I have taken on Natura 2000 as a case for analysis because I live close to a protected area that is part of Natura 2000, As Fragas do Eume (In English: The Woods of the Eume, a river in the province of A Corunna). This is a beautiful area with a rich biosphere that is definitively worthy of protection. But it is under pressure by invasive species – in particular the eucalyptus – which is replacing indigenous species and also ruining the soil. A devastating forest fire in 2012 didn’t help much; the eucalyptus got an even better foothold in the aftermath of the fire. Local tourism is also on the rise, with an ever increasing number of visitors. Moreover, the area is surrounded by relatively intensive farming and a dam. All put together, it is likely that both indigenous flora and fauna are under a fair amount of pressure.

The Questions

As with any data science project, the most important step is to come up with the question(s) you want answered. In the case of As Fragas do Eume, I would like to see to which degree the perceived pressure affects the indigenous fauna and flora. The questions I have decided to ask are:

  • How has the number of indigenous species of birds, and the number within each species, evolved in the period for which numbers are available?
  • How has the number of invasive species of birds (if any), and the number within each species, evolved in the period for which numbers are available?
  • How has the number of indigenous species of flora, and the number within each species, evolved in the period for which numbers are available?
  • How has the number of invasive species of flora, and the number within each species, evolved in the period for which numbers are available?

On a bigger scale, I would also like to know how areas in all parts of Europe are fairing in terms of indigenous fauna and flora. We may therefore ask the same questions for the global state of all areas in Europe as for the state of As Fragas do Eume.

I am not a content expert – in this case it would be a biologist – and therefore the questions I am asking might not be the most adequate for measuring pressure on the biosphere we are studying. There is also the possibility that the data that are available to us is not sufficient to answer the questions properly. Only a thorough analysis of the data combined with the advise of a content expert will show if I am on the right -or even possible – track.

Next: Natura 2000 Part 3 – Getting Data

Picture: Eucalyptus slowly taking over the hillside to the East of the river Eume, by Eric Eikrem, Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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