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.
2025
Abstract
Agricultural land abandonment is increasingly affecting rural and low-intensity farming regions across Europe, raising concerns about its impact on biodiversity. While some species may benefit from reduced human disturbance, many species in semi-natural ecosystem types depend on traditional agricultural management to maintain their ecological integrity. This study examines whether abandoned agricultural land in Norway contains semi-natural ecosystems that may hold important remnant populations of red-listed plant species and where continued cessation of farming may further threaten these biodiverse ecosystems. Using spatial data on abandoned farmland, semi-natural ecosystem types and species observations, we identify areas of conservation interest and assess the extent to which these areas support endangered species. In addition, we conducted a time-series analysis of vegetation change using NDVI data (2017–2024) to evaluate whether abandonment led to detectable ecological succession. We also analyzed the spatial distribution of abandonment and its correlation with proximity to active farms to understand regional patterns of abandonment. Our results show that only a small percentage (3.7 %) of the abandoned agricultural land considered in this study overlaps with known semi-natural ecosystem types, yet these areas support a significant number of red-listed plant species. The NDVI analysis revealed generally weak but positive greening trends, suggesting early successional changes that are not yet statistically significant across most habitat types. Our method thus suggests a potential approach to allocate limited management resources to key locations. At present, the amount of semi-natural ecosystems is probably underestimated, however, because of limited and time-consuming mapping activity. These findings emphasize the need for more extensive mapping and targeted conservation efforts and highlight the risks posed by abandonment in biodiversity rich semi-natural ecosystem types.
Authors
Alexandra Kruse Csaba Centeri Elena Athanasiadou Deborah Bartlett Sebastian Eiter Martina Kaup Zdenek Kucera Mateja Smid Hribar Martina Slamova Jana Spulerova Hans Renes Pierre-Francois ToulzeAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Jana Špulerová Debbie Bartlett Alexandra Kruse Hannes Bürckmann Sebastian Eiter Mateja Šmid Hribar Drago Kladnik Zdeněk Kučera Jakub Melicher Sophia Philipp Kerstin Potthoff Hans Renes Michael Roth Maurizia SiguraAbstract
Traditional orchards are one of the most well-known examples of multifunctional farming. They have a long history of providing different fruits and combining various other agricultural activities, such as extensive animal farming, with cultural significance that reflect the different regional landscapes of Europe. Objectives This study investigates the extent of traditional orchards and addresses their cultural significance and their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of multifunctional agricultural landscapes. Method The presented work combines an expert survey conducted in ten EUCALAND network member countries by means of both a standardised and a more detailed questionnaire to compare and summarize the situation of traditional orchards in these countries. Results The results show that traditional orchards are diminishing on the European scale but still have huge significance in many regions. Provisioning ecosystem services, such as fruit production, are valued in terms of disease resistance and genetic diversity which is likely to be of increasing importance in the context of future climate change and concerns over food security. The most important drivers for maintaining traditional orchards appears to be based on cultural ecosystem services and the benefits they provide to society, including the preservation of traditions and regional identity, attractive places for recreation, aesthetic appreciation, inspiration for artists. The examples of best practices from the contributing countries all reveal the close connection of these orchards to local communities and to often specific traditional knowledge. Conclusion The presented review of the current situation for these important components of the agricultural landscape as well as country-specific management characteristics has the potential to inspire other countries to maintain their traditional orchards.
Abstract
Access to reliable spatial data is a prerequisite for successful spatialplanning. The Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS) providesdata about land cover and land use. The utilization of CLMS inspatial planning in Poland and Norway is affected by awareness,data accessibility, alignment with planning needs, and collabora-tion between CLMS providers and spatial planners. The utilizationcould be improved by appointing national authorities to supportadaption, documentation and standardisation, ensure data avail-ability in national language and adjusted to national legal require-ments. This can for example be done through an adjustment of thealready established National Collaboration Program (NCP).
Authors
Jana Spulerova Deborah Bartlett Alexandra Kruse Hannes Bürckmann Sebastian Eiter Mateja Smid Hribar Drago Kladnik Zdenek Kucera Jakub Melicher Sophia Philipp Kerstin Potthoff Hans Renes Michael Roth Maurizia SiguraAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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Authors
Katrine Marie Brynildsrud Peter Horvath Michael Angeloff Wenche Dramstad Adam Eindride Naas Kerstin Potthoff Anders BrynAbstract
Expanding cities and urban densification is one of the major threats to biodiversity, ecosystem services and human welfare. Using Oslo, the capital city of Norway, as a case study this study addresses the following questions: (i) What vegetation changes have occurred between 1980s and 2021 and to what extent? (ii) What are the potential consequences of documented changes for biodiversity and other functions of green spaces? (iii) What future direction is the present development plan aiming for? To answer these questions, detailed vegetation maps (1:10 000) of Oslo from around 1980s were remapped in situ in 2021. We present results on land cover transformations, area statistics, and analyses of ecological impacts using landscape metrics. Our results document that large areas previously covered by vegetation types and cultivated land have been lost to urban densification. Housing dominated the new use. This loss of areas with vegetation types will affect ecosystem diversity negatively. On average, the total area and the mean patch area of each vegetation type decreased, whereas the mean Euclidean nearest-neighbor distance increased. These changes have lowered connectivity and increased fragmentation. Despite explicitly stated aims, previous efforts to reduce loss of areas with high biodiversity and maintain urban green spaces have not succeeded, and the planned future urban development indicates that a further decrease will follow in the next decades.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered