Landscapes Forest and Global Change - ESA - Escola Superior ...

K. Koschke et al. 2010. Using a multi-criteria approach to fit the evaluation basis of “Pimp Your Landscape”
502
Using a multi-criteria approach to fit the evaluation basis of the
modified 2-D cellular automaton “Pimp Your Landscape”
Lars Koschke * , Christine Fürst, Carsten Lorz, Susanne Frank & Franz Makeschin
Institute for Soil Science and Site Ecology, Dresden University of Technology,
Germany
Abstract
This contribution presents an evaluation approach that is used within the framework of the landuse
management support tool “Pimp your landscape”. “Pimp your landscape” is a modified 2-D
cellular automaton, which enables a multi-criteria impact assessment of land-use management
planning decisions. To evaluate land-cover changes, values are assigned to each land-use type;
these values describe its contribution to regionally specific sets of ecosystem services and / or
environmental risks.
A major problem is that universally valid indicators that facilitate the estimation of such values
are rare. Indicators taken from sectoral evaluation approaches, such as those that are available
from forest or agricultural research, often times address different target scales, thus negating
their suitability for a holistic evaluation on landscape level.
We focus here on the question of how to quantify the impact of planning measures. A
combination of participatory multi-criteria and indicator-based analysis is developed to arrive at
a comprehensive evaluation.
Keywords: Pimp Your Landscape, ecosystem services, land-use type, landscape evaluation,
criteria and indicators
1. Introduction
Land-use pattern change is one of many important factors that generate climate change. Landmanagement
affects ecosystem functioning in many ways. Therefore, management measures
and planning targets connected to climate change adaption are related to alterations in land-use
types or management intensity. These changes will impact ecosystem services (MEA 2005). For
the current project region in Saxony, Germany, we have chosen six ecosystem services:
ecological functioning, aesthetical value, human health and well being, CC mitigation, bioresource
provision and economic wealth.
In our approach we aim at estimating the consequences of land cover and management changes
on landscape level. We intend to support decision makers who are confronted with the challenge
to take into account multiple objectives. For this purpose the tool Pimp your landscape (PYL)
has been developed. PYL is software that simulates and visualizes the impact of management or
planning scenarios on ecosystem services at the landscape level; these include structural
landscape aspects and environmental data (climate, soil, topography). The end-user receives
feed-back in real-time and can easily simulate and compare manifold scenarios. The software is
based on a cellular automaton approach including GIS-features. The cell size is fixed at 100 x
100m. To each cell, the predominant land-use type (LUT) taken from the CORINE land-cover
(CLC) 2000 or regional land cover data is assigned (Fürst et al. 2010).
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 35203 38 31377 - Fax: +49 35203 38 31388
Email address: Lars.Koschke@tu-dresden.de
Forest Landscapes and Global Change-New Frontiers in Management, Conservation and Restoration. Proceedings of the IUFRO Landscape Ecology
Working Group International Conference, September 21-27, 2010, Bragança, Portugal. J.C. Azevedo, M. Feliciano, J. Castro & M.A. Pinto (eds.)
2010, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal.