Spain Livin Lab : Solsones county – Lleida Spain

Name of site: Solsones county – Lleida Spain

Responsible person: Luis Coll

Contact e-mail: lluis.coll@udl.cat

GPS coordinates: 41°59'42.1"N 1°31'04.5"E

Climate: Mediterranean

Ecoregion: Mediterranean

Approximate size (km²) of Living Lab: 1001 km2

Living Lab information

Mid-mountainous area with high variability in topography  (altitudes ranging from 800 to 2300 m.a.s.l)

Southern part encloses a high plain, 800 to 900 m.a.s.l  dominated by P. nigra, and various Quercus species (Q. faginea, Q. ilex), often in admixtures. The norther part is far more mountainous shifting to a higher dominance of P.sylvestris, being the mixtures also a common feature (with Q. humilis). Variability of rain and temperature depending on altitude (between 500 and 900 mm of rain annually).

Forest ownership mainly private.

Forest resilience challenges:

Main challenges are associated to increasing occurrences of both abiotic and biotic disturbances (fire, defoliators such as T. Phytocampa, extreme drought-event) derived from land-use and climatic changes.

All those challenges pose a threat to important ESs, as soil protection, water regulation, provision of wood, NWFP and recreational services.

What are the main ecosystem services provided by the forest?

  • Wood production (of relative low quality)
  • Protection against erosion (of extreme importance in Mediterranean regions).
  • Recreational, in many cases linked to NWFP picking (mushrooms), but also other sport activities
  • Water regulation
  • As shelter to diverse fauna

Key Stakeholders and their possible role in the project:

  • Forest owners’ associations (CPF), as they manage most of the forest in the county.
  • Forest consultancies (Serveris forestalls s.l)Association of truffles producers of Catalonia (PROTOCAT)CTFC/UdL as research/academic institutions implementing studies on the region  (providers of data, and software)
  • Managers of the regional Government and forest firefighters, in charge of fire prevention and restoration

Main Research and Innovation challenge:

Need to further study how the changes in the disturbance regimes (and interactions among different disturbances) may impact forest ES provision and to define adequate management strategies aimed at improving the resilience and adaptive capacity of theses systems (including changes on composition, on forest vulnerability and post-disturbance response).