A study led by Daniel Sol, CISC researcher based at CREAF, shows that cities preserve 450 million years less evolutionary history compared to natural environments. Birds capable of surviving in highly urbanized environments have undergone recent evolution. The arrival of exotic species does not compensate for poor urban evolutionary diversity.
The forth post of Francisco Lloret's section Festina Lente. In this one he explains different dimensions of combining forest management with biodiversity conservation.
To Jordi and Lluís.
In many ecosystems, fire promotes a greater variety of species of plants and animals since it creates a more diverse set of environments. The positive effects of fire cannot be generalized to all aspects of an ecosystem; profound knowledge about the local species and fire regime is crucial. Insights from the study are useful for planning management of forest biomass fuel, controlled burnings, and forest fire suppression.
This pioneering initiative puts Catalonia at the forefront of biodiversity monitoring, together with countries such as the United Kingdom and The United States of America.
ECOPOTENTIAL publishes a new video to explain what the project is about, wich is framed within the European Union Horizon 2020 program.
Raúl Bonal (Madrid, 1974) is a researcher at the University of Extremadura and is associated researcher at CREAF since 2009. In the Western world, what Raúl has achieved has become quite rare: describe a new species. The species discovered by Raúl is known as the “holm oak spider” and was given the Latin name Cheiracanthium ilicis. More such discoveries may be in store in the not-too-distant future.
The data base of the research project EXOCAT, commissioned by the Catalonian government and coordinated by CREAF, has more than 1,100 exotic species registered in Catalonia, 111 of which are considered as invasive. This data base is a benchmark tool for improving policy on biological invasions and their control.
Created by CREAF and GBIF.ES, Natusfera consists of a web portal and application for mobile devices which will host information about living beings observed in nature including photo sharing and location. The European Citizen Science Association considers Natusfera to be a benchmark model for initiatives of this type, and has proposed that it be translated into as many languages as possible.
Today, May 25, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) publishes the Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas, first-ever of this topic. It’s a European Comission iniciative, available and free for everyone who is interested in. This atlas maps the soil biodiversity of the entire planet by providing an exhaustive analysis of soil organisms and the threats it has to face. Soil management could help the mitigation of the effects of climate change.
ECOPOTENTIAL Project is going Online! ECOPOTENTIAL is a large European-funded H2020 project that focuses its activities on a targeted set of internationally recognised Protected Areas, blending Earth Observations from remote sensing and field measurements, data analysis and modelling of current and future ecosystem conditions and services.
