1. Led by
  2. Sites pictures
  3. Publications

Semi-arid watersheds in SE Spain

Semi-arid watersheds in SE Spain

Spanish drylands are located on the SE of Iberian Peninsula, covering mainly Almeria and Granada provinces, which is considered the most arid region of continental Europe, representing the only arid and semi-arid ecosystems of Spain. The dominant climate is warm dry Mediterranean, with average annual temperatures of among 12 and 15°C and with annual average rainfall of 200–350 mm per year.
 
This region is distinguished by the presence of arid landscapes and diverse land use types. Dryland ecosystems of Iberian Peninsula have been traditionally considered as poorly valued areas in productive terms; however, this region is included among the 25 worldwide biodiversity hotspots. Traditionally, the predominant land-uses included traditional agriculture (especially the esparto grass ‘‘Stipa tenacissima’’ employed as a source of fiber for basketwork), lead mining and extensive livestock in most inland and rural areas. At present, most of economic activities are related to greenhouse horticulture and its parallel industries such as packaging and transport or biological control (mainly situated in the south of the study area), tourism and the service sector. The dominant land-use in the area is the extensive agriculture (e.g., almond-trees or olive groves). However, irrigation land which comprises both herbaceous and woody crops that are usually irrigated, a fact that has gained attention from conservation groups and decision makers alike. In particular, the marked land-use changes in recent decades have led to conflicts between social groups with different preferences for landscape management (e.g., the increase in the last 30 years in 30,000 ha of the greenhouse horticulture surfaces located in southern of the study area).
 
The arid southeastern Iberian Peninsula is a unique region in which conservation and human development have coexisted and coevolved over many decades. However, conflicts between economic development and conservation have generated increasing concern due to the rapid expansion of greenhouse horticulture and the abandonment of rural and mountainous areas. This region has been described over the last decades as particularly sensitive to the impacts of climate and land use change, which has dramatically resulted in ecosystem service deterioration by the intensification of greenhouse horticulture, urban expansion, and rural abandonment.
 
Concurrent with these extensive land transformations, there has been a simultaneous effort to protect natural areas with unique biodiversity. As a result, 30 protected areas have been declared in last three decades. Examples of this conservation effort include the declaration of Cabo de Gata Natural Park in 1987 and the Sierra Nevada National Park in 1999. Currently, the percentage of protected areas within the study area is above both the average for Andalusia region (19.86%) and Spain (12.85% of surface protected).
 

Led by

Antonio J. Castro

Antonio J. Castro

Marina Garcí­a Llorente

Marina Garcí­a Llorente

Cristina Quintas Soriano

Cristina Quintas Soriano

Berta Martí­n López

Berta Martí­n López

Site pictures

Publications

Cristina Quintas-Soriano, Antonio J. Castro, Hermelindo Castro,Marina García-Llorente. 2016. Impacts of land use change on ecosystem services and implicationsfor human well-being in Spanish drylands.

Marina García-Llorente, Paula A. Harrison, Pam Berry, Ignacio Palomo, Erik Gómez-Baggethun, Irene Iniesta-Arandia, Carlos Montes, David García del Amo, Berta Martín-López. 2016. What can conservation strategies learn from the ecosystem services approach? Insights from ecosystem assessments in two Spanish protected areas

García-Llorente, M., Castro, A.J., Quintas-Soriano, C.,* Castro, H., Montes, C., Martín-López, B. (2016). The value of time in biological conservation and supplied ecosystem services: A willingness to give up time exercise.

García-Llorente, M., Iniesta-Arandia, I., Willaarts, B., Harrison, P.A., Berry, P., Bayo, M., Castro, A.J., Montes, C., Martín-López, B., (2015). Biophysical and socio-cultural factors underlying spatial tradeoffs of ecosystem services in semiarid watersheds: A sustainability analysis of social-ecological systems.

Ana P. García-Nieto Cristina Quintas-Soriano, Marina García-Llorente, Ignacio Palomoa, Carlos Montes, Berta Martín-López. 2015. Collaborative mapping of ecosystem services: The role of stakeholders' profiles

Castro, A.J., Martín-López, B., Plieninger, T., López, E., Alcaraz?Segura, D., Vaughn, C.C., Cabello, J. (2015). Do protected areas networks ensure the supply of ecosystem services? Spatial patterns of two nature reserve systems in semi-arid Spain.

Irene Iniesta-Arandia, David García del Amo, Ana Paula García-Nieto, Concepción Piñeiro, Carlos Montes, Berta Martín-López. 2014. Factors influencing local ecological knowledge maintenance in Mediterranean watersheds: Insights for environmental policies

Irene Iniesta-Arandia, Concepción Piñeiro, Carlos Montes & Berta Martín-López. 2014. Women and the conservation of agroecosystems: an experiential analysis in the Río Nacimiento region of Almería (Spain) / Mujeres y conservación de agroecosistemas. Análisis de experiencias en la comarca almeriense del río Nacimiento

Irene Iniesta-Arandia, Marina García-Llorente,Pedro A. Aguilera, Carlos Montes, Berta Martín-López. 2014. Socio-cultural valuation of ecosystem services: uncovering the links between values, drivers of change, and human well-being

Cristina Quintas-Soriano, Antonio J. Castro, Marina García-Llorente, Javier Cabello & Hermelindo Castro. 2014. From supply to social demand: a landscapescale analysis of the water regulation service.

Castro, A.J., Verburg, P., Martín-López, B., García-LLorente, M., Cabello, J., Vaughn, C., and López E. (2014). Ecosystem service trade-offs from the supply to social demand: a landscape-scale spatial analysis.

Ana P. García-Nieto, Marina García-Llorente, Irene Iniesta-Arandia, Berta Martín-López. 2013. Mapping forest ecosystem services: From providing units to beneficiaries

Marina García-Llorente, Berta Martín-López, Irene Iniesta-Arandia, César A. López-Santiago, Pedro A. Aguilera, Carlos Montes. 2012. The role of multi-functionality in social preferences toward semi-arid rural landscapes: An ecosystem service approach

García-Llorente, M., Martín-López, B., Nunnes, P.A.L.D, Castro, A.J., Montes, C. (2012). A choice experiment study for land use scenarios in semiarid watersheds environments.

Castro, A.J., Martín-López, B., García-Llorente, M., Aguilera, P.A., López, E., Cabello, J. (2011). Social preferences regarding the delivery of ecosystem services in a semiarid Mediterranean region.