Sierra Nevada Global-Change Observatory. Monitoring methodologies

This book compiles detailed descriptions of the monitoring methodologies used for monitoring the global change impacts on ecosystems of Sierra Nevada

Sinfonevada: Dataset of Floristic diversity in Sierra Nevada forests (SE Spain)

The Sinfonevada database is a forest inventory that contains information on the forest ecosystem in the Sierra Nevada mountains (SE Spain). The Sinfonevada dataset contains more than 7,500 occurrence records belonging to 270 taxa (24 of these threatened) from floristic inventories of the Sinfonevada Forest inventory. Expert field workers collected the information. The whole dataset underwent a quality control by botanists with broad expertise in Sierra Nevada flora. This floristic inventory was created to gather useful information for the proper management of Pinus plantations in Sierra Nevada. This is the only dataset that shows a comprehensive view of the forest flora in Sierra Nevada. This is the reason why it is being used to assess the biodiversity in the very dense pine plantations on this massif. With this dataset, managers have improved their ability to decide where to apply forest treatments in order to avoid biodiversity loss. The dataset forms part of the Sierra Nevada Global Change Observatory (OBSNEV), a long-term research project designed to compile socio-ecological information on the major ecosystem types in order to identify the impacts of global change in this area.All the information contained in Sinfonevada was gathered by TRAGSA (Transformación Agraria S.A.), a public company funded by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment. The Sierra Nevada Global Change Observatory is funded by the Andalusian Regional Government (via Environmental Protection Agency) and by the Spanish Government (via “Fundación Biodiversidad”, which is a Public Foundation)

Observatorio de Cambio Global Sierra Nevada: metodologías de seguimiento

En este trabajo se describen las metodologías de seguimiento utilizadas dentro del Observatorio de Cambio Global de Sierra Nevad

La huella del cambio global en Sierra Nevada: Retos para la conservación

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo principal recopilar y unificar una serie de evidencias de los impactos del cambio global sobre los socioecosistemas de Sierra Nevada. Detrás de las más de 200 páginas que componen esta obra hay decenas de miles de páginas de informes técnicos, publicaciones en revistas científicas, libros, actas de congresos y tesis doctorales. Los editores y el equipo de coordinación técnica de la obra han realizado un meticuloso trabajo de criba, elaboración y selección de grandes volúmenes de información con el fin último de extraer la esencia de los impactos del cambio global sobre la función de los ecosistemas. Esto se traduce en un trabajo sintético, concreto y conciso que pretende llegar a toda la sociedad con un formato amigable desde el punto de visual, para facilitar su comprensión

LIFE Adaptamed Layman’s Report. Action E13. LIFE14 CCA/ES/000612

Aguas de Font Vella y Lanjaró

Informe Layman Life Adaptamed. Acción E13. LIFE14 CCA/ES/000612

Aguas de Font Vella y Lanjaró

Sierra Nevada observatory for monitoring global change: towards the adaptive management of natural resources

Sierra Nevada es uno de los centros más importantes de diversidad ecológica y endemicidad de Europa, y constituye por ello un observatorio excepcional para estudiar el funcionamiento de sistemas y procesos naturales en un contexto de cambio global. Con vocación de largo plazo y buscando la colaboración permanente entre científicos y gestores, se constituye el Observatorio de Seguimiento de Cambio Global de Sierra Nevada. Su objetivo es obtener la información necesaria para identificar con la máxima antelación posible los impactos del cambio global, pudiendo así diseñar mecanismos de gestión que permitan minimizarlos. Se sustenta en cuatro pilares básicos: un programa de seguimiento de especies, ecosistemas y procesos clave; un sistema de información que transforme los datos generados por el anterior en conocimiento útil; una gestión activa adaptativa de los recursos naturales que a la vez ponga en práctica nuevas técnicas de gestión y retroalimente este conocimiento; unas herramientas eficaces de formación continua del personal responsable de la gestión del espacio y por último, unos mecanismos de difusión, que permitan trasladar a la sociedad tanto los resultados obtenidos como las metodologías de trabajo empleadas, posibilitando así la comparación con lo que ocurre en otros puntos del planeta.Sierra Nevada is one of the most important hotspots of biological diversity and endemicity of the Iberian Peninsula and, thus, it constitutes an exceptional observatory to study the functioning of natural systems and processes under the current situation of global change. Sierra Nevada Observatory for Monitoring Global Change arises with long-term vocation and seeking permanent cooperation between scientists and managers. Its objective is to obtain the information that allows identifying the impacts of global change as early as possible, enabling the design of management mechanisms to minimize it. It rests on four pillars: a program to monitor key species, ecosystems and processes, an information system that processes the data generated by the former into useful knowledge, an active adaptive management of natural resources being at the same time result and feedback for this knowledge, some efficient tools for continuous formation of managers and, finally, effective spreading mechanisms that make possible to transfer society both the results obtained and the methodologies used, enabling comparison with other experiences occurring elsewhere in the world

Abiotic factors modulate post-drought growth resilience of Scots pine plantations and rear-edge Scots pine and oak forests

The proportion of planted forests in the Mediterranean Basin is one of the largest in the world. These plantations are dominated by pine species and present a series of characteristics such as low elevation, high competition or small tree size that make them more vulnerable to droughts. However, quantitative assessments of their post-drought growth resilience in accordance with species, site factors and tree characteristics are lacking. In this study we sampled 164 trees at four forest sites located in the drought-prone Sierra Nevada, southeastern Spain. We compared growth responsiveness to drought in rear-edge planted vs. relic natural Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and coexisting Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica) stands. Our objective was to characterize and compare the different growth responses to drought between species and sites and the effect of the main physiographic factors (altitude, aspect, and slope) on these responses since the influence of these factors on post-drought resistance and resilience has received little attention to date. Our results reveal that the planted pine sites with the lowest mean growth rates displayed greater resistance during drought, and that higher altitude was associated with improved resistance and/or resilience for all species and sites. Natural pine and Pyrenean oak stands were better adapted to the dry climatic conditions of the Mediterranean region where the study was undertaken, displaying greater resistance and/or resilience and lower influence of drought on growth in comparison to stands of planted pines. These results suggest that promoting the conservation of high-elevation pine plantations and enhancing the regeneration of natural pine and oak may improve the resistance and resilience of these drought-prone forest ecosystems