Indicator: Species diversity and landscape quality | Umweltbundesamt

At a glance

• The indicator is at 80 percent in 2023 and close to the target range.
• The values of the sub-indicators agricultural land and coasts and seas are still far from the target range.
• The German government aims to increase the indicator to 100 percent by 2030. This can only be achieved with considerable additional efforts.

Environmental importance

A wide variety of animal and plant species is essential for a healthy ecosystem and forms a vital basis for human life. Biodiversity is closely linked to the diversity of habitats and landscapes. Maintaining biodiversity requires sustainable land use practices across the entire landscape and a careful approach to nature.

To assess the state of nature and landscapes in Germany, the indicator presented here was developed. It shows changes in the populations of selected bird species that represent the most important landscape and land-use types in Germany. Richly structured landscapes with intact, sustainably managed habitats provide a home not only for birds. Therefore, the indicator indirectly reflects the development of numerous other species within the landscape and the sustainability of land use.

Assessing the development

The indicator value for the overall indicator is 80 percent in 2023, which is close to the target range. No statistically significant trend can be identified over the last ten reporting years (2013 to 2023). Achieving the target for the overall indicator by 2030 will only be possible with considerable effort. The overall indicator has recently shown a trend away from the target. The reasons for this change in trend direction need to be investigated more closely. This could include changes in usage practices as well as factors such as the impact of climate change.

According to expert studies, the main causes for the existing strain on biodiversity and landscape quality across the area are intensive agricultural use, fragmentation and urban sprawl, soil sealing and large-scale inputs of substances (for example, acid-forming substances or nutrients).

The indicator was adopted as a key indicator in the National Biodiversity Strategy in 2004. Important measures for achieving a positive trend are defined in the National Strategy on Biological Diversity. National Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the Sustainability Strategy for Germany. A target value of 100 percent is to be reached by 2030.

Methodology

The indicator reflects the population trends of selected bird species across Germany's most important landscape and land-use types. Developed in 2004, the indicator was reviewed and revised in a research project between 2019 and 2022. For each bird species, a panel of experts defined a target population value for 2030, achievable if nature conservation regulations and sustainable development guidelines are implemented swiftly. The species-specific target values were standardized to achieve a target value of 100 percent for 2030. A detailed description of the methodology can be found in Achtziger et al. 2004. The revised indicator is presented in Dröschmeister et al. 2025.

The indicator is updated annually.