Einzelheiten

Beschreibung

The EU ecosystem typology has been endorsed as a common classification to harmonize the reporting on ecosystem accounts in the EU. Its development was based on the most important existing EU-wide ecosystem classifications: the MAES ecosystem typology, and the EUNIS habitat classification, while the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (IUCN GET) provided important context. The EU ecosystem typology has been developed based on the following principles: 1. Supporting the mapping and modelling of ecosystem condition and ecosystem services. Therefore, the typology builds on and enhances the MAES ecosystem typology (Maes et al., 2013) at level 1. 2. Ensuring a connection with the European habitat classification system 'EUNIS' that is widely used in Member States and is connected to several important EU biodiversity-related policies. 3. Alignment with IUCN GET to facilitate international comparisons; but leaving out the IUCN classes that are not present in Europe (e.g. mangroves and tropical forests). 4. Excluding the IUCN GET sub-terranean ecosystem types, in line with recommendations provided in the SEEA EA, to avoid double counting in terms of ecosystem extent area. 5. Presenting only those ecosystem types that are significant in at least one EU country1. The EU ecosystem typology uses three levels of increasing ecological detail to classify European ecosystems. At level 1 (EU L1), the EU ecosystem typology is an updated MAES ecosystem typology. EU L1 of the typology is defined in Annex IX of Regulation (EU) 691/2011 on the European environmental-economic accounts and has been adopted as mandatory reporting on ecosystem extent to Eurostat (Table 1). At level 2 (EU L2), the main ecosystem types are further differentiated into L2 sub-types in a manner that is relevant for ecosystem service and condition modelling and reporting. EU L2 aligns, where feasible, with the EUNIS habitat level 2 classification. The breakdown at level 2 is included in the ecosystem extent accounts questionnaire for voluntary reporting. Level 3 (EU L3) presents an additional, more detailed layer to support ecosystem service and condition modelling, and national uses. EU L3 sub-types may be adjusted for national level analysis - for instance, specific crops may be added in the extent account. EU L3 of the typology is based upon EUNIS2, with some aggregation of the EUNIS level 3 classes to simplify the typology for ecosystem accounting. Any new classes for use at national scale at EU L3 should be linked to the appropriate EU L2 sub-type, so that aggregation at L1 and L2 of the EU ecosystem typology remains possible. When adapting EU L3 sub-types, it may be helpful to consult the crosswalks between the EUNIS habitat classification version 2012 and other hierarchies including the Habitats Directive Annex I habitat types and CORINE Land Cover classes.