Mapping European habitats to support the design and implementation of a pan-European ecological network; the PEENHAB-project
2004
Mücher, C.A. | Hennekens, S.M. | Bunce, R.G.H. | Schaminée, J.H.J.
The overall objective of the PEENHAB project to develop a methodology to identify spatially all major habitats in Europe. The Pan-European Ecological Network (PEEN) anticipates in the development of an indicative map of an ecological network for the whole of Europe. The design of such an indicative map requires information about the spatial distribution of habitats and species in Europe, as well as inside as outside protected areas. Therefore, the development of European habitat maps is a prerequisite for the further development of a pan-European ecological network. The habitat classes as given in Annex I of the Habitats Directive, better known as Natura 2000 habitats, are taken as the reference. On the basis of the Annex I habitat definitions knowledge rules were defined in a flexible manner using graphic models within a GIS environment to optimally combine existing spatial databases (such as land cover, soil data, topographic data and species distribution maps) to identify the spatial distribution of the major European habitats. At the same time a bottom-up approach is used in collaboration with the SynBioSys project. Currently, a module has been made to predict the Annex I habitats using the Map of the Natural Vegetation of Europe. Both approaches were integrated within the present PEENHAB project.
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