Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA)

Some of Norway's most valuable ecosystems, such as wetlands and coastal ecosystems, have been severely degraded through conversion to productive land and construction of buildings and infrastructure. In recent years, more awareness has been raised in the public debate on the scale and tempo of nature degradation. This has been inspired by research from NINA, using remote sensing techniques to map nature degradation at the national scale over time.

WEED can help Norway in creating new knowledge on where valuable ecosystems are and how they are changing over time, by using the latest knowledge and technology on remote sensing and machine learning to create easily updatable ecosystem extent accounts for the whole country. These insights can be used to inform decision-makers on the consequences of choices in nature management. This information will also allow Norway to fulfil its commitments to implement national ecosystem accounting and to protect and restore its ecosystems under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.