Land Change in Eastern Mediterranean Wood-Pasture Landscapes: The Case of Deciduous Oak Woodlands in Lesvos (Greece)

Abstract

In Mediterranean Europe, wood-pasture landscapes with oak woodlands as emblematic ecosystems are undergoing rapid land-use change, which may threaten their legacy as hotspots of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and cultural heritage. The objective of this study was to quantify land cover changes and transitions as well as the dynamics of oak woodland patterns and densities over 50 years in two municipalities at the center and edges of Quercus macrolepis distribution in Northern Lesvos (Greece). We used aerial photographs from 1960 and WorldView-2 satellite images from 2010 to process land cover maps and metrics, and to calculate oak canopy cover with a point-grid sampling approach. Spatiotemporal dynamics of land cover change were generally high--especially between oak woodlands and grass- and shrub-lands, resulting in a more heterogeneous and fragmented landscape in 2010. Surprisingly, oak woodland area remained stable with marginal losses in one study site and gains in the other one. Oak canopy cover increased by 8 and 9%. Spatial hotspots of change were mountainous and peripheral phrygana areas with expanding oak stands, as well as river valleys and near urban areas with expanding olive groves and grass- and shrublands in former complex cultivation and oak stands. We conclude that the parallel processes of abandonment of crop cultivation and intensification of livestock grazing have been less detrimental to oak woodlands than supposed. To ensure long-term persistence of oak woodlands in the face of ongoing rural depopulation and land-use intensification, environmental and agricultural policies should better address their specificities as anthropogenic habitats.

Rural Districts between Urbanization and Land Abandonment: Undermining Long-Term Changes in Mediterranean Landscapes

“…A Spearman rank correlation was also applied between Pielou J evenness index of landscape diversification and the abovementioned contextual variables during the studied period , illustrating agricultural landscape diversification in Greece [88]. Pielou's index defines the evenness degree of landscape diversification, indirectly assessing stability (or change) of agricultural systems during a long-time span .…”

The specific vulnerability of plant biodiversity and vegetation on Mediterranean islands in the face of global change

“…For example, the ecosystem dynamics after land abandonment and increased grazing pressure are still uncertain in many Mediterranean islands (e.g. Rühl and Pasta 2008;Schaich et al 2015). In some cases, the vanishing of traditional agricultural activities and landscapes has induced severe soil erosion or the rapid extinction of many ruderal endemics and several particular archaeophytes (La Mantia et al 2011).…”

Trends and approaches in the analysis of ecosystem services provided by grazing systems: A review

“…Natural heritage (NH) was apparently assessed in 25% of the papers, although it proved to be analysed as a cultural ES in only 6% of the papers (of 39 publications, four were eligible; Table ). In the papers excluded from the NH category of ES, the landscape was considered: (i) for the effects that it can have on biodiversity (e.g., Cole, Brocklehurst, Robertson, Harrison, & McCracken, ; Kearns & Oliveras, ; Lindborg et al., ; Littlewood, Stewart, & Woodcock, ; Sanderson et al., ); (ii) as support for improving or maintaining other ES, but not as an ES per se (e.g., Lavorel et al., , ; Schaldach et al., ); (iii) as an assessment scale for other ES (e.g., Hussain & Tschirhart, ; Kimoto et al., ; Medina‐Roldán, Paz‐Ferreiro, & Bardgett, ; Peringer et al., ); and (iv) for the effects that different drivers had on it without directly analysing the consequences on its cultural value (e.g., Cousins, Auffret, Lindgren, & Tränk, ; Lamarque, Meyfroidt, Nettier, & Lavorel, ; Schaich, Kizos, Schneider, & Plieninger, ). The limited number of papers dealing with the landscape as a cultural ES might be explained by the difficulty for the measurement of this aspect, and to the few currently available indicators (Feld et al., ; TEEB, ).…”

“…Plieninger, 2015). The limited number of papers dealing with the landscape as a cultural ES might be explained by the difficulty for the measurement of this aspect, and to the few currently available indicators…”