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Themes |
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12.
Semi deserts, dry grasslands and heaths
(incl. restoration to counteract desertification) |
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Theme
organiser: |
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Thierry
Dutoit (IMEP Marseille, France), Kathrin Kiehl
(Technical University of Munich, Germany) |
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Theme
description: |
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Semideserts, dry
grasslands and heathlands,
which cover large areas of the world, are strongly affected by land use
change, global warming and changing precipitation. Many species of
European dry grasslands and heaths are endangered due to
intensification or abandonment of the traditional moderate land use.
Here, restoration is often constrained by eutrophication and by
dispersal limitation of target species in fragmented landscapes.
In arid regions, plant growth can be inhibited on degraded soils after
devegetation due to extreme environmental conditions. Therefore,
restoration measures are necessary to provide suitable conditions for
revegetation in order to counteract desertification. |
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Session
12A: Restoration of dry grasslands and heaths |
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All
over Europe, low-productive dry grasslands and heaths as habitats of
highly specialized plant and animal species are endangered due to
intensification or abandonment of the traditional moderate land use.
The limited dispersal of target species is a major constraint for a
successful restoration because remnants of species-rich dry grasslands
and heaths are often fragmented. In contrast to mesic grasslands,
however, the reduction of soil nutrient loads is less important for the
establishment of low-productive target species as nutrient availability
may be limited by drought on soils with low water-holding capacity.
New regulations on rural development within the European Union, which
aim to preserve and to improve natural resources and cultural
landscapes on low-productive soils, pose a challenge for ecological
restoration of dry grasslands and heaths.
Session organisers/chairs: Thierry
Dutoit (IMEP Marseille, France), Kathrin
Kiehl (Technical University of Munich, Germany) |
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Session
12B: Restoration to counteract desertification |
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The problem of
desertification and land
degradation in arid, semiarid and dry subhumid regions is increasingly
a global problem and influences the ecological, economical and social
situation of human populations. Soil erosion, sand movement, large
scale dust storms and soil salinization result in the loss of
productivity and biodiversity. In degraded areas the ecological
conditions are often too severe for plant colonisation and
re-establishment of vegetation. Therefore, suitable methods for
revegetation have to be developed and integrated approaches are needed
to combat desertification, to develop natural resources. and to promote
ecosystem functioning in drylands.
Session organiser/chair: Siegmar
W. Breckle (University of Bielefeld, Germany), Maik
Veste
(University of Bonn, Germany) |
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