Monitoring changes in landscape structure in Finnish agricultural landscapes, 1990 - 2010

The data originates from the national monitoring on the effects of the Finnish agri-environment support scheme (MYTVAS, see Kuussaari et al. 2004b, 2008). Changes in landscape structure have been monitored in a total of 58 one km2 squares originally selected using stratified random and situated in four geographical regions in Finland starting from the year 1990 (see Kuussaari et al. 2004a). Since then the landscape structure data for each study area has been updated in 2000, 2005 and 2010. The key habitat types the coverage of which has been monitored in the 58 landscapes include arable field, forest, field margin and semi-natural grassland. The methods have been described in the following publications: Kivinen, S., Kuussaari, M., Heliölä, J., Luoto, M., Helenius, J. & Härjämäki, K. 2008. Maatalousmaiseman rakenteen muutokset ja niiden merkitys lajiston monimuotoisuudelle. In: Kuussaari, M., Heliölä, J., Tiainen, J. & Helenius, J. (Eds.). Maatalouden ympäristötuen merkitys luonnon monimuotoisuudelle ja maisemalle: MYTVAS loppuraportti 2000–2006. (Significance of the Finnish agri-environment support scheme for biodiversity and landscape: Final report 2000–2006, in Finnish). Suomen ympäristö 4/2008: 112-127. Kuussaari, M., Heliölä, J. & Luoto, M. 2004a. Farmland biodiversity indicators and monitoring in Finland. In: Groom, G. (Ed.). Developments in Strategic Landscape Monitoring for the Nordic Countries. Nordic Council of Ministers. ANP 705: 28-40. Kuussaari, M., Tiainen, J., Helenius, J., Hietala-Koivu, R., Heliölä, J., 2004b. Maatalouden ympäristötuen merkitys luonnon monimuotoisuudelle ja maisemalle. MYTVAS-seurantatutkimus 2000-2003 (Significance of the Finnish agri-environment support scheme for biodiversity and landscape: results of the MYTVAS project 2000–2003, in Finnish). Finnish Environenment 709. 212 p. Luoto, M., Ikävalko, J., Kivinen, S. & Kuussaari, M. 2004. Maatalousmaiseman rakenne ja sen merkitys lajiston monimuotoisuudelle. In: M. Kuussaari, J. Tiainen, J. Helenius, R. Hietala-Koivu & J. Heliölä (Eds.). Maatalouden ympäristötuen merkitys luonnon monimuotoisuudelle ja maisemalle. MYTVAS-seurantatutkimus 2000-2003 (Significance of the Finnish agri-environment support scheme for biodiversity and landscape: results of the MYTVAS project 2000–2003, in Finnish). Suomen ympäristö 709: 110-127. Additional publications using the landscape structure data of this project include: Ekroos, J. & Kuussaari, M. 2011. Landscape context affects the relationship between local and landscape species richness of butterflies in semi-natural habitats. Ecography, in press. Ekroos, J., Heliölä, J. & Kuussaari, M. 2010. Homogenization of lepidopteran communities in intensively cultivated agricultural landscapes. Journal of Applied Ecology 47:459-467. Kivinen, S., Luoto, M., Kuussaari, M. & Helenius, J. 2006. Multi-species richness of boreal agricultural landscapes: effects of climate, habitat, soil and geographical location. Journal of Biogeography 33: 862-875.