Magda Pla

Figure S1. Annual average daily mean temperatures in Spain for the period 1850-2005. Represented values are anomalies (in °C) from the mean values from 1961 to 1990, as reported by Brunet et al. (2007). Squares and whiskers are mean and standard error values for the periods 1850-1870, 1900-1920 and 1990-2005. A and B mark the significant differences among periods found by a Tukey HSD post-hoc test (P< 0.001). The temporal temperature trend is represented by a weighted average line with a 10-year period Brunet M et al. 2007 Temporal and spatial temperature variability and change over Spain during 1850–2005. J. Geophys. Res. 112, D12117.; Figure S2. Response curves of thermic suitability for trout to temperature variables using data from 1850 and 2000. The values shown are average suitability for temperature categories of 0.5 °C intervals, using 2000 temperature as a reference. Annual mean, July maximum and January minimum have 32, 36 and 35 categories, respectively. The curves sho...

After the recent outbreak of pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) was observed in 2016, we attempted to estimate the damage severity in Catalonia, Spain. In this study pre-outbreak and post-outbreak images were obtained from Landsat 8 to capture the maximum defoliation period over winter. The difference in vegetation index (dVI) was used as a change detection indicator and was further calibrated with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery. Linear regression models between predicted dVI and observed defoliation % by UAV were compared among five selected dVIs for the coefficient of determination. Our results found that the goodness of fit was highest at 0.787 (R2) using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which may be promising for estimating the severity of defoliation in affected areas where ground-truth data is limited. We concluded with the high potential of using UAVs as an alternative method to ground-truth data for cost-effective forest monitoring.

Historical species records offer an excellent opportunity to test the predictive ability of range forecasts under climate change, but researchers often consider that historical records are scarce and unreliable, besides the datasets collected by renowned naturalists. Here, we demonstrate the relevance of biodiversity records generated through citizen-science initiatives generated outside the natural sciences academia. We used a Spanish geographical dictionary from the mid-nineteenth century to compile over 10 000 freshwater fish records, including almost 4000 brown trout (<i>Salmo trutta</i>) citations, and constructed a historical presence–absence dataset covering over 2000 10 × 10 km cells, which is comparable to present-day data. There has been a clear reduction in trout range in the past 150 years, coinciding with a generalized warming. We show that current trout distribution can be accurately predicted based on historical records and past and present values of three air temperature variables. The models indicate a consistent decline of average suitability of around 25% between 1850s and 2000s, which is expected to surpass 40% by the 2050s. We stress the largely unexplored potential of historical species records from non-academic sources to open new pathways for long-term global change science.

Abstract Mountain regions in Western Europe have gone through a massive rural–urban migration and the collapse of their traditional socioeconomic system. As a result, forest has occupied many old pastures and croplands. In protected areas – such as National Parks – changes in the landscape can affect biodiversity and other services, including the values that motivated their declaration. Any policy decision in these areas requires quantifying the extent and impact of land-cover changes and their consequences on landscape structure and functioning. In this study we analyze the patterns of change in forest cover during six decades in three mountain National Parks in Spain. Our aim is to quantify those patterns, their effects on the landscape, and discuss the potential consequences for the main natural values and services. We assessed changes in forest cover through reclassification of aerial ortophotographs taken in 1956–57 (past images) and 2016–17 (recent images). The three Parks show a relatively low change in total forest area (+5–10%), and a much larger increase in dense forest (+20–30%), with an important effect of land-use legacies, and similar patterns of landscape homogenization. There were fewer but larger forest patches in 2016 than in 1956, and most of the gain in dense forest occurred in core areas (+20%), while transition areas such as edges, bridges or loops decreased between 30 and 55%. Given their potential consequences on biodiversity and other services, these patterns of land-cover change and landscape configuration should be explicitly considered when designing the sustainable management of abandoned landscapes in protected areas.

Periodical outbreaks of Thaumetopoea pityocampa feeding on pine needles may pose a threat to Mediterranean coniferous forests by causing severe tree defoliation, growth reduction, and eventually mortality. To cost–effectively monitor the temporal and spatial damages in pine–oak mixed stands using unmanned aerial systems (UASs) for multispectral imagery, we aimed at developing a simple thresholding classification tool for forest practitioners as an alternative method to complex classifiers such as Random Forest. The UAS flights were performed during winter 2017–2018 over four study areas in Catalonia, northeastern Spain. To detect defoliation and further distinguish pine species, we conducted nested histogram thresholding analyses with four UAS-derived vegetation indices (VIs) and evaluated classification accuracy. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and NDVI red edge performed the best for detecting defoliation with an overall accuracy of 95% in the total study area. F...

Making agricultural production compatible with the conservation of biological diversity is a priority in areas in which human–wildlife conflicts arise. The threatened Western Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) feeds on rice, inducing crop damage and leading to decreases in rice production. Due to the Swamphen protection status, economic compensation policies have been put in place to compensate farmers for these damages, thus requiring an accurate, quantitative, and cost-effective evaluation of rice crop losses over large territories. We used information captured from a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) equipped with a multispectral Parrot SEQUOIA camera as ground-truth information to calibrate Sentinel-2 imagery to quantify damages in the region of Ebro Delta, western Mediterranean. UAV vegetation index NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) allowed estimation of damages in rice crops at 10 cm pixel resolution by discriminating no-green vegetation pixels. Once co-registered with Sen...

The pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa Dennis and Schiff.), one of the major defoliating insects in Mediterranean forests, has become an increasing threat to the forest health of the region over the past two decades. After a recent outbreak of T. pityocampa in Catalonia, Spain, we attempted to estimate the damage severity by capturing the maximum defoliation period over winter between pre-outbreak and post-outbreak images. The difference in vegetation index (dVI) derived from Landsat 8 was used as the change detection indicator and was further calibrated with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery. Regression models between predicted dVIs and observed defoliation degrees by UAV were compared among five selected dVIs for the coefficient of determination. Our results found the highest R-squared value (0.815) using Moisture Stress Index (MSI), with an overall accuracy of 72%, as a promising approach for estimating the severity of defoliation in affected areas where ground-...

Historical species records offer an excellent opportunity to test the predictive ability of range forecasts under climate change, but researchers often consider that historical records are scarce and unreliable, besides the datasets collected by renowned naturalists. Here, we demonstrate the relevance of biodiversity records developed through citizen-science initiatives generated outside the natural sciences academia. We used a Spanish geographical dictionary from the mid-nineteenth century to compile over 10 000 freshwater fish records, including almost 4 000 brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) citations, and constructed a historical presence–absence dataset covering over 2 000 10 × 10 km cells, which is comparable to present-day data. There has been a clear reduction in trout range in the past 150 years, coinciding with a generalized warming. We show that current trout distribution can be accurately predicted based on historical records and past and present values of three air temperatur...

Species distribution models (SDMs) have been widely tagged as valuable tools in a variety of conservation assessments to address pressing conservation problems. However, these solutions could be hampered by difficulties to overcome the knowledge-action boundary between conservation and modelling practice. These difficulties have been well typified in the ecological modelling sphere, but a specific conceptual framework on how to bridge this gap is still lacking. This work reports successful examples on how to use SDMs to identify the most favourable habitats for implementing conservation management actions. We use these examples to discuss about the three main topics that deserve special attention to help enhance information flow between practitioners and modellers: the decision context, the modelling framework and the spatial products. Finally, we suggest some practical solutions to improve applications of effective conservation action on the ground. We emphasize the importance of matching modelling goals and decision targets by a close collaboration of modellers with decision makers and species experts. Moreover, we highlight the key role of clear and useful spatial products to provide relevant and timely feedback to increase understanding and promote utilisation by conservation practitioners, and to inform and involve targeted audiences.

... EL PROYECTO CARTOBIO: CARTOGRAFÍA DE ESPECIES DE CONSERVACIÓN PRIORITARIA DE CATALUÑA Brotons, L.1, Pla, M.1, Villero, D.1, Ruíz-Olmo, J.2 y Camps, D.2 1 Centre Tecnològic Forestal de Catalunya. Crta. Sant Llorenç km. ... Dr. Roux 80, 08017 Barcelona. ...

... HÁBITAT Brotons, L.1; Pla, M.1; Villero, D. 1; Ruíz-Olmo, J.2 y Camps, D.2 (1) Centre Tecnològic Forestal de Catalunya (CTFC). ... Departament de Medi Ambient y Habitatge, Generalitat de Catalunya). Dr. Roux, 80 08017 Barcelona. RESUMEN ...