Search results
10 results
Sort by:
European forests — ecosystem conditions and sustainable use
10 messages for 2010 – Cultural landscapes and biodiversity heritage
Key messages: 1) Diverse climatic conditions, varied geology and morphology and centuries of pre- and post-industrial land use created Europe's diverse mosaic of cultural and natural landscapes, rich in biodiversity. 2) Europe's landscapes have become highly fragmented and homogenised, threatening their biodiversity and affecting their multifunctional role. 3) By managing its multifunctional culture-historical landscapes and related biodiversity sustainably, Europe can secure valuable ecosystems services while preserving its cultural and natural heritage. 4) Various legal instruments and initiatives address European biodiversity heritage at the landscape level. Incorporating these into regional and local planning and involving local communities is necessary to secure Europe's biodiversity heritage and maintain multifunctional landscapes.
Spatial pattern of fragmentation pressures in rural areas in EEA member countries
Fragmentation pressure from urban and transport infrastructure expansion in rural areas (see map) in the EU Member States. The chart shows the area distribution of fragmentation pressure classes in proportion of each country's rural area.
Percentage of NUTS3 regions covered by high and very high fragmentation pressure classes
The map shows the percentage of NUTS3 regions covered by high an very high fragmentation pressure classes. Fragmentation pressure classes express the number of meshes per 1000 km2.
Fragmentation pressure and population density in EEA member countries
The map shows the correspondence between fragmentation pressure from urban expansion and traffic infrastructure and population density in Europe.
Fragmentation pressure (number of meshes per 1 000 km²) of urban and transport infrastructure expansion
The map shows the distribution of fragmentation classes across Europe. Classes represent the number of meshes per 1 000 km2. Light colours mean less fragmentation pressure and dark colours mean higher fragmentation pressure of urban and transport infrastructure expansion.
Fragmentation pressure in EEA member countries
Fragmentation pressure by degree of urbanisation
Landscape fragmentation in Europe
Joint EEA-FOEN report
Urban sprawl in Europe - joint EEA-FOEN report
This report provides a comparable measurement of urban sprawl for 32 European countries at three levels (the country level, the NUTS-2 region level and the 1-km2 cell level) and for two years (2006 and 2009). The analysis is based on the Copernicus system which monitors the Earth and collects data by different sources. This data provides information about a number of thematic areas, including land. Under land a pan-European component delivers information about various areas, including the level of sealed soil (imperviousness), through high resolution layers taken from satellite imagery. The analysis uses new urban sprawl metrics taking into account the way built-up areas are laid out and how they are used. It also looks at the factors which contribute to an increase or decrease in urban sprawl. The results confirm the conclusions of earlier EEA reports namely that in many parts of Europe current levels of urban sprawl have contributed to detrimental ecological, economic and social effects. This gives cause for concern and such effects may increase alongside planned urban development.