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Diversity of Land Use and Land Cover (E5)
 
Biodiversity is affected by habitat diversity and habitat structure. Richly structured landscapes harbor more species than monotonous environments.

A habitat mosaic offers favorable conditions to most species, above all species in need of several adjoining habitats because they forage, raise their young, and rest in different habitat types. However, species depending on uniform large-area habitats are impaired by marked small-area spaces. Moreover, small-area spaces do not necessarily create favorable conditions for species diversity, either, especially when they are the result of formerly cohesive habitats being artificially cut up e.g. by roads. For this reason, the E5 indicator can only be assessed in conjunction with other BDM indicators.
 
 
Development in Switzerland
 
The following table shows the mean number of changes per square kilometer from one kind of land use or land cover to another for all of Switzerland, established with a 95% confidence interval. The situations recorded for 1985 and 1997 refer to the Swiss Land Use Statistics of 1979/85 and 1992/97 respectively.

 

Situation in 1985
Situation in 1997

Changes
Switzerland 82.3 ±0.4
82.9 ±0.4
0.6 ±0.0

Example
Between 1985 and 1997, the mean number of changes from one type of land use to another per square kilometer increased by 0.6 units.

Comments
Diversity of land use and land cover increased only very little between 1985 and 1997, but it did so in a statistically significant manner.

A constant number of changes does not necessarily mean that the landscape concerned stayed the same. Changes in landscapes also occur when one type of land use is replaced by another. While land use diversity will not be increased by such a change, biodiversity may be positively or negatively affected just the same.
 
 
Development in the Regions
 
The development in Switzerland’s six biogeographical regions is detailed in the complete E5 data sheet (258 KB).
 
 
Significance for biodiversity
 
Richly structured landscapes offer more habitats than monotonous environments, which in turn makes them suitable for a larger number of species. Many species depend on landscape diversity because they forage, rest, breed, and raise their young in different habitats. For this reason, a mosaic of habitats is likely to have a favorable effect on biodiversity. However, the composition of this mosaic is of vital importance. Densifying the road network creates small-area habitats as well, but since it cuts up formerly cohesive habitats first, it is bad for biodiversity. Hence, increasing diversity of land use and land cover may also have a negative impact on biodiversity. As a result, the E5 indicator must be assessed in conjunction with other BDM indicators.
 
 
Further Information
 

Responsible for this indicator
Béatrice Nussberger, nussberger@hintermannweber.ch, ++41 (0)31 312 82 72
Expert contact for Swiss Land Use Statistics: Andreas Finger, Swiss Federal Statistical Office, ++41 (0)32 713 67 04

Other possible information sources
> Detailed information about the Swiss land use statistics 1979/85, 1992/97, and 2004/09

 
 
Data sheets
 

> Complete data sheet E5 (258 KB)
 
 
Status
 

This information is based on document 624 320.10 Produkt E5 v1_en of the 31th of october, 2006.

The data will be updated again after the third Swiss Land Use Statistics survey has been completed. It will take place based on aerial photographs taken in the period of 2004 to 2009. Interpretations are scheduled to be finalized by 2013.
 
 
 
     
       
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