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Environmental information systems
MAES-related developments in Denmark
A Danish MAES project has been set up by the Nature Agency in cooperation with scientific expertise at Danish Universities and finalized in 2014. The MAES project gives a status of mapping ecosystems, ecosystem services and their values in Denmark. It delivers a mapping of ecosystems in Denmark quantitatively and at digital maps in accordance with the EU MAES Technical report 20123 067. Furthermore it will give a status of the on-going mapping of 16 ecosystem services and biodiversity in accordance with EU MAES technical report 2014 080.Thus an overview of existing data sources and methods used are synthesised in tables where the information regarding data, models and challenges are shown in 4 status categories (smileys). The report shows that there is a large unexploited potential for combining modelling and mapping of ecosystems services and economic valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in Denmark. Although existing databases and model frameworks have been developed in other contexts than the MAES, they can be modified for use in MAES related analyses. Mapping of the distribution of species shows a clear correlation between land use categories and biodiversity. In cooperation with Danish Universities a follow up MAES project started 2015 and a report has been published in 2017 download
It illustrates in which cases and under which circumstances synergies and trade-offs are found for 6 different scenarios between 6 ecosystem services and biodiversity. The project is based on specific data covering 1/6 of the area of Denmark.
A Report has been published in 2017, it is a case study on a catchment area which is characterized by a long coastline and environmental challenges caused by intensive agricultural production. This area serves to illustrate the potential for conducting more general analyses of nature protection and use in Denmark, overall the project has shown that it is possible to combine existing spatial data layers and models and thereby facilitating analyses of the effects of land use changes across many ecosystem services and biodiversity indicators. Moreover, it has been shown that it is possible to combine bio-physical modelling of ecosystem services with spatially specific data and economic valuation. Accordingly, the modelling too makes it possible to analytse the consequences of land use management in situations where different production, environmental and biodiversity considerations need to be integrated and analyzed in a consistent data and modelling framework.
A follow up project from 2017-2018 on two modelling components that can be potentially important for future mapping and ecosystem service valuation work in Denmark has been analyzed download. The basis for the analysis is the MAES-DK model developed to address the EU biodiversity strategy target two. The first component is the spatial resolution of water quality improvement services in the model. The second component is the choice of biodiversity hotspots indicator and the implications for spatial allocation of conservation priorities. The analyses indicate that the MAES-DK model is robust with respect to changes in the spatial resolution of the water quality component, and the biodiversity hotspot indicator gives relatively consistent conservation priorities using different data sources. However, the report also outlines potential areas for improvement of the model in the future.
Date: 30/10/2018
For additional information see the ESMERALDA country fact sheet