The agro-industrial system regional sustainable development, a coherent strategy

The agro-industrial system represents annually circa 3,6 x 109 € in the formation of the Centro Region of Portugal gross income and that accounts for 39% of the Portuguese overall return for this sector. Given this dynamics it is of utmost importance to perform a consistent strategy to promote the sustainable growth of this regional system income. Therefore, the CERNAS/IPC research unit has developed an integrated approach bringing together several regional actors under a networking logic that links the industrial needs with the academia R&D capabilities, and of capacity building and entrepreneurship (2011-2013). This strategy is rooted in the InovCluster, where CERNAS leads two anchor projects, the in_AGRI and the ECODEEP, and collaborates with a third one, the AGRITRAINING. The in_AGRI aims the upgrade of the system value chains by bridging the academia with the industry in a series of workshops, supported with a knowledge transfer platform and a network of research facilities, and ECODEEP will develop eco-efficiency tools, based on a LCA approach to enhance the overall sustainability by improving practises and find new solutions within an industrial ecology framework. The AGRITRAINING surveys the training needs of the system, looking forward to complement the actual capacity building achieved by the Master courses in Food Engineering and Environmental Management. In addition, an advanced training in Environmental Entrepreneurship is being implemented, and an Innovation Management for SME’s program is being designed, promoting a cultural change towards the sustainable welfare of our present and future generations.InAGRI – Proj. n.º 3494 (Mais Centro/PORC); EcoDeep – Proj. n.º 18643 (SIAC/COMPETE/POFC); InovEnergy– Proj. n.º 18642 (SIAC/COMPETE/POFC); Agritraining – Proj. n.º 8310 (SIAC/COMPETE/POFC); GovCluster –Proj. n.º 8063 (SIAC/COMPETE/POFC

Hydrological response of a small catchment burned by experimental fire

Fire can considerably change hydrological processes, increasing the risk of extreme flooding and erosion events. Although hydrological processes are largely affected by scale, catchment-scale studies on the hydrological impact of fire in Europe are scarce, and nested approaches are rarely used. We performed a catchment-scale experimental fire to improve insight into the drivers of fire impact on hydrology. In north-central Portugal, rainfall, canopy interception, streamflow and soil moisture were monitored in small shrub-covered paired catchments pre- and post-fire. The shrub cover was medium dense to dense (44 to 84 %) and pre-fire canopy interception was on average 48.7% of total rainfall. Fire increased streamflow volumes 1.6 times more than predicted, resulting in increased runoff coefficients and changed rainfall-streamflow relationships - although the increase in streamflow per unit rainfall was only significant at the subcatchment-scale. Fire also fastened the response of topsoil moisture to rainfall from 2.7 to 2.1 h (p = 0.058), and caused more rapid drying of topsoils after rain events. Since soil physical changes due to fire were not apparent, we suggest that changes resulting from vegetation removal played an important role in increasing streamflow after fire. Results stress that fire impact on hydrology is largely affected by scale, highlight the hydrological impact of fire on small scales, and emphasize the risk of overestimating fire impact when upscaling plot-scale studies to the catchment-scale. Finally, they increase understanding of the processes contributing to post-fire flooding and erosion events

SILVAQUA PROJECT. Avaliação dos impactes das alterações climáticas sobre os recursos hídricos e a fixação de CO2 por povoamentos florestais de crescimento rápido em Portugal. Primeiros resultados

Congresso Florestal Nacional: A floresta e as gentes - Actas das ComunicaçõesEstudos recentes referem o impacte das alterações climáticas na evapotranspiração e recursos hídricos, em áreas florestais povoadas com espécies de crescimento rápido, em Portugal (Coelho et al., 2000). Na eventualidade de se verificarem os cenários de diminuição da quantidade de precipitação previstos para o sul da Europa (Parry, 2000), torna-se previsível que várias espécies entrem em stress hídrico tal como Eucalyptus globulus (Coelho et al, 2001), provocando alterações no crescimento dos povoamentos, na decomposição da manta morta e no consumo de água. Espera-se ainda um forte impacte na fixação do CO2 atmosférico. O impacte destas alterações nos processos hidrológicos em solos e vertentes, sob povoamentos de crescimento rápido, é ainda pouco conhecido, sendo o seu conhecimento fundamental para a compreensão dos fenómenos hidrológicos e, essencial no planeamento e gestão eficiente destes recursos. O projecto Silvaqua (POCTI/MGS/49210/2002) foi elaborado no âmbito desta temática, e consiste numa abordagem a várias escalas. (i) estudo dos padrões de variação da humidade do solo para uma série de parcelas onde a humidade do solo é registada segundo diversas redes de sondas de TDR; (ii) monitorização intensiva do crescimento das árvores e arbustos, da queda de folhada e da decomposição da manta morta; (iii) estudo dos processos hidrológicos nas vertentes (nomeadamente caracterização do escoamento e da evapotranspiração) com a delimitação de várias parcelas fechadas e a instrumentação de pequenas bacias hidrográficas; A análise dos resultados permitirá estabelecer os mecanismos de interacção entre as alterações climáticas, o crescimento da vegetação, os processos hidrológicos e os recursos hídricos. O impacte ambiental dos cenários climáticos previstos (Parry, 2000) sobre os recursos hídricos, em termos de alterações de intercepção, de padrões de humidade do solo, de hidrologia das vertentes e das bacias e, sobre a fixação do CO2, em termos de crescimento da vegetação e da dinâmica da camada de manta morta, será estabelecido para vários tipos de povoamentos de eucalipto. A área de estudo localiza-se a 15 km-Este de Águeda e insere-se na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Águeda, na Serra do Caramulo. É efectuado anualmente um inventário florestal das duas micro-bacias em estudo. Os dados obtidos no âmbito do projecto serão usados no modelo GLOB-3PG, de maneira a estimar a produtividade dos povoamentos e a resposta em termos hidrológicos, para diversos cenários climáticos alternativos

Spatiotemporal variability of hydrologic soil properties and the implications for overland flow and land management in a peri-urban Mediterranean catchment

Planning of semi-urban developments is often hindered by a lack of knowledge on how changes in landuse affect catchment hydrological response. The temporal and spatial patterns of overland flow source areas and their connectivity in the landscape, particularly in a seasonal climate, remain comparatively poorly understood. This study investigates seasonal variations in factors influencing runoff response to rainfall in a peri-urban catchment in Portugal characterized by a mosaic of landscape units and a humid Mediterranean climate. Variations in surface soil moisture, hydrophobicity and infiltration capacity were measured in six different landscape units (defined by land-use on either sandstone or limestone) in nine monitoring campaigns at key times over a one-year period. Spatiotemporal patterns in overland flow mechanisms were found. Infiltration-excess overland flow was generated in rainfalls during the dry summer season in woodland on both sandstone and limestone and on agricultural soils on limestone due probably in large part to soil hydrophobicity. In wet periods, saturation overland flow occurred on urban and agricultural soils located in valley bottoms and on shallow soils upslope. Topography, water table rise and soil depth determined the location and extent of saturated areas. Overland flow generated in upslope source areas potentially can infiltrate in other landscape units downslope where infiltration capacity exceeds rainfall intensity. Hydrophilic urban and agricultural-sandstone soils were characterized by increased infiltration capacity during dry periods, while forest soils provided potential sinks for overland flow when hydrophilic in the winter wet season. Identifying the spatial and temporal variability of overland flow sources and sinks is an important step in understanding and modeling flow connectivity and catchment hydrologic response. Such information is important for land managers in order to improve urban planning to minimize flood risk

Estimating the global conservation status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species

Estimates of extinction risk for Amazonian plant and animal species are rare and not often incorporated into land-use policy and conservation planning. We overlay spatial distribution models with historical and projected deforestation to show that at least 36% and up to 57% of all Amazonian tree species are likely to qualify as globally threatened under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. If confirmed, these results would increase the number of threatened plant species on Earth by 22%. We show that the trends observed in Amazonia apply to trees throughout the tropics, and we predict thatmost of the world’s >40,000 tropical tree species now qualify as globally threatened. A gap analysis suggests that existing Amazonian protected areas and indigenous territories will protect viable populations of most threatened species if these areas suffer no further degradation, highlighting the key roles that protected areas, indigenous peoples, and improved governance can play in preventing large-scale extinctions in the tropics in this century

Assessment of surface hydrologic properties on a small urbanized mediterranean basin : Experimental design and first results

This paper presents the methodology and the first results of a study that is being developed in the Ribeira dos Covões micro-catchment, located in central Portugal, to study the impact of different land uses and the urbanization process on spatio-temporal hydrological changes based on a multi-scale approach. The aim of this study is to contribute for a better understanding on how land use changes impact hydrological processes. This is critical for predicting urban floods in fast urbanized areas and their mitigation (e.g. real-time flood warning procedures), which has become crucial for planning, management, and supporting the sustainable development of the basin

Novos dados sobre a lito-estratigrafia do Grupo Beiras (Schist Greywacke Complex) na região de Góis- Arganil-Pampilhosa da Serra (Portugal Central)

In the course of geological surveys conducted in the region of Góis (Central Portugal) a new unit was recognized at the top of Boque-Serpins Formation, characterized by the presence of levels of quartzites interlayered with shales, now called by Colmeal Formation. Its formal characterization is now presented and their regional geological implications are discussed in the context of the Neoproterozoic metasedimentary sequence of Beiras Group (Dúrico-Beirão Supergroup or “Schist-Greywacke Complex”). The geological surveys in progress confirm that the sequence, from the base to the top, of the Caneiro, Boque-Serpins and Colmeal Formations, feature the same structural and deformation pattern, common to the three units. It is noted that these units, defined in sector south of Coimbra – Lousã - Góis, have wide regional cartographic representation, as they have already been mapped and recognizable from Arganil until Sertã, to the south. To the west, they shall extend to the limit with Ossa-Morena Zone metasediments established by Porto-Tomar dextral wrench fault.En el transcurso de los estudios geológicos realizados en la región de Góis (centro de Portugal) se reconoció una nueva unidad sobre la Formación Boque-Serpins, caracterizada por la presencia de niveles de cuarcita intercalados con lutitas, ahora denominada Formación Colmeal. Se presenta ahora su caracterización formal y se discuten sus implicaciones geológicas regionales en el contexto de la secuencia metasedimentaria neoproterozoica del Grupo de las Beiras (Supergrupo Dúrico-Beirão o "Complejo Esquisto-Grauvaca"). Los estudios geológicos en curso confirman que la secuencia, de abajo a arriba, de las formaciones Caneiro, Boque-Serpins y Colmeal presentan el mismo patrón estructural y de deformación, común a las tres unidades. Nótese que estas unidades, definidas en el sector sur de Coimbra - Lousã - Góis, tienen una amplia representación cartográfica regional, pues ya han sido cartografiadas y reconocidas desde Arganil hasta Sertã, en el sur. Hacia el oeste, se extienden hasta el límite con los metasedimentos de la Zona de Ossa-Morena establecido por la falla clave dextral Porto-Tomar.No decurso dos levantamentos geológicos realizados na região de Góis (Portugal Central) uma nova unidade foi reconhecida no topo da Formação Boque-Serpins, caracterizada pela presença de níveis de quartzitos entrelaçados com xistos, agora chamados pela Formação Colmeal. A sua caracterização formal é agora apresentada e as suas implicações geológicas regionais são discutidas no contexto da sequência metasedimentar neoproterozóica do Grupo das Beiras (Supergrupo Dúrico-Beirão ou "Complexo Xisto-Grauvaque"). Os levantamentos geológicos em curso confirmam que a sequência, desde a base até ao topo, das formações Caneiro, Boque-Serpins e Colmeal, apresentam o mesmo padrão estrutural e de deformação, comum às três unidades. Note-se que estas unidades, definidas no sector sul de Coimbra - Lousã - Góis, têm uma ampla representação cartográfica regional, uma vez que já foram mapeadas e reconhecidas desde Arganil até à Sertã, a sul. A oeste, estender-se-ão até ao limite com as metáforas da Zona Ossa-Morena estabelecidas pela falha da chave dextral de Porto-Tomar