Innovative Techniques for Landscape Recovery after Clay Mining under Mediterranean Conditions

Open-pit mining results in profound modifications at different environmental scales that may persist for very long time periods, or even indefinitely. Considerable research efforts in mine reclamation strategies have been made, although reclamation failures are still common. In dry climates, such as in the Mediterranean Basin, successful actions may depend on features related to proper species selection and restoration techniques, which may substantially contribute to provide substrate stability and facilitate the regeneration of the main ecological processes. In this context, we developed the TECMINE case-study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and suitability of innovative restoration practices applied to clay-mine reclamation under Mediterranean conditions. The restoration strategy was designed at the landscape level with two main approaches: the recovery of natural geomorphology shapes and ecological restoration, including vegetation recovery and soil quality, based on proper reference ecosystems. After the geomorphological land remodeling, a combination of several innovative restoration techniques was implemented to reclaim plant communities and ecosystem functioning. These techniques involved: (i) accurate species selection according to microhabitat characteristics; (ii) high-quality plant production; (iii) surface remodeling to improve substrate stabilization; and (iv) implementing rainfall collection to enhance resources availability, soil fertility improvement and the amelioration of abiotic conditions for seedlings. Finally, we developed a monitoring program to assess the success of the implemented restoration techniques over time. The application of these innovative techniques has reported interesting results and represents a step forward in the improvement of mine restoration under Mediterranean climate.The study was funded by the LIFE TECMINE Project (LIFE16 ENV/ES/000159) from the European Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (2014–2020)*. L.M. was supported by the Spanish MICINN (PTA2019-018094). The CEAM foundation is funded by the Generalitat Valenciana

Detection and mapping of burnt areas from time series of MODIS-derived NDVI data in a Mediterranean region

Moderate resolution remote sensing data, as provided by MODIS, can be used to detect and map active or past wildfires from daily records of suitable combinations of reflectance bands. The objective of the present work was to develop and test simple algorithms and variations for automatic or semiautomatic detection of burnt areas from time series data of MODIS biweekly vegetation indices for a Mediterranean region. MODIS-derived NDVI 250m time series data for the Valencia region, East Spain, were subjected to a two-step process for the detection of candidate burnt areas, and the results compared with available fire event records from the Valencia Regional Government. For each pixel and date in the data series, a model was fitted to both the previous and posterior time series data. Combining drops between two consecutive points and 1-year average drops, we used discrepancies or jumps between the pre and post models to identify seed pixels, and then delimitated fire scars for each potential wildfire using an extension algorithm from the seed pixels. The resulting maps of the detected burnt areas showed a very good agreement with the perimeters registered in the database of fire records used as reference. Overall accuracies and indices of agreement were very high, and omission and commission errors were similar or lower than in previous studies that used automatic or semiautomatic fire scar detection based on remote sensing. This supports the effectiveness of the method for detecting and mapping burnt areas in the Mediterranean region.This work was supported by the research projects FEEDBACK (CGL2011-30515- C02-01), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Science, CASCADE (GA283068), funded by European Commission under the Seventh Framework Program, and GVPRE/2008/310, funded by the Valencia Regional Government (Generalitat Valenciana)

Restauración de montes quemados en condiciones mediterráneas

Wildfires may produce ecosystem damages that would require post-fire mitigation and/or restoration actions. The question is what are the criteria to identify those burned areas that show high degradation risk in order to plan and prioritise restoration projects. To address that question it is necessary to start with the analysis of fire impact, and from that analysis to derive predictive tools for assessing the fragility and regeneration capacity of burned ecosystems. The identification of post-fire degradation mechanisms provides the basis for developing the corresponding specific mitigation/restoration actions. The diagnostic of ecological impact of wildfires together with the established forest management objectives allow deriving mitigation/restoration strategies and the subsequent implementation projects. We present our experience on the evaluation of post-fire ecosystem vulnerability and on the assessment of restoration planning derived from recent and ongoing EC research projects. This includes the development of shortterm restoration techniques suited for degraded soils and dry Mediterranean conditions, where fire-induced degradation is complicated with water shortage for regenerating vegetation

Restauración de montes quemados en condiciones mediterráneas

Wildfires may produce ecosystem damages that would require post-fire mitigation and/or restoration actions. The question is what are the criteria to identify those burned areas that show high degradation risk in order to plan and prioritise restoration projects. To address that question it is necessary to start with the analysis of fire impact, and from that analysis to derive predictive tools for assessing the fragility and regeneration capacity of burned ecosystems. The identification of post-fire degradation mechanisms provides the basis for developing the corresponding specific mitigation/restoration actions. The diagnostic of ecological impact of wildfires together with the established forest management objectives allow deriving mitigation/restoration strategies and the subsequent implementation projects. We present our experience on the evaluation of post-fire ecosystem vulnerability and on the assessment of restoration planning derived from recent and ongoing EC research projects. This includes the development of short-term restoration techniques suited for degraded soils and dry Mediterranean conditions, where fire-induced degradation is complicated with water shortage for regenerating vegetation

Effects of classical PKC activation on hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive performance: mechanism of action

Hippocampal neurogenesis has widely been linked to memory and learning performance. New neurons generated from neural stem cells (NSC) within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (DG) integrate in hippocampal circuitry participating in memory tasks. Several neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders show cognitive impairment together with a reduction in DG neurogenesis. Growth factors secreted within the DG promote neurogenesis. Protein kinases of the protein kinase C (PKC) family facilitate the release of several of these growth factors, highlighting the role of PKC isozymes as key target molecules for the development of drugs that induce hippocampal neurogenesis. PKC activating diterpenes have been shown to facilitate NSC proliferation in neurogenic niches when injected intracerebroventricularly. We show in here that long-term administration of diterpene ER272 promotes neurogenesis in the subventricular zone and in the DG of mice, affecting neuroblasts differentiation and neuronal maturation. A concomitant improvement in learning and spatial memory tasks performance can be observed. Insights into the mechanism of action reveal that this compound facilitates classical PKC alpha activation and promotes transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) and, to a lesser extent, neuregulin release. Our results highlight the role of this molecule in the development of pharmacological drugs to treat neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders associated with memory loss and a deficient neurogenesis

Challenge B: Human sciences in transition scenarios

Coordinators: Josep Martí Pérez (IMF, CSIC), Idoia Murga Castro (IH, CSIC).This challenge is formulated in terms of “humanities in transition,” that is, their approach and articulation in the face of the changes they must undergo to achieve the social weight that, due to their intrinsic relevance, should correspond to them. Faced with these situations that would demand a reinforcement in research and dissemination in diverse aspects of the humanities, from multiple perspectives, paradoxically an adverse panorama is drawn for the development and dissemination of humanistic knowledge, which concerns different factors. Some are related to the consideration of the area of knowledge itself, its organization within the scientific system, the questioning of its own limits, and the interaction with another knowledge. Considering current transition scenarios does not mean having to abandon old objectives, but it adds to the work conducted new objects of study closely related to current reality, such as: the informational revolution; the relations with the ecosystem and the environmental crisis; globalization; the intensification of human mobility and migration flows; the growing economic and social inequality; the frictions derived from the articulation of collective identities; the decolonization of discourses; demographic dynamics; integration of technological advances; and viability and support for alternative models of society.Peer reviewe

I+D aplicado a la gestión forestal y la lucha contra la desertificación: la experiencia del CEAM en la Comunidad Valenciana

La Fundación Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterráneo desarrolla desde 1991 un amplio programa de I+D+I sobre "Restauración de la cubierta vegetal en la Comunidad Valenciana", por iniciativa de la Generalitat de esta Comunidad y con el apoyo financiero de la misma y de los diversos programas de investigación nacionales y europeos. Dicho programa de I+D analiza las causas de la desertificación en ambiente mediterráneo semiárido y seco-subhúmedo y desarrolla procedimientos y tecnologías para mejorar la prevención de incendios y la restauración de ecosistemas degradados. Las actividades se realizan en estrecha colaboración con los servicios forestales de la Comunidad Valenciana, e incluyen desde investigación orientada a la resolución de problemas de gestión forestal hasta la puesta en marcha de proyectos piloto de demostración.El programa de I+D Forestal del CEAM ha sido promovido y financiado por la Generalidad Valenciana y ha recibido financiación complementaria de la Fundación Bancaixa, el Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y la Dirección General de Investigación de la Comisión Europea

Integración de la restauración forestal de zonas quemadas en la planificación forestal: un ejemplo de I+D en restauración forestal

The CEAM Foundation has developed a forest research programme oriented towards improving forest management under Mediterranean conditions, with two basic lines of investigation: forest fires and forest restoration. One of the programme's objectives is to facilitate the rapid transfer of results to improve Mediterranean forest management. The paper gives a brief description of the research programme and, as an example of its application, presents the methodology developed to evaluate the vegetation fragility to forest fire.La Fundación CEAM ha desarrollado un programa de investigación forestal orientado hacia la mejora de la gestión en condiciones mediterráneas, con dos líneas básicas de investigación: incendios forestales y restauración forestal. Uno de los objetivos previstos en el programa es facilitar una rápida transferencia de resultados para la mejora de la gestión del monte mediterráneo. En el artículo se expone una breve descripción del programa de investigación y, como ejemplo de aplicación de dicho programa, la metodología desarrollada para la evaluación de la fragilidad de la vegetación frente a los incendios forestales

Restauración de montes quemados en condiciones mediterráneas

Wildfires may produce ecosystem damages that would require post-fire mitigation and/or restoration actions. The question is what are the criteria to identify those burned areas that show high degradation risk in order to plan and prioritise restoration projects. To address that question it is necessary to start with the analysis of fire impact, and from that analysis to derive predictive tools for assessing the fragility and regeneration capacity of burned ecosystems. The identification of post-fire degradation mechanisms provides the basis for developing the corresponding specific mitigation/restoration actions. The diagnostic of ecological impact of wildfires together with the established forest management objectives allow deriving mitigation/restoration strategies and the subsequent implementation projects.We present our experience on the evaluation of post-fire ecosystem vulnerability and on the assessment of restoration planning derived from recent and ongoing EC research projects. This includes the development of short-term restoration techniques suited for degraded soils and dry Mediterranean conditions, where fire-induced degradation is complicated with water shortage for regenerating vegetation

Integración de una cartografía de vientos en situaciones meteorológicas de riesgo de incendios forestales en la Comunidad Valenciana mediante un SIG

Las condiciones meteorológicas constituyen un factor decisivo en la dinámica y evolución de los incendios forestales. Se ha analizado las condiciones meteorológicas propicias para la propagación de incendios forestales en la Comunidad Valenciana. Tres situaciones cubren la mayor cantidad de interacciones entre condiciones sinópticas y vientos regionales: 1) ciclo de brisas con baja térmica; 2) vientos de poniente con efecto Föhn; 3) ciclo combinado, ciclo diurno de brisa con acoplamiento de la brisa terral con el Oeste por la noche. Se ha utilizado el modelo mesoescalar Regional Atmospheric Modelling System para simular los flujos de viento en estos tipos sinópticos, obteniéndose una cartografía con la evolución del viento a gran resolución y desagregada por cuencas. Los resultados se han integrado en un SIG para efectuar análisis cartográficos con aplicación directa en la gestión forestal, tanto en la prevención como en la extinción de incendios