''Copernicus for sustainable land management'' by Markus Erhard, European Environment Agency (EEA) Sustainable Land Management Session - EU Space Week 2018, Marseille

1. Copernicus for Sustainable Land Management
Data – Assessments – Policies
Markus Erhard, European Environment Agency (EEA)

2. The General Union Environment Action Programme to
2020 (7th EAP)
Decision No 1386/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council
Headline Target:
To protect, conserve and enhance
the Union’s natural capital
Policy frame: Sustainability Targets and Natural Capital
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/pubs/pdf/factsheets/7eap/en.pdf
Pressures
emissions,
waste
Strategic Target:
Living well, within the limits
of our planet

3. • UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 including Green
Infrastructure (TEN-G)
• LIFE Programme / Pollinators initiative
• Climate change mitigation / adaptation /
LULUCF Directive
• SOER 2020 systemic changes and natural
capital
• Post 2020 Strategy upcomig
(CBD global – EU – national)
Ecosystem / Ecosystem Service Assessment
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300

4. Policy integrationDPSIR approach
Change
of our
Natural
Resources
EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 - Action 5 MAES:
Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/knowledge/ecosystem_assessment/pdf/Brochure%20MAES.pdf
Assessment
framework

5. timber
cropland soil productivity
grassland soil productivity
NO2 removal (air quality)
Erosion control
water retention
pollination
pest control by birds
Net ecosystem productivity
recreation
maintaining habitat quality (forests)
maintaining habitat quality (farmland)
urban
forest
cropland
grassland
heathland/shrub
wetland
Ecosystem services Ecosystems
C
o
n
d
i
t
I
o
n
mires, bogs and fens
coastal beach
ETC/ULS, 2015
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/knowledge/ecosystem_assessment/pdf/Brochure%20MAES.pdf
Vallecillo et al. 2018
Ecosystem Services Human Well-being
Ecosystem Multi-functionality – Services

6. Timber productionFlood regulation
Production of
food
Local climate
regulation
Recreation
Aestetic
values
Habitat
services
Carbon
sequestration
Air purification
Water
infiltration
Health and Well-being Depends on the Range of Ecosystem Services

7. What is needed  Change over time
JRC, 2015
Trends in regulating services

8. Understanding Synergies and Trade-offs
F. Santos-Martín et al.
Understanding the
synergies and trade-offs of
ecosystem services along a
gradient of land-use
intensity in Spain
(submitted to Ecosystem
Services)
Example
implementation of
LULUCF Directive
Biomass production (biofuels)
Carbon storage

9. Components of SEEA-EEA to be
developed under KIP-INCA
Accounting
Spatial data
Ecosystem
Assessment
Ecosystem
• Mapping
• Condition assessment
• Service assessment
• Integration
Mapping - Assessment - Accounting
Maes et al., 2014 KIP-INCA, 2015

10. Copernicus in assessments – examples
Spatial data

11. Land cover change
Source: EEA LSI 008 Land recycling and densification 2006-2012 Source: https://land.copernicus.eu/local/urban-atlas
Net Change in Land Cover
% of initial year
-4.0
-2.0
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
%
Artificial areas
Arable land & permanent crops
Pastures & mosaics
Forested land
Semi-natural vegetation
Open spaces/ bare soils
Wetlands
Water bodies
Land accounts (CLC)Land cover change – densification and recycling (Urban Atlas)
Source: https://land.copernicus.eu/pan-european/corine-land-cover

12.  HRL Imperviousness Layer
Effect of mobility and urbanisation on the
fragmentation of ecosystems
Land cover change - Fragmentation
EEA work in progress based on
https://land.copernicus.eu/pan-european/high-resolution-layers

13. Ecosystem Mapping – Habitat delineation
Copernicus land service portfolio
https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/ecosystem-types-of-
Ecosystem Map v3.2 Ca. 60 Habitats
• Terrestrial (>50)
• freshwater (3)
• marine (>15)

14. Ecosystem Mapping - Accuracy
https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/ecosystem-types-of-europe
Geometric Reliability Thematic Reliability

15. Land Use - Vegetation Characterization
Eva Ivits, EEA, work in progress
Mapping crop types Sentinel imagery

16. Approximation of growing season biomass (productivity)
Eva Ivits, EEA, work in progress

17. Land productivity dynamics in Europe
Cherlet et al. / JRC Technical Report (2013) Tum & Günther 2011

18. Condition: Phenological Shifts of European Ecosystems
Ivits et al. / Global and Planetary Change (2012)
earlier and longer season
earlier
and
shorter
season
season length unchanged
entire season shifts later
season length unchanged
entire season shifts earlier
start of season unchanged
the growing season is longer
(AVHRR GIMMS3g 1982-2006)

19. Condition: Drought footprints on European ecosystems
Ivits et al. / Global Change Biology (2013)

20. NEC Art 9 - Air quality monitoring and forecast
Source: http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/air/air-quality-index/index Source: http://www.regional.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/

21. Copernicus – Sentinel a game changer in the use of satellite data for
environmental monitoring and assessment
• Availability, accessibility (costs), operational data for change detection
• Spatial and thematic refinement from CLC, HRL, local components to CLC+
• From land cover / ecosystem structure to land use / ecosystem function
(condition):
improving e.g. crop types, phenology, drought stress
Conclusions

22. • More work on characterisation of vegetation (land use, forest structure and
stocks)
• More combined use of radar and imagery (gap filling, linear features, etc.)
• Knowledge transfer and co-creation (process based modelling and image
interpretation) for parameterisation of productivity assessments (from NPP
to biomass)
• More systematic use of existing data (e.g. Landsat) for long-term time series
Next Steps

23. Thank you
very much for your
attention
Environment Action Programme to 2020 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/action-programme/
EU Action Plan for nature, people and the economy
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/legislation/fitness_check/action_plan/index_en.htm
BISE http://biodiversity.europa.eu/
MAES http://biodiversity.europa.eu/maes/
EEA: http://www.eea.europa.eu/
Ecosystem Assessment: http://biodiversity.europa.eu/maes
Ecosystem Service Classification: www.cices.eu
The Ecosystem Services Partnership: http://www.es-partnership.org/esp
OPPLA platform: http://oppla.eu/
UNSD-SEEA: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/seea.asp