Ana Villarroya
Universidad de Navarra, Environmental Biology, Department Member
The establishment of protected areas is one of the main tools used for biodiversity conservation, one of the components of environmental management. Although the theoretical framework for protected areas has been long known and discussed,... more
The establishment of protected areas is one of the main tools used for biodiversity
conservation, one of the components of environmental management. Although the theoretical
framework for protected areas has been long known and discussed, there are few data about their
practical effectiveness as a means to preserve biodiversity. Through the analysis of information
from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), we have looked for any relationship
between the protection status and the general species richness (i.e., number of all living species,
taken as a surrogate for biodiversity) in the Spanish Pyrenees. We found that higher protection
levels were associated to higher richness of non-endangered species. However, additional reliability
tests have shown that for endangered species, the amount of currently available data may still be
insufficient for effective management. To avoid this lack of reliability, enhancing public access to
biodiversity data or improving sampling effort is mandatory.
conservation, one of the components of environmental management. Although the theoretical
framework for protected areas has been long known and discussed, there are few data about their
practical effectiveness as a means to preserve biodiversity. Through the analysis of information
from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), we have looked for any relationship
between the protection status and the general species richness (i.e., number of all living species,
taken as a surrogate for biodiversity) in the Spanish Pyrenees. We found that higher protection
levels were associated to higher richness of non-endangered species. However, additional reliability
tests have shown that for endangered species, the amount of currently available data may still be
insufficient for effective management. To avoid this lack of reliability, enhancing public access to
biodiversity data or improving sampling effort is mandatory.
Research Interests:
The main scientific bibliography addressing the rationale behind ecological compensation is reviewed in order to examine general guidelines. This contains interesting general guidance on how to implement compensation, and provides the... more
The main scientific bibliography addressing the rationale behind ecological
compensation is reviewed in order to examine general guidelines. This contains interesting
general guidance on how to implement compensation, and provides the basis for future
developments in compensation practice. On this basis, we propose a further step in
compensation practice, advancing compensation proposals or rules for specific kinds of
projects and contexts, focusing on road projects in the Spanish Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA). Three main residual impacts of roads are identified which usually
remain uncompensated for: the loss of natural and semi-natural land use, the increase in
emissions resulting from any new road, and the fragmentation, severance or barrier effect
on the landscape and its wildlife. To counteract these, four proposals, or “rules”, are
advanced: conservation of natural and semi-natural land use area, conservation of
dominant plant species physiognomy, compensation for emissions, and the rule of positive
defragmentation.
compensation is reviewed in order to examine general guidelines. This contains interesting
general guidance on how to implement compensation, and provides the basis for future
developments in compensation practice. On this basis, we propose a further step in
compensation practice, advancing compensation proposals or rules for specific kinds of
projects and contexts, focusing on road projects in the Spanish Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA). Three main residual impacts of roads are identified which usually
remain uncompensated for: the loss of natural and semi-natural land use, the increase in
emissions resulting from any new road, and the fragmentation, severance or barrier effect
on the landscape and its wildlife. To counteract these, four proposals, or “rules”, are
advanced: conservation of natural and semi-natural land use area, conservation of
dominant plant species physiognomy, compensation for emissions, and the rule of positive
defragmentation.
Research Interests:
Road construction and improvement have long been studied as precursors of new development. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) of roads needs to gauge the phenomenon as long as possible, particularly across mountainous areas,... more
Road construction and improvement have long been studied as precursors of new development. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) of roads needs to gauge the phenomenon as long as possible, particularly across mountainous areas, because new urban and industrial uses on these valuable and fragile environments may cause significant impacts that should be counteracted to preserve their environmental quality. The aim of this article is to study and compare the occurrence of urban and industrial land-use changes, their rate and their distribution, between 1998 and 2010 and along two newly-built mountain motorways in Navarre (Spain), as a way to approximate the induction phenomenon. First, urban and industrial land-use changes have been identified, registered and mapped alongside each motorway. From these data, the maximum induction rate has been directly obtained, by hypothetically assuming that all of the new developments that took place alongside a route over a period of time had been induced by the newly-built motorway. This rate may be valuable in future environmental impact assessment scenarios. Land-use change data have been also set against the distance of the new developments to the motorway, the distribution of formerly existing urban and industrial settlements, and the steepness of the terrain, in order to make a preliminary approximation to how these factors may intervene in land use change processes around the studied motorways.
Research Interests:
To reduce ecological impacts caused by development projects, avoidance, minimization and compensation techniques have to be taken together into consideration along Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures. This paper explores the... more
To reduce ecological impacts caused by development projects, avoidance, minimization and compensation techniques have to be taken together into consideration along Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures. This paper explores the particular role that ecological compensation has had in recent road and railway EIA procedures in Spain, as seen through the review of a set of recent EIA Records of Decision (RODs) that confirms precedent
findings. Noticing that residual impacts are not paid much attention, and that
there is no evidence of a solid public participation in ecological impact evaluation, it proposes to increase the awareness on residual impacts, as a way to make easier public access to the allegedly most sensitive moment of EIA implementation: (residual) impact evaluation.
findings. Noticing that residual impacts are not paid much attention, and that
there is no evidence of a solid public participation in ecological impact evaluation, it proposes to increase the awareness on residual impacts, as a way to make easier public access to the allegedly most sensitive moment of EIA implementation: (residual) impact evaluation.
Research Interests:
We characterize the primary biodiversity data records that have been made public for retrieval for the Pyrenean region. Such data, spanning more than a hundred years, have been collected by many institutions and individual researchers and... more
We characterize the primary biodiversity data records that have been made public for retrieval for the Pyrenean region. Such data, spanning more than a hundred years, have been collected by many institutions and individual researchers and digitized in databases, some of which have been shared through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility platform by using a standard format, Darwin Core. The datasets are not homogeneous in extent, coverage, taxonomy, or accuracy. Differences arising from taxonomic depth or group, georeferencing precision, age of collection, and other features result in biases and gaps that may influence the fitness for use of such data. Knowledge of patterns found in the data may help researchers and managers operating in the Pyrenees to estimate the reliability of available information, and to assess what uses for the data are acceptable.
Research Interests:
Attempts to meet biodiversity goals through application of the mitigation hierarchy have gained wide traction globally with increased development of public policy, lending standards, and corporate practices. With interest in biodiversity... more
Attempts to meet biodiversity goals through application of the mitigation hierarchy have gained wide traction globally with
increased development of public policy, lending standards, and corporate practices. With interest in biodiversity offsets
increasing in Latin America, we seek to strengthen the basis for policy development through a review of major
environmental licensing policy frameworks in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Here we
focused our review on an examination of national level policies to evaluate to which degree current provisions promote
positive environmental outcomes. All the surveyed countries have national-level Environmental Impact Assessment laws or
regulations that cover the habitats present in their territories. Although most countries enable the use of offsets only Brazil,
Colombia, Mexico and Peru explicitly require their implementation. Our review has shown that while advancing quite
detailed offset policies, most countries do not seem to have strong requirements regarding impact avoidance. Despite this
deficiency most countries have a strong foundation from which to develop policy for biodiversity offsets, but several issues
require further guidance, including how best to: (1) ensure conformance with the mitigation hierarchy; (2) identify the most
environmentally preferable offsets within a landscape context; (3) determine appropriate mitigation replacement ratios; and
(4) ensure appropriate time and effort is given to monitor offset performance.
increased development of public policy, lending standards, and corporate practices. With interest in biodiversity offsets
increasing in Latin America, we seek to strengthen the basis for policy development through a review of major
environmental licensing policy frameworks in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Here we
focused our review on an examination of national level policies to evaluate to which degree current provisions promote
positive environmental outcomes. All the surveyed countries have national-level Environmental Impact Assessment laws or
regulations that cover the habitats present in their territories. Although most countries enable the use of offsets only Brazil,
Colombia, Mexico and Peru explicitly require their implementation. Our review has shown that while advancing quite
detailed offset policies, most countries do not seem to have strong requirements regarding impact avoidance. Despite this
deficiency most countries have a strong foundation from which to develop policy for biodiversity offsets, but several issues
require further guidance, including how best to: (1) ensure conformance with the mitigation hierarchy; (2) identify the most
environmentally preferable offsets within a landscape context; (3) determine appropriate mitigation replacement ratios; and
(4) ensure appropriate time and effort is given to monitor offset performance.