- He explains in an interview Fernando Valladares, a scientist at the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN CSIC) and president of the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology.
Caty Arevalo. Madrid, Aug 15 (EFEverde) .- The impacts of global warming begin to be felt in the Spanish ecosystems where scientists have already detected a progressive replacement of animals and plants that can distinguish “winners” and “losers” of climate change species .
Fernando Valladares, a scientist at the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC) and president of the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology, monitors the effects of climate change on Mediterranean forests using as a base two natural spaces , Cabañeros (Ciudad Real and Toledo) and the nature reserve Alto Tajo (Guadalajara and Cuenca).
In the latter, Valladares and his team are monitoring several plots since 2004, with results that “can be transferred to any Mediterranean forest “, explains in an interview with Efe.
In this period of time have shown that ” the intensity and frequency “of extreme events in Spain is increased especially resulting “loss of water resources.”
“extreme events are not only heat waves that occur in summer, a heat wave in February or a cold May can have a much more destructive effect if they occur in the month in which they are expected, “he says.
Borro achievement
What has detected this expert in biodiversity and climate change it is that “ these extreme events cause suffering greatly to species, both animal and vegetable, and erase the achievements of regeneration” you’ve gotten a forest during periods without such abrupt weather .
Monitoring the reaction of species to the increased intensity and frequency of extreme events allows scientists to draw a scenario of winners and losers in which “there will be major replacements “.
So Valladares and his team have seen the oak gain space to these episodes, while other Mediterranean as emblematic Corsican pine, juniper gall or have lost .
“We see many slopes until now occupied by the black pine oak with more presence, or how well quejigo not replaced after an extreme event or at least not recover the growth rate that had previously “details.
As for relevant animal species in this habitat, Valladares cites among the Bonelli’s eagle affected by a lethal combination of climate change and rural abandonment, leading to increasingly fewer crops and areas associated with where they get their food. rabbits and partridges
When asked if these new scenarios will be better or worse, the scientist replied that winning will depend on whether or not species provide the same ecosystem services that we now have (the ability to renew and purify water, for example, in the case of vegetables).
What it is clear is that, with these new scenarios, is necessary for forest management policies are made taking into account not only mean values but scientific information on the impact of these more frequent extreme events.
In this line, Valladares stresses that “local management” ecosystem is “the key” for these “do not exceed the border that leads them to collapse “when any extreme event impacts caused by global phenomena such as climate change
key. Local management
” If locally adjusts the conditions of a natural space to be away from the border leading to collapse, such as exploitation of resources or the status of the species have enormous scope to deal with a new climate. “
“I speak of actions of local management that can be performed in a legislature, in the range of two to three years, and allow preparation of ecosystems to tolerate and deal with extreme events climate change brings. With local action reinforce Achilles heels and create your safety margins for natural areas “, insists.
The scientist notes that this preparation ecosystem to have an margin and not collapse urges “in the most vulnerable areas, which are limited by water”.
He instances gaps in Castilla La Mancha and warns that to control the exploitation of water resources possess more tools suffer facing a wave of heat or low rainfall.
Otherwise these ecosystems “approach the limit, and if that limit is exceeded key species will not to continue “.
With the collapse, remember, we lose not only nature, we also free ourselves from the natural barriers of protection, for example, to the increasingly frequent torrential rains.
Source: EFE
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