land accounts at the eea

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

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

http://eea.eionet.eu.int:8980/Public/irc/eionet-circle/leac/home

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 Sea Catchments

Net intensification of land use by Country

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

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

Stock at

Time 1

Stock at

Time 2

Do gains compensate for losses? Do gains compensate for losses?

Stock at

Time 1

Stock at

Time 2

Do gains compensate for losses? Do gains compensate for losses?

Which are the processes in question?

Does quality of stock carried over change?

Gains

Losses

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

CORRESPONDANCE BETWEEN LAND COVER CHANGES (CLC LEVEL 3) AND THE LAND COVER FLOWS

132 133 141 142 211 212 213 221 222 223

Dump sites Construction

sites Green urban

areas

Sport and leisure

facilities

Non-irrigated arable land

Permanently irrigated land

Rice fields Vineyards Fruit trees and berry

plantations Olive groves

243 Land principally occupied by agriculture w ith significant areas of natural vegetation

Extension of dumpsites

ConstructionDevelopment of green urban areas

Extension of sport and leisure facilities

Intensive conversion of marginal land to agriculture






244 Agro-forestry areasExtension of dumpsites



Intensif ication of agriculture



Planting of vineyards, fruit and olive trees over arable & pasture



311 Broad-leaved forestExtension of dumpsites



Intensive conversion of forest to agriculture






312 Coniferous forestExtension of dumpsites









313 Mixed forestExtension of dumpsites









321 Natural grasslandExtension of dumpsites









322 Moors and heathlandExtension of dumpsites









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

Land accounting units

• Grids

• Administrative Units

• River basins

• Sea catchments

• Bio-geographical regions

• Coastal units

• Dominant Landscape

Types

CORINE Land Cover

Standard Classification

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

1. Artificial surfaces1.1.1 Continuous Urban Fabric

1.1.2 Discontinuous Urban Fabric

1.2.1 Industrial Or Commercial Units

1.2.2 Road and Rail Networks and Associated Land

1.2.3 Port Areas

1.2.4 Airport

1.3.1 Mineral Extraction Sites

1.3.2 Dump Sites

1.3.3 Construction Sites

1.4.1 Green Urban Areas

1.4.2 Sport And Leisure Facilities

2. Agricultural areas2.1.1 Non-Irrigated Arable Land

2.1.2 Permanently Irrigated Land

2.1.3 Rice Fields

2.2.1 Vineyards

2.2.2 Fruit Trees And Berry Plantations

2.2.3 Olive Groves2.3 Pastures 2.3.1 Pastures

2.4.1 Annual Crops Associated With Permanent Crops

2.4.2 Complex Cultivation Patterns2.4.3 Land Principally Occupied By Agriculture, With Signif icant Areas Of Natural Vegetation

2.4.4 Agro-Forestry Areas

3. Forests and semi-natural areas3.1.1 Broad-Leaved Forest

3.1.2 Coniferous Forest

3.1.3 Mixed Forest

3.2.1 Natural Grassland

3.2.2 Moors And Heathland

3.2.3 Sclerophyllous Vegetation

3.2.4 Transitional Woodland-Shrub

3.3.1 Beaches, Dunes, And Sand Plains

3.3.2 Bare Rock

3.3.3 Sparsely Vegetated Areas

3.3.4 Burnt Areas

3.3.5 Glaciers and perpetual snow

4. Wetlands4.1.1 Inland Marshes

4.1.2 Peat bogs

4.2.1 Salt-Marshes

4.2.2. Salines

4.2.3. Intertidal flats

5. Water bodies5.1.1 Water courses

5.1.2 Water bodies

5.2.1 Coastal lagoons

5.2.2 Estuaries

1.3 Mines, dump and construction sites

1.4 Artificial non-agricultural vegetated areas

5.2 Coastal waters

3.2 Shrub and/or herbaceous vegetation associations

3.3 Open spaces with little or no vegetation

4.1 Inland wetlands

4.2 Coastal wetlands

5.1. Inland waters

2.1 Arable Land

2.2 Permanent Crops

2.4 Heterogeneous agricultural areas

3.1 Forests

1.1 Urban fabric

1.2 Industrial, commercial and transport units

CORILIS intensity themes – 4 CEEC

CORILIS Intensity « semi-natural »

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 landscapeC11 Lowland forested landscapeC111 Low coastal forested landscapeC112 High coastal forested landscapeC113 Low inland coastal forested landscapeC12 Upland forested landscapeC13 Mountain forested landscapeC2 Open semi-natural or natural landscapeC21 Lowland open semi-natural or natural landscapeC211 Low open semi-natural or natural landscapeC212 High open semi-natural or natural landscapeC213 Low inland open semi-natural or natural

landscapeC22 Upland open semi-natural or natural landscapeC23 Mountain open semi-natural or natural landscapeC3 Landscape with no dominant land cover

characterC31 Lowland with no dominant land cover characterC311 Low landscape with no dominant land cover

characterC312 High landscape with no dominant land cover

characterC313 Low inland landscape with no dominant land cover

characterC32 Upland with no dominant land cover characterC33 Mountain with no dominant land cover character

Account of Land Cover Flows of the European Coast

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

Main land cover flows on European coast, 1975-1990 - ha

191860

103151

323569

160692

190425

415126

203852

121485

0 50000 100000 150000 200000 250000 300000 350000 400000 450000

Coastal erosion

Farmland abandonment

Recent extension of pasture, fallowland, set aside

Forests creation

Conversion of marginal land toagriculture

Intensification of agriculture

Planting of vineyards, fruit and olivetrees over arable & pasture

Urban sprawl+Extension of economicsites and infrastructures

Land Accounting Units/ Coastal Units

Trends in marginal land on European coast, 1975-90, ha

0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000

A1-Urban dense areas

A2-Dirspersed urban

B1-Broad pattern agriculture

B2-Composite rural landscape

C1-Forested landscape

C2-Open natural landscape

C3-No dominance

Farmland abandonment Conversion of marginal land to agriculture

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

Artif icial surfaces

Arable Land+Permanent CropsPasture+Mixed agricultural areas-80000

-60000

-40000

-20000

0

20000

40000

60000

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

(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

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…)

• Introduce more flexibility in EEA’s assessments and indicators when they relate to land

land accounts at the eea

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