To halt habitat loss, landscape planning and conservation management could benefit from regional analysis of the spatially differing impacts caused by landscape changes. These impacts usually also differ according to the specific vulnerability of the affected biotopes, i.e., the characteristic assemblage of plants and animals on a particular site.
A vulnerability map of biotopes will determine those with a high potential to be adversely affected and a low capacity to recover. The identification of vulnerability hot spots will provide guidance for potential protection and maintenance interventions.
Following the interdisciplinary vulnerability concept, the analysis on a regional level (≈30,000 km2) was structured into biotope exposure, biotope sensitivity, and biotope adaptive capacity. It involved patch and group metrics to describe the vulnerability of terrestrial, (semi-) natural biotopes to landscape change.
For the 32 biotope groups that were distinguished within this study, a relative ranking of vulnerability level is provided. At the level of biotope patches, spatial clusters and thematic clusters were identified. The biotopes dependent on high water availability, such as wet meadow, riparian habitat, and peatland were found to be particularly vulnerable. Moreover, herbaceous perennials, shrubland, groves, orchard meadows, and several pristine forest types also scored high, while the majority of forest biotope patches were less vulnerable to landscape change.
The biotope vulnerability index applied on a regional scale provided a sound overview for conservation planning. Only a few biotope groups showed a homogenous vulnerability level across their associated patches, suggesting that management based on local contexts is needed for the majority of biotopes.
