The landscape process1905 2012

1905

100 years ago. Crops with ploughless agriculture. The forest was exploited to make charcoal. More water on streams with fishes. Very high biodiversity due to the agricultural/forest interface. Key species were abundant.

Land-use abandonment drives to a biodiversity loss. Flora and fauna linked to open habitats gone nearly extint. Pinus halepensis, once the main structural component of the forest, is now in decadence. Great risk of forest fire forces constant efforts on forest fuel extraction in order to reduce fire risk.

2011

Now Greenfab Lab is changing the

landscape structure in order to

Get open spaces with grass cover (crops

and grazing)

Plant different crops (different intensities of

management)

Make energy from the forest

biomass

Shift the water cycle balance to the blue

water system (runoff and well water)

And so a monitoring program is needed in order to get an

adaptive management estrategy

Optimize rainwater harvesting and water management without

affectin the drainage ecosystem

Optimitze traditional and experimental crop estrategies

Optimize the positive impact on landscape and biodiversity

That will lead to

Physical and Biological processes to be controlled

Blue water-green water balance

Soil erosion control and fertility

enhacement

Forest structure

Open habitat flora and fauna recovery

QV monitoring program

The cleared areas and also the untouched ones can have changes in their 3D structure. So we need fixed datums and points of view in order to have visual and temporal references. IR photography and fish/eye photography ban be of great help.

Placing pluviometers on different places can help to measure the rate of rain interception of the forest canopy. Relative humidity and temperature are basic data. The difference of leaf and air temperature is a good indicator of water stress during summertime. Trunk diameter changes on broadleaved trees is a good indicator of the water availability and water stress.

Notch weirs are used to measure water discharge on streams and channels. An adaptation of the system can be used for the existing subterranean water mines. Runoff plots are needed to know which level of rain intensity overcomes infiltration and promotes superficial runoff. This is reqalted to slope and class of cover. Forest clearances should make easier to get water runoff for lower precipitation. A shift to blue water.

Erosion pins are simple and precise devices for measuring erosion. We only need to place the pin at a GPS positioned place and measure the distance to soil surface with a precision calliper.

There is also an urgent need to provide efficient homes for desired fauna.As rabbits went extinct time ago, we need to make safe places for their colonies with palets.

We should also place safe nestboxes for different species of owls. Specially for barn owl (Tyto alba), little owl (Athene noctua), and scops owl (Otus scops). The existing and frequent tawny owl (Strix aluco) is also welcomed.