Shrubland and woodland restoration in the mediterranean basin

Abstract

Landscapes and ecosystems in the Mediterranean basin (MB) have been profoundly modified after a long history of land use and deforestation, which has caused extensive land degradation. In the last third of the 20th century, extensive land abandonment occurred in European Mediterranean countries, which dramatically increased fuel load and continuity in landscape and, consequently, large wildfires. As a response to land degradation, the forest services of MB countries already promoted large afforestations in the late 19^th century. After the breakout of large wildfires and the new social perception of wildlands, new approaches for land restoration were called for. We present an approach and decision support system for assessing post-fire restoration. Short-term rehabilitation is considered to mitigate post-fire soil degradation and excessive runoff, while short- and mid-term restoration focuses on recovering keystone species. Long-term restoration is considered to recover the integrity of reference ecosystems and their services, together with a reduced fire hazard. The protocol and decision support system proved applicable to most of the characteristic vegetation types in the MB. However it is still uncertain how applicable they can be to other Mediterranean type ecosystems, such as the Californian chaparral.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the chaparral restoration workshop, California

Citation

Vallejo, V. Ramón; Alloza, J. Antonio. 2019. Shrubland and woodland restoration in the mediterranean basin. In: Narog, Marcia, tech. coord. Proceedings of the chaparral restoration workshop, California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-265. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: 51-65.