Monitoring the EU protected Geomalacus maculosus (Kerry Slug): what are the factors affecting catch returns in open and forested habitats?

Geomalacus maculosus is a slug species protected under EU law with a distribution limited to the west of Ireland and north-west Iberia. The species, originally thought to be limited within Ireland to deciduous woodland and peatland, has been found in a number of commercial conifer plantations since 2010. While forest managers are now required to incorporate the protection of the species where it is present, no clear species monitoring protocols are currently available. This study examines the efficacy of De Sangosse refuge traps across three habitats frequently associated with commercial forest plantations in Ireland and compares them with hand searching, a commonly used method for slug monitoring. Catch data during different seasons and under different weather conditions are also presented. Results indicate that autumn is the optimal time for sampling G. maculosus but avoiding extremes of hot or cold weather. While refuge traps placed at 1.5 m on trees in mature conifer plantations and directly on exposed rock in blanket peatlands result in significantly greater catches, hand searching is the most successful approach for clear-fell areas. Hand searches in clear-fell preceded by rain are likely to result in greater numbers caught. The results of this study form, for the first time, the basis for G. maculosus monitoring guidelines for forestry managers. © 2016, The Ecological Society of Japa

Coillte's forests A vital resource; a framework for sustainable forest management

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:m01/26937 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Coillte research report

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Approaches to cost-effectiveness of payments for tree planting and forest management for water quality services

A B S T R A C TThe evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of Payments for ecosystem services (PES) in fostering positive environmentaloutcomes has been central to the scientific debate on their implementation. PES cost-effectiveness canbe affected by a myriad of environmental, institutional and socio-economic factors operating at different spatialand temporal scales. Moreover, it can be affected by synergies and trade-offs in the provision of ecosystemservices (ES). Planting trees is increasingly considered an effective measure to provide water-related ES. It canenhance watershed services such as nutrient retention, erosion control, stream flow regulation, protectionagainst extreme events (e.g., floods and landslides), and lead to a permanent change in land use, replacingagricultural activities that give rise to diffuse pollution. Very few studies currently exist on the cost-effectivenessof tree planting for water quality benefits PES schemes in Europe. Including both review and research elements,this paper highlights challenges in undertaking such assessments. It develops a conceptual framework to helpunderpin future studies, with its application to three case studies in Denmark explored. Particular attention isgiven to the estimation of environmental effectiveness in the provision of water quality services and theimportance of co-benefits. In the case where we exclude co-benefits from the analysis, the financial costeffectivenessis always above zero, with central estimates (without discounting environmental improvements