Comparative Assessment of Goods and Services Provided by Grazing Regulation and Reforestation in Degraded Mediterranean Rangelands

Land Degradation and Development

Volumn 28, Issue 4, 2017, Pages 1178-1187

  Papanastasis, Vasilios P ^a   Bautista, Susana ^b   Chouvardas, Dimitrios ^a   Mantzanas, Konstantinos ^a   Papadimitriou, Maria ^a   Mayor, Angeles G ^c   Koukioumi, Polina ^a   Papaioannou, Athanasios ^a   Vallejo, Ramon V ^d  

^a ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY OF THESSALONIKI   (Greece)

^b UNIVERSITY OF ALICANTE   (Spain)

^c WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY   (Netherlands)

^d UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA   (Spain)

Author keywords

carbon sequestration; ecosystem services; forage; grazing management; landscape functional analysis; plant diversity; restoration actions; soil functions

Indexed keywords

AGRICULTURE; ECOLOGY; FORESTRY; PLANTS (BOTANY); REFORESTATION; RESTORATION; SOIL CONSERVATION;

CARBON SEQUESTRATION; ECOSYSTEM SERVICES; FORAGE; GRAZING MANAGEMENT; PLANT DIVERSITY; SOIL FUNCTION;

ECOSYSTEMS;

CARBON SEQUESTRATION; ECOSYSTEM SERVICE; FORAGE; GRAZING MANAGEMENT; LAND DEGRADATION; LANDSCAPE; MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT; PLANT; RANGELAND; REFORESTATION; RESTORATION ECOLOGY; SOIL; SPECIES DIVERSITY;

GREECE;

CAPRA HIRCUS; OVIS ARIES; PINUS PINASTER; QUERCUS COCCIFERA;

EID: 84925264905     PISSN: 10853278     EISSN: 1099145X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2368     Document Type: Article

References (69)

1. Abu Hammad A, Tumeizi A. 2012. Land degradation: socioeconomic and environmental causes and consequences in the eastern Mediterranean. Land Degradation & Development 23: 216–226. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.1069.
2. Aidoud A, Aidoud-Lounis F, Slimani H. 1998. Effects of grazing on soil and desertification: a view from the southern Mediterranean rim. In Ecological basis of livestock grazing in Mediterranean ecosystems, Papanastasis VP, Peter D (eds). European Commission: 18308 EN, Luxembourg, 133–148.
3. Alados CL, El Aich A, Papanastasis VP, Ozbek H, Navarro T, Freitas H, Vrachnakis M, Larrosi D, Cabezudo B. 2004. Change in plant spatial patterns and diversity along the successional gradient of Mediterranean grazing ecosystems. Ecological Modelling 180: 523–535.
4. Alphan H. 2012. Classifying land cover conversions in coastal wetlands in the Mediterranean: pairwise comparisons of Landsat images. Land Degradation & Development 23: 278–292. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.1080.
5. Álvarez-Martínez J, Gómez-Villar A, Lasanta T. 2013. The use of goats grazing to restore pastures invaded by shrubs and avoid desertification: a preliminary case study in the Spanish Cantabrian Mountains. Land Degradation & Development. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2230.
6. Andrés C, Ojeda F. 2002. Effects of afforestation with pines on woody plant diversity of Mediterranean heathlands in southern Spain. Biodiversity and Conservation 11: 1511–1520.
7. Angassa A. 2014. Effects of grazing intensity and bush encroachment on herbaceous species and rangeland condition in southern Ethiopia. Land Degradation & Development 25: 438–451. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2160.
8. Anthopoulou B, Panagopoulos A, Keryotis T. 2006. The impact of land degradation on landscapes in Northern Greece. Landslides 3: 289–294.
9. Bautista S, Lamb D. 2013. Ecosystem services. In Encyclopedia of environmental management, Jorgensen SE (ed.). CRC Press - Taylor & Francis Group: New York, US, 3.5cd12 pp. DOI: 10.1081/E-EEM-120046612.
10. Bautista S, Mayor AG, Bourakhouadar L, Bellot L. 2007. Plant spatial pattern predicts hillslope runoff and erosion in a semiarid Mediterranean landscape. Ecosystems 10: 987–998.
11. Bautista S, Orr BJ, Alloza JA, Vallejo VR. 2010. Evaluation of the restoration of dryland ecosystems in the northern Mediterranean: implications for practice. In Water and Sustainability in arid regions: bridging the gap between physical and social sciences, Courel MF, Schneier-Madanes G (eds). Springer: Dordrecht, the Netherlands, 295–310.
12. Brown S. 2002. Measuring carbon in forests: current status and future challenges. Environmental Pollution 116: 363–372. DOI: 10.1016/S0269-7491(01)00212-3.
13. Caballero R. 2007. High nature value (HNV) grazing systems in Europe: a link between biodiversity and farm economics. The Open Agricultural Journal 1: 11–19.
14. Carpenter SR, Mooney HA, Agard J, Capistrano D, DeFriese RS, Díaz S, Dietz ST, Duraiappah AK, Oteng-Yeboah A, Pereira HM, Perrings C, Reid WV, Sarukhan J, Scholes RJ, Whyte A. 2009. Science for managing ecosystem services: beyond the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106: 1305–1312.
15. Cerdà A, Lavee H. 1999. The effect of grazing on soil and water losses under arid and Mediterranean climates. Implications for desertification. Pirineos 53–154: 159–174.
16. Cerdà A, Giménez-Morera A, Body MB. 2009. Soil and water losses from new citrus orchards growing on sloped soils in the western Mediterranean basin. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 34: 1822–1830. DOI: 10.1002/esp.1889.
17. Cerdà A, Lavee H, Romero-Diaz A, Hooke J, Montanarella L. 2010. Soil erosion and degradation in Mediterranean – type ecosystems. Land Degradation & Development 21: 71–74. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.968.
18. Chirino E, Vilagrosa A, Cortina J, Valdecantos A, Fuentes D, Trubat R, Luis VC, Puértolas J, Bautista S, Baeza MJ, Peñuelas JL, Vallejo VR. 2009. Ecological restoration in degraded drylands: the need to improve the seedling quality and site conditions in the field. In Forest management, Grossberg SP (ed). Nova Science Publishers, Inc.: New York, USA, 85–158.
19. Derak M, Cortina J. 2014. Multi-criteria participative evaluation of Pinus halepensis plantations in a semiarid area of southeast Spain. Ecological Indicators 43: 56–68. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.02.017.
20. Ecosystem function analysis. 2008. Available at http://www.csiro.au/en/Organisation-Structure/Divisions/Ecosystem-Sciences/EcosystemFunctionAnalysis.aspx
21. Egoh B, Rouget M, Reyers B, Knight AT, Cowling RM, van Jaarsveld AS, Welz A. 2007. Integrating ecosystem services into conservation assessments: a review. Ecological Economics 63: 714–721.
22. FAO. 2013. State of Mediterranean forests 2013. http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/i3226e/i3226e.pdf
23. García-Orenes F, Guerrero C, Roldán A, Mataix-Solera J, Cerdà A, Campoy M, Zornoza R, Bárcenas G, Caravaca F. 2010. Soil microbial biomass and activity under different agricultural management systems in a semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystem. Soil and Tillage Research 109: 110–115. DOI: 10.1016/j.still.2010.05.005.
24. Gifford GF, Hawkins RH. 1978. Hydrologic impact of grazing on infiltration: a critical review. Water Resources Research 14: 305–313.
25. Guénon R, Vennetier M, Dupuy N, Roussos S, Pailler A, Gros R. 2013. Trends in recovery of Mediterranean soil chemical properties and microbial activities after infrequent and frequent wildfires. Land Degradation & Development 24: 115–128. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.1109.
26. Gutierrez J, Hernandez L. 1996. Runoff and interril erosion as affected by grass cover in a semi-arid rangeland of northern Mexico. Journal of Arid Environments 34: 287–295.
27. Hobbs RJ, Harris JA. 2001. Restoration ecology: repairing the Earth's ecosystems in the new millennium. Restoration Ecology 9: 239–246.
28. Huang L, Liu JY, Shao QQ, Xinliang XL. 2012. Carbon sequestration by forestation across China: past, present, and future. Renewable & Sustainable Energy 16: 1291–1299.
29. Ispikoudis I, Sioliou MK, Papanastasis VP. 2004. Transhumance in Greece: past, present and future prospects. In Transhumance and biodiversity in European mountains, Bunce RGH, Perez-Soba M, Jongman RHG, Gomez-Sal A, Herzog F, Austad I (eds). ALTERA: Wageningen, the Netherlands, 211–229.
30. Jenkins JC, Chojnaky DC, Heath LS, Birdsay RA. 2003. National-scale biomass estimators for United States tree species. Forest Science 49: 12–35.
31. Koutsidou E, Margaris NS. 1998. The regeneration of Mediterranean vegetation in degraded ecosystems as a result of grazing pressure exclusion: the case of Lesvos island. In Ecological basis of livestock grazing in Mediterranean ecosystems, Papanastasis VP, Peter D (eds). European Commission: 18308 EN, Luxembourg, 76–79.
32. Lal R. 2009. Sequestering carbon in soils of arid ecosystems. Land Degradation & Development 20: 441–454. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.934
33. Landsberg J, Crowley G. 2004. Monitoring rangeland biodiversity: plants as indicators. Austral Ecology 29: 59–77.
34. Le Houérou HN. 1981. Impact of man and his animals on Mediterranean vegetation. In Mediterranean-type shrublands, di Castri F, Mooney HA (eds). Ecosystems of the World 11. Elsevier Science Publications Co: N.Y., 479–521.
35. López-Poma R, Orr BJ, Bautista S. 2014. Successional stage after land abandonment modulates fire severity and post-fire recovery in a Mediterranean mountain landscape. International Journal of Wildland Fire 23: 1005–1015. DOI: 10.1071/WF13150.
36. Ludwig JA, Tongway DJ. 2000. Viewing rangelands as landscape systems. In Rangeland desertification, Arnalds O, Archer S (eds). Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht, the Netherlands, 39–52.
37. Ludwig JA, Bastin GN, Eager RW, Karfs R, Ketner P, Pearce G. 2000. Monitoring Australian rangeland sites using landscape function indicators and ground- and remote-based techniques. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 64: 167–178.
38. MA (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment). 2005. Ecosystems and human well-being: biodiversity synthesis. World Resources Institute: Washington D.C.
39. Maestre FT, Cortina J. 2004. Are Pinus halepensis plantations useful as a restoration tool in semiarid Mediterranean areas? Forest Ecology and Management 198: 303–317.
40. Maestre FT, Puche MD. 2009. Indices based on surface indicators predict soil functioning in Mediterranean semi-arid steppes. Applied Soil Ecology 41: 342–350.
41. Magurran AE. 2004. Measuring biological diversity. Blackwell Publishing: UK.
42. Mayor AG, Bautista S. 2012. Multi-scale evaluation of soil functional indicators for the assessment of soil and water retention in Mediterranean semiarid landscapes. Ecological Indicators 20: 332–336.
43. Mayor AG, Bautista S, Small EE, Dixon M, Bellot J. 2008. Measurement of the connectivity of runoff source areas as determined by vegetation pattern and topography: a tool for assessing potential water and soil losses in drylands. Water Resources Research 44: W10423. DOI: 10.1029/2007WR006367.
44. Mekuria W. 2013. Changes in regulating ecosystem services following establishing exclosures on communal grazing lands in Ethiopia: a synthesis. Journal of Ecosystems. ID 860736 12 pages, Hindawi.
45. Mekuria W, Aynekulu E. 2011. Exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern Ethiopia. Land Degradation & Development 24: 528–538. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.1146.
46. Milchunas DG, Sala OE, Lauenroth WK. 1988. A generalized model of the effects of grazing by large herbivores on grassland community structure. American Naturalist 132: 87–106.
47. Nunes AN, de Almeida AC, Coelho COA. 2011. Impact of land use and cover type on runoff and soil erosion in a marginal area of Portugal. Applied Geography 31: 687–699.
48. Palacio RG, Bisigato AJ, Bouza PJ. 2014. Soil erosion in three grazed plant communities in northeastern Patagonia. Land Degradation & Development 25: 594–603. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2289.
49. Papadimitriou M, Tsougrakis Y, Ispikoudis I, Papanastasis VP. 2004. Plant functional types in relation to land use changes in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment. In Proceedings 10th MEDECOS Conference, April 25–May 1, 2004, Rhodes, Greece, Arianoutsou M, Papanastasis VP (eds). Millpress Rotterdam: The Netherlands, 1–6.
50. Papanastasis VP. 2009. Restoration of degraded grazing lands through grazing management: can it work? Restoration Ecology 17: 441–445.
51. Papanastasis VP, Liacos LG. 1983. Productivity and management of kermes oak brushlands for goats. In Browse in Africa, Le Houérou HN (ed.). International Livestock Center for Africa: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 375–381.
52. Papanastasis VP, Kyriakakis S, Kazakis G. 2002. Plant diversity in relation to overgrazing and burning in mountain Mediterranean ecosystems. Journal of Mediterranean Ecology 3: 53–63.
53. Papanastasis VP, Kyriakakis S, Kazakis G, Abid M, Doulis A. 2003. Plant cover as a tool for monitoring desertification in mountain Mediterranean rangelands. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal 14: 69–81.
54. Papanastasis VP, Ghossoub R, Scarpelo C. 2009. Impact of animal sheds on vegetation configuration in Mediterranean landscapes. In Nutritional and Foraging Ecology of Sheep and Goats, Papachristou TG, Parissi ZM, Ben Salem H, Morand-Fehr P (eds).Options Mediterraneennes 85: 49–54.
55. Puigdefabregas J, Mendizabal T. 1998. Perspectives on desertification: western Mediterranean. Journal of Arid Environments 39: 204–224.
56. Pyke DA, Herrick JE, Shaver PL, Pellant M. 2002. Rangeland health attributes and indicators for qualitative assessment. Journal of Range Management 55: 582–597.
57. Rey Benayas JM, Newton AC, Diaz A, Bullock JM. 2009. Enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem services ecological restoration: a meta-analysis. Science 325: 1121–1124.
58. Roeder A, Knemmerle T, Hill J, Papanastasis VP, Tsiourlis GM. 2007. Adaptation of a grazing gradient concept to heterogeneous Mediterranean rangelands using cost surface modelling. Ecological Modelling 204: 387–398.
59. Rojo L, Bautista S, Orr BJ, Derak M, Cortina J, Vallejo RV. 2012. Prevention and restoration actions to combat desertification. An integrated assessment. PRACTICE project. Sécheresse 23: 219–226.
60. Tadmor NH, Bricghat A, Noy-Meir I, Benjamin RW, Eyal E. 1975. An evaluation of the calibrated weight-estimate method for measuring production in annual vegetation. Journal of Range Management 28:65–69.
61. Tongway DJ, Hindley NL. 2000. Assessing and monitoring desertification with soil indicators. In Rangeland desertification, Arnalds O, Archer S (eds). Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht, the Netherlands, 89–98.
62. Tongway DJ, Hindley N. 2004. Landscape Function analysis: procedures for monitoring and assessing landscapes. CSIRO Publishing: Brisbane, Australia.
63. Tsiouvaras CN, Koukoura Z, Platis P, Ainalis A. 1998. Yearly changes in vegetation of a semi-arid grassland under various stocking rates and grazing systems. In Ecological basis of livestock grazing in Mediterranean ecosystems, Papanastasis VP, Peter D (eds). European Commission: 18308 EN, Luxembourg, 58–61.
64. U.S.A. National Research Council. 1994. Rangeland health: new methods to classify, inventory, and monitor rangelands. National Academy Press: Washington D.C.
65. Urgeghe AM, Bautista S. 2014. Size and connectivity of upslope runoff-source areas modulate the performance of woody plants in Mediterranean drylands. Ecohydrology. DOI: 10.1002/eco.1582.
66. Vallejo R, Aronson J, Pauses JG, Cortina J. 2006. Restoration of Mediterranean woodlands. In Restoration ecology, Van Andel J, Aronson J (eds). Blackwell Publishing: Oxford, U.K, 193–207.
67. Vallentine JF. 2001. Grazing management, Second edition. Academic Press: N.Y.
68. Vetter S, Bond WJ. 2012. Changing predictors of spatial and temporal variability in stocking rates in a severely degraded communal rangeland. Land Degradation & Development 23: 190–199. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.1076.
69. Yiakoulaki MD, Nastis AS. 1995. Intake by goats grazing kermes oak shrublands with varying cover in northern Greece. Small Ruminant Research 17: 223–228.