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2 Methods
2.1 Spatial Analysis of Land Use and Biodiversity Changes
The spatial data available to assess land use and biodiversity change at the landscape level were based on CORINE Land Cover (CLC) satellite data and on data
from the field Habitat Mapping of the Natural Conservation Agency of the Czech
Republic (NCA CR). The CLC includes 29 land cover (LC) classes and has been
done for 1990, 2000, 2006, 2012, and 2018. LC analyses were carried out for the
whole monitored period (1990–2018). This consisted of a comparison of the area of
CLC categories in individual years, construction of development trajectories and
selection of persistent areas.
Natural and near natural habitats were analysed using data from the Habitat mapping of NCA CR. Data from two time periods were available, the original mapping
from 2004 and the revision from 2014. The areas of individual habitats were compared between 2004 and 2014 and the persistence proportion of each habitat was
also identified. Subsequently, the changes were expressed in point and monetary
values using the Habitat valuation method (HVM) (Seják et al. 2003; Cudlín
et al. 2005).
2.2 Biodiversity Valuation Using the Habitat Valuation Method
We valuated habitats as biodiversity carriers by HVM. This method was based on
the original Hessen method used Germany to evaluate ecosystem loss. The first version of the method valuated 192 habitat types in the Czech Republic: 139 natural
and near natural habitats from the Habitat Mapping of NCA CR and 53 more unnatural habitats (Seják et al. 2003; Seják and Cudlín 2010). During 2016–2018, the
method was further developed so that categories of non-natural habitats are based
on vegetation units rather than land use and the number of unnatural habitats was
reduced to 38 habitats. The relative assessment of habitats, expressed as a point
value per 1 m
2
, was based on eight criteria: habitat maturity, habitat naturalness,
diversity of layers-structures, diversity of plant species, rareness of habitat, rareness
of plant species, vulnerability of habitat type, endangerment of quantity, and quality
of habitats. These criteria were assessed for every habitat type (139 natural and near
natural and 38 unnatural habitats). Using the calculation formula, we obtained the
relative value of each type of habitat (Seják et al. 2018). This value was derived
from 182 restoration projects realized in the time period 2007–2016 and presents
the cost that the government paid in the frame of restoration programs to increase
the ecological quality of 1 m
2
of habitat by 1 point. The financial value of one point
is about 1 EUR (Seják et al. 2018).
The HVM valuation method was applied to the CLC data sequence from 1990 to
2018 for the whole Czech Republic to obtain the development of habitat value
Is it Possible to Maintain a Biodiversity of Natural Habitats Under Global Change…
2 Methods
2.1 Spatial Analysis of Land Use and Biodiversity Changes
The spatial data available to assess land use and biodiversity change at the landscape level were based on CORINE Land Cover (CLC) satellite data and on data
from the field Habitat Mapping of the Natural Conservation Agency of the Czech
Republic (NCA CR). The CLC includes 29 land cover (LC) classes and has been
done for 1990, 2000, 2006, 2012, and 2018. LC analyses were carried out for the
whole monitored period (1990–2018). This consisted of a comparison of the area of
CLC categories in individual years, construction of development trajectories and
selection of persistent areas.
Natural and near natural habitats were analysed using data from the Habitat mapping of NCA CR. Data from two time periods were available, the original mapping
from 2004 and the revision from 2014. The areas of individual habitats were compared between 2004 and 2014 and the persistence proportion of each habitat was
also identified. Subsequently, the changes were expressed in point and monetary
values using the Habitat valuation method (HVM) (Seják et al. 2003; Cudlín
et al. 2005).
2.2 Biodiversity Valuation Using the Habitat Valuation Method
We valuated habitats as biodiversity carriers by HVM. This method was based on
the original Hessen method used Germany to evaluate ecosystem loss. The first version of the method valuated 192 habitat types in the Czech Republic: 139 natural
and near natural habitats from the Habitat Mapping of NCA CR and 53 more unnatural habitats (Seják et al. 2003; Seják and Cudlín 2010). During 2016–2018, the
method was further developed so that categories of non-natural habitats are based
on vegetation units rather than land use and the number of unnatural habitats was
reduced to 38 habitats. The relative assessment of habitats, expressed as a point
value per 1 m
2
, was based on eight criteria: habitat maturity, habitat naturalness,
diversity of layers-structures, diversity of plant species, rareness of habitat, rareness
of plant species, vulnerability of habitat type, endangerment of quantity, and quality
of habitats. These criteria were assessed for every habitat type (139 natural and near
natural and 38 unnatural habitats). Using the calculation formula, we obtained the
relative value of each type of habitat (Seják et al. 2018). This value was derived
from 182 restoration projects realized in the time period 2007–2016 and presents
the cost that the government paid in the frame of restoration programs to increase
the ecological quality of 1 m
2
of habitat by 1 point. The financial value of one point
is about 1 EUR (Seják et al. 2018).
The HVM valuation method was applied to the CLC data sequence from 1990 to
2018 for the whole Czech Republic to obtain the development of habitat value
Is it Possible to Maintain a Biodiversity of Natural Habitats Under Global Change…