Monitoring of Habitats in a Coastal Dune System Within the “Arco Ionico” Site (Taranto, Apulia)
Although dune systems play a crucial ecological role and offer various ecosystem services, they are listed among the habitat types of community interest in the European Union that are undergoing the most severe conservation challenges. The subject of this study was the monitoring of habitat types pr...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| author | Francesco Maria Todaro Maria Adamo Gianmarco Tavilla Catarina Meireles Valeria Tomaselli |
| author_facet | Francesco Maria Todaro Maria Adamo Gianmarco Tavilla Catarina Meireles Valeria Tomaselli |
| author_sort | Francesco Maria Todaro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although dune systems play a crucial ecological role and offer various ecosystem services, they are listed among the habitat types of community interest in the European Union that are undergoing the most severe conservation challenges. The subject of this study was the monitoring of habitat types protected under Directive 92/43/EEC (Habitats Directive) along the coastal dune systems of the Taranto Ionian Arc. Vegetation sociological surveys, GIS mapping, landscape metrics, NBR and dNBR indices were employed to assess the conservation status of the dune system and the impact of disturbance factors. Special attention was given to habitat 2250* (Coastal dunes with <i>Juniperus</i> spp.), revealing that it expanded from 2006 to 2019 but then significantly reduced between 2019 and 2022, with increasing fragmentation, mainly due to wildfires. The study also highlighted the impact of invasive species such as <i>Acacia saligna</i> and <i>Carpobrotus acinaciformis</i>, which compete for space and vital resources. These findings provide scientific evidence for the management and restoration of coastal dune ecosystems, emphasizing the need for targeted conservation strategies to mitigate the effects of these disturbances. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-caab49eb783e4574b4b8eb7ab67e4dd2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj-art-caab49eb783e4574b4b8eb7ab67e4dd22025-08-20T02:47:59ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2024-11-011311196610.3390/land13111966Monitoring of Habitats in a Coastal Dune System Within the “Arco Ionico” Site (Taranto, Apulia)Francesco Maria Todaro0Maria Adamo1Gianmarco Tavilla2Catarina Meireles3Valeria Tomaselli4Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, 70126 Bari, ItalyInstitute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IIA), Via Amendola 173, 70126 Bari, ItalyInstitute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IIA), Via Amendola 173, 70126 Bari, ItalyMED—Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, PortugalDepartment of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, 70126 Bari, ItalyAlthough dune systems play a crucial ecological role and offer various ecosystem services, they are listed among the habitat types of community interest in the European Union that are undergoing the most severe conservation challenges. The subject of this study was the monitoring of habitat types protected under Directive 92/43/EEC (Habitats Directive) along the coastal dune systems of the Taranto Ionian Arc. Vegetation sociological surveys, GIS mapping, landscape metrics, NBR and dNBR indices were employed to assess the conservation status of the dune system and the impact of disturbance factors. Special attention was given to habitat 2250* (Coastal dunes with <i>Juniperus</i> spp.), revealing that it expanded from 2006 to 2019 but then significantly reduced between 2019 and 2022, with increasing fragmentation, mainly due to wildfires. The study also highlighted the impact of invasive species such as <i>Acacia saligna</i> and <i>Carpobrotus acinaciformis</i>, which compete for space and vital resources. These findings provide scientific evidence for the management and restoration of coastal dune ecosystems, emphasizing the need for targeted conservation strategies to mitigate the effects of these disturbances.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1966costal environmentcostal vegetationhabitats directiveremote sensingphytosociologyalien species |
| spellingShingle | Francesco Maria Todaro Maria Adamo Gianmarco Tavilla Catarina Meireles Valeria Tomaselli Monitoring of Habitats in a Coastal Dune System Within the “Arco Ionico” Site (Taranto, Apulia) Land costal environment costal vegetation habitats directive remote sensing phytosociology alien species |
| title | Monitoring of Habitats in a Coastal Dune System Within the “Arco Ionico” Site (Taranto, Apulia) |
| title_full | Monitoring of Habitats in a Coastal Dune System Within the “Arco Ionico” Site (Taranto, Apulia) |
| title_fullStr | Monitoring of Habitats in a Coastal Dune System Within the “Arco Ionico” Site (Taranto, Apulia) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Monitoring of Habitats in a Coastal Dune System Within the “Arco Ionico” Site (Taranto, Apulia) |
| title_short | Monitoring of Habitats in a Coastal Dune System Within the “Arco Ionico” Site (Taranto, Apulia) |
| title_sort | monitoring of habitats in a coastal dune system within the arco ionico site taranto apulia |
| topic | costal environment costal vegetation habitats directive remote sensing phytosociology alien species |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1966 |
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