Download Assessment of sparsely vegetated land ecosystems and their

Assessment of sparsely vegetated land
ecosystems and their services in East
Rhodope Mts (Bulgaria)
Svetlana Bancheva1, Vladimir Vladimirov1, Petar Dimov2, Malina Delcheva1, Toshko
Lyubomirov1
1Institute
of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev, bl. 23, 1113-Sofia,
Bulgaria, [email protected]
2Forest
Research Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 132, St. Kliment Ohridski Blvd., Sofia, Bulgaria
General description
• Project: “Mapping and assessment of Sparsely vegetated land ecosystem
services in Bulgaria (SPA-EcoServices)”, co-funded by the Financial Mechanism
of the European Economic Area 2009-2014 and the Bulgarian State Budget
• Methodology for assessment and mapping of SPARSELY VEGETATED LAND
ecosystems condition and their services in Bulgaria, Part B6 (Sopotlieva et al.,
2016). The proposed typology of sparsely vegetated land ecosystems
corresponds with the ecosystem classification of MAES (2013) combined with
the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) habitat classification types
• Activity period: 11.2015 – 03.2017
• Sparsely vegetated area assessment is made on a national level, outside
NATURA 2000 network sites
Stages of the mapping and assessment process
• Creating a GIS vector model of sparsely vegetated lands based on
all spatial data available
• In-situ verification and field data collection (establishing plots on
random selected areas) and ex-situ verification (100% of the GIS
model features)
• In-situ verification on selected areas of special interest
• Ecosystem state and ecosystem services assessment based on
collected plot data
Region of East Rhodopes
• Located in Southern Bulgaria and Northern
Greece
• 12200 square km in Bulgarian territory
• Average height 350 m above sea level (varies
between 50 and 1500 m)
• Climate type is Transitional continental and
Mediterranean continental
• Different types of intrusive, sedimentary,
volcanic (Paleogene), and metamorphic
bedrock types
• Great biodiversity rate with many rare and
endangered species
• Variety of historical and cultural monuments,
directly related to sparsely vegetated lands
Sparsely vegetated ecosystems in Eastern Rhodopes
• EUNIS H2 – Screes: Accumulations
of boulders, stones, rock fragments,
pebbles, gravels or finer material, of
non-aeolian depositional origin,
unvegetated, occupied by lichens or
mosses, or colonized by sparse
herbs or shrubs
(HD 92/42/EEC – 8110, 8120)
• EUNIS H3 – Inland cliffs, rock
pavements and outcrops:
Unvegetated, sparsely vegetated,
and bryophyte- or lichen-vegetated
cliffs, rock faces and rock pavements
in inland areas
(HD 92/42/EEC – 8210, 8220, 8230)
Sparsely vegetated ecosystems in Eastern Rhodopes
• Dense rock formations of many
bedrock types
• Rock screes
• Volcanic ash and rhyolite
formations
• Geology, erosion and weathering
processes can often cause weird
and unique rock formations,
especially in volcanic and volcanicsedimentary rocks
Sparsely vegetated land sites
• In Eastern Rhodopes, most of the sites are located in the western half of the
region (Kurdjali area), as in the eastern part there are several NATURA 2000
sites, mainly BG0001032 (Rhodopes - Eastern)
• Around 1000 sparcely vegetated land sites, covering area of appr. 3000 ha
Ecosystem type distribution GIS model as the first step
Polygon check and re-digitalization to improve model quality
Field work at mechanically selected or intentionally chosen sites
• Field data collection on several parameters:
Biodiversity within the site (flora and fauna) – number of species in and near the
plot, endangered species (red list), invasive species, overall vegetation coverage
Landscape aesthetic value assessment (picturesque landscapes and formations)
Land use and human impact assessment of the site area (in-situ and ex-situ):
neighboring agricultural lands; livestock breeding (incl. grazing), erosion,
household waste pollution, fire damage
Protected areas, tourism, historical and cultural sites and events, visitor centers,
scientific research in the area
Intentionally chosen sites
• Intended on field (sites near the previously selected)
• Sites missing in the input spatial data for the
ecosystem distribution model, or specific formations
• Sites near fortifications and sanctuary complexes,
natural phenomena – often tourist attractions with
permanent human presence
Using a UAV to help site verification and spatial precising in GIS
Importing field data to the temporary GIS model
Importing field data to the temporary GIS model
• 91 of total 553 plots are in Eastern Rhodopes
• Plots have been established in 63 sites
• All parameter data from the plot forms is imported in GIS tables
Basic parameter statistics
• Mean vegetation cover is 26% (greater rates generally come from lichens and
mosses, can reach up to 100%)
• Mean in-plot flora species count is 6 (varies from 0 to 23 per plot)
• Mean near-plot flora species count is 26 (not including in-plot species)
• Mean fauna species count is 18
• 82 of 91 plots have at least one wildlife animal species from the red list
• 61 of 91 plots have at least one flora species from the red list
• Only 5 sites have an invasive species of the flora and none has one of the fauna
• At least 40 of the visited sites are near a historical site, landscape with high
aesthetic value or in a tourist area
• 29 sites have grazing or other livestock breeding use (much higher percent than
average for the country)
• 13 sites have household waste pollution issues
Thank you for your attention!