DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF A GIS-BASED PEATLAND INVENTORY FOR SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN (GERMANY)

摘要

The successful implementation of peatland action plans should be based on the use of accurate information on the distribution of peatland types and quality to define region-specific restoration aims and to detect regional trends in quality. This paper describes the development and application of a GIS-based peatland database for the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein (Germany). The database combines information on the distribution of peatland types, their connection to the river network, basin hierarchy, land-use types, proportion of ecologically valuable biotopes per peatland, proportion of species-rich wet grasslands per peatland, species distribution data, administrative data, and legally protected areas. According to the database, 24% of the peat soils in Schleswig-Holstein are used as arable land. Although ecologically valuable biotopes are mapped on 19% of the peatland area, only 6% of the peatland area is legally protected within nature reserves. Database queries support the site selection procedure for different environmental management aims.