Samaria (White Mountains) National Park is located on the West part of island of Crete and was declared as a National Park via a Royal Decree in 1962. It is a muli-designated area and specifically a National Park, Landscape of Outstanding Beauty, Natura 2000 site coded GR 4340008 and GR4340014 and Biosphere Reserve in the framework of the “Man and Biosphere” Programme of UNESCO. It has been awarded with the European Diploma of Protected Areas of the Council of Europe. Also a hotspot for biodiversity and a place with a strong and important anthropogenic environment (history, special songs, traditions, etc.). It contains one of the largest gorges in the Balkans, Samaria Gorge, with a total length of 13 km while nine main gorges are located within the area of the White Mountains. These specific landscape configuration schemes sustain unique abiotic and biotic environmental characteristics, most of them unknown, because of the site’s wilderness and difficultness for direct scientific filed work. The specificity of the area can be easily identified in numbers: 58.454 ha, altitude ranging from 0-2.454m, more than 50 summits higher than 2000 meters a.s.l., 14 different types of habitats, approximately 40% of the entire extent of the county of Chania. Mean Annual Rainfall is between 600mm to 2000mm depending on the elevation. The entire area comprises one of the two main environmental lungs of Crete and a configuration leading to the current meteorological and hydrological conditions set in the western part of the island. President of the National Park is Dr. Petros Lymperakis, researcher from the Natural History Museum of Crete (lyberis@nhmc.uoc.gr). The National Park is characterized by a rich biodiversity, a high degree of endemism in fauna and flora, distinctive geological configurations and specific landscape features. Distinctive species of fauna found in the area are: the Cretan wild goat (Capra aegagrus cretica), the largest mammal of the island, the Cretan wildcat (Felis sylvestris cretensis) and a species of mouse (Acomys minous) which is considered to be rare. The rich avifauna of the area includes 69 species, with Gypaetus barbatus among others. The area houses 172 endemic species and subspecies, while 97 of them are endemic to Crete and 24 are specifically endemic (steno-endemic) to smaller areas. Some of the most distinctive species are: Cephalanthera cucullata, Nepeta sphaciotica, Bupleurum kakiskalae and Zelkova abelicea. The past 2 years a complete survey has begun in order to identify the Park’s central environmental characteristics. Nowadays, the monitoring system is comprised by: 1) Monitoring and surveillance of 15 terrestrial habitats and 34 species of flora. 2) Monitoring and surveillance of 256 species of avifauna. 3) Monitoring and surveillance of all possible species of fauna, including coastal and marine species. 4) Monitoring and surveillance of two marine habitats. 5) Recording of meteorological and hydrological conditions via four (4) meteo-stations located in the vicinity of the National Park and transmittance of data through the internet. The basic threats and pressures characterizing the site can be cumulated in: Α) Landscape fragmentation Β) Desertification induced by overgrazing and uncontrolled fires C) Modifications in water and groundwater regime induced by large scale infrastructures D) Poaching and uncontrolled abstraction of endemic species of flora E) Massive touristic flow and F) Relative medium and large-scale touristic infrastructures.

The same as http://land.copernicus.eu/pan-european/corine-land-cover/view, clipped for PA Montado and projected using EPSG:3763 (ETRS89/Portugal TM6)

The same as http://land.copernicus.eu/pan-european/corine-land-cover/view, clipped for PA Montado and projected using EPSG:3763 (ETRS89/Portugal TM6)

A map produced by the Portuguese Geographic Institute with a minimum spatial unit of representation of 1 ha. Spatial accuracy 5.5 m and thematic accuracy 85.13%, with an error of 2% for a confidence level of 95%. There are several levels of detail, concerning land occupation.

A map produced by the Portuguese Geographic Institute with a minimum spatial unit of representation of 1 ha. Spatial accuracy 5.5 m and thematic accuracy 85.13%, with an error of 2% for a confidence level of 95%. There are several levels of detail, concerning land occupation. For the moment, only Level 2 is publicly available.

As in http://forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu/activities/forest-mapping/forest-cover-map-2000/ clipped for PA Montado and projected using EPSG:3763 (ETRS89/Portugal TM6).

The Mediterranean and coastal site of Port-Miou is a wide regional carbonate aquifer, with a catchment area around 400 km², in south of France (Provence, France). It extends mainly over natural land, in the vicinity of one of the main city of France (Marseille), facing recent urban expansion and future groundwater resources management issues. Top of the recharge area culminates at 1100 m asl, and the main outlets are submarine springs. Karst features are observed in surface (polje, intermittent rivers, sinkholes, karren, caves) and underground. Many karst networks have been explored in the unsaturated zone of the aquifer, but also in the saturated zone below the sea level. Karst features and conduits drive the groundwater flows to the main outlets. The Port-Miou submarine springs outflow from huge flooded karst conduits, explored by cave diving over several kilometers inland, and to -235 m deep. Groundwater is brackish, polluted by seawater intrusion. The Port-Miou observation site includes flow rate, salinity and temperature monitoring at the main brackish spring, in an in-situ underground laboratory located 500 m inland from the seashore, directly in the main karst conduit. Rainfall is also recording in the catchment area, and rain water samples are collected for water isotopes observation.

Montados (or dehesas in Spanish) are traditional agro-forestry systems with a savanna type structure, characteristic of the Mediterranean Basin. In Portugal, Montados are mainly distributed in the southern half of the country where the climate is Mediterranean. Annual average precipitation is 600 mm and mean annual temperature is 15ºC, although there is a large variation within the area of distribution of this system. Cork oaks (Quercus suber) and holm oaks (Q. rotundifolia) are the dominant trees, forming pure or mixed stands, with holm oak being dominant in drier regions. Montados with natural or semi-natural pasture and extensive grazing are listed under the EU Habitats Directive (habitat 6310), and are key habitats of Special Areas of Conservation (Habitats Directive) and of Special Protection Areas (Birds Directive), which are part of the Natura 2000 network. Their multifunctional management promotes structural diversity at the stand and landscape level, which combined to a large distribution area and spatial continuity results in high-levels of biodiversity. They are also High Natural Value farmlands that simultaneously fulfill the three criteria considered for their delimitation by the European Commission, since they are dominantly related to a high proportion of semi-natural vegetation, to a mosaic of low intensity agriculture and natural and structural elements and to the presence of rare species (e.g. Lynx pardinus and Aquila pennata). Cork is the most important forest product from Montado systems, with Portugal producing 54% of the world cork. In addition to cork (harvested every 9-12 years), animal production in pastures also provide a source of income. The regulation of water and nutrient cycles and of soil erosion, as well as carbon sequestration are important regulating services to be managed in Montados. From a cultural and recreational perspective, Montados are valued for the landscape aesthetics, natural values and cultural heritage. Strategic actions have been put in place to conciliate human use and biodiversity conservation, such as the publication of national regulations that legally protect the cork and holm oaks. But the most significant one might be forest certification, which has been promoting practices of responsible forest management in more than 70,000 ha of Montado, around 30% of the total certified Portuguese forest area.

The site covers the whole catchment of the small river “Quillow” and it is called “AgroScapeLab Quillow”. It is located in the north-east lowlands (Uckermark) which is about 90 km North of Berlin and has an area of about 160 km2. It’s a hummocky landscape characterized by gently rolling hills which are the results of glaciation during the Pleistocene. Unconsolidated sediments in a complex setting dominate. The soil pattern of the Quillow catchment is related to topography and the heterogeneity of Pleistocenic deposits. Albic Luvisols, Calcaric Regosols, Calcic Luvisols and Gleyic-Colluvic Regosols can be found. Another result of the ice age forces are the kettle holes (little ponds) which developed in drainless depressions. 74 % of the land is in agricultural use. Small forest patches can be found in the western and southwestern part of the catchment, grassland more in the eastern lowlands. In general the area is only sparsely populated. The ZALF research platform is located in Dedelow

Covers an elevational gradient from 0 to 2,200 m in the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range, with high elevation grasslands (campos de altitude), cloud and lowland rainforests in the Atlantic Forest biome. In the lowlands it includes fragmented landscapes due to deforestation occurred in the last 500 years, with a variety of land uses in the matrix were fragments are inserted. Long term studies and monitoring actions focus on the effects two main factors: effects of climate change and land use. Presents high species richness, embracing a National Park (Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos), a state park (Parque Estadual dos Três Picos), a private reserve (Reserva Ecológica Guapiaçu), and other federal and state protected areas.