Browsing by Author "Alonso, Joaquim"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 14
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Analysing carbon sequestration and storage dynamics in a changing mountain landscape in Portugal: insights for management and planningPublication . Sil, Ângelo Filipe; Fonseca, Felícia; Gonçalves, João; Honrado, João P.; Marta-Pedroso, Cristina; Alonso, Joaquim; Ramos, Maria; Azevedo, JoãoWe assessed the effects of landscape change on the climate regulation ecosystem service in a mountain river basin of Portugal, through the quantification, valuation and mapping of carbon sequestration and storage. The analyses were based on land use and land cover (LULC) changes that took place between 1990 and 2006 and on expected changes defined by three LULC change scenarios for 2020. We used the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model for scenario building and carbon assessment and valuation, and several modelling tools to assess past, current and future carbon in four different pools. Soil organic carbon data was obtained through an extensive sampling scheme across the entire study area. Recent (1990–2006) and expected landscape changes (2006–2020) affected considerably carbon sequestration and storage. Observed landscape changes generally promoted carbon sequestration and storage, and had a positive effect on the climate regulation ecosystem service, both biophysically and economically. Expected LULC changes further extend the capability of the landscape to increase carbon sequestration and storage in the near future. The carbon sequestered and stored in vegetation and soil contributes to avoid socio-economic damages from climate change, while increasing the economic value of particular LULC classes and the whole landscape. These results are essential to inform land planning, especially on how, where and when changes in landscapes may affect the provision of the climate regulation ecosystem service.
- Assessment of fire hazard regulation ecosystem service in a mountain area in northeastern PortugalPublication . Sil, Ângelo Filipe; Fernandes, Paulo M.; Marta-Pedroso, Cristina; Alonso, Joaquim; Honrado, João P.; Perera, Ajith H.; Azevedo, JoãoThe fire hazard regulation ecosystem service (ES) is the capacity of ecosystems and landscapes to maintain the frequency and intensity of fire events. Assessing how ecosystems and landscapes regulate fire hazard is of utmost importance to avoid or mitigate negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts as well as to understand the benefits that human societies can obtain and their value. This study aimed to understand how landscape change affects fire behavior at the landscape level and to understand how these changes in fire impact human communities, i.e., what is the role of the landscape structure in the provision of the fire hazard regulation ES and what is the value of this service. This allows the identification of trends in present landscapes that can be used in future planning and management. The study was conducted in the Sabor River’s upper basin in northeastern Portugal. The assessment was based on fire behavior modeling in the study area under five landscape scenarios (1990, 2006 and three future alternative landscapes). Modeling was conducted with BFOLDS (Fire Regime Model, v2.0). Simulations ran under extreme weather conditions, from thirty ignition points randomly located. The valuation assessment was based in the potential effects of fire on timber, firewood and mushrooms production, based on the relationship between average burned area and the economic value of ES. Between 1990 and 2006 the simulated average burned area increased while the average fire intensity decreased over time. Regarding the three alternative scenarios, the forest expansion scenario showed, on average, larger and more intense fires when compared with the rural abandonment and the shrubland expansion scenarios, as well as with previous dates. The potential losses in ES in monetary units followed the trends observed for fire behavior. In spite of this, the forest expansion scenario shows the highest supply and value of ES.
- Ecosystem services and landscape change: quantification and valuation of carbon sequestration dynamics in the Sabor River’s upper basinPublication . Sil, Ângelo Filipe; Marta-Pedroso, Cristina; Alonso, Joaquim; Honrado, João P.; Azevedo, JoãoForest ecosystems provide multiple services including climate regulation through e.g. Carbon Storage and Sequestration (CSS). However, the dynamics of this Ecosystem Service (ES) is strongly influenced by Land Use/ Land Cover (LULC) changes. In order to understand the influence of these changes in the provision of this ES through time, we quantified, mapped and valued CSS in the Sabor River’s upper basin (northeastern Portugal) using the InVEST model. The assessment relied on the interpretation of LULC changes between 1990 and 2006, the estimation of carbon stocks, economic valuation and the simulation of three alternative landscape scenarios for 2020. The results suggested that between 1990 and 2006 the variation of the CSS occurred mainly due to changes in LULC and especially due to the increase of the availability of forest tree biomass. Over this period, we estimated an increase of carbon stored; its distribution among the different carbon pools varied depending on LULC types. However, for all LULC types, soil was identified as the main carbon pool. In the future the expansion of forest areas in the landscape, related to a realistic scenario of rural abandonment, can further enhance carbon sequestration, eventually adding value to the climate regulation ecosystem service.
- Efeitos da alteração da paisagem no fornecimento de serviços de ecossistema na bacia superior do rio SaborPublication . Sil, Ângelo Filipe; Rodrigues, Ana Paula; Nunes, João Pedro; Carvalho-Santos, Cláudia; Honrado, João P.; Alonso, Joaquim; Marta-Pedroso, Cristina; Azevedo, JoãoA capacidade dos ecossistemas fornecerem serviços é determinada pela sua estrutura e processos biofísicos inerentes bem como por processos de outras naturezas que ocorrem a outras escalas. As alterações no uso e ocupação do solo apresentam-se como um importante processo em curso com potenciais efeitos no fornecimento desses serviços. Neste trabalho analisou-se o impacto das alterações no uso e ocupação do solo no fornecimento de serviços de ecossistema na bacia superior do rio Sabor (Nordeste de Portugal). Esta análise incidiu na avaliação de um conjunto de serviços de aprovisionamento (produção de culturas agrícolas, cogumelos, biomassa para lenha, madeira e produção de água) e de regulação (sequestro de carbono). Para cada serviço foi efetuada a quantificação biofísica e valoração económica com base em dados de trabalhos científicos e estatísticas oficiais, na utilização de ferramentas de modelação e na análise das alterações da paisagem ocorridas entre 1990 e 2006 e projeção de três cenários alternativos de evolução da paisagem para 2020. Foi ainda efetuada uma análise de trade-offs entre serviços de aprovisionamento e de regulação com o objetivo de identificar possíveis tendências nas interacções entre os serviços em função das alterações na paisagem. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que entre 1990 e 2006, em geral, os serviços de regulação e de produção foram afetados positivamente pelas alterações ocorridas da paisagem. Contudo, nem todos os serviços de produção apresentaram esta tendência, nomeadamente os serviços de produção agrícola e produção de cogumelos, que tenderam a decrescer. Relativamente às projeções para 2020, as tendências previstas variam entre os cenários. O cenário que simula a expansão de áreas florestais permite otimizar o fornecimento de serviços de produção e regulação, enquanto o cenário que simula a expansão de áreas matos parece ser o que menos favorece o valor de ambos os serviços de ecossistema na área de estudo.
- Exploring the concept of fire protection ecosystem service in changing forested landscapesPublication . Sil, Ângelo Filipe; Fernandes, Paulo M.; Rodrigues, Ana Paula; Alonso, Joaquim; Honrado, João P.; Perera, Ajith H.; Azevedo, JoãoLandscapes and ecosystems play an important role in fire regulation and in the mitigation of potential negative effects of extreme fire events. Fire protection regulated by ecosystems and landscapes can thus be considered as an ecosystem service with significant benefits for humans’ safety, health and economy. Although fire is an important ecological process in most of the planet, fire regulating and protection by ecosystems and landscapes from an ecosystem service conceptual framework perspective have been insufficiently addressed in the literature. In this research we explore the concept of Fire Protection Ecosystem Service (FPES) based on the Fire Regulation Capacity (FRC) and their application in the assessment of socioecological effects of landscape change in mountains landscapes facing rural abandonment. We analyzed responses of FRC and FPES to changes in the landscape structure based on modeling using BFOLDS-FRM for years 1990 and 2006, and three landscape scenarios for 2020 under extreme fire weather conditions. FPES supply and economic value were assessed based on proxies of FRC (burned area and fire intensity) and economic damage caused by fire. Fire events over 100 ha increased in the area since 1990, indicating a reduction in the capacity of the landscape to regulate large and extreme fires, which may decline further in future landscape scenarios. The supply in the FPES is expected to decrease in the area, particularly when fuel builds up and becomes spatially connected in the landscape. The economic value of the FPES is also expected to decrease over time, despite the differences observed among scenarios. Planning and Management of mountains regions experiencing change through abandonment (aggravated by future climatic conditions) must take into account trends and patterns in fire regulation and protection to sustain and enhance the provision of ecosystem services in general and promote sustainability in Mediterranean mountain areas.
- Farmland abandonment decreases the fire regulation capacity and the fire protection ecosystem service in mountain landscapesPublication . Sil, Ângelo Filipe; Fernandes, Paulo M.; Rodrigues, Ana Paula; Alonso, Joaquim; Honrado, João P.; Perera, Ajith H.; Azevedo, JoãoThis study explored and applied the concepts of Fire Regulation Capacity (FRC) and Fire Protection Ecosystem Service (FPES) in the assessment of the effects of landscape change in a mountain fire-prone landscape in Portugal. We adopted a modeling and simulation approach using BFOLDS-FRM with landscape data for years 1990 and 2006 (observed) and with three landscape scenarios for 2020. Proxy indicators for FRC (burned area and fire intensity) and for economic damage by fire (loss of provisioning ES) were used to establish trends in the supply and value of FPES. We found decreased FRC to restrain simulated fires burning over 100 ha from 1990 on and to regulate Very High and Extreme fire intensity levels, particularly under our 2020 scenario of Forest expansion. FPES is also expected to decrease, as indicated by higher fire-related damages, particularly if fuel hazard increases in the landscape. However, there were differences among scenarios, suggesting potential tradeoffs between FPES and the supply of provisioning ES. Planning and management in this and similar areas experiencing farmland abandonment must consider fire trends and patterns, since landscape change is a major driver affecting FRC and FPES, which may further be decreased by future climatic conditions.
- Fine-tuning the BFOLDS fire regime module to support the assessment of fire-related functions and services in a changing Mediterranean mountain landscapePublication . Sil, Ângelo Filipe; Azevedo, João; Fernandes, Paulo M.; Alonso, Joaquim; Honrado, João P.Fire simulation models are useful to advance fire research and improve landscape management. However, a better understanding of these tools is crucial to increase their reliability and expansion into research fields where their application remains limited (e.g., ecosystem services). We evaluated several components of the BFOLDS Fire Regime Module and then tested its ability to simulate fire regime attributes in a Mediterranean mountainous landscape. Based on model outputs, we assessed the landscape fire regulation capacity over time and its implications for supporting the climate regulation ecosystem service. We found that input data quality and the adjustment of fuel and fire behaviour parameters are crucial to accurately emulating key fire regime attributes. Besides, the high predictive capacity shown by BFOLDS-FRM allows to reliably inform the planning and sustainable management of fire-prone mountainous areas of the Mediterranean. Moreover, we identified and discussed modelling limitations and made recommendations to improve future model applications.
- Fire regime as a driver of resilience, functional diversity and ecosystem services in Mediterranean mountainsPublication . Honrado, João José; Torres, João; Marques, Joana; Proença, Vânia; Pereira, Henrique; Alonso, Joaquim; Aguiar, CarlosMountain areas in Portugal are usually defined as territories with rough morphology, low demographic densities, and peculiar agrarian systems based on cattle raising and husbandry. The use of fire has been a common management practice in traditional land use, mainly to control vegetation encroachment and to promote pasturelands. Therefore, historically fire has been a strong driver of vegetation patterns, soil properties and ecosystem services throughout Iberian mountains. Recently, however, a generalized tendency for abandonment of agriculture and pastoralism is promoting vegetation recovery and changes in fire regimes, driving a shift from small fires in recurrently burnt areas to energetic and largely unpredictable wildfires. We present results from studies of ecosystem resilience and vegetation dynamics driven by fire regimes, discussing their connection to the provision of ecosystem services. We report strong effects of fire recurrence, distance to the latest wildfire, and geology on scrubland resilience, with potential implications for regulating services. We also evaluated the resistance and resilience of young deciduous forests to fire disturbance and its implications for supporting services. Overall, our results support the idea that fire regime is a major driver of functional diversity in Mediterranean mountains and suggest that land abandonment and related shifts in fire regimes promote unpredictability in the spatiotemporal patterns of several ecosystem services. Finally, we discuss response options for managing changing mountain landscapes.
- A fitossociologia e a monitorização da biodiversidade às escalas regional, nacional e europeiaPublication . Honrado, João José; Alves, Paulo Jorge Mendes; Aguiar, Carlos; Gonçalves, João Francisco; Alonso, Joaquim; Caldas, Francisco BarretoAs alterações ambientais multi-escalares produzem modificações mais ou menos profundas nos padrões espacio-temporais de distribuição e abundância das espécies e na composição, atributos, funções e distribuição das biocenoses e dos ecossistemas. São particularmente sensíveis, nos nossos dias, as mudanças induzidas pelas alterações do clima à escala global, e pelas invasões biológicas e alterações nos padrões locais e regionais de ocupação e uso do solo. Num contexto de crescente aproximação entre as políticas sectoriais de conservação da natureza, de ordenamento do território e de desenvolvimento rural, as ferramentas de informação sobre o património natural e os promotores das suas dinâmicas revelam-se fundamentais para o correcto planeamento do território e para uma gestão ecologicamente sustentável da paisagem. O território Português possui uma excepcional diversidade de ecossistemas, que albergam uma notável quantidade de espécies de flora e fauna.
- Modelação espacial de redes ecológicas regionais: contributos e propostas para a Região Norte de PortugalPublication . Martins, Mário; Castro, Paulo; Mateus, Paulo; Ferreira, Filomena; Guerra, Carlos; Azevedo, João; Honrado, João P.; Alonso, JoaquimOs intensos processos de industrialização, desenvolvimento urbano e infraestruturas, incluindo transportes e energia, assim como da intensificação da agricultura originaram fragmentação de áreas naturais, a interrupção de processos vitais e a perda significativa de biodiversidade e de serviços de ecossistemas. O desenvolvimento conceptual e operacional de redes ecológicas a diversas escalas, incluindo a escala regional, assume-se fundamental para o equilíbrio do território e promoção da qualidade de vida e do ambiente. Neste quadro, a presente investigação, desenvolvida entre instituições de investigação e da administração, visou contribuir para uma proposta conceptual e metodológica da Rede Ecológica da Região Norte de Portugal. Para tal: i) assumiram-se áreas núcleo e análise de um caminho crítico para a definição de corredores ecológicos; ii) desenvolveu-se cartografia de pressão humana e analisou-se a potencial relação de conflito dos locais de perda de conectividade com a rede proposta; iii) e comparou-se com a distribuição das alcateias de lobos identificadas para a região. Os resultados indiciam uma tendência de especialização, diminuição da multifuncionalidade territorial e fragmentação na zona litoral associada à dificuldade de estabelecer, face à antropização observada, corredores ecológicos regionais. A este nível, os Perímetros Florestais, as Terras Altas (>700 m) e o Alto Douro Vinhateiro, pela extensão e coerência da localização, demostraram ser importantes para o alargamento da rede. Em simultâneo, considera-se a necessidade de antecipar e recuperar áreas críticas de conflito entre os corredores humanos e ecológicos. Em termos futuros interessa: i) detalhar a escala e articular com as redes transfronteiriças e locais; ii) completar com dados corográficos, dinâmicas de vegetação e fauna; iii) simplificar a constituição e a gestão institucional associadas a um sistema de informação territorial de organização e partilha de dados que inclua um sistema de suporte à modelação e apoio à decisão técnico-politica.