854 research outputs found
Brazilian National Forest Inventory: a landscape scale approach to monitoring and assessing forested landscapes.
A importância estratégica dos recursos florestais, tanto em escala nacional quanto global, assim como a falta de informações qualitativas e quantitativas confiáveis acerca das florestas brasileiras, está entre as motivações que levaram à realização de um novo Inventário Florestal Nacional do Brasil (IFN-BR). Além do tradicional levantamento de campo por meio de amostragem por conglomerados, o IFN-BR incorporou um componente geoespacial, as unidades amostrais de paisagem. A partir da análise do uso e cobertura da terra nessas unidades amostrais, são gerados indicadores e índices de paisagem, capazes de apresentar informações a respeito da sua composição, morfologia, padrão de mosaico, similaridade de habitats adjacentes, conectividade, fragmentação e situação das zonas ripárias. No presente trabalho são descritos os indicadores selecionados para avaliar a paisagem de amostras piloto no estado do Paraná, bem como sua forma de cálculo e composição de índices e scores.Artigo de revisão
Riparian quality and connectivity towards biodiversity-related ecosystem services: a proxy-based approach in Mediterranean human-dominated landscapes
Doutoramento FLUVIO - River Restoration and Management / Instituto Superior de Agronomia / Instituto Superior Técnico / Faculdade de Arquitetura. Universidade de LisboaRiparian ecosystems located in Mediterranean regions are highly biodiverse and
provide valuable Ecosystem Services (ES). The ecological response of riparian
ecosystems to distinct human and environmental effects has been widely studied, but
there has been a lack of robust methods capable of predicting their potential in
supporting biodiversity and related ES. In this thesis, riparian quality and
connectivity metrics were used as surrogates of the potential of riparian ecosystems
to support biodiversity and related ES in three Mediterranean human-dominated
landscapes: Intensive agriculture (IA), Extensive agriculture (EA) and Forest
production (FP). Riparian quality was assessed through the development of a novel
proxy-based index, integrating metrics related to the structure, management and
floristic composition of REs with their suitability in supporting biological groups with
distinct dispersal abilities: short-range, medium-range and long-range dispersers.
Riparian connectivity was calculated using a structural and functional approach,
where the area of riparian ecosystems was used as representative of the available
habitat.
The main conclusions showed that riparian ecosystems located in the FP and IA
landscapes exhibited the highest and lowest riparian quality, mainly due to their
inaccessibility and the surrounding pressures of the agricultural matrix, respectively.
Additionally, riparian ecosystems located in the EA landscape seemed to be
particularly relevant for long-range dispersers, despite providing less available
habitat as a result of specific management actions. Regarding riparian connectivity,
results showed a tendency of reduced connectivity in the Mediterranean region, due
to land-use intensification, hydromorphological alterations and the dryness of the
Mediterranean climate. Furthermore, riparian ecosystems dominated by woody
vegetation seemed to have a higher potential for biological dispersal.
This thesis was developed to study the underlying processes that link riparian quality
to connectivity. In the end, the maintenance and improvement of riparian ecosystems,
especially when dominated by woody vegetation, proved to be crucial to attain
ecological quality and connectivity in Mediterranean human-dominated landscapesOs ecossistemas ribeirinhos localizados em regiões Mediterrânicas são altamente
biodiversos e providenciam valiosos Serviços do Ecossistema (SE). Não obstante o
facto da sua resposta ecológica a distintas pressões humanas e ambientais ter sido
amplamente estudada, tem havido uma generalizada falta de métodos robustos
capazes de predizer o seu potencial para a biodiversidade e SE relacionados. Nesta
tese, métricas de qualidade e conectividade foram utilizadas como representativas do
potencial dos ecossistemas ribeirinhos para a biodiversidade e SE relacionados em
três paisagens Mediterrânicas antrópicas: Agricultura intensiva (AI), Agricultura
extensiva (AE) e Floresta de produção (FP). A qualidade foi avaliada através do
desenvolvimento de um novo índice biológico, integrando métricas relacionadas com
a estrutura, gestão e composição florística dos ecossistemas ribeirinhos com a sua
aptidão para grupos biológicos com capacidades distintas de dispersão: dispersores
de curta-distância, média-distância e longa-distância. A conectividade foi calculada
através de uma abordagem estrutural e funcional, onde a área dos ecossistemas
ribeirinhos foi utilizada como representativa dos habitats disponíveis.
As principais conclusões mostraram que os ecossistemas ribeirinhos localizados nas
paisagens de FP e AI exibiriam a maior e menor qualidade, principalmente devido à
sua inacessibilidade e às pressões da matriz agrícola, respetivamente.
Adicionalmente, os ecossistemas ribeirinhos localizados na paisagem de AE
mostraram-se particularmente relevantes para dispersores de longa-distância,
apesar de disponibilizarem menos habitat devido a ações de gestão específicas. Em
relação à conectividade, os resultados mostraram reduzida conectividade na região
Mediterrânica, dada a intensificação do uso da terra, alterações hidromorfológicas e
aridez do clima Mediterrânico. Paralelamente, os ecossistemas ribeirinhos
dominados por vegetação lenhosa mostraram ter um maior potencial para a
dispersão biológica.
Esta tese baseia-se no estudo dos processos que ligam a qualidade à conectividade
ribeirinha. No fim, a manutenção e melhoramento dos ecossistemas ribeirinhos,
especialmente quando dominados por vegetação lenhosa, provaram ser cruciais para
a obtenção de qualidade e conectividade em paisagens Mediterrânicas antrópicasN/
Assessing the connectivity of riparian forests across a gradient of human disturbance: the potential of Copernicus "Riparian Zones" in two hydroregions
The connectivity of riparian forests can be used as a proxy for the capacity of riparian zones
to provide ecological functions, goods and services. In this study, we aim to test the potential of
the freely available Copernicus “Riparian Zones” dataset to characterize the connectivity of riparian
forests located in two European bioclimatic regions—the Mediterranean and the Central Baltic
hydroregions—when subject to a gradient of human disturbance characterized by land-use/landcover
and hydromorphological pressures. We extracted riparian patches using the Copernicus
“Actual Riparian Zone” (ARZ) layer and calculated connectivity using the Integral Index of Connectivity
(IIC). We then compared the results with a “Manual Riparian Zone” (MRZ) layer, produced by
manually digitizing riparian vegetation patches over a very high-resolution World Imagery layer.
Our research evidenced reduced forest connectivity in both hydroregions, with the exception of Least
Disturbed sites in the Central Baltic hydroregion. The ARZ layer exhibited overall suitability to
assess the connectivity of riparian forests in the Central Baltic hydroregion, while the Mediterranean
hydroregion displayed a consistent pattern of connectivity overestimation in all levels of human
disturbance. To address this, we recommend some improvements in the spatial resolution and
thematic accuracy of the Copernicus ARZ layerinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Strategic Green Infrastructure and Ecosystem Restoration
This report draws on a range of European-wide datasets, geospatial methods, and tools available for green infrastructure (GI) mapping. It shows how two complementary mapping approaches (physical and ecosystem based) and the three key GI principles of connectivity, multifunctionality and spatial planning are used in case studies selected in urban and rural landscapes; it provides guidance for the strategic design of a well-connected, multi-functional, and cross-border GI, and identifies knowledge gaps. GI mapping has been demonstrated to enhance nature protection and biodiversity beyond protected areas, to deliver ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation and recreation, to prioritise measures for defragmentation and restoration in the agri-environment and regional development context, and to find land allocation trade-offs and possible scenarios involving all sectors.JRC.D.6-Knowledge for Sustainable Development and Food Securit
Landscape dynamics of Paspalum quadrifarium grasslands analyzed by Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA)
Background. Despite its wide distribution worldwide, only 4.6% of temperate grasslands are includedwithin systems of protected areas. In Argentina, this situation is even more alarming: only 1.05% isprotected. The study area (central area of the southern Salado River basin) has a large extent ofgrasslands of Paspalum quadrifarium (Pq) which has been target since the last century of a variety ofagricultural management practices including fire burning for cattle grazing.Methods. Were used as base data bynary images of presence-ausence data of Pq coming from a 42-year (1974-2016) land cover change study performed over Landsat Imagery (MSS, TM, ETM, and OLIsensors). MSPA (Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis) and Network Analysis were performed to thedata using Guidos Toolbox for the estimation of habitat and connectivity dynamics of the Pq patches(fragments).Results. Was observed a loss of area and habitat nuclei of this grassland between the beginning and theend of the study period. A drastic reduction in connectivity was also evident in resulting maps. Thenumber of large Pq grassland fragments (> 50 ha) decreased during the study period, and fragmentationmeasured as number of components (patches) was higher at the end of study period. The Pq pajonalnuclei had their minimum representativeness in 2000, and recovered slightly in 2011, but with asignificant percentage increase of the small patches (=islets) and linear elements as bridges andbranches. Large corridors (mainly edge of roads) could be observed at the end of study period, while thetotal connectivity of the landscape pattern drops abruptly.Discussion. The habitat reduction could have an impact on the ecosystem functioning and the mobilityof some species of native fauna. The connecting elements of the landscape were maintained and/orrecovered in percentage in 2011 and 2016. This fact, although favoring the dispersion of the presentdiversity in the habitat nuclei could cause degradation by an edge effect. On the methodological side, theuse of a proved tool as Guidos Toolbox for evaluating forest fragmentation could also be useful formonitoring dynamics of a grassland-habitat fragmentation.Fil: Gandini, Marcelo Luciano. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Lara, Bruno Daniel. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil; ArgentinaFil: Moreno, Laura Beatriz. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Cañibano, María Alejandra. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Gandini, Patricia Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Caleta Olivia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin
Ants as storytellers in Mediterranean riverscapes
Doutoramento em Restauro e Gestão Fluviais / Instituto Superior de Agronomia / Faculdade de Arquitectura / Instituto Superior Técnico. Universidade de LisboaRiverscapes support high levels of biodiversity, but are increasingly threatened by global change drivers. Ants are among the most diverse and successful insects on earth and have the ability to respond well to environmental changes. There is a lack of knowledge on the factors that drive ant biodiversity in Mediterranean riverscapes. This thesis aims at studying ant communities in Mediterranean riverscapes, and understand how they respond to disturbance (e.g., land use and invasive species) and to structural attributes of the riverine landscape (e.g., patch typology, spatial configuration and habitat quality), in terms of their richness, abundance and ability to provide ecosystem services. For these purposes, we selected crop and non-crop habitats of the riverine mosaic of three main study areas: a) riparian corridors of Catalonia, Spain; b) riparian corridors and floodplain areas of central Portugal; and c) irrigated cropland of southern Portugal.
Ant communities showed to be very sensitive to human-disturbance reflecting a broader perspective of the local ecological status. Based on ants’ responses to different stressors and landscapes elements, we found that land use was the main driver influencing ant communities. However, this might be dependent on the combined factors inherent to the overall disturbance of a particular land use. The Ecological Infrastructure (EI) of less disturbed systems, associated to a reduced abundance of invasive species, showed the highest capacity to provide ant-mediated services. In agricultural areas, ant species are likely recruited from ant communities of the neighbouring EI. Moreover, we found that the Argentine ant may negatively impact native ant communities, particularly in disturbed areas.
This thesis has contributed to increment knowledge about ants in riverscapes by providing a biological assessment tool that takes full advantage of ants’ ability to indicate human-disturbance and by providing new insights on the role of EI in ant-diversity conservation in agroecosystems.N/
Impact of Modern Human Activities on the Songhua River’s Health in Heilongjiang Province
The Songhua River is the largest river in Heilongjiang province. During the past decades, intense human activities had extensive effects on the river. Protecting the Songhua River requires diagnosing threats on a large scale. Here we conducted the first comprehensive survey on the rivers’ health throughout the Heilongjiang province, investigating into land use of riversides, modern industries along riversides and other human factors. The results showed that water quality, habitat quality and biological assemblages of the Songhua River are facing deterioration. Farmland, sand dredging operations and tourism depending on water resource may be the main factors which lead to the unhealthy state. This study will be helpful for developing riparian zone restoration plans, or adopting both biological and engineering measures to minimize the degradation of the Songhua River
Significant plant, animal, and wetland resources of Larimer County and their conservation
A report to Larimer County Parks and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.December 1996.Includes bibliographical references.In 1996, The Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) was contracted to assess the natural heritage values of lands throughout Larimer County. The project consisted of two major parts: a county-wide Natural Heritage Inventory and a Wetland and Riparian Area Survey. The primary goal of this project was to identify the locations in Larimer County with natural heritage significance. These locations were identified by first examining existing biological data, then accumulating additional information on rare or imperiled plant species, animal species, and significant natural communities (collectively called elements) through exhaustive field surveys
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