C1 Adaptation to climate change on the part of reforested pine woodland: protecting the provision of ecosystem services.
The aim of this action is to implement adaptive management measures for reforested pine woodland in order to protect the ecosystem services it provides, and to define a pine forest management model that maximises the provision of socio-ecological services. This action promotes a more efficient use of resources in these areas through the regulation of competition, thereby increasing the capacity of the forested areas to withstand the processes of drought and higher temperatures.
This action will boost the adaptation capacity of different types of representative, reforested pine woodland that are widely distributed throughout southern Europe. To achieve this goal, the following aims have been set:
- Promote the presence of heterogeneous horizontal and vertical structures, diverse age categories, and the implementation and development of diverse biological communities.
- Regulate competition in order to promote a forest structure with a density that makes it possible to optimise resources while guaranteeing the availability of water, light and nutrients, both now and under the climatic conditions forecast. In turn, this will improve the physiological condition of the trees while facilitating the natural implantation of seeds from other plant species.
Thinning will be carried out, at varying intensities, in order to reduce the density of the forested areas. At the same time, different forms of waste management will be implemented, in order to determine the optimum strategy for achieving the objectives in question.
Within the Sierra Nevada natural area, clearing and thinning activities in a reforested area of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) woodland will be combined with plantations of the native subspecies (P. sylvestris subsp. nevadensis) in order to improve the connectivity of the existing population.
Elements to support the fauna will also be installed: examples include “biodiversity boxes”, i.e. artificial structures to house insectivorous birds and bats, for the primary purpose of combating pests.
In summary, by helping to maintain their ecological functions, these measures will aid the medium- and long-term protection of the ecosystem services provided by reforested pine woodland in the areas treated. Moreover, adaptive management measures will be implemented in order to increase the capacity of these ecosystems to withstand climate charge in the short term. These measures will help the forests move towards increased levels of biodiversity and provide them with a more adequate structure, so that they are able to maintain their ecological processes and continue providing ecosystem services in the long term within a context of change. As such, these measures make a direct contribution to the process of adapting to the effects of climate change. The impacts of climate change in Andalusia primarily consist of increased temperatures, reduced rainfall in many areas and an increase in the frequency of extreme climate events such as prolonged droughts. In the face of these impacts, areas of reforested pine woodland – in light of their current structure – are highly vulnerable to wood decay, pests and forest fires, which would result in a gradual or sharp drop in the quantity and quality of the ecosystem services these areas currently provide. This action aids the natural regeneration of the pine trees (a process which, at present, is almost non-existent) and makes it possible to incorporate other plant species, thereby increasing the capacity of the forest to regenerate. The resultant area of forest will then be able to evolve towards a more diverse and mixed composition and have a greater capacity to act as a reservoir of biodiversity in which individual specimens of different ages, plant species and type all coexist.
- The total estimated cost for this action is €788,364.
- The only partner involved in this action is the Andalusian Ministry of the Environment and Planning.
C2 Regeneration of Mediterranean flora in order to improve ecosystem services and aid adaptation to climate change.
The aim of this action is to make the Mediterranean flora in Doñana more heterogeneous and improve its structure, in order to increase its capacity to respond to climate change, minimise the impact of the unpredictability of the Mediterranean climate, minimise water loss, reduce erosion, increase the amount of useful resources for the population by making more refuges available, and reduce the mortality rate of cork oaks in Doñana by limiting the spread of Phytophthora cinnamomi, an exotic phytopathogen. The action is based on the premise that a more heterogeneous flora, in terms of structure (creation of ecological niches) and specific diversity, with an optimum density of trees and taller shrubs and improved phytosanitary conditions, will provide a wider variety and higher quality of ecosystem services. The production of raw materials such as cork, apiculture products, aromatic plants, fodder and game will also be aided by the activities proposed as part of this action. Additionally, improvements will also be made to indirect services such as oxygen production, CO2 capture, soil retention, regulation of water resources, habitat provision for flora and fauna, and landscape values.
In order to achieve these aims, the following measures are proposed:
Measure 1: 300 soil samples and 300 root samples from cork oaks will be taken, following a regular pattern throughout the area to be surveyed. These samples must be studied in a laboratory specialising in forest phytopathology, where they will be analysed in order to isolate and identify any pathogens. Moreover, the soil samples will be subjected to a quantitative chemical analysis in order to study the active matter (pathogen abundance level). Biometric measurements and health-related data (circumference, % of defoliation, colouration, pests, etc.) will also be collected for the trees that provided the samples.
Measure 2: In order to increase the density of cork oak (Quercus suber) and other Mediterranean plant species such as mastic (Pistacea lentiscus) and olive (Olea europea), it is necessary to implement an assisted regeneration strategy involving the planting of young specimens, cuttings or seeds obtained from reproductive specimens located nearby. This action will also promote the use of seeds as a means to preserve the genetic integrity and vitality of future plants, increase their capacity to adapt to their environment, lower the risk of the spreading of pests, and increase the plants’ economic profitability. Essentially, the work will focus on recovering the three species mentioned above: cork oak, mastic and olive. Three techniques will be used to prevent seed predators and herbivores from accessing the plantations: the use of nurse plants and frameworks of plant remains, and the installation of protective fencing. The fences will consist of wooden posts, steel profiles and durable, galvanised mesh (livestock wire or simple twisted wire). For other cases, existing exclusion fencing can be used.
Measure 3: This measure involves treating 200 adult cork oak specimens against the pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi: specifically, by directly injecting pressurised capsules of Fosetyl-Al into the specimens’ trunks. This task will be carried out by a company that is experienced in the use of this type of technique. The product dosage will be calculated in accordance with the tree’s circumference.
- The total estimated cost for this action is €528,916.
- The partners involved in this action are the Andalusian Ministry of the Environment and Planning and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
C3 Increasing resilience and ecosystem service provision capacity in the priority habitat of Ziziphus lotus.
This action will ensure the continuation of the quantity and quality of the ecosystem services provided by the populations of Ziziphus lotus in the publicly accessible area of Amoladeras. At the same time, this action also has a demonstrative focus, as it aims to develop pilot management initiatives whose lessons can be applied to other areas suffering from the same problems within the context of climate change. To achieve this goal, the following aims have been set:
(1) Establish a network to monitor phreatic and surface water levels, to serve as an early-warning indicator. To do this, we will drill down into the soil and insert tubing for the installation of 10 boreholes, which will be equipped with devices to record the depth of the phreatic water level and 30 piezometers/moisture sensors to make continuous recordings at a depth of less than 3 m. This equipment will be linked to systems for data transmission and storage.
(2) Increase the density and carry out spatial restructuring of patches and individual specimens of Z. lotus. To do this, Z. lotus seeds will be collected in the field, germinated and grown in the incubators of the Andalusian Ministry of the Environment and Planning (CMAOT) until the plants are two years old (planting will take place in December 2018). Additionally, plants of 3-10 years old will be grown in specialised incubators and transferred to the plantation areas. The seeds will be sown and individual specimens planted by hand; moreover, the plantation areas will be monitored and any dead plants replaced.
(3) Remove invasive CAM-plant competitors (Agave spp.) and refine techniques that can be extrapolated and used in habitats facing similar threats. This aim will be achieved by cutting down, removing and eliminating adult specimens of Agave spp. Manual techniques will be employed in areas with different densities, while stolons, shoots and regrowth of Agave spp. will also be removed by hand. These activities will take place on an area of land measuring 10 ha.
The proposed action will increase the capacity of Z. lotus and the area of priority habitat specified in Annex 1 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) under number 5220 (titled “Arborescent matorral with Ziziphus”) to withstand climate change. The Z. lotus species plays a key role in maintaining the structural and functional integrity of the ecosystem and the services it provides. Its contribution to the creation of islands of fertility is vital, owing to the fact that it creates microclimatic conditions that are milder than those of the surrounding environment, while its key role in soil conservation enables the survival of a range of companion species. This action will provide management protocols that can be extrapolated to other cases and recommendations for the conservation of this type of habitat in areas that face similar threats.
- The total estimated cost for this action is €131,758.
- The partners involved in this action are the University of Almería and the Andalusian Environment and Water Agency.
C4 Soil conservation and agricultural management as tools to help semi-arid ecosystems adapt to climate change and protect the services they provide.
Traditionally, in semi-arid ecosystems soil management practices incorporate structures for defence and resource capture, in order to maximise yield for subsistence farming activities. These traditional management techniques are compatible with the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services (in this instance, soil conservation), owing to the low level of intervention in the land and the fact that these modifications were made decades ago and the system has had time to adapt. Ultimately, these ecosystems comprise habitats whose conservation requires a low level of human intervention. However, the abandonment of the farming system and the increased vulnerability to erosion anticipated by the climate change scenarios forecasts a loss of productivity, increased erosion and greater vulnerability on the part of the ecosystem. The recovery proposed by this action will reverse this trend, enabling the maintenance of the plant communities that form part of the historical management of the area as well as the maintenance of services associated with the process of primary production that serves both wild and domesticated herbivores.
This action will improve conditions in the microbasins where the activities will take place by reducing water erosion and levels of runoff, thereby enhancing water retention capacity and soil conservation. In turn, we hope to make the ecosystem more productive by taking action in relation to the two main limiting factors in arid ecosystems: availability of water and soil. Additionally, the recovery of traditional farming via the model defined in action A4 aims to improve the retention of organic matter in the soil and make the soil generally more fertile (based on likely increases in carbon and nitrogen), thereby improving levels of productivity and biodiversity. These activities are designed to improve the system’s capacity to retain water, thereby optimising a resource that will play a key role within the context of climate change.
This action is comprised of two measures that will act in concert to achieve the established aims:
Measure 1: Reconstructing terraces (structures traditionally used to retain soil on agricultural land) and eliminating gaps (areas of broken ground where soil is lost through linear erosion) using approximately 1000 linear metres of dry stone walls made from local stone. All of the work will be carried out using locally sourced materials (natural rock) in accordance with the traditional technique and architecture of dry stone walling.
Measure 2: Working pasture lands (ploughing, sowing, grazing and leaving fallow) using traditional techniques in accordance with local cycles of water availability, based on the model generated via preparatory action A4.
This action will result in an increased capacity to adapt to the effects of climate change, on the part of the priority habitat titled “Pseudo-steppe with grasses and annuals of the Thero-Brachypodietea: Meso- and thermo-Mediterranean xerophile” (6220*) and the habitat of interest titled “Thermo-Mediterranean and pre-desert scrub” (5330) (Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC). Consequently, the impact of this action on local biodiversity can be considered significant.
- The total estimated cost for this action is €52,937.
- The partners involved in this action are the Andalusian Ministry of the Environment and Planning and the Andalusian Environment and Water Agency.
C5 Adaptive management to protect ecosystem services against climate change in high mountain scrubland in the Mediterranean.
The general aim of this action is to ensure the continuation of the quantity and quality of the ecosystem services provided by the high mountain scrubland in the Sierra Nevada, within the context of climate change. The continuation of these services will be aided by making the ecosystem more resilient, thereby increasing its chances of being able to adapt to the changing conditions that are forecast. The main focus of this action is the preparation of two traditional canals for channelling snowmelt: one located on the northern side of the Sierra Nevada and one located on the southern side. At the same time, we have also planted seeds of common juniper Juniperus communis and Spanish barberry Berberis hispanica. Some of these planting activities have taken place in the vicinity of the aforementioned canals, in order to assess the positive impact on regeneration that a potential increase in water supply may have on the micro-sites in question. The juniper and barberry seeds were each planted in groups of 18, and were protected from potential crushing by livestock through the use of cages measuring approximately 15 cm wide by 30 cm long and 5 cm tall. In each of the micro-habitats surveyed,
there are groups of 10 cages each containing 36 seeds. On the southern side we are surveying four micro-habitats: wet sedge meadows, rocky overhangs, dry scrub and broom; while on the
northern side we are surveying five micro-habitats: juniper stands, wet sedge meadows, rocky overhangs, dry scrub and broom. This pattern has been repeated twice on the southern side (Bérchules-Trevelez canal) and three times on the northern side (Haza Mesa canal). The action is focused on the Sierra Nevada natural area, specifically in the habitat of interest defined in Annex 1 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) under number 5120 and titled “Mountain Cytisus purgans formations”, which in the case of the Sierra Nevada correspond to formations of C. galianoi.
- The total estimated cost for this action is €79,596.
- The partners involved in this action are the Andalusian Ministry of the Environment and Planning and the Andalusian Environment and Water Agency.
C6 Measures to protect the services provided by Pyrenean and holm oak forests in the Sierra Nevada that are vulnerable to climate change.
This action focuses on the Sierra Nevada: specifically, Pyrenean and holm oak forests with an inadequate structure located on the lower and intermediate slopes, where excessive density and insufficient size make it difficult for the trees to sexually reproduce while also preventing sufficiently vigorous plant growth due to excessive competition for water, light and nutrients. In turn, this renders these forests highly vulnerable to attacks by the defoliator complex affecting the Quercus genus. Based on the management experience gained, and after checking for non-existent or minimal sexual reproduction and high susceptibility to forest pests, some 50 ha of forest, distributed across four different slope environments, have been selected:
– High slopes (10 ha): upper distribution limit of Pyrenean oak forest in the area, representing the ecotone with ecosystems dominated by juniper, savin and other high mountain scrub.
– Intermediate slopes (10 ha): exclusively Pyrenean oak.
– Lower slopes (10 ha): mixed forest of Pyrenean and holm oak.
– Holm oak forest (10 ha): holm oak forest located
in a sub-arid area, where the water supply is at the lower limit of its requirements.
The implementation of this action involves silvicultural treatments designed to improve the structure of the forest and aid more vigorous plant growth. This will be achieved by selecting certain specimens whose characteristics make them suitable parent plants, and applying measures to remove or regulate their competition and aid their sexual reproduction. Selective thinning (designed to preserve the best trees or shoots) and clearing from below of Pyrenean and holm oaks, taking a basal diameter of around 15 cm as an approximate limit. Trees that are dominated, deformed or have dead crowns will be preferred for removal. If all of the specimens of a particular species are equal in quality, those located inside the grove or stand will be preferred for removal, in order to increase the amount of space between the specimens that remain. Three types of treatment will be applied, comprising varying levels of intensity: moderate to low (35 ha), moderate to high (10 ha) and control (10 ha; this type is not included in the estimate, as it does not require any treatment). The greater part of the area treated will receive moderate treatment, as past experience has shown that this approach is the most suitable for forests of this type. However, on occasion, and where local conditions permit (deep soil, gentle slopes and no exposure to strong winds), the treatment will be intensified. Additionally, smaller areas (1 ha) will be used as control areas and left untreated, in order to serve as a reference point for the evolution of untreated forest.
Returning the chipped waste material to the soil is essential in order to improve its structure and physical and chemical properties. By applying this material in three different ways (scattering it, and applying it in thick and thin bands), it will be possible to conduct a comparative analysis of the evolution of the diversity of plant life, the regeneration process, and the organic carbon content of the soil in each of the three scenarios. For its part, the process of stacking is expected to enable (among other benefits) the dispersal of fruits, the accumulation of seeds and the introduction of new specimens of Pyrenean oak, holm oak and accompanying scrub species.
The waste management models that will be evaluated are as follows:
– Distribution of the waste material in bands.
– Even distribution of the waste material across the entire surface of the parcel of land.
– Distribution of the waste material in bands and in unchipped stacks.
– Even distribution of the waste material across the soil and in unchipped stacks.
Specifically, the work will be carried out in the following areas:
– High slopes: Cáñar/Soportujar Pyrenean oak forest.
– Intermediate slopes: Cáñar/Soportujar Pyrenean oak forest.
– Lower slopes: Pórtugos Pyrenean and holm oak forest.
– Holm oak forest: Fiñana-Abrucena.
These areas have been selected in accordance with how representative they are of the different ecological conditions and management models for oak forests in the Sierra Nevada National Park and Natural Park.
- The total estimated cost for this action is €168,678.
- The only partner involved in this action is the Andalusian Ministry of the Environment and Planning.
C7 Development of an information system for monitoring climate change in Andalusia.
The main aim of this action is to generate an information system (distributed between the three locations and the central services of the CMAOT) that guarantees the storage of the information generated by the project while making it available to potential users and helping to facilitate the analysis of said information for the purposes of generating useful knowledge. In summary, it involves creating a tool that can be used by the actors involved in the project to boost the capacity of the target ecosystems to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
This information system must serve as a hub for meeting and exchange, where information can be shared between researchers and managers; both of whom produce and use information that is of common interest with regard to their respective activities. It will take the form of a distributed system, which will enable the original information to be stored on different databases and be transparent to users, who will be able to access any of the information contained in the system via a unified, standardised data model.
The information system will also incorporate other sources of regional or local information generated by the Andalusian Environmental Information System (REDIAM). These sources of information include a number of information networks related to the monitoring of climate change (soil use, meteorology, landscape, biodiversity, habitats, etc.).
– Definition of a common data model that takes the philosophy of the project into account and is related to the rest of the data models used by REDIAM (biodiversity subsystem, water, protected natural areas, etc.).
– Analysis and integration of information from regional networks that monitor global change processes; identification of datasets. The information system that will be developed must take into account not only the data generated by the project actions, but also other sources of information that can make an important contribution to characterising the impact of global change in Andalusia. To this end, we will analyse data from networks that already exist and are already operational.
– Development of a module of interoperable services that allows the system to be utilised and connected to the exterior (web platform, applications and models). This set of services will make it possible to connect the information systems for Doñana, Cabo de Gata and the Sierra Nevada to the centralised information system. A set of indicators and preselected datasets will also be integrated into data management platforms at the national level, which will in turn be connected to one another via European initiatives (e.g. LTER-Spain and ICP-Forests). These national-level initiatives will manage metadata and datasets with a view to integrating said data into international information management platforms. For example, LifeWatch ESFRI will access our datasets via LTER-Spain. Lastly, a set of indicators and preselected datasets will be integrated into information systems at the European level, such as EFDAC, EFDS and FISE (systems linked to the JRC). This integration of large packets of data will be made possible through the use of internationally accepted metadata standards such as INSPIRE and EML (Ecological Metadata Language). One of the aims of this action is to draw up a specific plan that will make it possible to integrate the information generated by the LIFE Adaptamed project into the datasets and information systems mentioned above.
- The total estimated cost for this action is €68,810.
- The partners involved in this action are the Andalusian Ministry of the Environment and Planning and the Andalusian Environment and Water Agency.