DEVELOPMENT OF AGRO-ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS FOR EVALUATION 0F BIODIVERSITY IN THE LATVIAN FARMLAND

DeVELOPMENT OF AGRO-ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS FOR EVALUATION 0F BIODIVERSITY IN THE LATVIAN FARMLAND.

Since the establishments of a new EU CAP in 1998 the E.C. have committed them to integrate the environment into their agricultural policies. Presently, EU put big effort into the establishment of agro-environmental indicators.

Landsat data were used as basic for modelling agro-environmental landscape quality, by the use of Fragstat measures.

The project “Biodiversity management in the Latvian farmland - a decision support system” (1995-2001), was already in 1994 designed for modeling biodiversity measures and agro-environmental indicators by integrating systematic biological field observations with satellite derived land cover data.

The study result showed that measures suggested to be used within EU for evaluation of biodiversity in west European agriculture did respond to species richness, but not to red-listed species. Novel GIS methods was developed to produce predicted species maps for birds as well as using FRAGSTAT for compiling bird species respond to landscape architecture. The project identified Lesser Spotted eagle as the most suited agro-environmental indicator - it has high environmental demands and responds to large scale landscape measures. Lesser Spotted eagle is used as agro-environmental indicator in the Latvian SAPARD program.

The project consisted of a study part and furthermore, capacity building to the Latvian ministry of environment and ministry of agriculture. The project results added to development of the Latvian agricultural policy.

A novel method to assess species from satellite data: regression models of bird species were implemented into the classified satellite data to produce predicted species maps.

PRINS, E., PETERSEN, B., S., AUNINS A. and PRIEDNIEK, J.(2005): Using Landsat TM and field data to produce

maps of predicted bird densities in Latvian farmland. Int. J. of Remote Sensing, Vol 26, No 9 p 1881 – 1891.

Aunins, a, petersen, b.s.,Priednieks, J., & Prins, e. (2001): Bird-habitat relationships in Latvian farmland.

ACTA ORNITHOLOGICA 36:1.

Priednieks, J., A. Aunins, S. Brogger-Jensen & E.Prins (1999): Species-habitat relationships in

Latvian farmland: studies of breeding birds in a changing agricultural landscape. VOGELWELT, 120

Suppl.: 3-5 p 163-175.

Prins (2001) Methods for indication of biological values and biodiversity in Latvian farmland - Spatial analysis

of land use/cover and landscape in relation to distribution of birds in the farmland. Technical report: Prepared

for the project: “management of biodiversity in the Latvian farmland – a decision support system”by Erik Prins

Febuary 2001. DANCEE/Ornis Consult Ltd.

Aunins A, Kalviskis K and Prins, E. (2000): Telpiskas informacijas sistemas un attala izpete, Latvian Fund for

Nature, Riga 2000, ISBN-9984-9356-3-9. – First official publication on RS/GIS in Latvian.

Client: DANCEE 1995-2001

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