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Description
The hillslopes affected by the large Picões wildfire (2013, 14,912 ha) persist as an extensive source of sediment transported to the Baixo-Sabor reservoir. On the one hand, the vegetation cover, which is slowly recovering over severely degraded soils, is insufficient to prevent erosive runoff on these steep slopes. On the other, the continuous loss of soil and nutrients does not make it possible to achieve the edaphic conditions necessary for the recovery of vegetation cover and the restoration of the degraded ecosystem. A restoration strategy in this context should focus on protecting the most hydrologically relevant surfaces that are poorly covered, aiming to generate in-locus infiltration and promote soil water and carbon (C) storage, soil biological activity and, consequently, the recolonization by vegetation. The project aims, in a pilot area of c. 100 ha, at implementing, and demonstrating their effectiveness, of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for the protection of soils degraded by the large Picões wildfire, in view promoting the restoration of ecosystem services, such as soil retention, soil C and water storage, and the water quality of the Baixo-Sabor reservoir.
Summary of project results
The hillslopes affected by the large Picões wildfire (2013, 14,912 ha) persist as an extensive source of sediment transported to the Baixo-Sabor reservoir. On the one hand, the vegetation cover, which is slowly recovering over severely degraded soils, is insufficient to prevent erosive runoff on these steep slopes. On the other, the continuous loss of soil and nutrients does not make it possible to achieve the edaphic conditions necessary for the recovery of vegetation cover and the restoration of the degraded ecosystem. A restoration strategy in this context should focus on protecting the most hydrologically relevant surfaces that are poorly covered, aiming to generate in-locus infiltration and promote soil water and carbon (C) storage, soil biological activity and, consequently, the recolonization by vegetation.
The project aimed, in a pilot area of c. 100 ha, at implementing, and demonstrating their effectiveness, of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for the protection of soils degraded by the large Picões wildfire, in view promoting the restoration of ecosystem services, such as soil retention, soil C and water storage, and the water quality of the Baixo-Sabor reservoir.
The project included field tests with the application of barriers to control erosion, installation of fences against land erosion and direct application of natural-based solutions (NbS), soil conditioners (compost and biochar) obtained from the main by-product of the oil mill. olive oil, that is, olive pomace. The field trials were applied to degraded soils affected by forest fires, as in the case study of Picões (over 14,000 ha of burned area), in the Northeast of Portugal.
IPB installed more than 15 erosion fences, and COLAB MORE developed different natural-based solutions (NbS) on an industrial scale, namely a soil conditioner (more than 25 m3), which was applied to degraded soils in the form of permeable barriers , in a pilot area of 1200 m2.
The results of the SOILING project will make it possible to determine the rate of soil loss and soil carbon storage in regions affected by fires, and establish pathways to regenerate degraded soils in future years.
The project is aligned with measures and goals established in the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification (PANCD), contributing to minimizing the effects of drought and water scarcity, and to reducing the susceptibility of territories to desertification in the context of climate change.