Action COST ES1104 Drylands Restoration Hub – 5th Management Committee Meeting

Alejandro Valdecantos

Mediterranean Centre for Environmental Studies (CEAM)

Alicante, Spain

Low-cost techniques for drylands

restoration

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

RESTORATION OF SEMIARID DEGRADED LANDS

RESTORATION OF BURNED/FIRE PRONE

ECOSYSTEMS

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Stress

Ec

osys

tem

re

sp

on

se

de

gre

e o

f su

cce

ss

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Increase Runoff

(IM, DW)

Reduce Evaporation

(IM, DW, PM, SM)

Enhance Infiltration

(DW, SM)

• Exploring other sources of water: runoff and fog

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Control

Microcatchment (M)

Improved Microcatchment (IM)

Stone Mulch (SM)

PASSIVE TREATMENTS

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Dry well (DW)

(SM + IM +

preferential water

pathways)

25 cm

10-15 cm

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Watering (W)

Clay Pot (CP)

2.5 L

ACTIVE TREATMENTS

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Treatment

Control M IM

Co

llec

ted

ru

no

ff (

L)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

F=1.97

P=0.147

High intensity (7-8 mm h-1

)

Treatment

Control M IM

Y D

ata

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Low intensity (1-3 mm h-1

)

Treatment

Control M IM

Coll

ecte

d r

unoff

(L

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

F=7.07

P=0.003

F=6.50

P=0.005

Runoff production (events < 10 mm)

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

CREVILLENTE

Tratamiento

B R M MP MPI MM PS CA

Su

pe

rviv

en

cia

(%

)

0

20

40

60

80

100

ALBATERA

Tratamiento

MP B MPI MM M PS R CA

Su

pe

rviv

en

cia

(%)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

ALBATERA

Tratamiento

B M CA MP MPI MM R PS

Diá

me

tro (m

m)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

CREVILLENTE

Tratamiento

R B M MPI MP CA MM PS

Diá

me

tro

(m

m)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

aa

abcab abc

abcabc

de

bcd

cde

e

aaa

b

ab ab abab ab ab

ab

Active input of water

Runoff concentration

Promoted infiltration

Forcing runoff

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Changes in microclimatic conditions

0

10

20

30

40

50

15-8

20-8

25-8

30-8 4-

99-

914

-919

-924

-929

-94-

10

18-1

0

23-1

0

28-1

02-

117-

11

12-1

1

17-1

1

DateTª

(ºC)

Max Out

Max In

Min Out

Min In

20 cm depth

Date

1/4/2009

1/5/2009

1/6/2009

1/7/2009

1/8/2009

1/9/2009

1/10/2009

1/11/2009

So

il M

ois

ture

(v

/v)

0

5

10

15

20

25 Control

IM

10 cm depth

So

il M

ois

ture

(v

/v)

0

5

10

15

20

25 Control

IM

Pre

cip

itat

ion

(m

m)

0

10

20

30

40

50

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Día

100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Hum

edad

vo

lum

étri

ca d

el s

uel

o (

%)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40P

recipitació

n (m

m)

0

20

40

60

W-

W+

2010 2011 2012

And again one year later…

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Thanks!!

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

0,0

0,1

0,2

0,3

0,4

0,5

0,6

0,7

Gre

en v

eget

atio

n a

bu

nd

ance

Unburned > 70% 70-50% 50-20%

1979 (pre-fire) 1980 2000

Vegetal cover dynamics according to local fire intensity

1991

LANDSAT images of the burned area (Ayora, E Spain)

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

POST-FIRE REHABILITATION/RESTORATION

• At the very short term: techniques to reduce erosion and soil redistribution

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

• At the very short term: techniques to reduce erosion and soil redistribution

S+M

M

S

% Plant cover

0

20

40

60

80

C

M

S

S+M

Feb-03May-03 Jan-04May-04

POST-FIRE REHABILITATION/RESTORATION

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

• At the medium term: promote diversity and resilience.

The challenge: coping with an increasing water stress

Pinus halepensis

Quercus coccifera

Quercus ilex ssp. ballota

Length of the maximum rainless period (days)

160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20

Mo

rta

lity

rate

(%

)

100

80

60

40

20

0

(from Alloza & Vallejo, 1999)

R2 = 0.673

First year after planting

POST-FIRE REHABILITATION/RESTORATION

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

• At the medium-long term: promote diversity and resilience, and reduce fire hazard

POST-FIRE REHABILITATION/RESTORATION

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Experimental design Clearing / Plantation

Control plot

Clearing

Clearing and plantation

Plantation

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Clearing + Planting

Planting

Clearing

Control

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

TREATMENT

CLEARING MULCHING

Seedling Survival and Growth

+ / ++ +

Germination of fuel accumulating spp

--

Fire-prone Vegetation Cover

--

Fire Risk --

Ecosystem Resilience

++ +

Action COST ES1104 5th Management Committee Meeting – Timisoara 9-11 September 2014

CONCLUSIONS

Available ecological restoration technology allows for reintroducing native plants and recovery critical ecosystem functions for many fragile and degraded Mediterranean lands

Higher inputs are required for highly degraded ecosystems, higher stress conditions

…but

We need understanding the thresholds for cost-effective restoration, both in biophysical and socieconomic terms