“Nature types in Norway”

a system for typification

and description of

variation on different

scales

International Workshop on seabed mapping methods and technology, Trondheim

October 18th 2012

Arild Lindgaard

The Norwegian

Biodiversity

Information Centre

(NBIC)

• The biodiversity centre is an official national

source for information on biodiversity

• The Centre’s major role is to provide society with

updated and easily accessible information on

ecosystems, species and genes (populations)

Main focus areas

Knowledge dissemination

Infrastructure on Biodiversity

knowledge

Science-based Assessments

Increase knowledge on Biodiversity

in Norway

”Nature types in Norway (NiN)”

• Launched in 2009 as a new concept of habitat/ecosystem/landscape classification and description

• Comprising terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments

• Handles all ecological variation in nature in multiple scales

• Offering a science based tool for mapping, monitoring, research and management

• Flexible system allows high degree of comparison with existing systems

• Will serve as a national standard for classification of ecological variation, but will be revised regularly (versions)

Photo: Arild Lindgaard

Natural variation is

gradual ...

... but man creates

sharp boundaries

”Nature types in Norway (NiN)”

Nature variation in 3 dimensions:

• Scale

• Generalisation of types

• Variation within types

Photo: Arild Lindgaard

Natural variation: the First dimension

The nested hierarchy of

biodiversity levels

(Noss 1990)

... and relevant spatial

scale

follow each other

Variation at several nested levels of generalisation (‘types

in types in types’)

Natural variation: the second dimension

• Clear principles for defining

types

• Focus on ecological variables

(ecoclines)

• Within each level main types

and subtypes may be defined

• For some levels the types are

sorted in main groups

Wetland systems

Non-wetland terrestrial systems

Marine systems Tidal systems

Fr

esh

wa

ter

sy

ste

ms

Natural variation: the third dimension

Six sources of variation:

– variation along local ecoclines

– variation along condition or impact ecoclines

– variation along regional ecoclines

– variation in dominance

– variation in object relating to site condition and

history

– landform variation

Local ecoclines

– several environmental variables vary together

... and form complex environmental gradients (‘complex-

gradients’)

– the entire species composition varies along complex

environmental gradients

local ecocline: parallel variation of the species

composition and important complex environmental

gradients at relatively fine spatial scales and that persists

for a relatively long period of time (centuries or millennia)

examples: Marine salinity(SA), Grain size (KO), Water circulation

(VS), Kinetic energy (BE)

Condition or impact ecoclines

examples:

Eutrophication (EU), Climate-

change impact (KL), Contaminant or

pollutant (MG), Bottom-trawling

impact (BU), Alien species (FA),

Over-exploitation (OB), Imbalance

between trophic levels (UB)

Condition or impact ecocline: variation in

species composition along successional

gradients, recognisable at time scales of

decades, often (but not always) taking place

without alteration of the basic properties of

an area

Photo: Institute for Marine Research

Regional ecoclines

regional ecocline: parallel

variation of the species

composition and

macroclimatic factors, at

coarse spatial scales

examples:

Marine ecoregions (MS),

Marine waterbodies (MT)

Dominance

dominance: variation in species abundances that cannot

be explained by local or regional environmental gradients

and that is not due to variation in state

Object content

Objects relating to site condition and history : ...

occurrence of specific objects (that are important for

characterising [the state of] a patch)

Landform variation

landform

variation: terrain

shape

(geomorphometric

variation, e.g.

relative relief) and

occurrence of

distinct landforms

Photo: Arild Lindgaard

What is a nature type

(and what should a nature type be)?

• Natural variation is mostly gradual, in many dimensions

• The nature, as such, is not divided into discrete types

• Nature types, as such, therefore do not exist

... but nature types can be constructed, as abstractions that

are potentially useful for describing natural variation

• A ’right’ system of nature types does not exist

... natural variation can be described in several different

ways

... of which some will be better suited for a given purpose

than others

• A division into nature types starts with a working definition

of what a ’nature type’ should be

The definition of nature type used in NiN

The definition of ’naturtype’ in the 2009 Nature Diversty Act:

a homogeneous environment, including all plant and animal life and environmental factors that operate there, or special types of natural features such as ponds, habitat islands in fields or the like, and special types of geological features

Operational definition used in NiN: A nature type is type of nature that,

according to a set of specific criteria, is considered to be more or less uniform Foto: Arild Lindgaard

NiN – natural variation systematised

Putting natural variation into

system implies making three major

decisions:

• To choose biodiversity level(s)?

• To choose the number of levels

in the generalisation hierarchy

... and how to define them

(definitions of tresholds etc.)

• To decide how to treat all

residual (within-type) variation

Foto: Arild Lindgaard

V

REGION

I

MICRO-

HABITAT

II

ECOLOGICAL

SYSTEM

III

LANDSCAPE

ELEMENT

IV

LANDSCAPES

AND SEASCAPES

”sources of variation”

Major types

Major types

Basic types

Basic types

Basic types

Basic types

Dominance Condition

ecoclines

Object

content Local ecoclines

Landform

variation

Regional

ecoclines

Major types

Major-type groups

Major types

Major-type groups

Some examples

Microhabitat: Soft marine substrates

Photo: MAREANO/Institute for Marine Research

Photo: Kjell Magnus Norderhaug/NIVA

Ecological system main type”: Kelp-forest seabed

Subtype: Tangle (Laminaria hyperborea) seabed

Photo: Rune Halvorsen

Landscape element: Fjord

Seascape level in Mareano

How is NiN used so far?

• Tool for knowledge-based decision-making

• Basis for the Norwegian Red List for Ecosystems and

Habitat Types

• Mapping of protected areas

• Monitoring

• MAREANO

• Identification of habitats for red-listed species

• Risk assessment of alien species in Norway (2012)

But...

When using the system knowledge gaps and needs for

improvements are identified!

Further development of NiN into version 2.0

New knowledge

New requirements

Users feedback

Improvement needs

etc

etc

Thematic

Expert

groups

Scientific

Council

NiN

version

2.0

Thank You

for your

attention !