COST-STSM-FP

Transcription

1 COST-STSM-FP Gathering geographic data from published sources and using the collected information to complete and improve the accuracy of distribution maps of 24 Mediterranean tree species. Prepared by Nadine Wazen

2 I- INTRODUCTION Within the framework of the FAO / FFEM / Blue Plan project Optimizing the production of goods and services in Mediterranean forest ecosystems under climate change, component 1 of the project targets the production of data and development of tools to support decision and management of vulnerable Mediterranean forest ecosystems affected by climate change and the ability of these forest ecosystems to adapt to global change. One of the tasks of component 1 aims at collecting basic information on the geographic distribution of core and marginal populations of a number of key forest tree species in the Mediterranean, along with their ecological and genetic attributes. Based on the description of 7 pilot sites (in Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco where the project is being implemented), 24 tree species were selected due to their importance in the Mediterranean basin and Mediterranean forestry, and we started collecting information on their geographic distribution in order to produce distribution maps for these species. The major source of information available to create these maps was online databases (for example EUFORGEN, GBIF), some information was sent to us by experts who work or worked on the species. While searching through the online databases for distribution information, we noticed there was a distinct lack of online information regarding North African and East Mediterranean countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Lebanon where the pilot sites are located. However, a major part of information regarding trees species in these countries is available either as hardcopies (paper maps) or in scientific publications where geographic coordinates of populations are mentioned. Therefore it was important to gather all remaining data from scientific publications and digitize existing paper maps of distribution that are not available in a digital format yet in order to complete and improve the final distribution maps of the 24 species.

3 This report details the work that was carried out at INRA Avignon, that aimed at improving the quality of distribution maps of 24 species. Below is a table showing the Latin and common names of the 24 species. Latin name Acer hyrcanum subsp. tauricolum (Boiss. & Balansa) Yalt. Arbutus unedo L. Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) Manetti ex Carriere Cedrus libani A. Rich. Chamaerops humilis L. Ilex aquifolium L. Juniperus drupacea Labill. Juniperus excelsa M.-Bieb. Juniperus oxycedrus L. Juniperus phoenicea L. Laurus nobilis L. Pinus brutia Ten. Pinus halepensis Mill. Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold Pinus pinea L. Pistacia lentiscus Platanus orientalis L. Quercus coccifera L. Quercus cerris L. Quercus ilex L. Quercus canariensis Willd. Common name Taurus Maple/Érable du Taurus Strawberry tree/arbousier Atlas Cedar/Cèdre de l'atlas Cedar of Lebanon/Cèdre du Liban Mediterranean dwarf palm/palmier nain Holly/Houx Syrian juniper/genévrier de Syrie Greek juniper/genévrier grec Prickly juniper/genévrier oxycèdre Phoenician juniper/genévrier rouge Bay laurel/laurier noble Turkish pine/pin de Calabre Aleppo pine/pin d'alep European black pine/pin noir Stone pine/pin pignon Mastic tree/lentisque Oriental plane/platane d'orient Kermes oak/chêne kermès Turkey oak/chêne de Turquie Holm oak/chêne vert Algerian oak/chêne Zéen ou zen

4 Quercus suber L. Taxus baccata L. Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Mast. Cork oak/chêne liège European yew/if Barbary thuja/thuya de Berberie II- STRATEGY TASK 1: Extracting geographic information from scientific publications. As part of the work carried for the FAO project, we have been gathering online scientific publication by searching Web of Science for publications containing geographic keywords such as latitude/longitude combined with the Latin name of the species. Eventually the geographic data extracted will be added to the currently existing database that is being compiled and used to improve the accuracy of distribution. However the current report will be focusing on Task 2. TASK 2: Digitizing paper maps. A great number of maps showing the distribution of tree species in certain countries or areas are still in hard copy. During this STSM we digitized distribution maps available on any of the 24 species, using specific tools in GIS software, and then added the new information to the distribution maps that were already being prepared. TASK 3: Finalizing maps and making them available. The final maps will show the distribution of key Mediterranean species, the location of their marginal populations, using the best available information. Maps will be updatable and made available to the FP1202 Cost action community.

5 III- MATERIAL AND METHOD A- The maps digitized come from different sources, the following are the main references used: 1- K. Browitz, 1982, Chorology of trees and shrubs in South-West Asia and adjacent Regions. 2- P. Quézel & S. Santa, 1962, Nouvelle Flore de l Algérie et des régions désertiques méridionales, Centre national de la Recherche scientifique. 3- M. Fennane, 1999, Flore pratique du Maroc, manuel de détermination des plantes vasculaires vol 1: Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae, Angiospermae (Lauraceae- Neuradaceae), Institut Scientifique - Université Mohammed V - Agdal, Rabat 4- L. Boulos, 1999, Flora of Egypt, Volume 1: Azollaceae-Oxalidaceae, Al Hadara Publishing 5- O. de Bolòs & J. Vigo, Flora dels Països Catalans, Vol I-IV, Editoriol Barcino 6- M. Gounot, J.L. Guillerm, A. Schoenenberger, 1965, Carte phyto-écologique de la Tunisie Septentrionale Feuille I CAP BON La Goulette Sousse, CNRS/CEPE 7- A. Bigot, C. Floret, J.L. Guillerm, J.C. Jacquinet, A. Soler, 1965 Carte phytoécologique de la Tunisie Septentrionale Feuille II Bizerte - Tunis, CNRS/CEPE. B- The Software used was Quantum GIS Dufour. In total 77 Maps were digitized. Around 5500 entries (points/polygons) were created C- The approach used to create the final maps was the following: 1- High resolution scanning of paper maps 2- Georeferencing (orthorectification) each map 3- Digitizing the maps by creating shapefiles 4- Separating the data created in shapefiles by species. 5- Compiling all created data to create maps per species.

6 IV- RESULTS The data compiled allowed us to create a distribution map for each of the 24 species, with some species having only 1 source of information, while others having several. Following are a few of the created maps. N.B. In all the maps, the area in grey showing the countries of native distribution is based on a compilation of information from mainly 3 sources: 1- EURO+MED Plantbase ( 2- KEW World Checklist ( 3- Med-Checklist ( N.B. The data on these websites was retrieved no later than July Arbutus unedo

7 Cedrus atlantica Cedrus libani In this map the data includes Cedrus libani ssp. brevifolia, although the Cedrus libani that interests us is the Lebanese cedar/taurus Cedar that is present in Turkey, Syria and Lebanon

8 Chamaerops humilis Ilex aquifolium

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10 Juniperus phoenicea

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12 V- CHALLENGES and PERSPECTIVE If we look at the sources of information separately, generally in all maps, we have 3 types of data: 1- The data that provides information on the specific area of presence of the species (ex: Carte phyto-ecologique de la Tunisie septentrionale) these maps provide detailed information on the species, the areas where it is located and sometimes the name of other species that are present with it. 2- The data that provides more of a general information on the potential are of presence or occurrence (ex: the Catalan flora). These maps show huge areas of distribution that could go from a country to another, sometimes even include a whole country or island 3- The data that describes, in a text, the species as present in a certain area, and the only map would be the map of the country divided into areas. (ex: Flore Nouvelle de l Algérie, Flore pratique du Maroc, Flora of Egypt). In these cases the present/absence was visualized by highlighting the whole area. Meaning if a text would say that the species is present in the North in sections A and B, then the sections A and B would be shown as areas of presence. The different type of data compiled throughout this work provided in itself a challenge to 1- be used together on one map, 2- show information as accurate as possible. The main problem was that for certain countries only the more general data was available while for others a combination of accuracy and generality was possible. This type of problem can be resolved by getting data of National Forests Inventories from countries. Also by getting feedback from experts who worked on the species, and who could narrow down the global area of distribution. Another challenge we faced was the lack of specifity sometimes in the maps, especially when forests shown would not specify the species mentioning only the Genus. It was also important to look out for different Genus or species name for the species that interest us, considering that some of these maps are more than 50 years old. For example in some references Tetraclinis articulata was described as Callitris articulata, also Quercus canariensis was described as Quercus faginea, (zeen oak). Globally the digitized maps provided a great input, and helped us find data on mostly all regions, however there still a need to filter the data and choose between global data vs. No data to put on a detailed map. In the future it would be very important as mentioned earlier to check the national inventories (when made available) to narrow down and specify the areas of distribution. The maps of the 24 species should soon be available for the scientific and forest management and policy communities. They will make it possible, among other things, to locate marginal populations based on geographical marginality criteria (i.e. at a certain threshold distance from the limit of the distribution area).

13 Finally it is important to point out two things: 1- The maps presented in this work show merely the result of the compilation of data from a number of published maps. All the data shown on the maps is reproduced from publications, therefore any inaccurate data found should be traced back to the original publication. 2- Since this work is not a comprehensive compilation of all scientific literature and data available on the 24 species, the information provided in the maps is very possibly incomplete.