Modelling landscape constraints on farmland bird species range shifts under climate change
Several studies estimating the effects of global environmental change on biodiversity are focused on climate change. Yet, non-climatic factors such as changes in land cover can also be of paramount importance. This may be particularly important for habitat specialists associated with human-dominated landscapes, where land cover and climate changes may be largely decoupled. Here, we tested this idea by modelling the influence of climate, landscape composition and pattern, on the predicted future (2021–2050) distributions of 21 farmland bird species in the Iberian Peninsula, using boosted regression trees and 10-km resolution presence/absence data. We also evaluated whether habitat specialist…
LTSER platforms as a place-based transdisciplinary research infrastructure: learning landscape approach through evaluation
Context: Place-based transdisciplinary research involves multiple academic disciplines and non-academic actors. Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) platform is one concept with ~ 80 initiatives globally. Objectives: As an exercise in learning through evaluation we audited (1) the siting, construction and maintenance of individual LTSER platforms, and (2) them as a distributed infrastructure for place-based transdisciplinary research with focus on the European continent. Methods: First, we defined a normative model for ideal performance at both platform and network levels. Second, four surveys were sent out to the 67 self-reported LTSER platforms officially listed at the end of 2016.…
What is socio-ecological research delivering? A literature survey across 25 international LTSER platforms
[Departement_IRSTEA]Eaux [TR1_IRSTEA]QUASARE [ADD1_IRSTEA]Systèmes aquatiques soumis à des pressions multiples; International audience; With an overarching goal of addressing global and regional sustainability challenges, Long Term Socio-Ecological Research Platforms (LTSER) aim to conduct place-based research, to collect and synthesize both environmental and socio-economic data, and to involve a broader stakeholder pool to set the research agenda. To date there have been few studies examining the output from LTSER platforms. In this study we enquire if the socio-ecological research from 25 self-selected LTSER platforms of the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network has …
DNA metabarcoding of hidden biodiversity in the Mediterranean Basin
One of the most remarkable features of Mediterranean-type regions worldwide is their high levels of biodiversity. However, it is striking that we still know so little about many of its taxa, particularly regarding the invertebrates. This is regrettable, because Mediterranean biodiversity is threatened by a range of factors that include land use changes, overexploitation of natural resources and global climate changes. As a consequence, biodiversity assessments and biomonitoring studies are more urgent than ever, as they provide critical baselines for planning and monitoring conservation programs. For many species groups, key obstacles to the development of comprehensive biodiversity surveys…
Overall (first) results of the ‘100 questions for biodiversity conservation in Mediterranean-type regions of the world’ initiative
Mediterranean-type ecosystems (MTEs), with their characteristic climate, occur in just five regions of the world: the Mediterranean Basin, the Cape Region of South Africa, Southwestern and South Australia, California, and central Chile. In spite of their small geographic area, they harbour a significant and exclusive proportion of the planet’s biodiversity. Biodiversity values in MTE are threatened by a range of factor including land use changes, overexploitation of natural resources, global climate changes, among others. Researchers have a key role in providing solutions for conserving biodiversity in face of these multiple stressors and socio-economic challenges. Under the scope of the So…
Priority questions for biodiversity conservation in the Mediterranean Basin
The Mediterranean Basin is considered one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, harbouring particularly high species richness and endemicity of taxonomic groups such as plants. This hotspot is unique at the global scale, because it has a history of intense anthropogenic influences that dates back to thousands of years, and where the current high-levels of biodiversity have thus been able to coexist with humans for millennia. Despite this long history of coexistence, biodiversity in the Mediterranean Basin is at risk due to a number of old and new anthropogenic stressors, including fast land use changes, overexploitation of natural resources, and global climate change. To tackle these proble…