Methods and tools for integration of landscape level ecological impacts in environmental assessment

• In infrastructure planning and design there is a need  for methods for integrated assessment of impacts of infrastructure on landscape  level. Infrastructure cause a wide range of such impacts, not at least on  biodiversity. These impacts affect the ecological processes on a landscape  scale, since they contribute to loss and fragmentation of natural habitat.  Thus, prediction of ecological impacts aiming to minimize these adverse impacts  on biodiversity is necessary. Methods for describing and evaluating ecological  values of landscapes are urged for including the formulation of targets and the  prediction and assessment of impacts on biodiversity on a landscape scale. Such  methods should facilitate the integration of multiple criteria and qualities of  the landscapes and link them to existing planning frameworks in infrastructure  planning, among others environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental  assessment (SEA).The aim of this project is to develop methods and tools for  the integration of biodiversity objectives in infrastructure planning.  Particular focus will be on tools for landscape assessment which are linked  with targets for biodiversity values in landscapes and compatible with  environmental impact assessment at the project and strategic levels. Strategies  and methods for landscape ecological assessment will be developed based on the  experiences from various examples through the advancement and application of  GIS-based habitat models. The habitat models will be developed using  geological, hydrologic, vegetation, infrastructure and other development data  as independent variables and selected ecological profiles as dependent  variables. The outcome will be models of habitat networks that include habitat  suitability and connectivity that can be synthesized and visualized in maps and  used in strategies for landscape ecological assessment in planning and environmental  assessment. The project will result in tools compatible with integrated  assessment on landscape level, which support localisation decisions with  multiple objectives within the infrastructure sector.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Integrated assessment

infrastructure planning

environmental assessment

biodiversity

landscape

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