Signals — every breath we take

Projected impacts of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems: The maps show projected impacts of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems: forest cover gain, shrub/woodland cover gain, herbaceous cover gain, desert amelioration, grass/tree cover loss, forest/woodland decline, forest type change, according to 2 climate scenarios (SRES B1 and SRES A2).
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Biodiversity year comes to end, the challenge remains: The International Year of Biodiversity 2010 has officially ended with closing ceremonies held last weekend. The European Environment Agency (EEA) will continue supporting European policy makers in their efforts to implement measures agreed earlier this year in Nagoya, Japan.
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Conservation status of species of European Union interest in forest ecosystems in EU-25: Conservation status of species per biogeographical area in forest ecosystems. Statistics by region on the left, overall statistics on the right.
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Forests, health and climate change: Urban green spaces, forests for cooler cities and healthier people
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Conservation status of forest-related species of Community interest listed in the EU Habitats Directive in the EU-25 (number of assessments in brackets): Conservation status of forest-related species of Community interest listed in the EU Habitats Directive in the EU-25 (number of assessments in brackets)
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Exposure of ecosystems to acidification, eutrophication and ozone (CSI 005) - Assessment published Nov 2012: Eutrophication The magnitude of the risk of ecosystem eutrophication and its geographical coverage has diminished only slightly over the years. The predictions for 2010 and 2020 indicate that the risk is still widespread over Europe. This is in conflict with the EU's long-term objective of not exceeding critical loads of airborne acidifying and eutrophying substances in sensitive ecosystem areas (National Emission Ceilings Directive, 6th Environmental Action Programme, Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution). Acidification The situation has considerably improved and it is predicted to improve further. The interim environmental objective for 2010 (National Emission Ceilings Directive) will most likely not be met completely. However, the European ecosystem areas where the critical load will be exceeded is predicted to have declined by more than 80 % in 2010 with 1990 as a base year. By 2020, it is expected that the risk of ecosystem acidification will only be an issue at some hot spots, in particular at the border area between the Netherlands and Germany. Ozone (O 3 ) Most vegetation and agricultural crops are exposed to ozone levels exceeding the long term objective given in the EU Air Quality Directive. A significant fraction is also exposed to levels above the 2010 target value defined in the Directive. Concentrations in 2009 were on the average lower than in 2008. The effect-related accumulated concentrations, addressing exposure of crops to ozone over several summer months, shows large year-to-year variations. Over the period 1996-2009 there is a tendency to increased exposure, although this development has not proven to be statistically significant.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Exposure of ecosystems to acidification, eutrophication and ozone
Change in forest connectivity in the EU, 1990–2000: Data from Corine Land Cover (CLC) for the years 1990 and 2000; results aggregated per provinces (Nuts 2/3).
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Rural concentration map of the ozone indicator AOT40 for forest in 2009: The gradient of the AOT40f values is similar to those of the AOT40c for crops: relative low in northern Europe, and the highest values observed in the countries around the Mediterranean. The critical level is met in north Scandinavia, Ireland, part of the UK and in the coastal regions of the Netherlands (total forested area with concentrations below the critical level is 22 % of a total area of 1.44 million km2). In south Europe levels may be as high as 4-5 times above the critical level.
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Forests and their forgotten communities: In May 2008 a helicopter flew over unexplored parts of the Amazon in Acre State in Brazil, near the country’s border with Peru. Onboard were officials from Funai, the Brazilian government's Indian affairs department, on a mission to prove the existence of unknown Amazonian tribes who have never been in contact with the outside world. The few aerial pictures Funai has released show startled and intrigued people and their huts but do not reveal any landmarks which could be used to identify the exact location.
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European forest types: The European forest types — Categories and types for sustainable forest management reporting and policy presents the findings of a study carried out by an international consortium of experts aimed at providing the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) with an user‑friendly forest types classification. The primary goal of the scheme is to improve the MCPFE reporting on sustainable forest management (SFM) in Europe, with special regard to forest type based SFM indicators.
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