Vegetation relevés and soil measurements in the Netherlands: the Ecological Conditions Database (EC)

Abstract

Since its establishment around 1990, the Ecological Conditions Database (EC; GIVD ID EU-00-006) has been accumulating vegetation relevs from the Netherlands, each accompanied by at least one abiotic soil measurement (e.g. pH or nutrient availability). On 1-1-2010, the database contained 8,229 relevs, covering the period from 1936 to 2009, and representing contributions from 110 authors. The most frequently measured soil parameter is pH, with well over 5,000 entries. All the data in the database are subjected to ISO 9001 quality control. The database can be used as the starting point for estimating plant species responses to a range of abiotic variables, such as pH, groundwater table, or nitrate concentration, and for vegetation modelling (model parameterisation and validation).