Increasing the Habitat Heterogeneity and Evaluation of Ecosystem Services

Heterogeneity, or habitat diversity, is a key condition for a high biodiversity of ecosystems. It increases their resistance to negative influences (eg., pollution, temperature fluctuations, torrential rainfall or long periods of drought), supports ecological and ecosystem processes, the species diversity of plants and animals, and contributes to the health and stability of the environment.

Currently, a significant part of the total area of ​​all project sites is covered by a homogeneous growth of unwanted types of vegetation (reeds, invasive trees, invasive species). The goal of the project is to increase the habitat heterogeneity from the current 30% to 50% using appropriate interventions and measures. The expected output after the end of the project is a subsequent increase in heterogeneity by another 10%, which will contribute to the continued stabilization of the restored ecosystems.

Ecosystem services and changes in heterogeneity will be assessed using a multicriteria analysis based on the framework provided by the EU Biodiversity and Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) methodology. Specifically, it will be a combination of quantitative methods including on-site measurements, multispectral, hyperspectral and remote sensing radar data, and cost-benefit analysis. Monitoring of the vegetation dynamics, water regime and temperature will use vegetation indices and biophysical parameters obtained from radar and multispectral images and biophysical models. Ecosystem services will be quantified at the level of individual project sites together with a comprehensive assessment of the entire area.