Land accounts at the EEA Jean-Louis Weber & Ferràn Paramo 3 February 2004

LEAC project(s) at the EEA 1.2 Focusing and integrating the system 1.2.1 Land accounts 3.2 Landscape and spatial change assessments 3.2.1 Environmental accounting of land use and ecosystems 3.2.2 Sustainable spatial development of regions of Europe (focus: coastal zones)

Land & Ecosystems Accounts (LEAC) Pilot project run by EEA & ETCTE (UAB & GISAT) with the support of Eurostat; UN methodology (SEEA) Applications 1975-1990 for European coast and 4 CEE Countries Implementation for Europe with CLC2000 Land & Ecosystems Accounts (LEAC) is a methodology of the System of Environmental and Economic Accounts (SEEA) published this year by the UN, the European Commission, the IMF, the World Bank and OECD. The ETCTE and the EEA have carried out a test for the implementation of LEAC in Europe on the basis of Corine Land Cover. Two test areas have been chosen, where CLC data at two dates were available: the European coast (with LaCoast 1975 produce by the JRC) 4 Central & Eastern Europe Countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania, covered by CLC1975 produced by PHARE/EEA) Land cover accounts have been produced successfully and will be generalized. Oppositely, the land use accounts which were intended to be tested on the coast (tourism) and the Czech Republic (Forestry) faced some difficulties due to the lack (tourism) or insufficiency (forestry) of data at the local level. The problem with forestry is more a matter of organisation of the database and can be probably solved. The issue of tourism, instead, requests the production (or collection) of new (local) data with new statistical methodologies.

Why accounting for Land? Produce synthetic assessments, keeping track of the geographic differences Analyse the relation between the changes of land cover and land use, in physical and monetary terms Land accounts as a starting point for ecosystems accounts Land and natural resource accounting Disseminate information at the appropriate scale (for users…)

First, avoiding this… Net intensification of land use by Country Net intensification of land use by Sea Catchments Net intensification of land use by Biogeographic regions Net intensification of land use by Watershed

and this… Changes in Tourism intensity, 1980-85 to 1990-95, by NUTS2

Stratification of the territory into accounting units: LEAC present outcome Stratification of the territory into accounting units: Administrative units Physical, ecological zones Dominant landscape types Definition and test of accounting methodology: Land cover stocks Land cover changes (from CLCy to CLCz) Land cover flows (which group changes into processes) 2 Reports and 2 Posters available at the Library of: http://eea.eionet.eu.int:8980/Public/irc/eionet-circle/leac/home

Integration of data & indicators within accounts E.g. IRENA 12 & 24 indicators E.g. Urban sprawl indicator E.g. Coastal zones assessment Accounts pre-process (assimilate) and classify (model) data for facilitating further use Assimilation rules are fully documented and transparent

The concept of stock & flow accounts Gains Losses

From many land cover changes to flows of consumption of cover and formation of cover

Nomenclature of Land Cover Flows (Level 1) LCF1 Urban land management LCF2 Urban sprawl LCF3 Extension of economic sites and infrastructures LCF4 Agricultural rotation and intensification LCF5 Conversion of land to agriculture LCF6 Forests creation and management LCF7 Water body creation and management LCF8 Changes of land cover due to natural and multiple causes

From many land cover units to regions & to landscape types

Bio-geographical regions Coastal units Dominant Landscape Types  Land accounting units Grids Administrative Units River basins Sea catchments Bio-geographical regions Coastal units Dominant Landscape Types  The accounts are produced by land accounting units which can be the cells of a grid, administrative units (e.g. NUTS), river basins, sea catchments or bio-geographical regions. A particular attention has been paid to the definition of coastal units and Dominant Landscape Types. It combines: an analysis of dominant land cover carried out with a smoothing algorithm so-called CORILIS (derived from Lacaze, Grasland et al.) and - classes of relief based on general definitions (e.g. mountains means > 1000 + >500 when the average slope is > 2%) and the constraints of the available DTM at GISCO. The distinction is between : low coast, high coast and low inland, which make lowlands (<200m), uplands and mountians. Dominant Landscape Types Nomenclature A1 Urban dense areas A2 Dispersed urban areas B1 Broad pattern intensive agriculture B11 Lowland broad pattern intensive agriculture B111 Low coastal broad pattern intensive agriculture B112 High coastal broad pattern intensive agriculture B113 Low inland broad pattern intensive agriculture B12 Upland broad pattern intensive agriculture B13 Mountain broad pattern intensive agriculture B2 Composite rural landscape B21 Lowland composite rural landscape B211 Low coastal composite rural landscape B212 High coastal composite rural landscape B213 Low inland composite rural landscape B22 Upland composite rural landscape B23 Mountain composite rural landscape C1 Forested landscape C11 Lowland forested landscape C111 Low coastal forested landscape C112 High coastal forested landscape C113 Low inland coastal forested landscape C12 Upland forested landscape C13 Mountain forested landscape C2 Open semi-natural or natural landscape C21 Lowland open semi-natural or natural landscape C211 Low open semi-natural or natural landscape C212 High open semi-natural or natural landscape C213 Low inland open semi-natural or natural landscape C22 Upland open semi-natural or natural landscape C23 Mountain open semi-natural or natural landscape C3 Landscape with no dominant land cover character C31 Lowland with no dominant land cover character C311 Low landscape with no dominant land cover character C312 High landscape with no dominant land cover character C313 Low inland landscape with no dominant land cover character C32 Upland with no dominant land cover character C33 Mountain with no dominant land cover character

CORINE Land Cover Standard Classification

CORILIS intensity themes – 4 CEEC

CORILIS Intensity « semi-natural »

Coastal strip

Relief classes used in LEAC

Dominant Landscape Types level 1

Dominant Landscape Types level 2

Dominant Rural Landscape

Classification of Dominant Landscape Types A1 Urban dense areas A2 Dispersed urban areas B1 Broad pattern intensive agriculture B11 Lowland broad pattern intensive agriculture B111 Low coastal broad pattern intensive agriculture B112 High coastal broad pattern intensive agriculture B113 Low inland broad pattern intensive agriculture B12 Upland broad pattern intensive agriculture B13 Mountain broad pattern intensive agriculture B2 Composite rural landscape B21 Lowland composite rural landscape B211 Low coastal composite rural landscape B212 High coastal composite rural landscape B213 Low inland composite rural landscape B22 Upland composite rural landscape B23 Mountain composite rural landscape C1 Forested landscape C11 Lowland forested landscape C111 Low coastal forested landscape C112 High coastal forested landscape C113 Low inland coastal forested landscape C12 Upland forested landscape C13 Mountain forested landscape C2 Open semi-natural or natural landscape C21 Lowland open semi-natural or natural landscape C211 Low open semi-natural or natural landscape C212 High open semi-natural or natural landscape C213 Low inland open semi-natural or natural landscape C22 Upland open semi-natural or natural landscape C23 Mountain open semi-natural or natural landscape C3 Landscape with no dominant land cover character C31 Lowland with no dominant land cover character C311 Low landscape with no dominant land cover character C312 High landscape with no dominant land cover character C313 Low inland landscape with no dominant land cover character C32 Upland with no dominant land cover character C33 Mountain with no dominant land cover character  

Account of Land Cover Flows of the European Coast This table is an extremely simplified account established for the whole European coast (as covered by CLC & LaCoast). Consumption of land cover and Formation of land cover are computed separately from CLC data. Even though simplified, the picture is quite interesting and shows a loss of ecosystems potentials generated by the use of land: 26 types of land cover (green) are used for the formation of 10 types of new land cover (orange). At this level of aggregation, the only reverse flow is farmland abandonment. This type of account can be detailed by any geographical breakdown (e.g. countries, NUTS3, sea catchments or river basins, dominant landscape types. The land cover types can be detailled as far as CLC level 3 (44 types) and the nomenclature of land cover flows can as well be detailed in 37 individual flows.. Detailed Nomenclature of Land Cover Flows LCF1 Urban land management LCF11 Urban development/ infilling LCF12 Developed land recycling LCF13 Development of green urban areas LCF2 Urban sprawl LCF21 Urban continuous sprawl LCF22 Urban diffuse sprawl LCF3 Extension of economic sites and infrastructures LCF31 Extension of industrial & commercial sites LCF32 Extension of transport networks LCF33 Extension of harbours LCF34 Extension of airports LCF35 Extension of mines and quarrying areas LCF36 Extension of dumpsites LCF37 Construction LCF38 Extension of sport and leisure facilities LCF4 Agricultural rotation and intensification LCF41 Recent extension of pasture, fallow land, set aside LCF42 Planting of vineyards, fruit and olive trees over arable & pasture LCF43 Rotation of annual crops LCF44 Rotation of permanent crops LCF45 Intensification of agriculture LCF5 Conversion of land to agriculture LCF51 Intensive conversion of forest to agriculture LCF52 Intensive conversion of marginal land to agriculture LCF53 Diffuse conversion of forest to agriculture LCF54 Diffuse conversion of marginal land to agriculture LCF55 Conversion of wetlands to agriculture LCF56 Conversion of developed areas to agriculture LCF6 Forests creation and management LCF61 Forests creation LCF62 Forests rotation LCF63 Recent felling and transition LCF7 Water body creation and management LCF71 Water body creation LCF72 Water body management LCF8 Changes of land cover due to natural and multiple causes LCF81 Semi-natural rotation LCF82 Farmland abandonment without significant woodland creation LCF83 Farmland abandonment with woodland creation LCF84 Other land abandonment (other than farmland) LCF85 Forests and shrubs fires LCF86 Coastal erosion LCF87 Impacts of storms, floods… LCF89 Other changes and unknown COMMENT: Loss of ecosystems potentials generated by the use of land 26 types of land cover (green) are used for the formation of 10 types of new land cover (orange). At this level of aggregation, the only reverse flow is farmland abandonment. (NB: only changes > 1000 ha are considered)

Main land cover flows on European coast, 1975-1990 The major trends on European coasts as a whole are urban sprawl, agriculture intensification and extension and, oppositely, farmland abandonment and extension of pasture, fallow land and set aside. A regional analysis shows contrast between regions where one or the other process is dominant. However, the 3 may co-exist when urban sprawl pushes farmers to cultivate marginal land. These lands are generally not those which are abandoned at the same time (as shown on next slide). An additional effect of CAP subsidies could be investigated in this respect.

Land Accounting Units/ Coastal Units

Trends in marginal land on European coast, 1975-90, ha The 2 processes of farmland abandonment and conversion of marginal land to agriculture take place on the coast. When analysed by landscape types, the phenomenon is observed mainly in the less intensive types. We can note that conversion to agriculture is important in composite areas (C3 and B2) as it could be expected but, as well, in open natural landscapes, which is more surprising. (The colours that overlay the legend correspond to the landscape types of the coastal units on the map)

Urban extension compared to Farmland (Net Change), European coast, 1975-1990, hectares

(a) Urban sprawl + Extension of infrastructures, European coast, 1975-1990, NUTS3

(b) Intensification of Agriculture + Conversion of land to Agriculture, European coast, 1975-1990, NUTS3

(c) Farmland abandonment, European coast, 1975-1990, NUTS3

Objectives for 2004 Production of LEAC with new data for validating the model Development of a protocol for producing accounts with CLC2000 on a continuous basis Development of the first applications required Development of a query tool for extracting accounts tables, indicators and maps

Production of LEAC with new data for validating the model CLC2000 Km² grid Validated set of land units Updated nomenclatures Solve methodological issues such as the inconsistency of dates

Use of CLC2000 data as soon as they are available Development of a protocol for producing accounts with CLC2000 on a continuous basis Use of CLC2000 data as soon as they are available Tackle the issue of successive versions Return results to countries (e.g. such as regional profiles) Supply accounts for other projects (EEA, ETCTE, ETCNBP…)

Development of the first applications required ETCTE technical annex products (incl. IRENA 12 & 24…) SOER 2005 sub-reports 1 (Households) and 5 (Biodiversity) Input to ecosystem accounts EEA anniversary ?

Development of a query tool for extracting accounts tables, indicators and maps Let the users choose between the millions of possible indicators at their relevant scale (incl. the surroundings of their backyards…) – on the web Introduce more flexibility in EEA’s assessments and indicators when they relate to land