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F.J. Gómez et al. 2010. Land use changes and mixed forest dynamics. The case of Montiferru Mountains
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Land use changes and mixed forest dynamics. The case of Montiferru
Mountains (Sardinia, Italy) (1955-2006)
Francisco Javier Gómez * , Martí Boada & Diego Varga
Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Autonomous University of
Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Spain
Abstract
Land cover dynamics in forest landscapes are altered by the role of human-induced processes
linked to global change, especially to land use changes as a driving force and primary sector
activities as key factors. This study was conducted at oak (Quercus pubescens Mill.) and holm
oak (Quercus ilex L.) mixed forest patches located at Montiferru mountains (Sardinia, Italy).
The aim was to analyze land use & land cover changes during the last five decades, especially
reforestation due to forestland use decrease and abandonment circumstances linked to
traditional rural economies’ crisis. Changes observed have become apparent at different
biodiversity levels. Firstly, at ecological level mixed forestland surface has grown by mean 13%
and reforestation reached upper levels (ca. 25-30%) in areas characterized by low use recurrence.
Secondly, at species level despite the increase of deciduous oaks population in contrast to
previous decades, evergreen oaks tends to dominate mixed forest composition and regeneration
dynamics.
Keywords: Land use & cover changes, reforestation, mixed forest, Sardinia
1. Introduction
1.1 The role of land use changes into landscape dynamics
Classically land cover dynamics had been exclusively considered under biologist criteria but
nowadays this order is altered by human-induced processes in terms of global change (Turner et
al. 1995), especially by land use and its changes as key factors due to contemporaneous human
transformation capacity oversize (Vitousek et al. 1997; Folke et al. 2004). Recent Mediterranean
mountain landscape dynamics are highly determined by two basic premises related to land use
& cover changes. Firstly, the evolution of socioeconomic driving forces merge into strong land
use changes during the last half of XX th century, the most important is the decrease, and in most
cases, abandonment of primary sector activities. Secondly, the main response of these
landscapes is the increase of forestland surface. Some authors (Rudel et al. 2005) explain this
pattern as the last part of the forest transition; in that paradigm forestland surface becomes
historically reduced until a no-return point when trend reverses and forestland cover begins to
increases due to remove land use from disturbance regime (Perry 1998; Folke et al. 2004). One
of the principal phenomena derived from forest transition is reforestation defined as the
reestablishment of forest cover either naturally (by natural seedling, coppice, or root suckers) or
artificially (by direct seedling or planting) (IUFRO Silva Term database). In that sense, natural
reforestation is the most habitual land cover change related to land use change in some
Mediterranean mountain socioecosystems like the Montiferru mountains at Sardinia (Italy)
(Longitude 8º 33’ a 8º 39’ E; Latitude 40º 08’ a 40º 11’ N) where this study was conducted.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +34935812532 - Fax: +34935813331
Email address: franciscojavier.gomez@uab.es
Forest Landscapes and Global Change-New Frontiers in Management, Conservation and Restoration. Proceedings of the IUFRO Landscape Ecology
Working Group International Conference, September 21-27, 2010, Bragança, Portugal. J.C. Azevedo, M. Feliciano, J. Castro & M.A. Pinto (eds.)
2010, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal.