Search

Forest condition, biodiversity, and ecosystem services are strongly interlinked. The biodiversity levels depend to a large extent on the integrity, health, and vitality of forests at the same time as losses of forest biodiversity lead to decreased forest productivity and sustainability. Under this conceptual framework, this study presents a methodology for mapping forest condition at European scale supporting the attainment of the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Target 5 “the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced” and the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), as well as the EU forest strategy since the sustainable forest management is oriented to support the provision of forest services and to enhance the condition of biodiversity forests’ host. The work presents the developments of an operational indicator at European scale. This spatially explicit information on forest condition can be the baseline map with a 1 km resolution to monitor the state and changes of condition by exposition to pressures and threats. This condition indicator considers structural, functional, and compositional aspects of forest with relevance for health and vitality of species and habitats hosted by forest ecosystems. The methodology implemented used harmonized, published and open datasets. It provided confident results for the assessment of the condition within hemiboreal, temperate and alpine forests, showing the Carpathian, Dinaric Alps and Alps, among others, as hotspots with pre-dominantly good condition. The results were validated with data derived from the reporting for the EU Habitat Directive and explicit dataset on known primary forests in Europe. However, this method underestimated the forest condition in the Mediterranean and Boreal forest types due to data gaps, regional specific characteristics, and design limitations. (...) This work is part of the support provided by the European Topic Centre on Urban Land and Soil Systems (ETC/ULS) to European Environment Agency. The authors thank JI Barredo and M Erhard for the discussions and FM Sabatini and the Forest and CO project that facilitated the access to the datasets and provide support during the methodology development. Finally, we want to acknowledge the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which contributed to improving the manuscript. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA.

A systematic approach to map and assess the “maintenance of nursery populations and habitats” ecosystem service (ES) (hereinafter called “habitat maintenance”) has not yet emerged. In this article, we present an ecosystem service framework implementation at landscape level, by proposing an approach for calculating and combining a series of indicators with spatial modelling techniques. Necessary conceptual elements for this approach are: a) ecosystem condition, b) supply and demand of the targeted ecosystem service and c) spatial relationships between the Service Providing Units (SPU) and the Service Connecting Units (SCU). Ecosystem condition is quantified and mapped based on two indicators, the Biodiversity State and the Anthropogenic Impact. Quantification and mapping of supply and demand are based on the hypothesis that high supply can be activated in strictly protected areas and that a demand is localised in the Natura 2000 sites (N2K), considering them as the Service Benefit Areas (SBA). Wetlands are assessed as SCU between the SBA and the landscape areas where the habitat maintenance ES is supplied. By assessing wetlands as SCU, we intent to highlight their role as biodiversity stepping stones and as green infrastructures. Overall, we conclude that the EU biodiversity policy demand for no net loss and for a coherent N2K network can be met by enhancing the delivery of the habitat maintenance ES. This approach can assist policy-makers in prioritisation of conservation and restoration targets, in line with the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 and the preparation of the post-2020 Strategy.

This study area is located in the eastern littoral of the Iberian Peninsula; its importance resides in its Mediterranean ecosystem, complex topography, extensive land use changes, and intensive forest fires history. The study is done at the landscape level, covering a wide area for an extended period of time. This work uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Satellite Remote Sensing (SRS) techniques to evaluate the impact of spatio-temporal parameters on shaping Mediterranean landscapes. Interacting ecological parameters are analysed and correlated to post-fire vegetation regeneration in an attempt to understand its dynamics. The results provide evidence that the number of fires separated by short time intervals influence vegetation growth negatively measured as Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI). During this period, micro-climatic effects (soil and environmental humidity) are major factors influencing EVI-measured vegetation regeneration. The conclusions expect shifts in Mediterranean plant communities in heavily burned ecosystems stressing the importance of their correct short and long term post-fire management.

The Mediterranean basin has been identified as one of the world most vulnerable regions to global change effects. Global and regional climate change scenarios foresee an increase in the average annual temperature over the planet’s mean. These scenarios project an increasing frequency of drought episodes adding to the complexity of water scarcity management and questioning the future sustainability of water resource uses. This study assesses the potential water vulnerability in the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean (IBRM), located in the western side of the Mediterranean Basin between Spain (Europe) and Morocco (Africa). The vulnerability assessment proposes an innovative and multidisciplinary approach based on the use of climate change scenarios, a hydro-ecological model and the participation of stakeholders and local experts in expert meetings. Future scenarios draw a more arid climate for the IBRM, with more frequent water scarcity phenomena. A reduction of around 28.1–30.3 % is expected in stream flows by 2070. Agricultural water demands are expected to increase between 7.5 and 16 % in the Moroccan side in order to maintain the current production standards, whereas Spanish pastures are expected to maintain current productions with no need of supplementary water supply. Within forests, tree covered areas showed a higher potential vulnerability to future climate change than shrublands proving higher adaptation to arid conditions. Finally, the tourism will be impacted by the increase in summer temperature and in water supply shortages. Moreover, a significant spatial segregation of impacts is observed. Higher altitudes will be less affected by climate change and changes may be relevant to biodiversity but not to human activities. On the contrary, lower altitudes and coastal areas will experience an increasing water demand to sustain different uses by the end of the century in a higher water scarcity context.

The creation of the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean (IBRM) is a joint endeavour between Spain and Morocco; countries with very similar natural and biophysical conditions, but different socio-economic contexts and policy frameworks. Water related impacts of climate change in the region mean that on the one hand, increasing levels of drought are heightening inter-sectoral competition for water resources, and on the other hand, more intense and recurrent floods are leading to soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and negative consequences for ecosystem services. There is a marked socio-economic contrast between Spain and Morocco with the Moroccan side of the IBRM being particularly dependent on natural resources and exposed to climate change impacts. However, water-related impacts have the potential to affect human security on both sides of the IBRM. This was evidenced, for example, by the extensive droughts of the 1990s which had substantial effects on the agricultural economy in both Spain and Morocco, threatening food and water security and provoking migratory flows to urban centres. In this way, unfavourable effects of global change within the IBRM also affect society, economy and human security in the wider region.

Maes, Joachim... et al.-- 10 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables, supplementary material https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2015.10.023, In the EU, the mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services, abbreviated to MAES, is seen as a key action for the advancement of biodiversity objectives, and also to inform the development and implementation of related policies on water, climate, agriculture, forest, marine and regional planning. In this study, we present the development of an analytical framework which ensures that consistent approaches are used throughout the EU. It is framed by a broad set of key policy questions and structured around a conceptual framework that links human societies and their well-being with the environment. Next, this framework is tested through four thematic pilot studies, including stakeholders and experts working at different scales and governance levels, which contributed indicators to assess the state of ecosystem services. Indicators were scored according to different criteria and assorted per ecosystem type and ecosystem services using the common international classification of ecosystem services (CICES) as typology. We concluded that there is potential to develop a first EU wide ecosystem assessment on the basis of existing data if they are combined in a creative way. However, substantial data gaps remain to be filled before a fully integrated and complete ecosystem assessment can be carried out, Balint Czúcz was supported by the Bolyai Grant of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences under grant number BO/00138/12/8

This study area is located in the eastern littoral of the Iberian Peninsula; its importance resides in its Mediterranean ecosystem, complex topography, extensive land use changes, and intensive forest fires history. The study is done at the landscape level, covering a wide area for an extended period of time. This work uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Satellite Remote Sensing (SRS) techniques to evaluate the impact of spatio-temporal parameters on shaping Mediterranean landscapes. Interacting ecological parameters are analysed and correlated to post-fire vegetation regeneration in an attempt to understand its dynamics. The results provide evidence that the number of fires separated by short time intervals influence vegetation growth negatively measured as Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI). During this period, micro-climatic effects (soil and environmental humidity) are major factors influencing EVI-measured vegetation regeneration. The conclusions expect shifts in Mediterranean plant communities in heavily burned ecosystems stressing the importance of their correct short and long term post-fire management. Copyright © 2015, IGI Global.