Changing Mediterranean Landscapes

Symposium organised by:

Linda Olsvig-Whittaker, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Jerusalem, Israel
Linda.Whittaker@npa.org.il

Stefan Schindler, Department for Conservation Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
stefan.schindler@univie.ac.at

Summary

The symposium will explore the shared concerns and possible shared solutions for landscape conservation in the Mediterranean Basin. Many of the threats and pressures experienced by Mediterranean nations will be discussed along with changes to coastal landscapes.

Description

The Mediterranean Basin is a coherent ecological region which includes parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. These Mediterranean nations share many common features, including long human occupation history, very dynamic, diverse and heterogeneous landscapes and resilience to disturbance. They also experience common pressures, such as rapid change due to urbanization, rural depopulation, decreased rainfall, increased fire frequency, tourism, competing demands for pastoral and agricultural land and uncontrolled development.  Long human occupation has created adaptable anthropogenic landscapes, but the rate of change may now exceed their resilience.  The sea itself experiences increased change from overfishing, pollution, invasive species, and anticipated increases in coastal storm damage due to climate change.

The theme of this symposium will be shared problems and shared solutions for landscape conservation under current pressures in the Mediterranean Basin. The sea itself is a central feature of the Mediterranean Basin, and this symposium will be open to examination of changes in coastal landscapes due to marine factors such as overfishing, sedimentation, and invasive species. The symposium aims to bring together experts to share knowledge on landscape conservation concerns across the Mediterranean Basin.

Impact

This symposium will help to inform the aims of the Society for Conservation Biology Mediterranean Committee (http://www.conbio.org/groups/sections/europe/mediterranean-committee). A publishable report summarising the results of the symposium will be written by the organisers and available online. A database of expertise is envisaged to enable ecologists and conservationists working in the Mediterranean Basin to network and collaborate. This database will help to develop an active Mediterranean conservation working group.

Oral presentations

Title
Options for monitoring landscapes, habitats and biodiversity within Mediterranean Type Ecosystems: lessons learned from the EBONE project
Philip Roche, Irstea, SEDYVIN, UR EMAX, Aix-en-...
Ups-and-downs of Mediterranean terraced landscapes: comparative study of four cases in different countries
BARATA, F. T. - CIDEHUS / University of Évora...
Geospatial Analysis of Development Trends in the Mediterranean Coastal Landscape
Hakan Alphan1,2 Nil Celik1 Laden Guvensoy1...
Spatial transformations and the reintroduction of lost common practices of rural landscapes in the Mediterranean Appenines
Rebekka Dossche1, Diego Moreno1, Carlo Montanari1...
Are the land managers behaviors out of step with their attitudes? A Multifunctionality transition typology bounded by post-productivist & productivist action & thought.
Filipe Barrosoa, Teresa Pinto-Correiaa, Isabel...
Modelling the number of invasive plants in Croatia according to the habitats and bioclimatic factors: importance of the quality of the data.
Andreja Radović, Toni Nikolić, Nina Vuković and...
Can mismatches between habitat preferences and nest survival cause ecological traps for birds in intensive Mediterranean farmland?
Stefan Schindler1, Luís Reino1, Joana Santana1,...
The soundscape approach for the assessment and conservation of Mediterranean landscapes: principles and case studies
Almo Farina Department of Basic Sciences and...
Time-lags in the responses of agro-steppe species to landscape changes
Aurora Torres • Jochen Jaeger • Juan C. Alonso A...
Multi-temporal analysis of ecosystem integrity in coastal dunes
Mita DRIUS · Marco MALAVASI · Alicia Teresa...
Lifelines for Ramat Hanadiv: the necessity of ecological corridors in Northern Israel
Theo van der Sluis*, Michiel van Eupen* , Naomi...
Transformation of Submediterranean landscapes of Russia
Marina N. Petrushina, Ksenia A. ...
Recruitment collapse induced by traditional management and land use changes in a population of Pyrus bourgaeana in Sierra Morena (Spain)
Salvador Arenas Castro1* 1Faculty of...
Roads and roadless areas in Natura 2000 sites in Cyprus
Zomeni, M., Vogiatzakis, I.N. School of Pure...