Connecting Nature with Land Planning

Workflow

Prototype App for Green Infrastructure managment in Norway

Identifying and protecting Green Infrastructures, GI, for biodiversity is a big challenge from a SCIENTIFIC, MANAGEMENT and SOCIAL perspective. It requires coordination in land planning and decision making among a wide range of academic, administrative, societal and business actors locally, regionally and nationally. GI maps and land-planning support tools are essential to anchor dialogue processes to the reality of ecosystem dynamics and support the co-creation of sustaianble solutions for nature and society

Green Infrastructure Maps

Green Infrastructures Maps need to identify both funcional core areas and corridors for several species, and need to be robust, standardized, avaialble at high-resolution for every administrative scale, and scalable. To be useful in guiding sustainable land planning, these maps need to incorporate information on CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES & INFRASTRUCTURES on each species. Only in this way the expected impact of changes in land use can be assessed. To date very few such maps are avaialble. Consequently, land planning processes rarely explicitly accounts for habitat functionality and GI

Land-Planning Support Tools

Decision-Support Tools can guide the synthesis, interpretation, and use of GI maps to help solving concrete land-planning challenges (Land prioritization for Conservation or Restoration, Impact Assessment). These need to be user-friendly, robust, flexible, and thus based on high scientific standards. The App presents prototype tools for visualizing maps (MODULE 1), comparing them (MODULE 2), and performing Land Prioritization for coservation and restoration [prototype feature], for single and multiple species (MODULE 3). Tools to perform scenario analysys are developed, and can be used on demad to estimate the impact of planned changes in land use (e.g. new infrastructures such as roads, cabins, renewable energy etc) or climate change scenario.

Workflow

We illustrate the workflow to produce GI maps and land-lanning support tools, using three test-species

(moose, forest insects associated to old-growth forest, and pollinators), in Ski Municipality in south Norway (3). The workflow and methodological developments were done using reindeer as case study [0; see reindeer web app)

WORKFLOW - STEP BY STEP

STEP 1: HABITAT QUALITY & PERMEABILITY

Avaialble data on species' occurrence and habitat are analysed to quantify, for each pixel (irrespective from neighbouring pixels):

Pixel quality - indicates how suitable the pixel is for the species, considering both resources avaialble and human disturbance [1]
Pixel permeability (or its opposite, friction) - indicates how easy it is for individuals to move through a pixel (e.g. road, cliff) [2]. A description of the species and workflow can be found in [0,3]

STEP 2: ECOLOGICAL CONNECTIVITY (Green Infrastructure maps)

The software ConScape (Connected Landscapes [7]), uses network models [4,5,6] to produce two maps illustrating two different aspects of Green Infrastructures: [0,3,,8,9]

Functional areas (core areas): areas that are highly functional, because they are at the same time of high quality and well connected to other high-quality pixels [0,6]
Movement corridors: indicates areas with a high probability of observing high flow of individuals, or bottlenecks [0,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]

These maps will initiate the Norwegian Ecological Network Database in support to sustainable land planning

STEP 3: PRIORITY AREAS FOR CONSERVATION OR FOR RESTORATION (zonation - single species)

Maps from Step 2 are integrated using sensitivity analyses [6] to identify areas that are most sensitive to perturbations (their perturbation would alter disproportionately the species' ecological network).

These areas can be prioritized the species' conservation (if they are in good conditions), or for habitat restoration (if in poor conditions). [prototype feature]

STEP 5: SCENARIO ANALYSES for Impact Assessment, Mitigation Measures, Climate change

It is possible to test for the effect of scenarios of changes in land use (e.g. building cabins and/or removing/closing roads, restoring degraded habitat, building wildlife passages..), and/or changes in climatet. This can be use for Environmental Impact Assessment, for guiding the identificaiton of the most efficient Mitigation Measures or Offset Measures, or for forecasting future climate change scenarios (example). [8,9,10,11]

STEP 4: MULTISPECIES ZONATION for conservation or restoration

Sensitivity maps for single species (step 3) can be integrated to identify priority areas for conservation or restoration for multiple species. This requires defining the importance for management of each species with respect to other species (attribute weights). If a categorical zonation is preferred (high vs low priority, as compared to continuous values), the cut-off threshold for the amount of land to be conserved needs also to be decided. [prototype feature; ref. 14]

TECHNICAL WORKFLOW

REFERENCES

[0] Panzacchi, M., van Moorter, B., Sydenham, M.A.K., Horntvedt Thorsen, N., Niebuhr, B.B., Stange, E., Jansson, U., Nordén, B, Hofgaard, A., Rusch, G., Rolandsen, C. & Solberg E. 2024. Nasjonal kartlegging av grønn infrastruktur. De første nasjonale kartene for solitære bier, elg, edellauvskog og andre treslag. NINA Rapport 2371.

[00] Panzacchi, M., van Moorter, B., Tveraa, T., Rolandsen, C. M., Gundersen, V., Lelotte, L., Dos Santos, B. B. N., Bøthun, S. W., Andersen, R., Strand, O. (2022). Statistisk modellering av samlet belastning av menneskelig aktivitet på villreinområder. Identifisering av viktige leveområder og scenarioanalyser for konsekvensutredning og arealplanlegging. NINA Report 2189. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (in Norwegian with english summary)

[1] Panzacchi M, van Moorter B Strand O, Loe LE, Reimers E (2015) Searching for the fundamental niche using individual-based habitat selection modelling across populations. Ecography 38: 659-669

[2] Panzacchi, M, van Moorter B, Strand B, Saerens M, Kivimäki I, St. Clair CC, Herfindal I, Boitani L (2016) Predicting the continuum between corridors and barriers to animal movements using Step Selection Functions and Randomized Shortest Paths. J Anim Ecol 85: 32-42

[3] Stange E, Panzacchi M, van Moorter B (2019) Modelling green infrastructure for conservation and land planning – a pilot study. NINA Report 1625. See also: Modellerer grønn infrastruktur for å støtte bærekraftig arealplanlegging (nina.no)

[4] Kivimäki I, Shimbo M, Særens M (2014) Developments in the theory of randomized shortest paths with a comparison of graph node distances. Physica A: Statistical

Mechanics and its Applications 393: 600-616

[5] Kivimäki I, van Moorter B, Panzacchi M, Jari Saramäki, Marco Saerens. (2020) Maximum likelihood estimation for randomized shortest paths with trajectory data. Journal of Complex Networks (8),4

[6] Van Moorter B, Kivimäki I, Panzacchi M, Særens M (2021). Review & Synthesis: defining and quantifying Effective Connectivity. Ecography44, 6: 870-884

[7] Van Moorter M, Kivimaki I, Noack A, Devooght R, Panzacchi M, Hall K, Leleux P, Saerens M. (2022 ) Accelerating advances in landscape connectivity modeling with the ConScape library. Methods in Ecology and Evolution

[8] Van Moorter B, Kivimäki I, Panzacchi M, Saura S, Niebuhr B.B., Strand O, Saerens M. (2023) Habitat Functionality: integrating environmental and geographic space in niche modelling for conservation planning. Ecology 104(7): e4105

[9] Van Moorter M, Kivimaki I, Noack A, Devooght R, Panzacchi M, Hall K, Leleux P, Saerens M. (2023) Accelerating advances in landscape connectivity modeling with the ConScape library. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14, 133– 145. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13850

[10] Villrein-ferdselsanalyser på Hardangervidda. Anbefalinger og tiltak. Gundersen, V., van Moorter, B. Panzacchi, M., Rauset, G.R. & Strand, O. 2021. Villrein-ferdselsanalyser på Hardangervidda - Anbefalinger og tiltak. NINA Rapport 1903. Norsk institutt for naturforskning. [in Norwegian]

[11] M.Panzacchi, Fornybar energi og reinsdyr: nye metoder for å simulere effekten av inngrep, forstyrrelser og kompenserende tiltak Energi Norge - Produksjonsteknisk konferanse 2021 (here)

[12] Unikt verktøy beregner hvordan mennesker påvirker naturen. Panzacchi M, Landrø J. NINA nyhettsak. 2020 (here)

[13] Dorber, M., Panzacchi, M., Strand, O. et al. New indicator of habitat functionality reveals high risk of underestimating trade-offs among sustainable development goals: The case of wild reindeer and hydropower. Ambio (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-022-01824-x

FURTHER READS

Lelotte Lucie (2021) MSc Thesis. Analysis of the human footprint on reindeer summer habitat. Using habitat selection modeling to assess anthropogenic drivers of habitat loss in Norwegian wild mountain reindeer. Univ. Liege, Belgium & NINA (link)
Panzacchi M, Landrø J. (2020) Unikt verktøy beregner hvordan mennesker påvirker naturen. NINA nyhettsak (here)
Panzacchi M, Bram van Moorter, Ilkka Kivimaki, Marco Særens, Andreas Noak, Kimberly Hall, Olav Strand, Audun Stien, Torkild Tveraa, Knut Langeland, Stefan Blumentrath, Vegard Gundersen et al. (2019). Samla belasting og bærekraftig arealplanlegging (Cumultive impacts) – Fagseminaret "Naturmangfold og klima" under NINA-dagan 2019 (link)
Panzacchi, Manuela; Van Moorter, Bram; Strand, Olav; Kivimäki, Ilkka; Saerens, Marco; Stien, Audun; Tveraa, Torkild; Langeland, Knut; Gundersen, Vegard; Eftestøl, Sindre; Tsegaye, Diress; Coleman, Jonathan I.R. (Keynote talk) 2021. How to Quantify the Cumulative Impact of Human Activities on reindeer and aid Sustainable Land Planning". 18th North American Caribou Workshop (link)
Niebuhr B. Bernardo, Bram Van Moorter, Audun Stien, Torkild Tveraa, Olav Strand, Knut Langeland, Per Sandström, Moudud Alam, Anna Skarin, Manuela Panzacchi ((2023). Estimating the cumulative impact and zone of influence of anthropogenic infrastructure on biodiversity. Methos in Ecology and Evolution, 19 (9):2362-2375
Niebuhr B. B, Panzacchi M, van Moorter B (2022). oneimpact: Tools for the assessment of cumulative impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on ecological studies. https://github.com/NINAnor/oneimpact, https://ninanor.github.io/oneimpact/. OneImpact R/GRASS GIS tools
Niebuhr B.B, Sant’Ana D., Panzacchi M., van Moorter B., Sandström P., Morato R.G., Skarin A (2022). Renewable energy infrastructure impacts biodiversity beyond the area it occupies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (48) e2208815119
Panzacchi M. et al 2023. Vannkraft spiser mer av villreinens leveområder enn mange tror. Nyheter (nina.no) [popular science - in Norwegian]
Joly K, Gunn A, Côté S., Panzacchi M, Adamczewski J, Suitor MJ, Gurarie E. (2021) Caribou and reindeer migrations in the changing Arctic. Animal Migration. 8:156–167
Linnell JDC, Cretois B, Nilsen EB, Rolandsen C, Solberg EJ, Veiberg V, Kaczensky P, Van Moorter B, Panzacchi M; Rauset GR, Kaltenborn B. (2020). The challenges and opportunities of coexisting with wild ungulates in the human-dominated landscapes of Europe's Anthropocene in Biological Conservation,, 244
Gundersen V, Vistad O, Panzacchi M, Strand O, Van Moorter B (2019). Large-scale segregation of tourists and wild reindeer in three Norwegian national parks: Management implications. Tourism Management 75, 22-33
Moving in the Anthropocene: Global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements. Tucker M, Böhning-Gaese K, Fagan F, Fryxell J, Bram Van Moorter et al. 2018, Science. 359(6374): 466-469
Beyer H, E Gurarie, L Börger, Panzacchi M, Basille M, Herfindal I, Van Moorter B, Lele S, Matthiopoulos J (2016) ‘You shall not pass!’: quantifying barrier permeability and proximity avoidance by animals (pages 43–53) Journal of Animal Ecology, Special Issue 85-1
Cagnacci F, Focardi S, Ghisla A, van Moorter B, Merrill E, Gurarie E, Heurich M, Mysterud A, Linnell J, Panzacchi M, May R, Nygård T, Rolandsen C, Hebblewhite M (2016). How many routes lead to migration? Comparison of methods to assess and characterize migratory movements. Journal of Animal Ecology, Special Issue, 85-1
Panzacchi M., Van Moorter B., Strand, O. (2013) Learning from the past to predict the future: Modelling archaeological findings and GPS data to quantify reindeer sensitivity to anthropogenic disturbance in Norway. Landscape Ecology, Special Issue 28:847–859
Panzacchi M., Van Moorter B., Strand, O. (2013) A road in the middle of one of the last wild reindeer migrations routes in Norway: crossing behaviour and threats to conservation. Rangifer, Special Issue 21: 15-26
Ruud A., Kaltenborn B. P. Wild Reindeer and hydropower: Can regional planning processes make a difference? Kart og Plan, Vol. 77, pp. 360–377
Mark S. Boyce, Chris J. Johnson, Evelyn H. Merrill, Scott E. Nielsen, Erling J. Solberg and Bram van Moorter (2016) REVIEW: Can habitat selection predict abundance? (11–20) . Journal of Animal Ecology, Special Feature Review: Stuck in Motion? Reconnecting Questions and Tools in Movement Ecology
Borger L. (2015) EDITORIAL: Stuck in motion? Reconnecting questions and tools in movement ecology. Journal of Animal Ecology, 5:10
Broekman, M.J., Hilbers, J.P., Huijbregts, M.A., Mueller, T., Ali, A.H., Andrén, H., Altmann, J., Aronsson, M., Attias, N., Bartlam‐Brooks, H.L. and van Beest, F.M., 2022. Evaluating expert‐based habitat suitability information of terrestrial mammals with GPS‐tracking data. Global Ecology and Biogeography

Reports (most in Norwegian)

2021 Gundersen V, Van Moorter B, Panzacchi M, Rauset GR, Strand O. Villrein-ferdselsanalyser på Hardangervidda. Anbefalinger og tiltak. Lillehammer: Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA) 96 s. NINA rapport (1903)
2019 Stange E., Panzacchi M., Van Moorter B. Modelling green infrastructure for conservation and land planning – a Pilot Study. Suggestions for analyzing the functional connectedness of high-quality habitat to aid sustainable land use planning. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, ISBN 978-82-426-3368-2, NINA report 1625, 72 p.
2016 Gunn, A.; Cuyler, C.; Mizin, I.; Panzacchi M; Russell, D.; Seip, D.; Sipko, T.; Strand, Olav; Henttonen, H.; Tikhonov, A. Rangifer tarandus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016
2015 Strand, O., Gundersen, V., Jordhøy, P., Andersen, R., Nerhoel, I., Panzacchi, M og B. Van Moorter. Villreinens arealbruk i Knutshø. Resultater fra GPS-undersøkelsene - NINA Report 1019
2015 Strand, O., Gundersen, V., Jordhøy, P., Andersen, R., Nerhoel, I., Panzacchi, M., Van Moorter, B. Villrein og ferdsel i Rondane. Sluttrapport fra GPS-merkeprosjektet 2009–2014. NINA report 1013:170 pp.
2015 Strand, O., Jordhøy, P., Panzacchi, M., Van Moorter, B. Veger og villrein. Oppsummering – overvåking av Rv7 over Hardangervidda. NINA report 1121: 47 pp.
2013 Gundersen V, Olsson T, Strand O, Mackay M, Panzacchi M, Van Moorter B. Nordfjella villreinområde. Konsekvens av planforslag for villrein, friluftsliv og reiseliv. NINA Report 956:71pp
2013 Gundersen, V., Nerhoel, I., Strand, O. & Panzacchi M. Ferdsel i Snøhettaområdet. Sluttrapport. NINA Rapport 932. 70 p.
2012 Wold, L. C., Gundersen, V., Nerhoel, I., Strand, O. Panzacchi, M., Dokk. J. G. & O. Andersen. 2012. Friluftsliv og turisme i Nordfjella villreinområde - NINA Rapport 850. 37 s.
2012 P Jordhøy, R Sørensen, O Strand, R Andersen og M Panzacchi. Villreinen i Snøhetta- og Knutshøområdet. Status og leveområde. NINA Report 800. 102 pp.
2011 Strand O., Jordhøy P., Mossing A., Knudsen P.A. , Nesse L., Skjerdal H., Panzacchi M., Andersen R., Gundersen V. Villreinen i Nordfjella. Status og leveområde. NINA-rapport 634. 110 pp.
2011 Strand O, Panzacchi M, Van Moorter B, Bay LA, Andersen R, Jordhøy P, Nielsen EB. Villreinens bruk av Setesdalsheiene- Sluttrapport fra GPS merkeprosjektet 2006-2010. NINA Rapport 694. 164 pp.
2011 Gundersen V, Wold L, Andersen O, Panzacchi M Ferdsel i Nordfjella 2010: Verdiskapning, tilrettelegging og ferdselsintensitet i villreinens leveområder. NINA-Rapport 697.
2010 Strand O, Gundersen V, Panzacchi M, Andersen O, Falldorf T, Andersen R, Van Moorter B, Jordhøy P, Fangel K. Ferdsel i villreinens leveområder. NINA Rapport 551. 101pp

Disclaimer: Maps presented here are test-maps, produced as described here. Current App functionalities are to be regarded as mockups, for testing purposes. In particular, sensitivity maps and related app funcionalities are under active development in GreenPlan.