European forests

Conserving biodiversity through sustainable forestry management

260.000 jobs in Europe

Bringing social and economic added value to rural areas

Use more wood

Reduce CO2 emissions and tackle climate change

Building with wood

A natural, strong, durable and recyclable material

Green Infrastructure

29.05.2019

Green Infrastructure

On 25 May the EU Commission published its Review of progress on implementation of the EU green infrastructure strategy.

Previously, on 1 March, a Joint Science for Policy Report was published by the Joint Research Centre, the European Environment Agency, the European Topic Centre on Urban, Land, and Soil Systems, and DG Environment on Strategic Green Infrastructure and Ecosystem Restoration. This report draws on a range of European-wide datasets, geospatial methods, and tools available for green infrastructure (GI) mapping. It shows how two complementary mapping approaches (physical and ecosystem based) and the three key GI principles of connectivity, multifunctionality and spatial planning are used in case studies selected in urban and rural landscapes; it provides guidance for the strategic design of a well-connected, multi-functional, and cross-border GI, and identifies knowledge gaps. GI mapping has been demonstrated to enhance nature protection and biodiversity beyond protected areas, to deliver ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation and recreation, to prioritise measures for defragmentation and restoration in the agri-environment and regional development context, and to find land allocation trade-offs and possible scenarios involving all sectors.