The biodiversity area indicator assesses the quality and diversity of habitat types for various species. The assessment is based on so-called ‘biotope value points’ according to the German Federal Compensation Regulation. These points are combined with spatially explicit land cover data and intermittently available specialized data on the condition of ecosystems. This combination allows a comparative assessment of the German ecosystem inventory in terms of both area and quality.

Spatially explicit monitoring of habitat types and values indicates quality losses and improvements, aiming to enable political and technical conclusions and, if necessary, justify countermeasures to protect endangered ecosystems. By using biotope value points, a monetary assessment can be conducted based on the average costs of creating, developing, and maintaining habitat types of correspondingly higher value.

In general, biodiversity refers to the diversity of ecosystems, genetic diversity, and species diversity. This indicator does not assess the number of species directly but serves as a proxy for biodiversity. The assessment parameter provides a general measure of the quality and diversity of habitat types, including their suitability as habitats for different species and variants.
 

The quality of ecosystems in Germany varies depending on the type of habitat and land use pressure. The highest-scoring habitat types (with a maximum of 27 biotope value points) are found in moors, mountains, and along the sea coasts, particularly in the mudflats. However, forests make the highest contribution to the total of biotope value points, with 47.6% of the points despite covering only 30.7% of Germany's land area. Agricultural areas, which cover 50.6% of the land, account for 37.5% of the biotope value points, with half of this contribution coming from meadows and pastures, which make up only about a third of the agricultural areas.

The areas particularly valuable for nature conservation, such as those designated under NATURA 2000 and agricultural land with High Nature Value (HNV), mainly consist of the main ecosystem type "semi-natural open land". However, a larger share of their value is assigned to forests, water bodies, and agricultural land. These conservation areas account for 31.2% of the biotope value points, despite covering only 18.3% of Germany's land area.

As the Graphic value comparison 2012-2021 shows, it is primarily small-scale structures in the agricultural landscape whose increase in number and value largely offset the loss of biodiversity caused by the expansion of settlement and transport areas, as well as by the loss of grassland, between 2012 and 2021. When considering the relationship between area size and changes in value, it becomes clear that, despite a slight increase in total area, forests have lost value in terms of biodiversity because habitat quality has declined, particularly over the last three years from 2018 to 2021. The same applies to inland waters: despite a slight increase in area, there are now fewer valuable water bodies and more of lower value; however, this was particularly true for the period between 2012 and 2018. Although urban areas are home to a slightly increasing level of biodiversity, the expansion of these areas has a negative impact on the overall balance. The decline in meadows and pastures since around 2015, in terms of both area and quality, is the cause of the most significant losses of biodiversity in Germany. Although urban areas are home to a slightly increasing level of biodiversity, the expansion of these areas has a negative impact on the overall balance. The decline in meadows and pastures since around 2015, in terms of both area and quality, is the cause of the most significant losses of biodiversity in Germany. The so-called FFH sites, which are protected under the EU’s NATURA 2000 legislation, have experienced a decline in biodiversity since 2015, due to the aforementioned deterioration in the quality of inland water bodies.