Restoration of Gypsicolous Vegetation on Quarry Slopes: Guidance for Hydroseeding under Contrasting Inclination and Aspect

Abstract

The establishment of gypsicolous vegetation of high conservation value on land impacted by quarrying requires restoration measures to overcome constraints imposed by the new landforms created in the process. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of three standard hydroseeding methods to restore gypsicolous vegetation on quarry spoil slopes under a dry Mediterranean climate. The treatments were as follows: paper cellulose mulch, paper cellulose mulch + organic blanket, and wood fibre mulch, compared against a control. These treatments were tested on two slopes (10–15% vs 60–65%) and two contrasting aspects (north vs south). We evaluated the cover of all plant species 2·8 years after treatment, assessing both target gypsicolous species and non‐target species. Our results showed strong compositional and cover differences between hydroseeded and control plots. Control plots had a low cover of target species with a vegetation composed of early‐successional species that had the potential to hinder target species establishment over time. All hydroseeding treatments improved target vegetation cover, with wood fibre performing best in most situations studied here, alternatives being the cheaper but less effective paper mulch on shallow slopes, or the more expensive paper mulch + blanket on steep slopes in case of high erosion risk. Shallow and southern‐steep slopes were more suitable for the recovery of gypsum vegetation by hydroseeding, compared to northern‐steep slopes where non‐target species developed more readily outcompeting target species. These results will help to guide management decisions to restore gypsicolous vegetation by hydroseeding in disturbed gypsum habitats. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A tale of two green walls: a functional trait approach to assess vegetation establishment on restored steep slopes

“…Nevertheless, hydroseeding with native species (both vascular plants and bryophytes) adapted to local environmental conditions could represent a suitable approach to overcome the need for constant irrigation, promote biodiversity conservation, and increase the provision of ecosystem services. These findings are particularly relevant in the context of quarry restoration, where steep slopes and low‐quality substrates constitute major challenges for vegetation establishment (Clemente et al ; Ballesteros et al ). Therefore, extensive GWs colonized by native species that require little or no maintenance and irrigation represent an innovative technical solution for quarry restoration.…”

“…These findings suggest that spontaneous species colonizing GWs are highly adapted to local environmental conditions, given their dominance in both irrigated and low‐irrigated communities. Indeed, the benefits of including native species in restoration projects, either through natural colonization or artificial introduction, have been increasingly recognized, especially under adverse climatic and soil conditions (Gilardelli et al ; Ballesteros et al ). This solution is in general more cost‐effective.…”

“…Ecological restoration of steep slopes resulting from human activities, such as quarrying or major infrastructure construction, poses serious challenges due to extreme environmental conditions that hinder vegetation establishment (Ballesteros et al ; Tamura et al ). In addition to drought and temperature stress, enhanced surface run‐off and lack of suitable edaphic conditions are the most limiting factors for the establishment of vegetation on steep slopes (Beikircher et al ).…”

Jute bioblanket as a soil rehabilitation strategy in Sorocaba, Brazil: Soil chemistry and SWOT approaches

“…Ballesteros et al. () showed the positive impact of gypsicolous vegetation on quarry slopes in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula.…”

Gain in biodiversity but not in phytostabilization after 3 years of ecological restoration of contaminated Mediterranean soils

“…Moreover, ecological restoration in Mediterranean dry habitats is a challenging topic and implies inventiveness in the developed processes to enhance vegetation establishment (Jaunatre et al, 2012;Rey and Burylo, 2014;Ballesteros et al, 2017). However, in addition to biogeoclimatic constraints framing the tools used, accessibility, pollution, topographical and regulatory constraints may restrict possible actions.…”