The GI-INDEED experience: the module on GI and nature conservation “Spatial data infrastructures and protected areas” Emanuele Roccatagliata GISIG co-funded by the European Community eContentplus programme

MAIN OBJECTIVE To set up a training project as a support to overcome knowledge gaps in the use of GI to comply with EU environmental Directives, at different governance levels and with special reference to the INSPIRE Directive. The project has been among the first training initiatives, at the European level, to address the subjects dealt with in the INSPIRE Directive.

MAIN PROJECT AIMS To increase the knowledge of the correct ways to deal with Geographical Information for environment management To develop, at the European level, a set of learning objects suitable to be used also in a local context TARGET Local Administrations using Geographical Information Environmental Agencies Private enterprises that need environmental information as a support to decision making Education and training organisations Stakeholders and citizens

The training module “USE OF SDI FOR PROTECTED AREAS ” is one of the project outputs ORGANISATION OF THE TRAINING CONTENTS: organised and delivered as distance e-learning through an Open Source Learning Management System (LMS) and e-learning platform by the Dokeos Corporation, supplying the following tools:  study groups   agenda (to set and communicate timetable, deadlines, etc.)  document uploading tool  different student and teacher interface  self test creation tool  learning Paths  student results reporting

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE TRAINING MODULES AND THE MODULE 3 “USE OF SDI FOR PROTECTED AREAS”

MODULE 3 OBJECTIVES AND WAYS Obiective is to enable trainees to publish on the web geographical data related to environmental protection and make them accessible through a Geoportal On the one hand this module addresses the political and management issues of nature conservation and protected areas, at the European and National level; on the other hand it deals with the use of GIS within this thematic sector It concludes with a guided exercise including analysis of a study area, creation of a “use case” and publication of the related geographical data in a dedicated Geoportal

Course duration: 100 hours 4 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) Classroom hours: 10 On-line hours: 20 Self study hours : 70 hours Language: English MODULE 3 MAIN FEATURES

MODULE 3 COMPONENTS AND CONTENTS Component 1 “Driving Policies” Overview of the political context in the field of environment, protected areas and sharing of related information Component 2 “Protected Area Management” Procedures for the elaboration of a Protected Area management plan, also according with the provisions of the Habitat Directive Component 3 “SDI and GIS for Protected Areas” Introduction to the relationships among nature conservation, INSPIRE and SDIs Component 4 “Use Case Development” Guided exercise to characterise a study area by identifying its main issues and solutions, and finally to publish the related geographical data on the web

MODULE 3 CURRICULUM 1 Driving Policies: International and EU Policies IUCN Classification of Protected Areas Natura 2000 Network and related national contexts Ecological Networks (Appendix) 2 Protected Area Management Protected Areas Management and Plans The Article 6 of Habitats Directive 3 SDI for Protected Areas Examples of GIS for Protected Areas INSPIRE and Nature Conservation Data Modelling for Protected Areas Feature List for Protected Areas Web Publishing and OGC Services 4 Use Case Development Case study characterization The GI-INDEED Geoportal and its Metadata Catalog Web Publishing Software

MODULE & E-LEARNING PLATFORM

NatureSDIplus AN OUTLINE OF THE DATA THEMES ADDRESSED BY Nature-SDIplus

NatureSDIplus ANNEX I (SPATIAL DATA THEMES REFERRED TO IN ARTICLES 6(A), 8(1) AND 9(A)) 9. Protected sites Area designated or managed within a framework of international, Community and Member States' legislation to achieve specific conservation objectives. ANNEX III (SPATIAL DATA THEMES REFERRED TO IN ARTICLES 6(B) AND 9(B)) 17. Bio-geographical regions Areas of relatively homogeneous ecological conditions with common characteristics. 18. Habitats and biotopes Geographical areas characterised by specific ecological conditions, processes, structure, and (life support) functions that physically support the organisms that live there. Includes terrestrial and aquatic areas distinguished by geographical, abiotic and biotic features, whether entirely natural or semi-natural. 19. Species distribution Geographical distribution of occurrence of animal and plant species aggregated by grid, region, administrative unit or other analytical unit.

NatureSDIplus Annex I Protected sites Description: They refer mostly to conservation of nature, but could also refer to other objectives (fishing, forestry, cultural heritage …). Nature protection may be linked to certain landscapes, habitats or species. Protected sites differ from environmental classifications of resources and objects as they are based on formal, legal or administrative agreements/decisions. Scope, use examples: The theme refers sites to policies from Community and UN as well as to national ones: Habitat Directive Directive 79/409/EEC (Birds) Habitat and Birds sites are mostly managed and reported under the Natura 2000 programme World Heritage, Ramsar, or Barcelona, or Helsinki, or OSPAR Convention, UN Geoparks: other references for internationally designated sites Other designations: Biogenetic Reserves and European Diploma Biosphere Reserves Nationally designated sites: the annually updated EU inventory of nationally designated areas, CDDA, began under CORINE and is now maintained for EEA by the ETC on Bio-Diversity Protected cultural heritage: man-made objects or other kinds of cultural heritage sites are not excluded, as well as protected geological heritage Important feature types and attributes: Protected site, classification system, category, Id, name of area/site, description, reference to legal foundation, establishment date, modification date, target of protection Many links and overlaps with other themes, such as: Administrative units, cadastral parcels, hydrography, elevation, land cover, geology, land use, area management/restriction, regulation zones and reporting units, bio-geographical regions, habitats and biotopes, mineral resources

NatureSDIplus Bio-geographical regions Description and peculiarity: The extent of areas with common characteristics, usually based on climatic, topographic and geobotanical information, and consequently relatively homogeneous ecological conditions. Included in the theme is vegetation map data, mapped either as actual/existing or potential vegetation The bio-geographical and the potential vegetation data are regarded as reference data/maps (but mapping of existing local vegetation needs to updating. Whilst high-level and pan-European data have agreed nomenclatures, for local and/regional data there is a broad variety Span in accuracy: bio-geographical regional data are usually at small-scale, whilst vegetation is more detailed, especially at a local level Scope, use examples: Comparisons and assessments of biodiversity and conservation, at the various levels, with detailed data used in land management and land use planning. The European Bio-geographical regions are used for Natura 2000 national proposals validation. Knowledge about local and regional biogeographical regions, e.g. in the form of vegetation maps, may be used to identify climatic, topographic or geological characteristics (e.g. geology is an important factor in biodiversity). Example data: Bio-geographical regions Europe is divided into eleven broad bio-geographical zones (but the bio-geographical regions for the European Seas are not finally agreed on) Ecological regions: the Digital Map of European Ecological Regions delineates and rescribes relatively homogeneous ecological distinct areas in Europe Links and overlaps with other themes: Species distribution, Habitats and biotopes, Land cover, Geology, Soil, Mineral resources and Area management/ restriction/ regulation zones. Annex III

NatureSDIplus Habitats and biotopes Description and notes: Biological organisms and communities/biodiversity (biotopes=spatial and biotic environment of a biocenosis, habitats=the spatial environment of species). It is affected by climatic, geological, chemical and biological conditions and also can depend on management, e.g. all kinds of cultural landscapes. Time series in mapping may be used to identify changes in biotopes/habitats. Habitats and biotopes does only include areas represented by natural boundaries, classified according to their ecological or physical condition A selection of habitats has been designated according to the Habitats and Birds Directives, whilst for the marine environment it has been done according to the OSPAR and HELCOM conventions. Is being documented and used for identifying biotic diversity within areas or countries, but also for planning and management of biodiversity in natural, semi-natural and artificial environments. Coverage: EU Countries and Phare Countries, at scales from 1: 5000 to 1: Different documents and communities follow different nomenclatures for habitats and biotopes. Apart the Directive 92/43/EEC, EUNIS has developed an international nomenclature for habitats, and even countries or communities classification exist. Important feature types and attributes (both for biotopes and habitat) Classification/Nomenclature system, category hierarchy level, category name, category code, mapping and verification date, species/species group to which the habitat refer, site descriptionnomenclature should as far as possible follow internationally agreements Links and overlaps with other themes: Bio-geographical regions and Species distribution, Land cover, Land use, Geology, Soil and Mineral Resources. Annex III

NatureSDIplus Species distribution Description: Pan-European, national or local mapping initiatives, resulting in spatial data for species in terrestrial and marine environments, e.g. for birds, insects, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish or vascular plants. The INSPIRE definition focuses on aggregated versions of data about geo-distribution of species, where aggregation can be at any level of resolution, or also point-based observations and isolines generation. Only species are in the INSPIRE definition, but earlier documents mention also species grouped e.g. families. Scope, use examples: Is needed in Nature 2000 Digital data sets can be used for conservation and statistical analysis and in biodiversity assessment is essential to have information on species distribution, quantities, development through time. Needed for planning of protection and management of biodiversity in natural, semi-natural and artificial environments with users as governments environmental organisations, but also managers; of high relevance to commercial exploitation of natural resources. Scale: from 1: 5000 to 1: Example data: Bird species distribution data (440 different breeding birds in Europe, mapped on 50 km grid squares) Plant species distribution data (information upon the presence of plant species in grid squares) Amphibian and reptile species distribution (pan-European dataset, complete for Western EU, incomplete for Eastern EU) Fauna Europaea (information upon the presence of fauna species in EU states, web-published with mapping capabilities) Important feature types and attributes (surveyed in grid form or at a location): Classification system, family scientific and vernacular name, species scientific and vernacular name, verification date of presence in grid cell or at a location, period present throughout the year in grid cell, function (e.g. a site function for a species, (e.g. migratory, breeding, resting or mating locality)) and status: threatened, extinct, … (IUCN-category) Links and overlaps with other themes: Geographical grid systems, habitats and Biotopes, biogeographical regions, protected sites Annex III

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