The Site of Community Importance Murgia Alta IT9120007 is located in Puglia, Italy, and it has an area of 1258,89 km2. The most important habitat types in this site, according to 42/93/EEC directive are 6210(*)Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates (Festuco-Brometalia) (*important orchid sites) and 6220* Pseudo-steppe with grasses and annuals of the Thero-Brachypodietea. The regional Authority, in charge for compliance to the Habitat directive is most concerned of the degradation of the habitat (loss, fragmentation, quality depletion) particularly in connection to the conservation of Falco biarmicus feldeggi and Falco naumanii, (globally threatened and priority species according to the Bird Directive). These species are present in the reproductive phonological phase. About ten years were elapsed in the boundaries definition of the SCI Murgia Alta IT9120007, located in a hill area of Regione Puglia and to formalize its inclusion in Natura 2000 network. In such a time span the area, which is characterized by the presence of unique highly diverse ecosystems and also of endemic and threatened species, was exposed to a tremendously accelerated process of habitat fragmentation and contamination both within and at its borders by a number of combined pressures. Among these: •the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) drove transformation of grassland pastures into agricultural (cereal crops) areas by stone (rock) graining (clearance), which also induced soil erosion and sediment deposition in aquifer, contamination; •the illegal waste and toxic mud dumping on transformed areas causing heavy metal contamination of soils and aquifer system; •the increasing of traditional legal and illegal mining activities; wind farms infrastructures. •below-average precipitation for many years.

Closed monodominant beech forest; Stand age: 80 years; average tree height 28m.

3M_RECITAL - MINHO, MONDEGO, AND MIRA ESTUARIES observatory: Long term vaRiation of ECOLOGICAL sTAtus as a response to naturaL and human induced changes. Implications for management and restoration. Mondego estuary site: The Mondego River drains a basin of approximately 6670 Km2 and its valley is considerably steep in upstream sections, forming a large alluvial plain consisting of good agricultural land in downstream areas. Since the 1960s, the Mondego catchment area underwent a large scale morphological modification, involving the construction of stone walls, to regulate the river water flow and enlarge harbor facilities, and water reservoirs to control floods, improve the uses of water resources, and produce electric power, which modified the riverbed topography and changed the system hydrodynamics. The river contributes presently with a high anthropogenic loading of nutrients and several chemicals into its relatively small estuary (1600 ha, splitting in two arms separated by an island in the terminal part), causing eutrophication. Besides, the estuary - Western coast of Portugal - North Atlantic Ocean Eco-region - supports industrial activities, salt-works, and aquaculture farms, and is the location of Figueira da Foz, a harbour and a centre of seasonal touristic activity. A comprehensive study on the Mondego estuary environmental quality has been carried out during the last two decades, focusing on water quality, hydraulics and sediments dynamics, plankton communities (phyto, zoo, and ichtyoplankton), the term evolution of the benthic communities (intertidal and subtidal), and the changes in macrophytes’ beds (Zostera noltei) and green macroalgae distribution in relation to morphological alterations.

In this project we monitor temporal trends in bird communities in a high-altitude birch-dominated habitat in Central Norway. The project aims to monitor both community composition and changes in territory size among and within species in the study period. The study started in 1967 and is still on-going. Methods: Standardized transects are monitored 10 timed in early parts of the breeding season, following a GPS-track of 3km. Bird species and numbers are noted and placed relative in the habitat. This is done to potentially estimate territory size, which is performed by standardized formulas annually. Both seen and heard individuals are noted.

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The Saldur River is 22 km long and flows from its source at the glacier (app. 2700m) to the river mouth at 900m. The Saldur river has been a focal point for investigations since the 1980s for various biological and chemical laboratories of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano. There are four main measurement points along the 22km river. One point serves as a regional and national biological water quality monitoring station. The EURAC Institute for Alpine Environment became involved in 2011, collecting additional physical, chemical and biological parameters. In addition to the four main measurement points, which are located in the upper areas of the catchment, there are now sixteen additional points in the river’s main tributaries.

Kalahari Gemsbok National Park is situated in the Savanna Biome (Kalahari Duneveld Bioregion) and forms part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Gis layers with the management points over the national park from 2010 - 2015

This protected area is located at the ecotones between the boreal forest and the subarctic tundra. The park was established as early as in 1909. In this year, the first nature conservation law in Sweden was created. The mountainous park has a surface of 77 km2 and covers an altitudinal gradient between 341 and 1191 m asl. The limits of the park are defined by mountain ranges and by the Tornetraesk lake. Since 2007, the Natura 2000 site Nissuntjårro is connected to Abisko National Park in the Southeast. This reserve covers additional 250 km2. The Park and the Natura 2000 sites at Abisko are close to the larger “Laponian Area” which is protected since 1996 as World Heritage by the UNESCO. The landscape and ecosystems in the area are mainly driven by natural ecological processes such as permafrost. The topography is reflecting the glacial history. Most famous example is the U-shaped glacial valley Lapporten close to Abisko. The famous Abiskokanjon, a natural canyon that discharges into the Tornetraesk Lake, is the habitat of rare birds and it was a major cause for installing the national park. The vegetation is dominated by birch forest and dwarf shrub vegetation. It is rich in bryophytes and lichens. Here, at the oceanic margin of the boreal zone, deciduous trees (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovi) are replacing the dominance of conifers. Depressions in lowlands are typically covered by mires and bogs. Above the tree line and especially at the mountain Noulja och Slåttatjåkka outstanding species diversity is recorded, for such a northern ecosystem. This is one of the most species-rich places in the Scandes even hosting endemic species, which is quire rare up north. The fauna in the park is characterised by reindeer and moose. Small herbivores such as lemmings are frequent, too. Main predators are golden eagles, brown bears, polar fox, lynx and wolverine. The location of the Abisko National Park at the ecotones between two major biomes (boreal forest and tundra) in combination with the strong impact of permafrost makes this landscape very sensitive to climatic changes. One important biotic interaction is the regular outbreak of moth populations (approx. every 10 years) causing total defoliation and even above-ground die-off of birch at the landscape scale. Such gradations may increase in the future as a consequence of less frost control on the insect populations. If thresholds / tipping points would be surpassed, such warming effects could cause as a paradox the southward shift of the tree line and further negative implications for carbon pools and ecosystem services. On the other side an upward and north-ward expansion of birch is also recorded. The future trends of ecosystem development are unclear and protected areas will serve as a natural laboratory to investigate ongoing changes that are relevant for the whole subarctic biome. The fact that Abisko is the place of one of the most active and well-known ecological research stations. The whole region is sparsely settled by man. Local Saami (or Lapp people) population’s economy is traditionally based on reindeer herding. Abisko National Park is located in the centre of the largest area in the world with an ancestral way of life based on the seasonal movement of livestock. Only few cities exist in the far north so that light pollution is low. This favours the observation of the frequent auroras in this place, 195 km north of the Arctic Circle. Abisko National Park is of eminent importance for tourism in this peripheral region. The most famous Swedish hiking trail, the Kungsleden, starts at “Abisko Turiststation”. The major ecosystem services of the park are related to the aesthetic value of the landscape with picturesque lakes, waterfalls and mountains. Tourism is an important economic factor. The pastoral land use based on reindeer by the local Saami people is a traditional and still important factor as well. Finally, the contribution of the subarctic ecosystems to carbon sequestration must be mentioned. The Abisko Scientific Research Station (ANS), managed by the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, is one of the most important boreal and arctic ecological research sites. Here, researchers from many countries unite. Long-term data sets have been recorded and also EO approaches have been implemented (Jonasson et al. 2012). The first station dates back to 1903! Jonasson, C.; Sonesson, M.; Christensen, T. R.; Callaghan, T. V. (2012). Environmental Monitoring and Research in the Abisko Area—An Overview. AMBIO 41: 178–186

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