scholarly journals Pine afforestation, herriza and wildfire: a tale of soil erosion and biodiversity loss in the Mediterranean region

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 1142
Author(s):  
Fernando Ojeda
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystems ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Mediterranean Habitats ◽  
Wildfire Suppression ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Forestry Plantations ◽  
Mediterranean Type Ecosystems

From a western society’s perspective, wildfires are catastrophic events that jeopardise biodiversity and cause soil erosion, not to mention risk to human lives and properties. However, many Mediterranean-type ecosystems are not only resilient to wildfires but sensitive to the lack of wildfires. This communication focuses on the Mediterranean heathland or herriza as a paradigmatic fire-prone ecosystem to illustrate how most negative impacts allegedly attributed to wildfires actually occur in commercial forestry plantations. They are caused by aggressive forestry practices prior to the wildfire. In natural Mediterranean habitats, such as the herriza, complete wildfire suppression may actually pose a serious threat to biodiversity. The large existing body of scientific knowledge on the relationships of Mediterranean ecosystems with fire should be incorporated into plans and policies dealing with wildfire and conservation to make them more appropriate and efficient. Finally, burned natural areas should not be regarded, or treated, as dead pieces of nature and destroyed ecosystems, but as a transitional stage within the dynamics of Mediterranean-type ecosystems.

The Biology of Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen J. Esler ◽  
Anna L. Jacobsen ◽  
R. Brandon Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Type Ecosystems

The world’s mediterranean-type climate regions (including areas within the Mediterranean, South Africa, Australia, California, and Chile) have long been of interest to biologists by virtue of their extraordinary biodiversity and the appearance of evolutionary convergence between these disparate regions. Comparisons between mediterranean-type climate regions have provided important insights into questions at the cutting edge of ecological, ecophysiological and evolutionary research. These regions, dominated by evergreen shrubland communities, contain many rare and endemic species. Their mild climate makes them appealing places to live and visit and this has resulted in numerous threats to the species and communities that occupy them. Threats include a wide range of factors such as habitat loss due to development and agriculture, disturbance, invasive species, and climate change. As a result, they continue to attract far more attention than their limited geographic area might suggest. This book provides a concise but comprehensive introduction to mediterranean-type ecosystems. As with other books in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in this book is on the organisms that dominate these regions although their management, conservation, and restoration are also considered.

scholarly journals Twenty-Three Years of Land-Use Changes Induced Considerable Threats to the Main Wetlands of Sardinia and Sicily (Italy) along the Mediterranean Bird Flyways

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 240
Author(s):  
Alessandro Ferrarini ◽  
Marco Gustin ◽  
Claudio Celada
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Global Level ◽  
Natura 2000 Network ◽  
Stopover Sites ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Agricultural Areas

Biodiversity loss has multiple causes, but habitat degradation through land-use change is the predominant driver. We investigated the effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network in preserving the main wetlands of the two largest islands of the Mediterranean region, whose conservation is critical for many avian species at European and global level, in a 23-year period (1990–2012). In Sardinia, the surroundings of 22 wetlands were affected by an increase in artificial areas (+64 ha/year) and decrease in agricultural (−54 ha/year) and natural (−17 ha/year) ones. In Sicily, the surroundings of 16 wetlands were impacted by an increase in agricultural areas (+50 ha/year) and decrease in natural and semi-natural ones (−62 ha/year). Results show that the Natura 2000 policies were effective in preserving wetlands (no shrinkages detected in both regions), but their surroundings experienced intense processes of degradation and artificialization in all the sub-periods considered (1990–2000, 2000–2006, 2006–2012), whose effects are now threatening waterbirds and wetland integrity. The enlargement of the existing Natura 2000 sites, the creation of new ones and the speedup of the application of the rules of the Habitats and Birds Directives seem necessary to counteract the rapid land-use changes around these important stopover sites.

scholarly journals Why Protect Ancient Woodland in the UK? Rethinking the Ecosystem Approach

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Jona Razzaque ◽  
Claire Lester
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Value Systems ◽  
Ancient Woodland ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Sites of ancient woodland in the United Kingdom (UK) are diminishing rapidly and the multifunctional forest management system with its fragmented approach fails effectively to protect such woodland. In the face of reports on the destruction of ancient woodland, the HS2 High-Speed train project in the UK signifies the extent of trade-offs among the key stakeholders. Such large infrastructure projects typically come with high environmental and social costs, including deforestation, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss, and social disruption. This article examines the protection of ancient woodland in the UK and assesses the challenges in applying the ecosystem approach, an internationally recognized sustainability strategy, in the context of such protection. A better understanding of the ecosystem approach to manage ancient woodland is critical for promoting sustainable forestry practices in the UK and informs the discussion in this article of the importance of conserving ancient woodland globally. Lessons learned from UK woodland policies and certification schemes include the need to have in place strong regulatory frameworks, introduce clear indicators, and recognize pluralistic value systems alongside economic considerations. The article concludes that the protection of ancient woodland in the UK requires distinct and strong laws that reflect multiple values of this resource, acknowledge the trade-offs among stakeholders, and adopt an inclusive approach to reduce power asymmetries.

The role of brush encroachment in Mediterranean ecosystems: a review

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Zalmen Henkin
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystems ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Great Success ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Efficient Option

Abstract Encroachment of woody plants into grasslands and subsequent brush management are among the most prominent changes occurring in arid and semiarid ecosystems over the past century. The reduced number of farms, the abandonment of marginal land and the decline of traditional farming practices have led to encroachment of the woody and shrubby components into grasslands. This phenomenon, specifically in the Mediterranean region, which is followed by a reduction in herbage production, biodiversity and increased fire risk, is generally considered an undesirable process. Sarcopoterium spinosum has had great success in the eastern Mediterranean as a colonizer and dominant bush species on a wide variety of sites and climatic conditions. In the Mediterranean dehesa, the high magnitude and intensity of shrub encroachment effects on pastures and on tree production were shown to be dependent on temporal variation. Accordingly, there are attempts to transform shrublands into grassland-woodland matrices by using different techniques. The main management interventions that are commonly used include grazing, woodcutting, shrub control with herbicides or by mechanical means, amelioration of plant mineral deficits in the soil, and fire. However, the effects of these various treatments on the shrubs under diverse environmental conditions were found to be largely context-specific. As such, the most efficient option for suppressing encroachment of shrubs is combining different interventions. Appropriate management of grazing, periodic control of the shrub component, and occasional soil nutrient amelioration can lead to the development of attractive open woodland with a productive herbaceous understory that provides a wider range of ecological services.

scholarly journals Standing deadwood for keystone bird species in the eastern boreal forest: Managing for snag dynamics

2009 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Drapeau ◽  
Antoine Nappi ◽  
Louis Imbeau ◽  
Michel Saint-Germain
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Tree Retention ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Managed Landscapes

Extensive even-aged management of the boreal forest and its consequences on the loss of late-seral stages (>100 years) is raising concerns about the future of organisms associated with standing deadwood. The considerable reduction of deadwood not only at the stand but at the landscape level is considered to be one of the principal causes of biodiversity loss in managed forest ecosystems worldwide. Ecosystem-oriented management approaches propose a fundamental change in forestry practices whereby live and dead tree retention becomes an important consideration in forest harvesting. We use woodpecker assemblages and their association with standing deadwood for both nesting and foraging to emphasize the importance of the entire range of snag degradation stages for maintenance of key ecological processes in habitat remnants of managed landscapes. We argue that bridging foraging and nesting knowledge of woodpecker’s snag requirements can refine conservation objectives for deadwood retention in the boreal forest. Key words: deadwood, woodpeckers, hole-nesting community, late-seral forests, keystone species, foraging and nesting tree requirements, food webs, nest webs, snag management

Effects of forest–clearcut edges on a forest-breeding songbird

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 1026-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca J Harris ◽  
J Michael Reed
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Resource Abundance ◽  
Neotropical Migrant ◽  
Dendroica Caerulescens ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Interior Forest ◽  
Negative Impacts

To understand local and regional changes in Neotropical migrant songbird populations it is important to determine whether forest-breeders can use and persist in the dynamic, variegated landscapes created by modern forestry practices. We made detailed observations of a species classified as a mature-forest specialist, the black-throated blue warbler (Dendroica caerulescens), adjacent to clearcut edges and in intact forest in a large industrial forest landscape. We measured reproductive success, habitat use, resource abundance, the potential for inter- and intra-specific competition, and predator densities. Unlike most studies of edge effects, our study showed both positive and negative impacts of associations with edges. We recorded a lower density of potential avian competitors within intact forest, as well as a higher proportion of older male black-throated blue warblers at interior forest sites. In addition, proportionally more fledglings were observed in intact forest. However, males at edge sites had higher pairing success and edges had higher understory density (which is positively associated with reproductive success in other studies), evidence of higher abundance of their primary food source and lower densities of diurnal egg and nestling predators. The net result of these mixed patterns is that males gaining a territory at edge or interior sites appeared to have similar probabilities of producing fledglings.

scholarly journals PASTORALISM IN THE MAGHREB: A REVIEW ON ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIO-CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ASPECTS

AGROFOR ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid EL BILALI ◽  
Gianluigi CARDONE ◽  
Francesco BOTTALICO ◽  
Giovanni OTTOMANO PALMISANO ◽  
Roberto CAPONE
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Pastoral Systems ◽  
Marginal Lands ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Pastoral Communities ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Land Degradation And Desertification ◽  
Regional Projects

Pastoralism is a livelihood system based on extensive production of livestock (e.g. cattle, sheep, goats, camels) mainly on marginal lands. It is a traditional activity in the Mediterranean in general and the Maghreb (viz. Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia) in particular. This review casts light on research regarding pastoralism in the Maghreb. In particular, the paper analyses the benefits of pastoralism as well as the challenges faced by pastoralists in the region from the environmental, sociocultural, economic and political points of views. A search performed in July 2020 on the Web of Science yielded 113 documents and 68 of them were included in the systematic review. The analysed literature emphasizes the negative impacts of pastoralism and the challenges faced by pastoral communities in the Maghreb. These include climate change, land degradation and desertification, poverty and livelihood vulnerability as well as the ongoing erosion of pastoral culture and traditions. Doing so, scholars question the future of pastoralism in the region and highlight the need for its adaptation and transformation through, among others, moving towards agro-pastoral systems. There is a dearth of articles that highlight the positive impacts and benefits of pastoralism in the Maghreb. However, the literature shows that pastoralism has a long tradition and is an integral part of the Maghrebi culture and history, and values the traditional knowledge of pastoralists as well as their adaptive capacity. The review shows that there is a gap in research on pastoralism in the Maghreb especially regarding economics. In this context, regional projects such as PACTORES (Pastoral ACTORs, Ecosystem services and Society as key elements of agro-pastoral systems in the Mediterranean) result crucial to bridge the current knowledge gap and foster the sustainable development of pastoralism in the Maghreb and the Mediterranean at large.

Future impact of climate extremes in the Mediterranean: Soil erosion projections when fire and extreme rainfall meet

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (18) ◽  
pp. 3040-3054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Morán‐Ordóñez ◽  
Andrea Duane ◽  
Assu Gil‐Tena ◽  
Miquel De Cáceres ◽  
Núria Aquilué ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
Extreme Rainfall ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Soil

scholarly journals Soil Erosion as an Environmental Concern ... for Everyone?

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
And Diffusion

Nowadays, the scientific community is aware of the negative environmental impacts of soil erosion on ecosystem services. Soil erosion is one of the most important causes of land degradation because of its immediate influence of the most fertile topsoil parts. It is well-known that questions related to who, what, why, where and when soil erosion causes negative impacts must be considered by stakeholders and policymakers. However, why do the Sustainable Development Goals tell anything about soil erosion? In this keynote, we will try to show the importance to develop tools which can be used to assess soil erosion to obtain convincing results for stakeholders and policymakers. According to this fact, we present some studies related to in situ soil erosion measures and assessments of human perception and economical approaches. We fully agree that these kinds of studies will greatly benefit the visibility, trust and diffusion of our results. What do you think about this question? Let me know your opinion.

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