assigned to soils.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Environmental Planning

External Organisation(s)

State Authority for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG)

Type

Contribution to book/anthology

Pages

267-276

Publication date

26.06.2019

Publication status

Published

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 15 - Life on Land

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1681-7_17 (Access: Closed)