GOLF LANDSCAPES: Biodiversity and multifunctionality of golf landscapes

Summary

Golf courses (GC) are often established in highly fragmented and at least partly degraded landscapes, resulting in positive effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. However, there are few studies on ecological effects within and beyond GC. The project will fill this gap through landscape ecological analysis of 40 courses in peri-urban and rural landscapes in several countries.

Landscape analysis will be based on digitised maps with calculations of patch number, size, form, edge effects and connectivity. The patterns within the GC will be related to the surrounding landscape, and results will be verified by fieldwork on a subset of the courses. This will provide knowledge of how GCs can be designed and managed to improve their contributions to biodiversity and ecological functions at the landscape scale, also given the context-dependence of each GC.

The main findings of the project will be disseminated to the golf industry in a combination of guidelines, workshops and webinars.

Contact
Hans Martin Hanslin

Hans Martin Hanslin, The Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Dept of Urban Greening and Vegetation Ecology, Særheim Research Centre, Postvn. 213, 4353 Klepp St., Norway, Tel: + 47 40475239, E-mail: hans.martin.hanslin@nibio.no

FACTS
Category: Multifunctional golf facilities
Status: Ongoing
Project period: 2023-2025

Fundings (kSEK)

	2023	2024	2025	Total
STERF	300	300	300	900
R&A	225	225	225	675
Other sources	40	140	140	320
Total	565	665	665	1895

Project objectives

The overall aim is to provide knowledge of how golf courses can be designed and managed to improve their contributions to biodiversity and multifunctionality at the landscape scale. Specific objectives are to:

Identify approaches to assess and document existing qualities and biodiversity potential, prioritise approaches and recommend methods to monitor development based on GC potential and landscape context.
Provide simple indicators of GC contributions to landscape functions to be used in design and management, such as connectivity, species pool and structural and habitat diversity.
Provide methods to estimate multifunctionality for golf courses and landscapes.

• Prescribe principles of design to improve biodiversity and ecological functioning, covering both the quality of GC habitats for biodiversity and their contributions to biodiversity in the wider landscape, while retaining playability and quality of the game.

About STERF

STERF is a research foundation that supports existing and future R&D efforts and delivers ‘ready-to-use research results’ that benefit the Nordic golf sector. STERF was set up in 2006 by the golf federations in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Nordic Greenkeepers’ Associations.