GREAT Med. Report of the regional involvement event in France (O3.2)

Transcription

1 GREAT Med Report of the regional involvement event in France (O3.2) 6 November 2014

2 AGENDA

3 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Agathe Leriche Aggeliki Doxa Alex Baumel Annie Aboucaya Arne Saatkamp Cécile Albert Cédric Palacio-Vidal Céline Hayot Clémence Guiller Coline Deniau Daniel Pavon Davide Astiaso Garcia Emi Martin-Queller Franck Torre Frédéric Médail HéloiseVanderpert Jean-Christophe de Massiac John Thompson Lara Dixon Lidwine Pecheux Perrine Gauthier Pierre-Jean Dumas Quentin Boisgontier Régine Verlaque Sophie Gachet Thierry Tatoni Thomas Galewski Virgile Noble

4 LIST OF INSTITUTIONS Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et Ecologie (AMU, CNRS) Bureau d'études ECOMED Centre d'ecologie fonctionnelle et évolutive (CNRS) Conservatoire Botanique National Méditerranéen Conservatoire d'espaces Naturels PACA Parc National des Calanques Parc National Port Cros Conseil Régional Provence-Alpes-Côte d'azur Tour du Valat University of Sapienza (Roma)

5 INTRODUCTION Within the framework of the GREAT Med project, the Mediterranean Institute of Biodiversity and Ecology organized an event of conferences and round tables in order to present the objectives and main axes of the project and to exchange with local partners from the PACA French region about the application of the results in terms of conservation and management in Mediterranean coast lands. The event was organized in Marseille on the 6 th November 2014 with the goal of creating a network of local partners and strengthen the exchange among scientists and managers. At this stage of the project, it was crucial to have the feedback of local actors in terms of needs, questions, experiences and perspectives on conservation, monitoring and vulnerability of coastal plant biodiversity. Eventually, such feedback will be integrated in the project goals and approaches. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTATIONS 1. Welcome, Presentation of the agenda and of the IMBE. The chairperson, Dr. Arne Saatkamp welcomes the participants and briefly introduces the main objectives of the regional involvement event. He presented the Mediterranean Institute of Biodiversity and Ecology (IMBE) and its main scientific axes. 2. Round table for introduction of each participant. Céline Hayot, Head of Biodiversity Project in the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes- Côte d'azur points out the contextualization of the objectives of the GREAT-Med project within the Regional Biodiversity Strategy, which goal is to define a common action framework to stop biodiversity loss. The evaluation of this strategy (SRCE presented below by JC de Massiac) currently only takes into account a list of ca 100 large animals, and is based on modelling; the GREAT-MED approach is welcomed as a highly complementary approach to this as it uses real observations, is plant-based and englobes a higher number of species. On 25 th November a regional meeting assises régionales de biodiversité will give another account of these approaches.

6 Invitation to all participants by Annie Aboucaya, scientific service of the National Park of Port Cros, to the presentation of the results of the Restauration Program (elimination of invasive species) in Bagaud island. 3. Presentation of the GREAT Med project by Dr. Arne Saatkamp, French member of the steering committee. Information by participants about other projects that have been done in other regions or other spatial resolutions and which may be useful for the development of the goals of GREAT Med. For instance, evolution of urban land use in Alpes Maritimes Region; indicators of human pressure at the PACA regional scale, in the framework of the Regional Scheme of Ecological Coherence. It has been emphasized that syntheses that are intelligible for non-biodiversity-specialists and decision-makers are particularly useful as a potential outputs of GREAT-MED. 4. Presentation of some of the methodologies and preliminary results in WP4 by Dr. Emi Martín Queller. In particular, results of the report on the state of the art of biodiversity were presented, discussing the selected biodiversity and human pressure indicators, and the limitations found for the harmonization among the five study sites in the Mediterranean. Also, the modelling approach based on ecological theory, concepts, methods and expected results. The importance of distinguishing urban land use from agricultural land use, due to the more permeable nature of the latter for ecological fluxes, or even the role of extensive agriculture to replace or even complement the ecological resources provided by seminatural habitats, has been proposed and discussed among participants. As for biodiversity indicators, the need to put into geographical context the concept of rarity and irreplaceability has been noted by J Thompson (CEFE); this in order to minimize the risk of over-emphasizing common species in protection strategies. 5. Presentation of some of the methodologies and preliminary results in WP4 by Dr. Aggeliki Doxa. In particular, results and applicability of the analysis of sampling bias of the SILENE database were presented, and the modelling approach based on niche distribution modelling. Approaches concerning the complementarity of protected sites were discussed among participants. Concepts of rarity and species specialization were also evoked. Policy makers from the PACA Regional Council made some considerations about the context of decreasing budget to conserve current protected areas and the implied difficulties to conserve and monitor new sites that may probably result from the GREAT-Med studies. Participants agreed, however, on the necessity of having science-based knowledge on the efficacy of current reserves network in the context of global change. An explicit analysis of complementarity (via beta-diversity) as planned by GREAT-MED in the case of prioritization schemes is also underlined.

7 6. Presentation of the goals and approaches of WP5 by Dr. Davide Astiaso Garcia, Italian member of the steering committee (University of Sapienza, beneficiary). In particular, he presented the modelling approaches and expected results of analysis of hazard and impact of pollution due to oil and hazardous substances and fragmentation. It is highlighted the importance of also considering the risk and impact of urban sewage and leisure use of boats. 7. Presentation of the Regional Scheme of Ecological Coherence in PACA by Jean-Christophe de Massiac, from ECOMED environmental consulting bureau. The Regional Scheme of Ecological Coherence (SRCE) is a French planning document created by the Grenelle laws 1 and 2 (2009, 2010). It is the regional component of the Green and Blue network measures (Trame Verte et Bleue), which aim at halting the loss of biodiversity by participating in the preservation, management and delivery of ecological continuity, taking into account human activities. The need to repeat this planning at higher spatial resolutions is indicated. Potential benefices and applicability of the results of GREAT Med are discussed, highlighting the need of presenting them in a clear manner to policy makers. 8. Presentation by Dr. John Thompson, from the CEFE research center, of their experience of mapping of vulnerability and the importance of a multi-scale approach. Presentation of criteria and methods for species prioritization for conservation at regional (for the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France) and national levels. Three types of criteria were presented based on species rarity, endemism and vulnerability based on the risk of habitat loss. J Thompson insisted on the impact and biases of spatial scale of target surfaces on the evaluation of vulnerability, which can arise from the level at which data are aggregated. Protocol for monitoring the conservation status and population dynamics of plant species to provide management guidelines at the metapopulation level, it is noted that the guidelines for monitoring of populations such proposed by Schemske et al; 1994 (Evaluating approaches to the conservation of rare and endangered plants. Ecology, 75(3): ) are generally impossible to meet in most real world monitoring schemes, and an alternative but highly effective scheme is proposed. 9. Presentation by Annie Aboucaya of the Port Cros National Park: main missions, reference documents, elaborated maps, field work agenda (plant inventory and species monitoring). Presentation of a restauration plan in the Bagaud Island, from 2010, the eradication actions of invasive species, and monitoring and preliminary results of the impacts of such intervention on the ecosystem.

8 10. Presentation of the SILENE database (which is used in the French study site within the GREAT Med Project) by Virgile Noble, from the National Mediterranean Botanical Conservatory of Porquerolles (CBN Med).This database, created in until now, has information on 7370 taxa of vascular plants, and 4 million validated observations. After an accumulation phase (validation and harmonization of information coming from bibliography, collections, researches, and other sources), the institution is starting a homogenization phase: completing under-sampled landscapes. 11. Presentation by Héloise Vanderpert, from the Conservatory of natural areas in the PACA region (CEN PACA). The CEN PACA is an association in charge of monitoring, protecting and managing areas with high ecological importance. The Association either acquires the areas or signs a management convention. The difficulties of finding a balance between human activities and conservation was highlighted during the presentation. 12. Dr. Thomas Galewski, from the Tour du Valat a private research center, presented the Observatory of Mediterranean wetlands, which main objective is to evaluate and monitor the state and trends of Mediterranean wetlands. Ecological quality and pressure indicators across the Mediterranean Basin were presented at the country level (number of wetlands and their surface, conservation state of specialist species, water consumption indices, etc.). Information at a more detailed resolution was also obtained for some wetlands through satellite images analysis generating a water/inundation index. 13. Dr. Cécile Albert, researcher CNRS, presented an example of a connectivity analysis and discussed the potential implications for the Province region. Concepts of land use changes and their implications to this connectivity were discussed among participants. 14. At p.m. the Chair thanked participants for their contributions and declared the meeting closed.

9 KEY CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The Regional Scheme of Ecological Coherence in PACA is the official document for biodiversity conservation at the regional level, and therefore an important reference for the French study site in the GREAT Med project. Such document identifies areas that are important to assure an ecological continuity across the whole PACA region, and will therefore help to contextualize the results of the Project, at higher spatial resolution and for coastal flora. The experience of the research group of Dr. John Thompson on monitoring of plant species populations, and the cost-efficient method they presented will certainly inspire the protocol for biodiversity monitoring prepared in the framework of GREAT Med project. Their synthesis of programs held in the Languedoc-Roussillon region is available through a number of reports and scientific papers that can be used as examples by the GREAT-Med project when conducting the vulnerability analyses. Specific knowledge on human capacity, resources and time schedule of activities in the Mediterranean coast, as the example of Port Cros and CEN PACA presented in this event, will guarantee the feasibility and applicability of the project s outputs. Similarly, interventions made by Biodiversity policy makers in the PACA Region were insightful for the contextualization of the GREAT Med project with regard to other local, regional and national French projects for plant biodiversity conservation and management. SILENE database is a valuable source of biodiversity information in the French study site, but its use also implies a great challenge for the analysis and correction of the multiple biases it presents. The preliminary work conducted by IMBE in this line will certainly help to optimize decisions for the database improvement, while the expertise of the National Mediterranean Botanical Conservatory will guide and enrich posterior analyses using SILENE. The work developed by the Tour du Valat on wetlands, in the last years has many similarities with the objectives and methodologies of the GREAT Med project. In particular, the difficulties found for the comparison of data across countries in the Mediterranean; the lack of data in some countries; the identification of ecological quality and human pressure indicators in order to assess the vulnerability (in this case of wetland systems); the analysis of land-use change and its impact on biodiversity. The experience and expertise of this group will therefore beneficiate the development of a transferable toolkit for biodiversity vulnerability analyses across the Mediterranean.

10 This regional event has allowed the intensification of exchange among local actors in the PACA Region (France) resulting in fruitful debates and generating new ideas for the future development of WP4 in the GREAT Med Project. The event was appreciated by the participants (see results of the evaluation questionnaire) and future outputs coming from the Project will undoubtedly contribute to the tasks of conservation and management of coastal flora performed by the participant Institutions, integrating them at the Mediterranean basin scale. Most participant institutions are willing to join the GREAT Med network (see questionnaire) which will facilitate and guarantee further exchange and collaborations at the regional and basin levels.

11 RESULTS OF THE EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE Rating scale: 1: extremely unsatisfied; 5: Extremely satisfied MEAN SD How satisfied were you with the event? How would you rate the workshop organization (venue, registration procedure, timing, etc.)? Was the event length too long, too short, or about right? Do you feel that conservation measures should be a priority in your local coastal areas? YES NO NA Did the event add to your knowledge concerning the Mediterranean coastal areas & their threats? Would you be interested in participating to further GREAT Med dissemination activities? Would you join our network? Do you have any other comments, suggestions, or concerns? - A lot of general conservation issues - A little lack of time for exchange among all participants - Well organized in general, but small timing problem - Themes addressed undoubtedly too diversified