Mia Rönkä

Geospatially structured biodiversity information as a component of a regional biodiversity clearing house

To function effectively, the international biodiversity Clearing HouseMechanism (CHM), based on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), needs tobe rooted at the regional and local levels. This article presents an example ofhow stakeholders of regional data and information can be encouraged to formnetworks linked to national biodiversity focal points (NFPs). We pay specialattention to exploiting the geospatial properties of biodiversity data andinformation, and demonstrate how data and information can best be filtered,classified and labelled to facilitate geographically based information retrievalon the Internet. The geocodability of bibliographic reports proved to be poor,indicating an urgent need to reconsider the geographical properties ofbiodiversity information under production. Also, it is useful to utilisenetworking processes with information from fields other than biodiversity wheninitiating the network. Finally, we present and discuss problems of integrityand interoperability of data, and also the process of biodiversity informationproduction from the point of view of general information theory and innovationsoffered by modern information technology.

Spatial information in ecosystem service assessment: data applicability in the cascade model context

Spatial information and geographical information systems (GISs) are widely used in ecosystem service research, but both the information and the methods need to be properly understood in order to make coherent analyses. We discuss the practical challenges of incorporating spatial data to ecosystem service assessment in an agricultural landscape and apply the ecosystem service cascade model to put different data into context. We review the prerequisites and practices for successful ‘ecosystem service GIS’ and provide a structured view of the information and data needed in the assessment of ecosystem services at a regional scale. Due to the heterogeneity of the spatial data, the regional characteristics should be considered in environmental decision-making through ethnographic research on local expertise to make optimal choices in using spatial information.

Environmental Impacts—Coastal Ecosystems, Birds and Forests

This chapter describes observed historical and projected future impacts of climate change on the coastal and terrestrial ecosystems of the Baltic Sea basin. Because terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems interact, this chapter gives particular emphasis to the coastal zone as a contact area for terrestrial, marine and atmospheric processes. Archipelagos and post-glacial land uplift are particular features of the Baltic Sea basin and so receive special consideration. This chapter comprises three main sections. The first describes coastal zone and archipelago ecosystems in the Baltic Sea region and evaluates the potential impacts of climate change. The second examines a case study for the effect of current and future climate change on coastal bird populations and communities. The third evaluates the effects of current and future climate change on forests and natural plant communities in the Baltic Sea basin and the ways in which terrestrial ecosystems may interact with aquatic ecosystems. Climate-related changes in carbon storage are also discussed.

Environmental technology in the sustainable use of agricultural ecosystem services: the relevance of farmers' mental models

We assessed the roles of automated environmental monitoring technology in the sustainable use of agricultural ecosystem services in the Karjaanjoki River catchment area in Finland by examining the mental models of 39 farmers participating in an environmental monitoring platform. The monitoring data served the farmers in their decision-making and risk management, in addition to holding a potential for environmental research and monitoring. The farmers’ main interests, however, lay in finding cost-efficient agricultural practices, not in environmental monitoring or management as such. Greater familiarisation of users may enhance the usability of technology. Fundamental functional deficiencies, however, can only be remedied by further development. Participatory planning and the study of farmers’ mental models should thus be applied already in the designing stage. In future, new technologies should be integrated into farmers’ mental models, so as to facilitate, complement and correct traditional models of sustainability.

Fundamentals of Conservation Biology

In the field of natural resources, we view a world of damaged or destroyed ecosystems in desperate need of attention. For scholars, practitioners, and decision makers the emerging field of ecological restoration has the attractive appeal of a discipline that focuses specifically on dealing directly with these issues. Unfortunately, environmental problem solving is not that easy and it is evident that long-term project success requires more than a consideration of the dynamics and interactions of plant and animal biology and ecology. An understanding of underlying current and historic dynamics, cultural origins and barriers, even economics may be essential for a project’s success. Even the seemingly simple task of defining the project goal is convoluted by the choice to repair, restore, or regenerate the site. Consequently, these complexities of ecological restoration are frustrating, even overwhelming. Not surprisingly, there is an opening for a text which consolidates, or at least overviews, the wealth of material needed to come to terms with the required multidisciplinary approach. Clewell and Aronson’s Ecological Restoration, Principles, Values and Structure of an Emerging Profession is the latest response to this call which so far has been left wanting. The authors claim to offer an account of underlying principles of ecological restoration to those involved in its practice from designers to managers, and also to other professions such as conservation and ecological engineering which may be directly or indirectly associated with the principles of restoration. Consequently, the language style is directed to those who do not necessarily have a strong background in natural resources. For example, the authors do not delve into the details of the science of ecology, but they do an admirable job of describing those ecological principles which underpin successful restoration such as: alternative states, ecosystem disturbance and dynamics, ecosystem trajectories, invasive species, even the slippery discussion of the relevance of native species. Similarly, from a sociological perspective, there is a useful discussion of the holistic nature of ecological restoration which links personal, cultural and socio-economic values to the site ecology. The book is separated into five sections: Introduction and Essential Background, Elements of Restoration Projects, Values that Restoration Addresses, Structure of an Emerging Profession and Holistic Ecological Restoration. In each section, there are accompanying case studies or “virtual fieldtrips” which help to loosely place the discussed topics into a realworld context. These case studies vary from direct intervention of ecosystem processes, piling of cut brush along contours for arid land restoration in Australia; to the encouragement of revised cultural practices through the introduction of agroforestry techniques to improve ranchland sustainability in Chile; to wholesale restoration techniques involving plant reintroduction and reestablishment of former hydrology in a drained peatland in Germany. These are adequately illustrated and there is a fair spread of examples from both the developed and developing world. The holistic nature of ecological restoration is both appealing and daunting. There is little doubt that the evolution of the discipline will continue to rely heavily on the tight feedback loop between practice, science and principle, and for this reason any discussion must incorporate all three components. Clewel and Aronson accomplish this very effectively and present an excellent introduction for scholars, practitioners and decision makers. Through its very nature, ecological restoration is forcing a multidisciplinary approach to environmental problem solving, and this book successfully prepares the reader for the spectrum of issues needed to be considered for project success.