A quantitative and qualitative decline of Danish terrestrial eco-systems has been occurring over the last century or even longer. The need for new areas in agriculture, infrastructure and settlement has meant a continuous decline of non-cultivated areas. At the same time both cultivated and non-cultivated areas have experienced an increasing influence from human activities. These disturbances are partly due to pollution from nutrients, pesticides, heavy metals and dispositions in the atmosphere, and partly due to increased perturbation resulting from man's land-use in general. Increased attention towards these problems has to some degree halted this negative development. In order, however, to turn the development around in a more positive direction, it is necessary to increase the knowledge of the present situation and create a profile of the significant factors for both the development and vulnerability of these systems. Some research has already been done to create this overview, in in Denmark as well as internationally. However, different eco-systems are so varied and complex, and their biota of such a wide variety, that it has so far, only been possible to look at selected parts of the landscape and selected parts of the biota in the research projects. In the future we must also be content with assembling only parts of the whole, but with the information already assembled and the information generated through this project, the aim is to build a sophisticated model capable of taking a wider view. This model will describe the living conditions for representative parts of the Danish vascular plants and mammals. Both types of organisms are highly visible and therefore central elements in the perception of both biologists and the public when considering the natural biota of the landscape.

The project is divided into three sub-projects, which 1) describes the vegetation composition of habitats and the factors influencing these, and 2) describes the presence of selected species of mammals, their distribution and densities, in relation to the structural coherence of the habitats in the landscape and 3) juxtaposing the results of the other two sub-projects using computer simulation models for analysis and employing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for visualisation. Since the models of the animals are dependent on the botanical content of their habitats, models for flora will be incorporated as starting point for the models for fauna. Thus there will be an integrated evaluation of the consequences of man's activities for the selected parts of faunal and floral components of the biota of the Danish landscape.

Purpose

• Develop a physiotopic-classification model based on geographical, physical, edaphic, climatic and other relevant information about the physical-chemical nature foundation in the area.
• Validate the relations between the physiotopic model and the potential and actual composition of the vegetation.
• Describe and validate selected aspects of the relationships between mammals and their habitats, their use of the landscape, seasonal variation and spatial distribution.
• Develop individual based models for each of the selected species of mammals.
• Develop an integrated landscape model, which on the basis of accessible material, describes the consequences of changed utilisation of areas, management methods, recreational utilisation, etc. on selected components of the biota.

Research Activities

The project is divided into three sub-projects:

A terrestrial biotopic description

Head of Project: Director of Research Jesper
Fredshavn, National Environmental Research Institute,
Dept. of Landscape Ecology, Grenåvej 12,
Kalø, DK-8410 Rønde, Ph. +45 89 20 15 21,
jrf@dmu.dk

Participants:

Rasmus Ejrnæs, National Environmental Research
Institute, Dept. of Landscape Ecology, Grenåvej 12,
Kalø, DK-8410 Rønde, Ph. +45 89 20 17 05,
rej@dmu.dk Erik Aude , National Environmental Research Institute,
Dept. of Landscape Ecology, Grenåvej 12,
Kalø, DK-8410 Rønde, Ph. +45 89 20 17 05,
eau@dmu.dk Bernd Münier, National Environmental Research
Institute, Dept. of Systems Analysis, Frederiksborgvej 399,
DK-4000 Roskilde, Ph. +45 46 30 12 22,
bem@dmu.dk

This sub-project will develop a physiotopic classification model based on accessible digital geographical information. An important supplement to this classification is information regarding the prehistory of the area covered by other projects within the centre. From a physical-chemical description of the nature foundation, the model will classify the areas into about twenty to thirty different groups. These groups are related to those species of plants identified in the project contract of DMU (National Environmental Research Institute) regarding landscape models describing Nature Quality. These descriptions are based exclusively on existing knowledge from literature. Consequently, there is a need to document the detected coherence between the nature foundation and potential vegetation composition in selected examination areas. Detailed information regarding the nature areas in Vejle Ådal (Vejle Riverbed) has already been collected for other purposes, but in order to secure the general worth of the sub-project it will be necessary to supplement this area with others as well as more oligotrophic habitats.

The influence on mammal fauna by the landscape structure

Head of Project: Aksel Bo Madsen, National Environmental
Research Institute, Dept. of Landscape Ecology,
Grenåvej 12, Kalø, DK-8410 Rønde, Ph.
+45 89 20 15 04,
abm@dmu.dk

Participants:

Thomas Secher Jensen, Århus University, Dept. of
Biology, Zoology section, Universitetsparken, Bygning
135, DK-8000 Århus C, Ph. +45 89 42 31 88,
tsj@bio.aau.dk

Tommy Asferg, National Environmental Research
Institute, Dept. of Landscape Ecology, Grenåvej 12,
Kalø, DK-8410 Rønde, Ph. +45 89 20 15 39,
ta@dmu.dk

Carsten Riis Olesen, National Environmental Research
Institute, Dept. of Landscape Ecology, Grenåvej 12,
Kalø, DK-8410 Rønde, Ph. +45 89 20 15 11, cro@dmu.dk

This project will establish and juxtapose detailed information regarding significant parts of our mammal fauna. Mammals are an essential component of our wildlife and of great importance to the perception of nature for many people. Mammals are, however, difficult to study, resulting in much information of a rather sporadic character difficult to integrate into larger considerations regarding the landscape. National Environmental Research Institute, Kalø and Århus University, Dept. of Zoology have contributed the majority of the existing Danish information in the area. This sub-project aims to juxtapose both existing and new information in order to create a basis for a landscape evaluation. This landscape evaluation will examine the consequences for a broad selection of mammals of changes in land-use, work methods and other landscape changes. The methods include field examinations, utilisation of previous research activities and studies of the international literature. On the basis of these methods individual models will be developed for the species: Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Badger, Fox and Field Vole. These models will focus on significant factors affecting species distribution and utilisation of the landscape, and will include interaction with other modelled species where relevant.

An integrated landscape model

Head of Project: Senior Researcher Chris Topping,
National Environmental Research Institute, Dept. of
Landscape Ecology, Grenåvej 12, Kalø,
DK-8410 Rønde, Ph. +45 89 20 15 02,
cjt@dmu.dk

Participants:

Brian Mayoh, Århus University, Dept. of Computer
Science, Bygning 540, Ny Munkegade, DK-8000 Århus
C, Ph. +45 89 42 33 73, brian@daimi.aau.dk

Due to hardware and software advances it is now feasible to integrate information regarding the dynamics in the composition of the vegetation and the requirements of fauna concerning the size, quality and landscape content of their habitats. This integration is critical for a collective evaluation of the consequences on the living possibilities of the wild flora and fauna with changing area utilisation and production methods. This sub-project will use the information gathered in related projects as well as the two previously described sub-projects. On the basis of this information and changes to the vegetation by the 'biotope model', the sub-project will utilise the newest computer based modelling techniques, e.g. artificial intelligence approaching to simulate the consequences of man's activities for the fauna. An objective starting point is hereby created making it possible to discuss the concept of 'quality of nature' from a scientific biological based view point. It is important that this documentation of the real consequences for the wild flora and fauna is related to the results by other research groups, in order to determine the administrative gains in making changes to the landscape and its consequences for the biota.

Relations to other activities

Sub-project 1 is closely connected to three project contracts; "Indications for Nature Quality", "Integrated Environment Information Systems" and "An Area Information System" as well as the SMP1 project "Re-establishment of Wet Lands - Ecology and Economy". Other projects have already established a valuable international network on which the sub-project will be able to draw.

Sub-project 2 has close relations to the projects "Boundaries in the Landscape", a sub-programme of "People, Landscape and Bio-diversity", the project "Scenario Models", a sub-project of "The Farmer as Manager of Areas" and a research project "The Significance of Habitat Quality and Fragmentation to the Higher Mammal Fauna" funded by landscape ecological funds made available by SNS. Furthermore, the sub-project will utilise valuable international contacts, already established in other connections.

Sub-project 3 utilises some of the most advanced computer technology available within the area due to valuable co-operation with other internationally highly regarded research groups in the UK, USA, Holland, etc.