Description
This dataset classifies the major and minor occurrences of 109 ecosystem functional groups on the Earth’s surface, with global coverage at 1 km spatial resolution.
Usage notes
This dataset indicates which ecosystems are likely to occur in an area, rather than which definitively occur at a given location. Biome-level groupings may differ from ecoregions or biogeographic biomes. Native spatial resolution varies among ecosystem functional groups. Data is delivered at the higher spatial resolution of 56 groups (1 km), with the remaining 53 being upsampled to match this.
Licence
Open
Version
2.1
Release date
October 2022
CRS
EPSG:4326
Update schedule
Provider cost
$0.00/ha
Description
Ecosystem functional group (EFG) indicates whether a pixel contains a major (1) or minor (2) occurrence of an EFG, or not (0). Input data is specific to each EFG, combining remote sensing data, environmental proxies, biogeographic areas, and other environmental datasets.
¹ This dataset contains 109 variables, each named using a unique identifier (e.g. T1.1) of an ecosystem functional group (EFG). Use the Lookup Table below to link EFG_ID to EFG names, biomes, and realms.
Usage notes
EFGs are not spatially explicit. A major occurrence is typically > 20% pixel coverage, or the matrix of an ecosystem mosaic. A minor occurrence is typically patchy pixel coverage (< 20%), or patches within an ecosystem mosaic. Areas with high EFG uncertainty are classified as a minor occurrence. Accuracy, conceptual alignment, and spatial resolution of input data vary among EFGs. Consider using the Lookup Table to filter for EFGs with Direct or Semi-direct conceptual alignment and 1 km native spatial resolution. EFG S1.2 (endolithic systems) is not mapped due to its distribution throughout the Earth’s crust. This dataset is hierarchical, in that 109 EFGs are nested within 25 biomes, nested within 10 realms. Use the Lookup Table below to aggregate EFG variables to a higher grouping.
Variable category
Ecosystem class
Variable type
Categorical
Metadata & resources
Ecosystem Typology - Lookup Table
ecosystem_typology_lookup_table.csv