Search Results (7)

The main objective of this study is to investigate the supply of ecosystem services (ESs) within peri-urban watersheds (PUWs) across Greece, utilizing earth observation (EO) data and empirical models. To achieve these goals, several open-access geospatial datasets were utilized and processed within a GIS environment. Specifically, the supply of soil conservation and water retention services was assessed at the watershed scale. The results indicates that the supply soil conservation service withing the examined PUWs range from 44.41 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ to 441.33 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ with an average value of 161.99 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. Water retention services vary from 35.09 to 154.63 mm within the PUWs, with an average of 91.45 mm. Additionally, the variation in ES values across distinct altitudinal zones and ecosystem types provides useful insights for implementing protection and management measures. It is evident from the analysis that the soil conservation service gradually increases with elevation, with alpine and subalpine areas exhibiting the highest values. Moreover, mountainous and semi-mountainous regions demonstrate higher values compared to the estimated average soil conservation services of the entire study area. Furthermore, the provision of water retention services varies across different altitudinal zones. Specifically, the mountainous and semi-mountainous areas exhibit the highest values, followed by the subalpine and hilly regions, while lower values are observed in the lowland and alpine regions. The analysis also reveals distinct patterns in ecosystem services across various ecosystem types within the PUWs. Woodland and forest, along with heathland and shrubs, demonstrate higher values in terms of both soil conservation and water retention services. Our findings contribute to understanding the dynamics of ESs in PUWs, highlighting their significance for sustainable land management, and informing policy decisions aimed at preserving ecosystem health and resilience. Full article

Parts of the Cantabrian Mountains (N Spain) have been colonized by woody species in the past six or seven decades as a result of a decline in livestock activity and changes in the fire regime. Various management strategies have been used to prevent the expansion of shrubs and recover grassland ecosystems for grazing activities. However, it is not clear how different vegetation treatments affect soils, which are crucial in supporting life and providing nutrients in these ecosystems. The aim of the present study was to compare the dynamics of the physicochemical and biological soil properties after two vegetation treatments: prescribed burning and shredding. Samples were obtained from plots representing alkaline and acidic soils dominated by gorse shrub (Genista hispanica subsp. occidentalis) and heath (Calluna vulgaris) plant communities, respectively. The soil samples were collected immediately before and after the treatments and one and two years later. The level of available P varied depending on the soil pH, and it only increased after the treatments in the acidic soils in the heathland community. The total N and available P concentrations were higher after the prescribed burning, and the enzymatic activity tended to be higher after the shredding treatment. Despite the significant effects on some soil variables, prescribed burning and shredding did not have important short- and medium-term effects on the chemical and soil enzymatic properties. These treatments can therefore be considered sustainable vegetation management tools, at least in the medium term. Full article

Alto Minho (in northwestern Iberia) is one of the European regions most affected by fires. Many of these fires originate from rangeland management of Atlantic heathlands, and, while being illegal, often are not actively suppressed. In this study, pastoral fires (autumn-to-spring fires unrecorded by authorities), spring wildfires, and summer wildfires were independently mapped and dated from remote sensing. Alto Minho burned at a mean annual rate of 5.0% of the territory between 2001 and 2020. Pastoral burning totalled 40,788 hectares during the period, accounting for 20% of the total burnt area. Rangeland burning occurs mostly from December to April, the rainiest months that guarantee the conditions for pasture renewal and fire self-extinction. The mean fire return interval of pastoral burning is slightly higher than that of wildfires (13 years vs. 11 years), except in part of the inner mountains where it dominates fire activity. Pastoral fires are more frequent and largely prevail over wildfires in the parishes with higher livestock quantities. Conversely, the largest wildfires and higher summer burnt areas correspond with very low livestock and nearly non-existing pastoral fires. Traditional fire knowledge should not be overlooked by fire management, as it contributes to more sustainable fire regimes and ecosystems. Full article

Calluna vulgaris-dominated heathlands are a priority habitat type in Annex I of the Habitats Directive (92/43/ECC, habitat code 4060). In the Iberian Peninsula, the landscape of the Cantabrian Mountain range has great heterogeneity due to human management during the last 10,000 years. Another factor that can affect these communities is the increase in human-induced atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. During the last century, there has been a dramatic increase in N deposition rates. For all these reasons, it is important to know the regeneration dynamics of the heathlands in the context of the disturbances that these communities currently face (i.e., N deposition, fire, and decrease in sheep grazing) in the Cantabrian Mountain range. In this study, we characterized the plant species composition and soil seed bank after prescribed burning in three heathlands on their southern distribution limit in Spain, to gain insights into regenerative capacity and conservation of these communities. The results obtained suggest that the post-burn soil seed bank could restore Calluna-dominated vegetation in these habitats, indicating that the restoration potential from the soil seed bank after wildfires of these habitats is high. Our results also suggest that, in the short term after burning, the main characteristic species such as Calluna and Erica are recovered, which is fundamental to maintain the heathland community structure. Full article

Bushfires are an intrinsic part of Australia, especially in the Blue Mountains (11,400 km²), New South Wales (NSW). This region is dominated by fire-prone vegetation, such as heathland. Heathlands occupy a small portion of the Blue Mountains, less than 2%, but are highly combustible and can transition surface to crown fire. Three-dimensional vegetation models are essential for effective bushfire behaviour modelling and efficient bushfire combat. Therefore, this paper outlines the motivation for an automated three-dimensional heathland model and the workflow for implementing this model in support of bushfire behaviour modelling. Full article

Despite the mounting evidence supporting positive relationships between species abundance and habitat suitability, the capacity of ecological niche models (ENMs) to capture variations in population abundance remains largely unexplored. This study focuses on sympatric populations of hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) and Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus), surveyed in 1997 and 2017 in an upland moor area in northwestern Spain. The ENMs performed very well for both species (with area under the ROC curve and true skill statistic values of up to 0.9 and 0.75). The presence of both species was mainly correlated with heathlands, although the normalized difference water index derived from Landsat images was the most important for hen harrier, indicating a greater preference of this species for wet heaths and peat bogs. The findings showed that ENM-derived habitat suitability was significantly correlated with the species abundance, thus reinforcing the use of ENMs as a proxy for species abundance. However, the temporal variation in species abundance was not significantly explained by changes in habitat suitability predicted by the ENMs, indicating the need for caution when using these types of models to infer changes in population abundance. Full article

The electromagnetic spectrum registered via satellite remote sensing methods became a popular data source that can enrich traditional methods of vegetation monitoring. The European Space Agency Sentinel-2 mission, thanks to its spatial (10–20 m) and spectral resolution (12 spectral bands registered in visible-, near-, and mid-infrared spectrum) and primarily its short revisit time (5 days), helps to provide reliable and accurate material for the identification of mountain vegetation. Using the support vector machines (SVM) algorithm and reference data (botanical map of non-forest vegetation, field survey data, and high spatial resolution images) it was possible to classify eight vegetation types of Giant Mountains: bogs and fens, deciduous shrub vegetation, forests, grasslands, heathlands, subalpine tall forbs, subalpine dwarf pine scrubs, and rock and scree vegetation. Additional variables such as principal component analysis (PCA) bands and selected vegetation indices were included in the best classified dataset. The results of the iterative classification, repeated 100 times, were assessed as approximately 80% median overall accuracy (OA) based on multi-temporal datasets composed of images acquired through the vegetation growing season (from late spring to early autumn 2018), better than using a single-date scene (70%–72% OA). Additional variables did not significantly improve the results, showing the importance of spectral and temporal information themselves. Our study confirms the possibility of fully available data for the identification of mountain vegetation for management purposes and protection within national parks. Full article