Impact of land-use changes on red-legged partridge conservation in the Iberian Peninsula

SUMMARYRed-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) populations have significantly declined in the Iberian Peninsula (by > 50% between 1973 and 2002). This decline has been attributed to the drastic changes that have occurred in traditional agricultural landscapes, among other factors. This paper assesses the relationship between landscape change and the changes in areas favourable to partridges. The areas favourable to partridges in Andalusia (southern Spain), and the environmental and land-use factors that determined these areas, were identified for both the 1960s and the 1990s. Land-use changes were analysed both throughout the study area and for areas where favourability for partridges has either improved or worsened during recent decades. Both the location and the factors determining areas favourable to red-legged partridges have changed substantially over recent decades. In the 1960s, areas favourable to partridges were associated mainly with natural vegetation in mountainous areas, whereas, by the 1990s, favourable areas were associated with large low-lying croplands; such change may be attributable to regional land-use changes. The percentage area of the main natural vegetation variables positively correlated to partridge favourability in the 1960s model (mainly pastures and open scrubland) had decreased in areas that had become unfavourable to the species (such as mountain areas), and risen where partridge favourability increased. By the 1990s, the land area favourable to partridges had decreased by c. 10% (c. 6000 km2) in southern Spain, whereas land use unfavourable to partridges markedly increased (> 100%; an increase of c. 3000 km2). Landscape suitable for partridges has thus become severely impoverished over recent decades in the Iberian Peninsula. Management measures aimed at improving the landscape for farmland birds should be encouraged to conserve red-legged partridge populations in southern Spain.

Download Full-text

Land-use changes as a critical factor for long-term wild rabbit conservation in the Iberian Peninsula

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892910000214 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 169-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

MIGUEL DELIBES-MATEOS ◽

MIGUEL ÁNGEL FARFÁN ◽

JESÚS OLIVERO ◽

JUAN MARIO VARGAS

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Iberian Peninsula ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Keystone Species ◽

Critical Factor ◽

Western Mediterranean ◽

Wild Rabbit ◽

Key Species ◽

The 1960S ◽

Use Factors

SUMMARYEuropean rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), a multifunctional keystone species in the Iberian Peninsula, have drastically declined over past decades. Rabbit decline has been frequently attributed to the arrival of two viral diseases. However, decline was apparently ongoing before the arrival of the diseases, as a consequence of habitat loss and fragmentation. In this paper, the effect on rabbit populations of land-use changes during recent decades in Andalusia (southern Spain) is analysed. Areas favourable for rabbits both at present and during the 1960s are identified, and the environmental and land-use factors that determine these areas established. In areas where the favourability for rabbits has changed during recent decades, main land use changes are assessed to identify possible factors explaining rabbit favourability in these areas. Areas favourable to rabbits are currently determined by factors similar to those during the 1960s; these areas have undergone geographic changes in recent decades, apparently as a consequence of land-use changes in Andalusia. The percentages of the variables that were positively associated with rabbit favourability in both models (current and 1960s) have declined in Andalusia as a whole, and in areas where rabbit favourability has decreased; hence environments suitable for rabbits have become impoverished. Conversely, in both models, environments suitable for rabbits increased in municipalities, where rabbit favourability also increased. The preservation of rabbit-friendly habitats should be a priority for the conservation of this key species in the western Mediterranean.

Download Full-text

Local differences in habitat selection by Great Bustards Otis tarda in changing agricultural landscapes: implications for farmland bird conservation

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270910000535 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 328-341 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

JUAN LÓPEZ-JAMAR ◽

FABIÁN CASAS ◽

MARIO DÍAZ ◽

MANUEL B. MORALES

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Habitat Selection ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Wildlife Habitat ◽

Bird Conservation ◽

Infrastructure Development ◽

Farmland Birds ◽

Otis Tarda ◽

South Central

SummaryLocal changes in land use can influence patterns of habitat selection by farmland birds, thus biasing predictions of population responses to land use changes based on wildlife-habitat or niche modelling. This study, based in arable farmland in south-central Spain, determined whether habitat selection (use of agricultural habitats and the distance to roads, tracks and buildings) by Great Bustards Otis tarda varied between two nearby areas with differing land uses. The western sector has experienced a process of land abandonment and infrastructure development linked to an airport project that started in 1998 and finished in 2009, while the eastern sector maintains extensive dry farmland systems. Great Bustards avoided ploughed fields and selected short- and long-term fallows. Selection of fallows was more intensive in the sector suffering recent land-use changes, where these substrates were more abundant. Great Bustards were distributed further from roads, paths and buildings than would be expected if individual birds selected habitats at random. Avoidance of infrastructure was strongest in the area suffering recent land-use changes. Local patterns of habitat selection seemed to change in relation to agricultural abandonment and infrastructure development. Consequently, conservation measures based on knowledge of broad patterns of habitat use and selection such as agri-environmental schemes may fail to ensure steppe bird conservation locally if such local effects are overlooked. Specifically, schemes should include landscape-scale restrictions on the development and use of infrastructure (roads, tracks and buildings). Analyses of the patterns and causes of local and regional changes in habitat selection are essential to conserve populations of endangered farmland birds.

Download Full-text

Changes in local species richness of farmland birds in relation to land-use changes and landscape structure

Biological Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.biocon.2009.11.001 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 143 (2) ◽

pp. 375-381 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

Johan Wretenberg ◽

Tomas Pärt ◽

Åke Berg

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Species Richness ◽

Landscape Structure ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Farmland Birds ◽

Local Species Richness ◽

Local Species

Download Full-text

Responses of common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) to land use changes in agricultural landscapes of Western France

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment ◽

10.1016/j.agee.2010.04.011 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 138 (3-4) ◽

pp. 152-159 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Alain Butet ◽

Nadia Michel ◽

Yann Rantier ◽

Vincent Comor ◽

Laurence Hubert-Moy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Falco Tinnunculus ◽

Common Buzzard ◽

Buteo Buteo ◽

Eurasian Kestrel

Download Full-text

Analysis of the Impact of Land Use and Occupation on the Biophysical Variables of the Cerrado Biome in Southwest Goiano, Brazil

Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.5539/jas.v11n1p399 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 399

Author(s):

Victor H. Moraes ◽

Pedro R. Giongo ◽

Marcio Mesquita ◽

Thomas J. Cavalcante ◽

Matheus V. A. Ventura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Surface Temperature ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Weighted Average ◽

Natural Vegetation ◽

Agricultural Crops ◽

Quantitative Classification ◽

The Impact

The change in the use of natural vegetation by annual or perennial crops, sugarcane and fast-growing forests causes changes in the biophysical variables, and these changes can be monitored by remote sensing. The objective of this work was to evaluate, on a temporal scale, the impacts of land use changes on biophysical variables in the county of Santa Helena de Goias-Goias/Brazil. Between the years of 2000 to 2015 areas were identified for agricultural crops 1 (annual crops), water, agricultural crops 2 (sugarcane), natural vegetation, pasture and urban areas. The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Spectroradiometer) sensor products were selected for study: MOD11A2-Surface temperature; MOD16A2-Real evapotranspiration, MOD13Q1-Enhanced Vegetation Index and rainfall data from TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission). The geographic coordinates referring to the land uses were inserted in the LAPIG platform, searching the information of the biophysical variables referring to the selected pixel. The impact of land use change was evaluated by calculating the weighted average through the quantitative classification of the areas. It is concluded for the period of study that the index of average vegetation of the county had increase. There was an increase in the evapotranspiration volume of the county from 28% from 2000 to 2013 and the average surface temperature of the county showed a reduction of 2 °C in the period from 2000 to 2015.

Download Full-text

Impacts of land-use history on the recovery of ecosystems after agricultural abandonment

10.5194/esd-2016-11 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Andreas Krause ◽

Thomas A. M. Pugh ◽

Anita D. Bayer ◽

Mats Lindeskog ◽

Almut Arneth

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Carbon ◽

Boreal Forests ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Natural Vegetation ◽

Land Use History ◽

Monitoring Networks ◽

Local Climate ◽

Recovery Times ◽

Vegetation Carbon

Abstract. Land-use changes have been shown to have large effects on climate and biogeochemical cycles, but so far most studies have focused on the effects of conversion of natural vegetation to croplands and pastures. By contrast, relatively little is known about the influence of past agriculture on vegetation regrowth and carbon sequestration following land abandonment, decades or even centuries later. We used the LPJ-GUESS dynamic vegetation model to study the legacy effects of different land-use histories (in terms of type and duration) across a range of ecosystems. To this end, we performed six idealized simulations for Europe and Africa in which we made a transition from natural vegetation to either pasture or cropland, followed by a transition back to natural vegetation after 20, 60 or 100 years. The simulations identified substantial differences in recovery trajectories of four key variables (vegetation composition, vegetation carbon, soil carbon, Net Biome Productivity) after agricultural cessation. Vegetation carbon and composition typically recovered faster than soil carbon in sub-tropical, temperate and boreal regions, and vice versa in the tropics. While the effects of different land-use histories on recovery periods of soil carbon stocks often differed by centuries across our simulations, differences in recovery times across simulations were typically small for Net Biome Productivity (a few decades) and modest for vegetation carbon and composition (several decades). Spatially, we found the greatest sensitivity of recovery times to prior land-use in boreal forests and subtropical grasslands where post-agricultural productivity was strongly affected by prior land management. Our results suggest that land-use history is a relevant factor affecting ecosystems long after agricultural cessation and it should be considered not only when assessing historical or future changes in simulations of the terrestrial carbon cycle, but also when establishing long-term monitoring networks and interpreting data derived therefrom, including analysis of a broad range of ecosystem properties or local climate effects related to land cover changes.

Download Full-text

The Role of Transdisciplinary Research for Agricultural Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy8110237 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 237 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Markus Schermer ◽

Rike Stotten ◽

Ulrich Strasser ◽

Gertraud Meißl ◽

Thomas Marke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Local Level ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Transdisciplinary Research ◽

Economic Sectors ◽

Mountain Areas ◽

Local Stakeholders

While science widely acknowledges the necessity of climate change adaptation (CCA), concrete strategies for CCA by major land-use actor groups at a local level are largely missing. Immediate economic challenges often prevent the establishment of long-term collective strategies. However, collective decisions on a communal level regarding land use are crucial for CCA strategies, given the interdependencies of farming with forestry, tourism, and other economic sectors, especially in mountain areas. This paper presents inter- and trans-disciplinary learning processes, which have evolved into a project modelling the hydrological effects of combined future climate and land-use changes based on the combined scenarios of climate and socio-economic change in an Alpine valley (Brixental in Tyrol/Austria). Locally adapted scenarios illustrate future land-use changes as a result of both climate change and different socio-economic developments. The hydrological results show how an increase in the forested area reduces streamflow (as a measure of water availability) in the long term. For local stakeholders, the process demonstrated clearly the interdependence of different economic sectors and the necessity for collective action at a regional level to influence socio-economic development. Moreover, it made them aware that local decisions on future land use may influence the effects of climate change. Consistent storylines helped stakeholders to visualize a desired future and to see their scope of influence. The transdisciplinary research process allowed local stakeholders to translate the hydrological modelling results into a concrete local CCA strategy.

Download Full-text