O interesse das séries de vegetação no projeto em arquitetura paisagista (Distrito de Évora)

Integrado na tese de mestrado em Arquitetura Paisagista, decidiu-se evidenciar a importância das séries de vegetação no projeto de arquitetura paisagista, uma vez que estas encerram um conjunto de informação ao nível da flora, da vegetação e mesmo da dinâmica da paisagem que urge considerar em qualquer intervenção. Com este estudo, facilita-se a escolha do material vegetal de forma a valorizar as potencialidades e a identidade da paisagem do distrito de Évora. Aliás, através dos bioindicadores vegetais, é possível realizar uma diagnose dos principais habitats existentes, caracterizando-os e reconhecendo as plantas com estatuto de proteção, tendo em vista a valorização da biodiversidade. Na selecção da área de estudo foi tida em conta o contexto meridional Português e a diversidade do coberto vegetal existente. Perante este cenário, pretende-se valorizar a geosinfitossociologia como ferramenta de intervenção na paisagem. Por conseguinte, na parte final deste trabalho, são analisados alguns projectos e demonstrada a sua aplicabilidade; The Interest of Series Vegetation in the Project in Landscape Architecture (District of Évora) Abstract: Integrated into the master's thesis in landscape architecture, decided to highlight the importance of the series of vegetation in landscaping project, since these contain a set of information in termsof flora, vegetation and even the dynamic landscape that is urgent to consider any intervention. This study facilitates the choice of plant material in order to enhance the potential and identity of the landscape of the District of Évora. Moreover, through the plant bioindicators, you can perform a diagnosis of the main existing habitats, characterizing them and recognizing plants with protection status, in order to enhance biodiversity. In the selection of the study area was considered in the context of Southern English and diversity of vegetation exists. Against this backdrop, aims to enhance the geosinfitossociologia as a tool for intervention in the landscape. Therefore, in the final part of this paper, some projects are analyzed and demonstrated its applicability

A Historical Perspective of Landscape and Human Population Dynamics in Guimarães (Northern Portugal): Possible Implications of Rural Fire Risk in a Changing Environment

The occupation of a territory combines a set of variables which affect the development of the mode by which populations have been organized throughout history. How this occupation takes place demonstrates much of a territory’s past and shows how the populations managed to make the most out of the available resources. The region of Entre-Douro-e-Minho (Northern Portugal), similarly to what happens in other regions, such as Galicia (Northern Spain), Brittany (Northern France), or Ireland, presents a type of dispersed land use, with an alternation of urban, agriculture, and forest areas. On one hand, this proximity allows urban populations to come into contact with a rural environment. On the other hand, this proximity also causes a set of problems, namely those related to rural fires, which are now enhanced by climate change, and associated phenomena, such as heatwaves and the lack of precipitation. The present work analyzes the evolution of rural fires in 1975–2019, in the municipality of Guimarães (Northern Portugal), to understand how these events have been distributed over time and evolved in a climate change scenario. Based on the results and discussion presented, it can be concluded that there is an increasing trend in the occurrence of rural fires in the territory under study, and that this can also be associated to climate change, in the form of a gradual increment in temperature, particularly in the autumn months, and a decrease in rainfall. This situation is responsible for the increment of the risk caused by the proximity of the populations to forest and agricultural areas because rural fires can jeopardize the safety of people and goods

Selective Shrub Management to Preserve Mediterranean Forests and Reduce the Risk of Fire: The Case of Mainland Portugal

The recurrent rural fires that occur annually in Portugal have reached great proportions due to a lack of effective landscape management. Attempts to solve this problem led to the legal imposition to cut back the vegetation in the fuel management areas, which has had a negative effect on biodiversity. National legislation protects three native plant species (Quercus suber, Q. rotundifolia and Ilex aquifolium). European legislation, through the Habitats Directive, also identifies some plant species that require strict protection, although it leaves out several endemic and rare plants. In this work we aim to differentiate the types of shrub plant material and their pyrophilic behavior, since the physical and chemical characteristics of vegetation can enhance or inhibit the progression of fire. Thus, based on phytosociological science, specifically at the class level, the dynamics of potential climatophilous vegetation in Portugal are presented and the classes that should be prioritized for control are identified. Based on ecology, it was possible to identify morphological patterns of vegetation. In short, the genera targeted for control under the National Forest Fire Protection Plan belong to the furthest states from the mature potential of a forest, generally consisting of heliophile shrubs and typically growing in degraded soils. The shrub species to be valued belong to dynamic states closer to the mature potential, consisting mainly of broad-leaved shrubs and those growing in better-preserved soils

Intensive Agricultural Practices as Enhancers of the Dispersion of Invasive Species: Notification of the Observation of a Case with Robinia pseudoacacia L. in Alentejo (Southern Portugal)

Invasive forest species are a recurring problem, which in Portugal assume a somewhat mediatic role, both because of the impacts they cause on biodiversity, but also because they enhance the accumulation of high amounts of fuel load, increasing the risk of forest fires. However, in some areas of the country, such as the Alentejo (South of Portugal), the scarcity of water did not allow, until now, the dispersion and rapid growth of some of these species, namely Robinia pseudoacacia, which has always remained under control, and it was never a real problem. However, with the growth of intensive farming practices, associated with vineyards, olive groves and almond trees, water and nutrients became available, enabling this species to grow and disperse. This communication presents an observation of several sets of R. pseudoacacia specimens growing with different agricultural holdings, raising the hypothesis that intensive farming practices may, in the short term, contribute to the dispersion of invasive species in regions where they were not a problem, if the situations reported are not followed up and studies are carried out to confirm the observations described

Urban Spaces as a Phytogenetic Reserve

Plants, plant communities and habitats are exposed to serious conservation threats in their natural environment. The negligent man’s action contributes to endangered the biodiversity in Mediterranean regions. It has been considered that urban spaces (green spaces) can help to mitigate these threats as they have good potential for implementation of phytogenetic reserves, due to the lowest incidence of threats in plants and communities, such as rural fires, invasive plants, intensive agriculture and the wild herbivory. As green spaces consume huge quantities of water, it is important to highlight the use of vegetation well adapted to Mediterranean climate and those areas could also be elected for raising awareness among citizens. So, in this document we attempt to explore the importance of green spaces as a way of mitigate the decrease of occurrence of some species. The analysis used for this study was based on bibliographic sources, as well as data collected by the authors of this article. It was also developed the concept of using native plants, with resources at local ecotypes, as a tool for adaptation and resilience to climate change, increasing the identity of the landscape and reducing green spaces maintenance costs. In this way, green spaces can be as sustainable as possible with a large seasonal change, depending on the diversity of species introduced in landscape design. They also allow to get positive profits on economy, environment and society at local level

The Impact of Tourism Activity on Coastal Biodiversity: A Case Study at Praia da Cova Redonda (Algarve—Portugal)

Tourism activity has a very significant weight in the world economy, even being the main activity responsible for the export of many countries, in the form of providing services to foreign citizens. In mainland Portugal, the main tourist region is the Algarve, where beach tourism, known as sun and sea tourism, plays a decisive role. However, this activity also has its negative impacts. In the present work, a case study was analyzed, at Praia da Cova Redonda, located in the parish of Porches, in the municipality of Lagoa. Negative impacts on land use and occupation were identified, caused by the excessive presence of people, the introduction of invasive species and the artificial filling of beaches. At the end, a set of mitigating measures are presented that aim to ensure that the exploitation of natural resources can be maintained, but in a perspective of preservation and recovery of natural resources and biodiversity

The Impact of Rural Fires on the Development of Invasive Species: Analysis of a Case Study with Acacia dealbata Link. in Casal do Rei (Seia, Portugal)

Biological invasions can affect ecosystems in different ways. Invasive forest species, such as Acacia dealbata Link., affect forests’ productivity, because they compete directly with native species for access to light and nutrients, contributing to the loss of biodiversity. In this study, an area occupied by A. dealbata, located in Casal do Rei (Seia, Portugal) was studied to evaluate the influence of fire in the dispersion of this species, analyzing the historical occurrence of rural fires in the region, as well as through the determination of its annual biomass production and comparing its growth with other species using satellite images. The research shows a competitive advantage for A. dealbata, even when compared to species, such as Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus pinaster, which practically disappeared from the location under study after a significant fire occurred in 2005, while A. dealbata continued to thrive

Energy Recovery of Shrub Species as a Path to Reduce the Risk of Occurrence of Rural Fires: A Case Study in Serra da Estrela Natural Park (Portugal)

The accumulation of biomass fuels resulting from the growth of heliophilous shrubs and small tree species at the edge of forests and on scrub and pasture lands contributes to the increased risk of rural fires in Mediterranean climate regions. This situation has been managed with a set of legislative measures launched with the objective of promoting cleaning and the control of these species. Areas of scrub and pasture already constitute the largest part of the annually burnt area in Portugal, resulting in high-intensity fires. In the present study, shrubs and small tree species were characterized in the laboratory. Thermogravimetric, chemical and calorimetric analyses for the evaluation of the potential for the energy recovery of the selected species were carried out. It was observed that energetic valorization (i.e., to enhance the value by planned actions) of these species is difficult because they present high levels of ash and metals, becoming prone to the occurrence of fouling and slagging phenomena. Thus, the creation of value chains that justify the incorporation of these materials becomes very difficult, except if used in non-certified, small-scale and locally based processes. The possibility of recovery through thermochemical conversion processes, such as torrefaction, pyrolysis or gasification, must be studied so that more efficient and feasible recovery alternatives can be found, allowing for the creation of value chains for these residual materials to promote their sustainable management and, thus, mitigate the risk of rural fires occurring

Border effect on flora and raptors diversity. An iberian case.

The organisms and their habitats do not know borders. Thus, the conservation of biodiversity and the management of natural renewable resources along geopolitical borders should be concerted between neighboring countries. Furthermore, Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) projects and strategies should deeply analyze how «border effect» affects the different species, since they have dissimilar tolerances to stress factors and they also differ in the way they adapt to environmental changes. In this regard, considering the rich biodiversity of EUROACE Euroregion, as well as the CBC projects and strategies operating within these territories (Portugal- Spain), the present study intended to be an exploratory approach to the analyses of differences between the success of several biodiversity conservation policies and strategies among these two countries. Our research is focused on the geopolitical border across the Luso-Extremadurense chorological Province. In this exploratory work we present the results obtained for two very distinct groups of species: raptors and Nature2000 plant species protected under Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC). In both approaches, the analysis was made comparing alpha diversity (species richness) in both sides of the Portuguese/Spanish border, using UTM grid10x10 km as sample unit, and between the two biogeographic sectors of the Luso-Extremadurense province, present along the border. The results were similar for raptors and plants and showed that diversity is analogous in both country sides, suggesting that European Union policies may playing similar impact in both countries

Carbon Sequestration Potential of Forest Invasive Species: A Case Study with Acacia dealbata Link

Biological invasions are of complex solution, consuming resources for their control and eradication. However, in many of the documented processes that are available, this is an attempt with no solution in sight. The possibility of increasing the pressure over these species while creating value chains has been presented as a method for ensuring the sustainability of their control and eradication processes. In the case of invasive forest species in Portugal, such as Acacia dealbata Link, this control is becoming increasingly important. In addition to the negative impacts on biodiversity, the proliferation of this species has economic implications due to its competition with forest production species such as Pinus pinaster Aiton and Eucalyptus globulus Labill. Another critical aspect to be considered is the increase of the risk of rural fires, which is enhanced by the accumulation of low-value biomass around production forests. In this work, the possibility of using this species as a vehicle for the capture and sequestration of carbon in the medium and long-term was evaluated from a perspective of providing ecosystem services as a measure to mitigate climate change. However, due to its highly heliophilous character, it was found that the growth capacity of this species is rapidly conditioned by the position of each tree within a stand, not being able to maintain that capacity in the medium and long term