Cartography of Landscape Dynamics in Central Spain

López-Estébanez, Nieves; Álvarez, Fernando Allende; Fernández-Sañudo, Paloma; Martin, Manuel; Heras, Paloma de las

doi:10.5772/47841

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Our data do not permit evaluation of habitat changes over time, because historical and modern sites do not match. However, independent research in an area including several of our study sites over 1975–2009 suggests that land cover changes have been relatively limited (20% of area) and mostly due to agricultural abandonment, forest encroachment and urban development (López‐Estébanez et al ., ). It is possible that increased forest cover has contributed to a time‐lag in butterfly community response to increasing temperatures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Long‐term change and spatial variation in butterfly communities over an elevational gradient: driven by climate, buffered by habitat

Nieto‐Sánchez

Gutiérrez

Wilson

2015

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Efforts to adapt conservation to climate change are hampered by a scarcity of studies of community-level ecological responses. We examined temporal (40 years) and spatial (1700 m elevational gradient) variation in butterfly communities, aiming to test whether the composition of communities in terms of species' thermal envelopes tracked regional warming, and whether local habitat influenced community responses to climate variation. Location Sierra de Guadarrama (central Spain).Methods Butterfly assemblages were sampled at sites between 550 and 2250 m elevation, in 1967-1973 and 2006-2012. Changes in community composition over time and space were evaluated using the community temperature index, or CTI, which reflects for local assemblages the balance between species whose geographic ranges occupy regions of low vs. high temperatures. We used multiple regressions and an information-theoretic approach to test: (1) whether relationships of CTI with elevation or temperature remained consistent after an estimated 1.78°C regional warming; and (2) how spatial variation in CTI was related to air temperature and land cover.Results Community temperature index decreased consistently with increasing elevation and increased after 40 years of warming, as communities were increasingly composed by species with warmer geographic ranges. Long-term CTI change represented a c. 160 m uphill shift in community thermal composition, whereas isotherms shifted 307 m upwards. In 2006-2012, CTI was influenced positively by temperature, and negatively by forest and meadow cover.Main conclusions Variation in community composition over space and time suggested a role of climate in structuring butterfly assemblages. Despite this, changing spatial patterns of community composition (CTI) did not appear to keep pace with climate change. In addition, lower values of CTI recorded for sites with greater forest and meadow/pasture cover suggested a role for local habitat in buffering the effects of climate change on community composition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Long‐term change and spatial variation in butterfly communities over an elevational gradient: driven by climate, buffered by habitat

Nieto‐Sánchez

Gutiérrez

Wilson

2015

Diversity and Distributions

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“…This practice constitutes one of the most significant identityrelated values of traditional highland culture in Madrid's Guadarrama mountains. As a result of the notable changes that have taken place in these sectors, a process we have already described in previous studies [49,50], they should be considered as endangered landscapes. A specific figure of protection should therefore be proposed for these forest formations (i.e., cultural landscape); this status should be reinforced through inclusion in the regional and local planning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Pollard Forest ofFraxinus angustifoliain the Centre of Iberian Peninsula: Protection and Management

Álvarez¹,

Gómez-Mediavilla²,

López-Estébanez³

2019

Silvicultures - Management and Conservation

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The activity of pollarding Fraxinus angustifolia L. is one of the most singular in the Guadarrama piedmont, Madrid. This treatment generates a patrimonial landscape of great interest and identity. The main aims of this work are to determine the surface covered by Fraxinus angustifolia L.; its conservation state and structure; the main variables that influence its distribution; and the elaboration of a typology. We start with the historical construction of these forests (from the eleventh century until the present moment). Some of them are excellent examples of pollard forests, thanks to the traditional regulations based on regional codes and byelaws and on a rational exploitation from some owners. Then, we analyse the physical determinants of this forest distribution. We establish a typology in which we consider the surface soil moisture, accompanying species, slope, morphostructural unit and type of property. Fraxinus angustifolia L. is, due to its narrow dependence of the existence of water, an indicator species of climate change and therefore vulnerable to the increase in temperatures and its consequences. Furthermore, its value as cultural heritage and the need for its conservation for its silvicultural values are highlighted.

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“…The differences in the presence of these taxa were established from a territorial point of view: northeastern sector, Somosierra; central sector of the Guadarrama mountains and their foothills; and the southwestern sector of the Guadarrama mountains. This information was complemented with data from our previous studies [16,75].…”

Section: Identification Of Cultural and Natural Heritage And Socioeco...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Preserving the Values of Mediterranean Enclosed Fields with Dry Stone Walls, an Example of Vulnerable Natural and Rural Heritage

López-Estébanez,

Molina-Holgado,

Allende Álvarez

2024

Heritage

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In the continental Mediterranean mountains of the Iberian Peninsula is located a landscape characterized by the presence of enclosed land parcels delimited by dry stone walls or vegetation, or by both these elements. This landscape has been included, since 2018, in UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the name of Art of dry stone walling, knowledge and techniques. However, today’s territorial dynamics jeopardize the maintenance of this landscape heritage. This work set out to understand their origins, dynamics, and evolution from the 11th century (Middle Ages) to the present using historical documentation from different sources and diachronic cartography from aerial photographs. The fieldwork was designed to identify natural, cultural features and recent dynamics, in particular those related to urbanization changes of the last 70 years. Finally, we delved into the new dynamics of exploitation that were based on extensification and a loss of productive diversity. The results obtained lead us to consider that the loss of this agro-landscape must be prevented, with a reasonable livestock grazing criteria and a rational management of its heritage features. This requires regional, national, and European policies that recognize the enclosed landscape as a heritage ecosystem in which biodiversity and agriculture are closely linked.

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Cartography of Landscape Dynamics in Central Spain

Cited by 3 publications

References 43 publications

Long‐term change and spatial variation in butterfly communities over an elevational gradient: driven by climate, buffered by habitat

Long‐term change and spatial variation in butterfly communities over an elevational gradient: driven by climate, buffered by habitat

Pollard Forest ofFraxinus angustifoliain the Centre of Iberian Peninsula: Protection and Management

Preserving the Values of Mediterranean Enclosed Fields with Dry Stone Walls, an Example of Vulnerable Natural and Rural Heritage

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