ES GreenBelt – A preliminary study on spatial data and analysis methods for assessing the ecosystem services and connectivity of the protected areas network of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia

Abstract

The Green Belt of Fennoscandia forms an ecological network that spans from the Barents Sea all the way to the Baltic Sea. It is a part of the European Green Belt which runs through Europe, starting from the Barents Region and ending in the Balkans. The main body of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia consists of existing and planned protected areas near the shared borders of Finland, Russia and Norway. The green structure between these protected areas also plays a crucial role in the conservation of biodiversity. In addition to environmental values, the environment of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia provides a variety of ecosystem services which are notable on a local, regional and Europe-wide scale. Supplementing the current scientific knowledge base with information on the region’s connectivity and ecosystem services would facilitate the inclusion of these perspectives in the development of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia into a model area for international cross-border nature conservation cooperation. This preliminary study reviews a number of existing spatial data materials and analysis methods for assessing the Green Belt from the perspectives of the connectivity of the protected areas network and the supply and demand of ecosystem services. In addition to this, the study provides recommendations regarding the use of materials and methods, and outlines the contents and structure of a potential study spanning the entire region, as well as an assessment of its realisation schedule. There are a variety of methods for assessing connectivity and ecosystem services. Based on this study, we recommend that the Green Belt should be approached on two different scales: assessments of the general characteristics of the entire Belt should be supplemented with more specific regional assessments. The different parts of the Green Belt differ from one another as regards, for example, vegetation, ecosystems, living environments, population, accessibility, infrastructure and operators. As such, there are also regional differences in the most significant local ecosystem services, their demand and the pressures for change that affect them. We also recommend the use of several different and complementary analysis methods, as none of the analysis methods reviewed alone covers all of the important perspectives related to connectivity and ecosystem services. A great deal of spatial data suitable for use in assessments has been produced about the Green Belt area, but there are problems regarding the accessibility, uniformity, accuracy and regional coverage of these materials. Because of this, the collection and standardisation of materials requires a great deal of work before an overall assessment of the Green Belt can be carried out. It is particularly difficult to find uniform materials that cover all three nations’ areas of the entire Green Belt. The limited regional coverage of the materials also calls for complementary assessments carried out on different scales. An overall assessment of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia area would require a diverse union of different project partners. Access to some materials requires formal agreements and/or actual project cooperation. For cross-border cooperation, we recommend the utilisation of existing personal relationships and contacts between researchers and authorities. In addition to researchers and authorities, there are a large number of private and public operators who possess valuable expertise on the ecosystems, species and biodiversity of the Green Belt, spanning either the entire Green Belt or specific parts thereof.