Alpine meadows and pastures after abandonment. Results of the Austrian MaB-programme and the EC-STEP project INTEGRALP

We present the results of a study on the behaviour of alpine ecosystems after the abandon of farming practices. The work has been carried out in Gastein Valley (Austria), the High Tauern National Park (Austria) and the Mt. Bondone (Italy). In the three places different phases of plant succession have been studied, and several ecologic parameters, such as the energy budget, the carbon budget, the canopy structure and many interactions between organisms were measured. Over 20 specialists have worked on the data gathering and analysis. Among the main observed results we can count the relative instability of abandoned plots; the diversity and the specific richness decrease; light becomes there a limiting factor because of the canopy growth; the degradation of litterfall becomes slower than in grazed plots; surface erosion and runoff decrease strongly, and so on. Commonly, the abandoned alpine pastures show a transition situation between the artificial equilibrium status kept by livestock and the natural equilibrium corresponding to climatic communities.[es] Se presentan los resultados de un análisis sobre el comportamiento de los ecosistemas alpinos durante el abandono de las prácticas agrícolas en los mismos. Los trabajos se han llevado a cabo en el valle de Gastein (Austria), en el Parque Nacional del Alto Tauern (Austria) y en el Monte Bondone (Italia). En los tres lugares se han estudiado distintas fases de la sucesión vegetal, midiéndose numerosos parámetros ecológicos, como el balance de carbono, el balance energético, la estructura de la cubierta vegetal y distintas interacciones entre organismos. Más de 20 especialistas han intervenido en la toma y análisis de los datos. Entré los principales resultados observados se cuentan el aumento de diversidad en las áreas abandonadas y su relativa inestabilidad; en ellas la luz se convierte en un factor limitante; la degradación de la hojarasca y la materia muerta se hace más lenta; la escorrentía y la erosión superficial disminuyen apreciablemente. En general, los pastos alpinos abandonados reflejan una situación de transición entre el estado artificial de equilibrio mantenido por el cultivo y el equilibrio natural existente en las comunidades clímax. [fr] On présente les résultats d'une étude du comportement des écosystèmes alpins après l'abandonnement des pratiques traditionnelles de pâturage. Les observations ont été faites dans la Vallée de Gastein (Autriche), dans le Parc National de l'Haut Tauern (Autriche) et dans le M t. Bondone (Italie). Dans les trois places on a étudié différents phases de la succession végétale, en mesurant nombreux paramètres écologiques, telle bilan d'énergie, le bilan du carbone, la structure du tapis végétal et diverses interactions entre les organismes. Plus de 20 spécialistes ont travaillé dans la prise et l'analyse des données. Parmi les principaux résultats observés peut-on signaler l'augmentation de la diversité dans les pâturages abandonnés et leur relative instabilité; la lumière dévient là un facteur limitant, la dégradation de la litière se fait plus lente; l'écoulement et l'érosion de la surface diminuent beaucoup. Généralement les pâturages alpins abandonnées montrent une situation transitionnelle entre l'équilibre artificiel résultant de l'intervention humaine et l'équilibre naturel de la communauté climacique

Effects of land use and climate on carbon and nitrogen pool partitioning in European mountain grasslands

European mountain grasslands are increasingly affected by land-use changes and climate, which have been suggested to exert important controls on grassland carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools. However, so far there has been no synthetic study on whether and how land-use changes and climate interactively affect the partitioning of these pools amongst the different grassland compartments. We analyzed the partitioning of C and N pools of 36 European mountain grasslands differing in land-use and climate with respect to above- and belowground phytomass, litter and topsoil (top 23 cm). We found that a reduction of management intensity and the abandonment of hay meadows and pastures increased above-ground phytomass, root mass and litter as well as their respective C and N pools, concurrently decreasing the fractional contribution of the topsoil to the total organic carbon pool. These changes were strongly driven by the cessation of cutting and grazing, a shift in plant functional groups and a related reduction in litter quality. Across all grasslands studied, variation in the impact of land management on the topsoil N pool and C/N-ratio were mainly explained by soil clay content combined with pH. Across the grasslands, below-ground phytomass as well as phytomass- and litter C concentrations were inversely related to the mean annual temperature; furthermore, C/N- ratios of phytomass and litter increased with decreasing mean annual precipitation. Within the topsoil compartment, C concentrations decreased from colder to warmer sites, and increased with increasing precipitation. Climate generally influenced effects of land use on C and N pools mainly through mean annual temperature and less through mean an- nual precipitation. We conclude that site-specific conditions need to be considered for understanding the effects of land use and of current and future climate changes on grassland C and N pools.Peer reviewe

Management and site effects on carbon balances of European mountain meadows and rangelands

We studied carbon balances and carbon stocks of mountain rangelands and meadows in a network of 8 eddy covariance sites and 14 sites with biomass data in Europe. Net ecosystem exchange of pastures and extensively managed semi-natural rangelands were usually close to zero, while meadows fixed carbon, with the exception of one meadow that was established on a drained peatland. When we accounted for off-site losses and inputs also the carbon budget of meadows approached zero. Soil carbon stocks in these ecosystems were high, comparable to those of forest ecosystems, while carbon stocks in plant biomass were smaller. Since soil carbon stocks of abandoned mountain grasslands are as high as in managed ecosystems, it is likely that the widespread abandonment of mountain rangelands used currently as pastures will not lead to an immediate carbon sink in those ecosystems

Teaching Environmental Sciences in an International and Interdisciplinary Framework: from Arid to Alpine Ecosystems in NE-Spain

There is a growing need to develop, teach, and apply successful problem-solving and interdisciplinary approaches on environmental sciences education. Some of most effective learning activities are fieldwork, although sites to be visited have to be carefully selected to reduce time and expenses as well as to take account of safety concerns. That is the case for the teaching locations selected to develop an interdisciplinary, international, and intensive course in NE Spain. Within a distance of about 150 km, students can visit arid, Mediterranean, and Alpine environments, in one of the largest ecological gradients in Europe. In each environment, different sites are visited to analyse natural characteristics, ecological and socio-economic constraints and potentials, as well as the impact of the historical human utilisation in landscapes and ecosystems. Throughout the course, the participants focus on exploring sustainable land-use alternatives to developing rural areas in the visited environments. This teaching approach is aimed at students at degree, master, and Ph.D. level of biology, ecology, agriculture and forestry, landscape planning, and environmental technology. More than 400 students from different countries in Europe have participated since 1998 under the auspices of different SOCRATES and ERASMUS Intensive Programmes.Peer Reviewe

Ecomont Ecological Effects of Land Use Changes on European Terrestrial Mountain Ecosystems

28 pages, 11 figures.As a contribution to the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Initiative (TERI) within Framework IV of the EU, ECOMONT aims at investigating ecological effects of land-use changes in European terrestrial mountain ecosystems. ECOMONT is coordinated by Prof Cernusca (University of Innsbruck) and is carried out by eight European partner teams in the Eastern Alps, the Swiss Alps, the Spanish Pyrennees and the Scottish Highlands. ECOMONT focuses on an analysis of structures and processes in the context of land-use changes, scaling from the leaf to the landscape level. The following research topics are being investigated: Spatial distribution of vegetation and soil in the composite experimental sites; physical and chemical soil properties, SOM status and turnover; canopy structure, primary production, and litter decomposition; water relations of ecosystems and hydrology of catchment areas; microclimate and energy budget of ecosystems; gas exchange of single plants and ecosystems; gas exchange between the composite experimental sites and the atmosphere, population and plant biology of keyspecies, plant-animal interactions, potential risks through land-use changes; GIS; remote sensing - environmental mapping; modelling activities integrating from plant to ecosystem and landscape level. First results of ECOMONT show that land-use changes have strong impacts on vegetation composition, structure and processes, on soil physics and chemistry, and therefore strongly affect exchange processes with the atmosphere and biogeochemical cycles. Abandonment of traditional agricultural practices (grazing, mowing) causes.characteristic changes of the vegetation. In most cases a successional reversion over many decades reaches its climax with the vegetation growing naturally at the sites. Sometimes, however, abandonment can also lead fo a degradation of vegetation and soil. In spite of common principles of changes of vegetation, soils and related processes with altered land-use geology, climate, exposition, slope inclination and land-use history may play an important role in determining species composition and specific patterns and processes on a community, ecosystem and landscape level in different European terrestrial mountain ecosystems.Peer reviewe

Stakeholder perceptions of the impacts of rural funding scenarios on mountain landscapes across Europe

This article examines how alternative rural funding scenarios might influence the pattern of functional land types in mountain areas. The study aims were to explore the use of stakeholders to predict landscape change and to provide a future policy context for other papers in the Carbomont program. EU rural funding policies could have a strong influence on land use and landscapes in mountain areas. At eight sites across Europe, groups of local stakeholders were asked to compare the possible effects of three contrasting funding scenarios over an imagined period of 20 years on (1) the importance of the main land-use sectors; (2) the areas of the main land functional land types; and (3) the management of individual land types. Stakeholders also listed their interests in the area to help define the perspective of the group. The protocols used were ranking and scoring procedures that permitted quantification of changes and of the degree of consensus within the group. The scenarios were (1) continuation of current rural funding (status quo), (2) rapid reduction of farm income support (reduce support), and (3) increasing rural diversification funding (diversification). The eight countries sampled included five established EU members (UK, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain), two new accession members (Czeck Republic and Slovakia), and Switzerland. There were predicted to be widespread reductions in the importance of the agricultural sector across Europe and increases in the transport, built environment, and tourism sectors. In general, the status quo scenario was perceived to be unsatisfactory in various respects, reduce support was worse, but diversification offered opportunities for conservation and development of mountain communities and land use. Changes in the areas of land types would mainly involve loss of arable and grazing land and increases in scrub, and settlements. Some elements of the landscape such as most forests, mountain tops, and wetlands would, however, be little affected by any of the scenarios