Green infrastructure: a new paradigm in nature conservation?

In accordance with the European Commission, the green infrastructure (IV) is an ecologically coherent and strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas and other environmental elements, designed and managed for cConservation of ecosystems and the maintenance of services that they provide for us. It includes spaces and other 'green' physical elements in terrestrial (natural, rural and urban) and marine areas.

It is an “ambitious, holistic and comprehensive” concept (Valladares et al 2017), because it is not only aimed at conserving ecosystems, but also at maintaining the services they provide us. In this sense, conservation does not only have an environmental meaning, but also to consider economic and social improvements, which can be achieved by maintaining healthy, connected and restored ecosystems.
Thus, some of the main functions of IVs are included in the following figure of the European Commission (2014), highlighting among them

• Improve the ecological functions of ecosystems and, therefore, promote ecosystem services.
• Protection of ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Promote a better quality of life and human well-being.
• Promote the development of the green economy and sustainable land management

Figure 1: Multifunctional conception of the IV. Source: National Strategy of IV (2024) Adapted from the European Commission (2012)

Green Infrastructure is therefore not a new figure for the protection of natural or environmental heritage, in the form of a protected area, but a integrative tool in which both the environmental and social and economic profiles are taken into account. The elements that can form part of this network, depending on the National Strategy IV, they could be, among others:

• Protected areas.
• Habitats in danger of disappearing and endangered species, as well as priority habitats to be restored.
• Mountain areas.
• River courses and wetlands.
• Ocean currents and underwater canyons.
• Migratory routes that facilitate connectivity.
• Livestock routes.
• High natural value systems originated as a result of good practices applied by different economic sectors.
• Land affected by nature conservation banks.
• Instruments used by competent authorities in the application of the European Landscape Convention.

However, in the definition of the elements that make up green infrastructure, the concept of scale takes on special importance. Green Infrastructure has elements that range from a continental scale, such as large transnational corridors, to small-sized elements that have great value for biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services at the local scale.

Below are the EU's actions in accordance with the European Green Infrastructure Strategy at different levels of competence.

Figure 2; EU actions in the field of IV: Source: National Strategy of IV (2024). Adapted from the European Environment Agency (2011)

The strategy, with regard to the design and implementation of Green Infrastructure, must consider these different spatial scales, how they interact with each other and how to articulate this implementation (Naumann et al., 2011a). Thus, the European Environment Agency (AEMA, 2014) in its methodological proposal proposes a multiscale approach (with 2 different scales) for identifying the elements of Green Infrastructure, depending on the objectives being pursued:

• Landscape level analysis (1 km resolution): elements of Green Infrastructure or ecosystem functions and services are identified and mapped.
• Local scale analysis (recommended < 100 m): urban Green Infrastructure is identified as parks and green areas, among others

Summarizing the above information, we can state that the main elements that make up the IV would be those corresponding to:

• Maintaining biodiversity
• Connectivity
• Ecosystem Services

These three pillars will also be covered transversally by three other basic principles of this network, which would be:

• Restoration
• Climate Change
• Governance

On the other hand, taking into account the capacity to provide ecosystem services, value for biodiversity conservation and ecological connectivity, the different elements of IV the territory will be classified into two levels:

• Level 1: IV (C) for conservation. Areas that provide several key ecological functions, both for threatened biodiversity and for the provision of ecosystem services essential to human well-being, and in which conservation is the priority management tool for maintaining these high ecological values, as well as for the connectivity of natural and semi-natural habitat types.
• Level 2: IV (R) for restoration. Areas that provide low levels of ecological functions, but their capacity could be improved with some type of restoration. It will integrate areas that require some type of restoration in order to improve their potential ecological functions. The improvement and inclusion of these elements to IV (C) zones for conservation would increase the ecological and social resilience of the entire network.

Biodiversity

La biodiversity remains the core of Green Infrastructure, although as we have already seen it is much more than an instrument for the conservation of biodiversity alone.
Maintaining biodiversity in a strict sense is an element that has been valued in other strategies, and could be based on the very maintenance of protected natural areas. Depending on the Methodological guide for the identification of the elements of Green Infrastructure in Spain the methodology for integrating biodiversity in the context of land assessment is established for the identification of the IV the one developed in Díaz et al. (2020) for the cartography of the weighted conservation value of the threatened biodiversity that the territory harbours.

This indicator, related to the presence of threatened species in a given spatial element, makes it possible to establish an approximation to their value for conservation related to three fundamental aspects:

1. El degree of threat, understanding that the presence of more threatened species implies a greater value for the conservation of the territory in which they are present.
2. El functional role of each species, associating a greater conservation value with the presence in it of key species or ecosystem engineers.
3. La availability of information about the species, increasing the value of the indicator and its better knowledge.

The concept of Restoration associated with this maintenance of biodiversity is also of great importance. Ecological restoration is the process by which the restoration of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed is promoted. The original concept of ecological restoration is the recovery of the structure and functionality of an ecosystem.

Connectivity

The basic objective of the State Strategy for Green Infrastructure and Ecological Connectivity and Restoration is to conserve biodiversity. To achieve this, not only must those areas that house the greatest biodiversity be delimited and protected, but also conservation actions must be carried out that consider the entire territory.
Improving or increasing connectivity between landscapes or habitats is useful for conserving biodiversity. Connectivity translates into an increase in the exchange of individuals between populations, an increase in the local and regional persistence of populations, thus reducing the rate of extinction and increasing the rate of colonization. The connectivity of the landscape favors not only movements of animal species, but also of plant species and flows of matter and energy.

To achieve ecological connectivity in Spain, it is necessary to go beyond the protection of the Natura 2000 Network.

Regarding the identification of the elements that can make up the IV with regard to this factor, in general, all methods of analyzing connectivity help to identify priority landscape elements for the conservation of connectivity, places where the movement flows of individuals and genes are concentrated, generally related to the calculation of densities of roads at the lowest cost established based on information from the resistance layer.

In addition, some methods offer the option of considering a connectivity restoration scenario, identifying and prioritizing key landscape elements for improving the movements of individuals and genes in the landscape. These methods add to the previous ones the possibility of planning ecological restoration activities aimed at improving landscape connectivity

Ecosystem Services

Los ecosystem services are often defined as the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2011). They have the added potential of encouraging population fixation in the territory. They can be divided into the following subgroups:

• Supply services: those direct contributions to human well-being derived from the biotic and geotic structure of ecosystems. They mainly refer to the services that are responsible for the supply of materials and the energy sources provided by ecosystems. Some examples are: fresh water, wood, fiber, genetic resources, medicines, etc.
• Regulatory and maintenance services: those indirect contributions to human well-being derived from the functioning of ecosystems. They mainly refer to services that are responsible for maintaining the functions of the structures that regulate ecosystems. Some examples are: climate regulation, air quality regulation, water regulation and water purification, erosion control and soil fertility, etc.
• Cultural services: those intangible contributions that the population obtains through their direct experience with ecosystems and their biodiversity. Some examples are: cultural identity and sense of belonging, spiritual and religious sentiment, recreational and ecotourism activities, environmental education, etc.

Therefore, Green Infrastructure must be understood as a new approach to the protection of biodiversity, with an integrative tool that takes into account both the environmental and social and economic profiles. Its function, among other things, is to achieve better territorial and urban planning, with a view to avoiding deterioration and loss of biodiversity, bringing together both protection figures and any other elements that can be represented cartographically and must be taken into account when making decisions on conservation, exploitation and sustainable use of land.

From Environmental Ideas we can help you plan your green infrastructure project to improve connectivity and biodiversity in territories within the framework of your project or territory, do not hesitate to contact us.

Alejandro Redondo Martínez, Environmental Assessment

Normative and bibliographic references:

• Methodological guide for the identification of the elements of Green Infrastructure in Spain (2nd Edition) Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. 2024
  National Strategy for Green Infrastructure and Ecological Connectivity and Restoration (ENIVCRE) was approved by Order PCM/735/2021, of July 9
• Valladares, F., Gil, P. and Forner, A. (coord.). 2017. Scientific-technical bases for the State Strategy for Green Infrastructure and for Ecological Connectivity and Restoration. Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment. Madrid. 357 pp.