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Description
Avoid, mitigate and restore land under pressure to combat desertification and increase resilience to climate change in the montado agroforestry and extensive pasture systems, dominated by cork and/or holm oaks at Herdade da Coitadinha, Barrancos. i) establishing a Land Degradation Baseline (that incorporates natural temporal fluctuations and spatial heterogeneity) and developing a monitoring toolbox to evaluate productivity trends of montado at regional scale, against which performance can be assessed in the future to support LDN policy;
ii) restoring degraded areas under disturbance (e.g. overgrazing) and climate (semi-arid) pressure, to promote montado’s productivity and the delivery of ecosystem services (ES), by managing livestock intensity in areas with different potential for natural regeneration and initial oak’s density;
iii) assessing the delivery of regulating, provisioning and cultural ES in restoration areas and in response to drought (through an undergoing drought simulation experiment), including ES provided by soil in climate regulation, erosion control and C fixation;
iv) Co-building and disseminating the best solutions to restore ES at local and regional scales, involving montado stakeholders from various sectors and scales in order to guarantee a solution that integrates different perspectives and an effective implementation of the measures. 90,0 acres with reduced susceptibility to desertification
Summary of project results
The LandUnderPressure project aimed to contribute to avoiding, mitigating and restoring areas under pressure to combat desertification and increase resilience to climate change in the cork oak forest. The project focused on agroforestry systems of cork oak forests and extensive pastures, dominated by cork oaks and/or holm oaks on two scales: i) regional scale covering Évora, Faro and the interior of the district of Beja and ii) property scale, where it will be implemented and monitored a pilot restoration project of 90 ha, located in Herdade da Coitadinha, in the parish of Barrancos.
The project included:
i) Establish a Soil Degradation Baseline and monitoring tool.
The land degradation baseline incorporates natural temporal fluctuations and spatial heterogeneity. The monitoring tool assesses Cerrado productivity trends on a regional scale, against which performance can be assessed in the future to support the Soil Degradation Neutrality policy;
ii) Restoration of degraded areas under disturbance due to overgrazing) and climate pressure (semi-arid).
The restoration of degraded areas through management of grazing intensity promotes the productivity of cerrados and the provision of ecosystem services, in areas with different potential for natural regeneration and initial density of quercines;
iii) Evaluate the provision of ecosystem services.
The regulatory, provisioning and cultural ecosystem service assessment was carried out in restoration areas and in response to drought (through an ongoing drought simulation experiment), including ecosystem services provided by soil in regulating climate, controlling erosion and carbon fixation;
iv) Co-build and disseminate the best solutions for restoring ecosystem services on a local and regional scale.
Cerrado actors from various sectors and scales were involved, in order to guarantee a solution that integrates different perspectives and effective implementation of the measures.
At Herdade da Coitadinha, holm oaks predominate, managed for multipurpose purposes including fattening black pigs, cow herding, hunting and ecotourism. Herdade da Coitadinha is located in the semiarid region of Portugal, being very susceptible to desertification and soil degradation, being included in two Natura2000 sites (PTCON0053 and PTZPE0045), with three overlapping priority habitats (6220, 92A0, 92D0). Herdade da Coitadinha is committed to sustainable management, to promote the regeneration of holm oaks and increase acorn production.
The project contributed to deepening and disseminating information on soil degradation and its potential for ecological restoration, increasing the capacity to assess and reduce vulnerability to climate change. It highlights the role of biodiversity in the functioning of cerrado agroforestry systems, contributing to the appreciation of the territory.
Both the pilot area and most of the regional area are integrated into the LTsER Montado platform, an international network of Long-Term Ecological Studies, which brings together researchers who collect, make available and analyze long-term ecological and socio-ecological data in specific locations, thus ensuring the long-term sustainability of this project.
These activities are aligned with the National Action Program to Combat Desertification (PANCD).
Summary of bilateral results
The project contributed to bilateral relations, with the presence of an Icelandic partner The Soil Conservation Service of Iceland (now called Land and Forest Iceland), which collaborated as a consultant in ecosystem restoration activities in degraded areas and on soil.