Inspire TH Distribution of Species

The INSPIRE service Distribution of species (Animal species according to Concept URL: http://www.eionet.europa.eu/gemet/concept/10073 and plant species according to Concept URL: http://www.eionet.europa.eu/gemet/concept/8908) gives an overview of the distribution of animal, plant and fungal species in the Free State of Thuringia. The dataset is derived from the Thuringian Species Collection Program, which was established in 1992 at the Thuringian State Institute for Environment and Geology (now TLUBN). Since then, the database has been continuously updated, expanded and evaluated. Key areas of coverage are: • endangered species • legally special and strictly protected species • other faunistic and floristically remarkable species. In addition, species in certain areas, such as protected areas and areas worthy of protection, are further covered. Species data include the subdivisions of amphibians, fish/round mouths, reptiles, mammals, birds, locusts, beetles, dragonflies, spiders, butterflies, molluscs and other groups of invertebrates. The data set of plant and fungal species found in Thuringia is initially limited to the following species groups: Fern and flowering plants, moss, lichens, elbows, freshwater red valleys and “big mushrooms” (Fungi). In the medium term it is planned to expand this spectrum by the phytoparasitic small fungi. Most of the faunistic data come from the period from 1985; however, it also contains historical data. Data sources include observations from expert reports on behalf of the Nature Conservation Administration (protection assessments, basic species aid programme surveys, regional surveys...), from faunistic projects, voluntary mappings, other reports, to the extent that derogations were required, as well as literature. The data of the plants and fungi also come from different data sources. These include evaluations of publications from the mid-16th century to the present day, as well as the ongoing evaluation of newly published literature. Other data sources include herbaria, unpublished reports and academic thesis, as well as unsystematic individual reports. However, most of the data goes back to systematic surveys since the end of the 20th century, which were recorded by voluntary professional associations and their members (e.g. in cooperation with the TLUBN and its predecessors) (Thuringian Botanical Society e.V., Arbeitskreis Heimische Orchideen e.V., Thüringer Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mycologie e.V., bryological-lichenological species connoisseurs, etc.). For individual species groups, most of the data is based on the commitment of individual persons (arm lamp algae, freshwater rotalgen). The data base is heterogeneous with regard to the different species, such as the regional coverage intensity and data density per unit area, and therefore differs in representativeness. For example, floristic data collected before 2000 and for “community” species often only have grid data. Accurate data were collected mainly after 2000 and mostly only for rare and endangered or other remarkable species. It is therefore always necessary to check, on the basis of the search results, whether the species data is sufficient for the intended purpose or whether further searches/categories are necessary. Furthermore, it should be emphasised that in Germany all species data are initially included in the corresponding source. The available database is therefore a reference option for this data. Therefore, before deriving far-reaching consequences from the occurrence of individual species, the plausibility and timeliness of the corresponding species must be examined. According to the EU directive INSPIRE, the data set is available as a grid based on the area-faith Lambert Azimutal projection (ETRS89-LAEA grid) with a grid width of 10 km.