BIO Project: EcoMap

• Website: ECoMAP – Between the Fjords
• Outputs: CRISTIN
• Running time: 2021-2025
• Funding: NFR
• Principal Investigators: Liv Guri Velle (NIBIO), Joachim Töpper (NINA), and Vigdis Vandvik (UiB).

We know that land use and land use changes are major threats to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and services, and have reached important political consensus on environmental policy goals. Still, climate and environmental concerns are regularly overruled by other societal interests, and thus the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems is still accelerating.

Why are we failing to implement environmental policy goals effectively?

The ECoMAP project recognizes that ecological data is not easily enough available in places where they can make an impact. More specifically, data and knowledge must be available in formats and at spatial scales relevant to the local decision makers, who hold the key to land use transformation.

In order to do this, we

 

• Collaborate with local and regional decision makers to identify gaps in available ecological and environmental data;
• Use that knowledge to derive useful ecological variables from existing raw ecological data that are relevant for decision making processes;
• Use modelling approaches to fill the gaps in spatial coverage of ecological information;
• Making that ecological information available as map layers in the portal for ecological base mapsat the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre (Artsdatabanken).

The project brings together local stakeholders and decision makers, and scientists from UiB, NINA, NIBIO, UiO and more. It is an integrated part of CeSAM (the Centre for Sustainable Area Management).

Highlights and achievements:

• A dynamic and updatable species distribution model framework has been developed that can produce downscaled maps with 30m resolution (map), Joe Chipperfield and Joachim Töpper (NINA) working on making map layers available in collaboration with Artsdatabanken;
• 2 PhD papers out for PhD student Adam Naas (UiO) who works on modelling of NiN nature types;
• Ecosystem resilience models have been developed and postdoc Adam Klimeš (UiB) is working on publishing 2 papers on method and application;
• Active collaboration with stakeholders, led by Liv Guri Velle (NIBIO) with stakeholder meeting and workshop in Karmøy Kommune, May 2024 (photo) where we discussed needs and options, were joined by a local politician, and went on an excursion to ground truth the existing NiN map data;
• Active and extensive outreach on nature- and area-management (Vigdis Vandvik, UiB) and the use of modelling to fill knowledge gaps (Joachim Töpper, NINA)

Future

We are excited that we will be able to continue this line of work in the next project ECOBUDGETS, led by the Centre for Climate and Energy Transition (CET): Here, we will focus on the main question: How can sustainability budgeting become actionable for political and administrative decision-making?