Rural abandoned landscapes and bird assemblages: winners and losers in the rewilding of a marginal mountain area (NW Spain)

Regos, Adrián; Domínguez, Jesús; Gil-Tena, Asunción; Brotons, Lluı́s; Ninyerola, Miquel; Pons, Xavier

doi:10.1007/s10113-014-0740-7

Cited by 77 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…In passive rewilding vegetation encroachment (e.g., via abandonment of pastoral land) drives changes in fauna and flora species composition and biodiversity (Regos et al. ).…”

Section: Perceptions Of Rewildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Australian perspective on rewilding

Sweeney

Turnbull

Jones

et al. 2019

Conservation Biology

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Rewilding is increasingly recognized as a conservation tool but is often context specific, which inhibits broad application. Rewilding in Australia seeks to enhance ecosystem function and promote self‐sustaining ecosystems. An absence of large‐bodied native herbivores means trophic rewilding in mainland Australia has focused on the restoration of functions provided by apex predators and small mammals. Because of the pervasive influence of introduced mesopredators, predator‐proof fences, and establishment of populations on predator‐free islands are common rewilding approaches. This sets Australian rewilding apart from most jurisdictions and provides globally relevant insights but presents challenges to restoring function to broader landscapes. Passive rewilding is of limited utility in arid zones. Although increasing habitat extent and quality in mesic coastal areas may work, it will likely be necessary to undertake active management. Because much of Australia's population is in urban areas, rewilding efforts must include urban areas to maximize effectiveness. Thus rewilding is not synonymous with wilderness and can occur over multiple scales. Rewilding efforts must recognize human effects on other species and benefit both nature and humans. Rewilding in Australia requires development of a shared vision and strategy and proof‐of‐concept projects to demonstrate the benefits. The repackaging of existing conservation activities as rewilding may confuse and undermine the success of rewilding programs and should be avoided. As elsewhere, rewilding in Australia should be viewed as an important conservation tool.

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“…In passive rewilding vegetation encroachment (e.g., via abandonment of pastoral land) drives changes in fauna and flora species composition and biodiversity (Regos et al. ).…”

Section: Perceptions Of Rewildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Australian perspective on rewilding

Sweeney

Turnbull

Jones

et al. 2019

Conservation Biology

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“…Land use change is one of the main drivers of species extinction. A study in an abandoned mountain landscape (Galicia, NW Spain) discovered that rewilding had a positive effect on biodiversity overall, but did have significant negative effects on ecotone and open-habitat species (Regos et al, 2016). Analyses of biodiversity and provision of selected ecosystem services in England found significantly lower biodiversity in woodland than in open patch habitats, but the timber, carbon storage and aesthetic values were highest in woodland (Cordingley et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The lower the management intensity, the higher the coverage by woody vegetation. This trend is seen in many regions of Europe, where large-scale socio-economic changes have led to the abandonment of rural activities and gradual overgrowth by natural vegetation (Regos et al, 2016;Skalos et al, 2015). It is important to assess the relative positive and negative effects of land abandonment on particular areas where low-intensity farming is no longer socially or economically viable in order to quantify the potential conservation costs and benefits of rewilding as a land-use management policy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small Woodlands and Trees in Traditional Agricultural Landscapes of Slovakia

Špulerová

Dobrovodská

Šatalová

et al. 2017

Journal of Landscape Ecology

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The studies focused on distribution and characteristic of small woodlands and trees as a typical feature of traditional agricultural landscapes (TAL) in Slovakia are missing or are rather local. The source data for this study was obtained from the national inventory of TAL performed in 2010-2012 in Slovakia, where woody vegetation was considered as one of the landscape elements creating mosaic of TAL. Based on the types of woodland present, which endow the landscape with a distinctive character and structure, we have divided TAL into five subtypes: 1) TAL with low occurrence of woodland -not more than 10 % of the site covered by woods, 2) TAL with spatial woodland formation, 3) TAL with solitaire trees dominant, 4) TAL with lines of trees or shrubs dominant, and 5) TAL with small woodland dominant.The proportion of woodland was relatively low, as TAL with low occurrence of woodland (36 %) was the most extended subtype of TAL. The most common dominant woodland structure was lines of trees and shrubs, with significant occurrence in TAL of arable-land and grassland and TAL with dispersed settlement. They tended to occur on typical agrarian relief forms. Our evaluation was supported by statistical analyses focused on the relationships between woodland type on agrarian relief forms (mostly balks) and their biotic and abiotic characteristics (type of agrarian relief form, content of skeleton, width, height, its continuity, as well as continuity of wood cover)

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“…Measures to counter overproduction and adapt to increasingly free markets forced less profitable areas out of cultivation, particularly affecting regions of Portugal, Spain and Italy (Fuchs, Herold, Verburg, Clevers, & Eberle, 2015;Regos et al, 2016). Measures to counter overproduction and adapt to increasingly free markets forced less profitable areas out of cultivation, particularly affecting regions of Portugal, Spain and Italy (Fuchs, Herold, Verburg, Clevers, & Eberle, 2015;Regos et al, 2016).…”

Section: Mat (° C)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Land surface greening suggests vigorous woody regrowth throughout European semi‐natural vegetation

Buitenwerf

Sandel

Normand

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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The satellite record has revealed substantial land surface “greening” in the northern hemisphere over recent decades. Process‐based Earth system models (ESMs) attribute enhanced vegetation productivity (greening) to CO2 fertilisation. However, the models poorly reproduce observed spatial patterns of greening, suggesting that they ignore crucial processes. Here, we explore whether fine‐scale land cover dynamics, as modified by ecological and land‐use processes, can explain the discrepancy between models and satellite‐based estimates of greening. We used 500 m satellite‐derived Leaf Area Index (LAI) to quantify greening. We focus on semi‐natural vegetation in Europe, and distinguish between conservation areas and unprotected land. Within these ecological and land‐use categories, we then explored the relationships between vegetation change and major climatic gradients. Despite the relatively short time‐series (15 years), we found a strong overall increase in LAI (i.e., greening) across all European semi‐natural vegetation types. The spatial pattern of vegetation change identifies land‐use change, particularly land abandonment, as a major initiator of vegetation change both in‐ and outside of protected areas. The strongest LAI increases were observed in mild climates, consistent with more vigorous woody regrowth after cessation of intensive management in these environments. Surprisingly, rates of vegetation change within protected areas did not differ significantly from unprotected semi‐natural vegetation. Overall, the detected LAI increases are consistent with previous, coarser‐scale, studies. The evidence indicates that woody regrowth following land abandonment is an important driver of land surface greening throughout Europe. The results offer an explanation for the large discrepancies between ESM‐derived and satellite‐derived greening estimates and thus generate new avenues for improving the ESMs on which we rely for crucial climate forecasts.

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Rural abandoned landscapes and bird assemblages: winners and losers in the rewilding of a marginal mountain area (NW Spain)

Cited by 77 publications

References 65 publications

An Australian perspective on rewilding

An Australian perspective on rewilding

Small Woodlands and Trees in Traditional Agricultural Landscapes of Slovakia

Land surface greening suggests vigorous woody regrowth throughout European semi‐natural vegetation

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