Distribution and diversity of inland saline vegetation and their characteristic species in Germany - Verbreitung und Diversität von Binnensalzstellen und ihren kennzeichnenden Arten in Deutschland

Aims:

Natural and semi-natural inland saline vegetation occurs in central, eastern, and southern Europe. In line with the increasing homogeneity of Europe's landscapes, the area of European inland saline vegetation has declined in recent decades due to its susceptibility to land-use change and is of conservation concern. In Germany, salt-affected vegetation occurs in eleven federal states, with a center of distribution and diversity in Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, and Lower Saxony. However, despite being subjected to specific protection and conservation measures at state and federal level (FFH, BNatG), they are declining in their extent and quality.

Our study aims to determine the current distribution and spatial extent of inland saline vegetation in Germany. We further want to explore the distribution of species characteristic of inland saline vegetation. We further aim to (i) make assumptions about the existence and distribution of potential development areas for this vegetation and investigate the connectedness of (ii) sites and (iii) individual species' populations.

The study results will be a baseline for further research of inland saline vegetation in Germany and will be of direct use for nature conservation.

Available data:

We have data on the distribution of inland saline vegetation in Germany, including habitat (LRT 1340) and biotope (diverse) types, as well as the species that are characteristic of this vegetation. These data are available for all eleven federal states in which this vegetation occurs.

Methods:

Within the framework of the research module, we analyze the distribution and area expansion of inland saline vegetation as well as the occurrence of characteristic species in Germany. The study will be based on eleven state-based datasets with varying structure and quality. We combine these into harmonized datasets to provide a nationwide overview of the current distribution and extent of inland saline vegetation and 39 of its most characteristic species.

In a second step, we will use distribution data for the 39 most characteristic species, derived from federal states. These data will be supplemented with citizen science data from the most popular platforms (e.g. iNaturalist, Flora Incognita and ObsIdentify) in order to explore the potential of citizen science data in complementing scientific data and providing information to support nature conservation.

Interest in the subject and commitment to independent computer work using GIS and Excel.