Protection of key ecosystem services by adaptive management of Climate Change endangered Mediterranean socioecosystems

The link between the provision of key ecosystem services (e.g. soil retention, temperature regulation, pollination) and socio-ecosystems (e.g. mountain Mediterranean scrub, coastal dune forests) in three Mediterranean Natural Protected Areas (NPAs) is well established on the basis of long-term management experience and scientific knowledge. Habitats in the NPAs, however, are being increasingly and negatively affected by climate change, and these impacts can provoke changes in their capacity to provide ecosystem services. The LIFE ADAPTAMED project aims to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on key ecosystem services in three representative Mediterranean NPAs of socio-economic importance:
1. A Mediterranean wetland: Doñana Nature Space (a nature & national park and biosphere reserve);
2. A Mediterranean high mountain range: Sierra Nevada nature area (a nature & national park and biosphere reserve); and
3. A subdesert Mediterranean coastal area: Cabo de Gata Nature Park (also a biosphere reserve).
The project will focus on developing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and disseminating adaptive management measures. It will use an ecosystem approach and address socio-ecosystems identified as key for the provision of, among other things, soil retention, pollination, pastures (net primary production), temperature regulation, water provision, prevention of forest fires, and desertification.
It aims to implement and test actions and tools in different representative Mediterranean ecosystems that are especially sensitive to climate change (e.g. wetlands, mountain areas and subdesert areas) in order to provide data, experience and tools to other decision-makers, land managers and stakeholders facing these threats.
Through adaptive management of strategic ecosystems (mountain Mediterranean shrubs, pine woods, pre-desert scrubland, coastal dune woods and Quercus woods) in three NPAs, contribution will be made to protect their key ecosystem services from climate change.
Services protection Project outcomes as a result of management actions are expected to show benefits for a diversity of protective services (e.g. covering targeted actions on soil retention, water provision/regulation, carbon sequestration/storage, O2 production, temperature regulation, desertification prevention, pollination/seed dispersal and recreation [tourism]). Specific. expected results will include:
* A 45 ha seed and plantation o f cork oaks, wild olive and Pistacia lentiscus trees;
* The planting of 1 800 Junipers (J.communis Sabina); 250 pines (Pinus sylvestris nevadensis); and 150-200 Mediterranean shrubs, Ziziphus lotus;
* A 10% increase in water availability through the restoration of traditional irrigation channels;
* Pruning carried out on 50 ha of holm oaks;
* Thinning carried out on 200 ha n of pine forest;
* Chemical treatment of 200 cork oaks against Phytophthora cinnamomi, a soil-borne mold;
* Installation of 260 biodiversity boxes;
* Construction of 1 km of soil retention structures; and
* Tilling will be carried out on 10ha of pastures.
The project will also produce six ?Good practice manuals? covering climate adaptation management practices for shrubs, pine woods, pre-desert scrubs, mountain forests and for combating cork oak pests.