Identification and characterisation of environments and landscapes in Europe

At the European level, both environmental policy and research require increasingly reliable and methodologically unbiased spatial reference systems in support of environmental reports and monitoring using indicators, impact analysis or scenarios. Due to recent advances in the availability and accuracy of internationally harmonised geographic data, this project applies state-of-the-art data management techniques and data with the objective to produce two new stratifications of the terrestrial environment of Europe: (1) a Environmental Classification of Europe based on a top-down bioclimatic approach, and (2) a European Landscape Classification linking top-down and bottom-up methods of landscape character assessment. This report discusses the underlying concepts, methodologies and database constructions. The two classifications are meant to be tested and further developed through practical applications by researchers and policy experts at both the European as well as the national level.