Biodiversity Loss in Almeria, Andalucia

Biodiversity Loss

With the current biodiversity loss, we are witnessing the greatest extinction crisis dinosaurs disappeared from our planet 65 million years ago. Not only are these extinctions irreversible, but they also pose a serious threat to our health and wellbeing.


What are the main threats to biodiversity?

Habitat loss and degradation affects 86% of all threatened birds, 86% of the threatened mammals assessed and 88% of the threatened amphibians.

Over-exploitation of natural resources Resource extraction, hunting, and fishing for food, pets, and medicine.

Pollution and diseases. For example, excessive fertilizer use leads to excessive levels of nutrients in soil and water.

Human-induced climate change. For example, climate change is altering migratory species patterns, and increasing coral bleaching.



Biodiversity Loss in Almeria, Andalucia

Plants

According to IUCN categories

In 1984 (Barreno et al. 1984) 1,095 extinct or threatened taxa were recorded, in the 2000 RL there were 1,149 and in this 2008 RL there are a total of 1,221. There is a gradual increase in threatened flora, which now represents almost 15% of Spanish vascular flora.

In general, in those regions that accommodate a greater number of endemisms. As such, the presence of 247 taxa with the categories of high risk in the Canary Islands and 227 in Andalucia stand out.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categories
Extinct (EX) - No individuals remaining.
Extinct in the Wild (EW) - Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range.
Critically Endangered (CR) - Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Endangered (EN) - High risk of extinction in the wild.
Vulnerable (VU) - High risk of endangerment in the wild.
Near Threatened (NT) - Likely to become endangered in the near future.
Least Concern (LC) - Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.
Data Deficient (DD) - Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction.
Not Evaluated (NE) - Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.

Animals;

Status of the under threat animals in Andalucia

In this blog you can see amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. From amphibians 1 species, from reptiles 3 species, from birds 11 species, from mammals 3 species you can find under threat in Almeria.

                Which species are under threat in ALMERIA and Why?


Amphibians;

•  Alytes dickhilleni;

Their populations are in imaginary whose vertices are in Sierra de Cazorla (Jaén), Sierra de
Gador (Almeria) and Sierra Blanquilla (Cádiz), also found in Sierra de Alcaraz (Albacete).

Threat; Water pollution, drought, abandoned swimming pools fountains and traditional areas of old mountain agriculture

Reptiles;

• Testudo graeca;

They live in they occupy in semi-arid areas vegelation of thyme.

Threat; Because of the construction of houses, changing habitat. Fires on the coast and in forest effects their biodiversity.

•  Caretta caretta

It is really common species in Andalucia. They live on the coasts of Almeria, too.

Threat; Because of the sea turtles and fishing, their counts are decreasing everyday.

• Saurodactylus mauritanicus

Their population are seen mostly in North Africa. Only population in Andalucia is in Alboran, Almeria.

Threat; In Almeria they live in the island. Because of its protection is week, their population can decrease.

Birds;

•  Calonectris diomedea

In Almeria they live in Isla de Terreros.

Threat; Large fluctuations in food availability due to changes in fishing activities. And having problem with food.

•  Hydrobates pelagicus

In Almeria their place of living is generally Isla de Terrero.

Threat; Shortage of food, predation by Yellow-legged Gull and rats. Difficult to monitor populations and high sensitivity of the colonies reproducing certain human disturbance.

•  Phalacrocorax aristotelis

In Andalusia is in Gibraltar and Almeria: Isla de Terreros and the coastline the Sierra de Cabo de Gata, the Higuera and Cabrera

Threat; The principal seems to be lack of trophic resources due to the overfishing. capture
individuals accidentally fishing gear (gillnets and lines). Discomfort in places
nesting.

•  Tadorna tadorna

In Europe and extends through central and eastern Asia. In Spain, breeding in several localities of the Mediterranean coast (Delta Ebro, Alicante, Murcia and Almeria), as well as interior points Aragon and Castile-La Mancha.

Threat; Alteration of wetlands where farming and illegal hunting in areas. Some couples occupy suboptimal environments, where survival of the chickens can be very low as a result of predation, food shortages or other causes.

•  Marmaronetta angustirostris

In Almeria, they occupy in Las Marismas del Guadalquivir, la Cañada de Las Norias.

Threat; Mainly alteration and loss of wetlands and pressure appropriate
hunting.

• Porzana parva

In Almeria, they live in Roquetas de Mar. It can be seen there.

Threat; Wetland loss and burning of reeds and other formations of marsh vegetation.

•  Numenius arquata

In Spain it is mainly coastline. In Andalusia the majority is located on the Atlantic coast. Main localities Huelva and Cadiz. İn winters in the Mediterranean coastal wetlands of Almeria

Threat; Transformation of habitat creation of parks shellfish culture.

•  Sterna albifrons

In Almeria they live in the west (Salinas Cerrillos, Canada and the Norias PuntaEntinas-Sabinar Charcones) and the Cabo de Gata

Threat; Species most sensitive to human disturbance than other terns. Predation by mammals and gulls. Water pollution. Moderately sensitive to oil pollution.Reproduction transformation affected by saline marine farming.

•  Pterocles orientalis

They can be seen in Campo de Nijar in Almeria.

Threat; In Andalusia, the first threat is the increase of farming
which are specified in Almeria in the increase of greenhouse crops
(over 30,000 ha) reduction at the expense of steppe environment.

•  Apus caffer

They can be seen in Jaen, Almeria, Granada, Huelva, Malaga, Toledo and the island of La Gomera.

Threat; Destruction of Golondrina Daúrica nests. Drastic changes
habitat in the African wintering grounds.

•  Sylvia conspicillata

In Almeria they occupy in Sierra Nevada and Sierra Tejada.

Threat; Habitat alteration, mainly because of afforestation. Insecticides.

Mammals;

•  Talpa occidentalis

They can be seen especially in the mountainous core of the eastern provinces of Andalusia:
Almería, Granada and Jaen. In the last decade has seen the extinction
of local populations in the mountain systems of the Subbetic and
Eastern Penibética.

Threat; isolation of populations and loss of suitable habitat (for water and drift deposits, crops, etc..) are decimating their population.

•  Barbastella barbastellus

In Andalusia so far only known a couple of quotes in the Sierra de Cazorla
and Almeria.

Threat; Using pesticides in forests, Loss of mature forest and in particular of older trees with hollows.

• Capra pyrenaica hispanica

In Almeria they can be seen in Sierra Nevada higher than 3400 m.

Threat; significant loss of genetic inheritance, genetic drift and vulnerability to certain diseases. Increase livestock pressure and abusive trophy hunting.

Rare and under threat plants in Almeria

Acer opalus subsp granatense
Aconitum burnatii
Allium melananthum
Alyssum gadorense
Alyssum nevadense
Amelancher ovalis
Arenaria tomentosa
Armeria bourgaei subsp. bourgaei
Armeria filicaulis subsp. nevadensis
Armeria splendens
Artemisia granatensis
Astragalus edulis
Astragalus tremolsianus
Atractylis tutinii
Atropa baetica
Biscutella glacialis
Brassica repanda subsp. almeriensis
Campanula rotundifolia subsp. willkommii
Caralluma europaea
Centaurea sagredoi
Centranthus nevadensis subsp. nevadensis
Chaenorhinum glareosum
Chaenorhinum grandiflorum subsp. grandiflorum
Cneorum tricoccon
Coincya monensis subsp. nevadensis
Commicarpus africanus
Coris his
Dianthus charidemi
Digitalis purpurea var. nevadensis
Draba hispanica subsp. laderoi
Draba lutescens
Erica erigena
Erinus alpinus
Erodium rupicola
Euphrasia willkommii
Euzomodendron bourgeanum
Forsskaolea tenacissima
Gali
Herniaria fontanesii subsp. almeriana
Hippocrepis castroviejoi
Hohenackeria excaspa
Hormathophylla cadevalliana
Hypericum robertii
Lepidium petrophillum
Limonium estevei
Limonium insigne
Limonium tabernense
Lycium intricatum
Narcisus tortifolius
Rosmarinus eriocalyx
Sideritis stachydioides
Teucrium turredanum




The End

Source: 2008 Red list of Spanish vascular flora
                  Libro Rojo de los Vertebrados Amenazados de Andalucía
                  http://www.floradealmeria.es
                 

Biodiversity Loss

What is biodiversity and why is important?

Biodiversity is a contraction of biological diversity. It refers the number, variety and variability of living organisms and how these change from one location to another and over time.

Worldwide there are an estimated 5 to 30 million species of animals and plants, each genetically unique. Most remain unidentified. Some 1.4 million animal species alive today have been named and described. Named plant species are far fewer, numbering around 400,000. Biodiversity is not uniformly distributed over the earth’s surface. The tropics cover 42% of all land but contain two-thirds of all animal species. Rain-forests cover 6 % of all land but contain two-fifths of all plant and animal species. Comprehensive measurement of biodiversity is difficult. However, we can compare numbers of species between sites as a simple index of relative biodiversity.

This is the link you can find information about biodiversity; 
http://www.jri.org.uk/brief/biodiversity.htm

This is the link of number of species in the world;http://www.greenfacts.org/en/biodiversity/figtableboxes/1011-species-nb.htm


Biodiversity is really important, because, "biodiversity" benefits so much to human, to world, to our lives, more than we realise. 
Biodiversity supports ecosystem services including air quality, climate (e.g., CO2 sequestration), water purification, pollination, and prevention of erosion.


Pollination; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollination
Prevention of erosion; http://www.chesapeakebay.net/erosionrestoration.aspx?menuitem=14750


Biodiversity Loss in Rockström


Biodiversity is so important for global and some changes in biodiversity effects global, and definetly effects our lives. 
For example, if a loss happens in biodiversity, we can see increase the vulnerability(losing safe) of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to changes in climate and ocean acidity, thus reducing the safe boundary levels for these processes.


                               Threshold of Biodiversity Loss:

Species play different roles in ecosystems, in the sense of having different effects on ecosystem processes and different responses to shifts in the physical or biotic environment. Species loss, therefore, affects both the functioning of ecosystems and their potential to respond and adapt to changes in physical and biotic conditions. 

• Currently %25 of species in well-studied taxonomic groups are threatened with extinction.
• %12 for birds, %52 for cycads. 

         This is a information about cycads. 

         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycad

• Last years recently most extinctions occured on oceanic islands. 

About half of the recorded extinctions have occurred on continents, primarily due to land-use change, species introductions, and increasingly climate change, indicating that biodiversity is now broadly at risk throughout the planet.

Suggestion; 
Suggestion is, using extinction rate as a substitute. 

(Because humanity has done undesired change that we can not exclude any more)

Suggestion, indicating a safe planetary boundary,

and recommended 10 - 100 E/MSY

is a safe extinction rate for planetary boundary. 

http://www.cartoonistgroup.com/subject/8107/The-Biodiversity-Comics-and-Cartoons.php

Planetary Boundary

Hi everyone!! With this entry i will try to give an example about one boundary of our planet. As we know our planet has a boundary about carbon dioxyde. And the rate of carbon dioxyde is increasing day by day. 

And today, rate of carbon dioxyde is: 

If this rate increase like this, we will have to face some problems. Main problem is; "Climate Change". With climate change brings another problems and these are really effective for our lives. 

Increasing of corbon dioxyde rate and Climate Change will bring this problems for us: 

• melting of icebergs
• damages on potable water
• damages on climate system
• decrease on biological diversity

Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it and i hope it is useful for everyone. 

My name is Metin Gerçeker.  I am Erasmus student in Spain. But unfortunately I can not speak Spanish for now. Spanish is hard and very different language for me. But I am trying to learn. I am coming from Turkey. I study Science Education in Ankara, Turkey. I study Physics, Chemistry and Biology education. A little hard, and sometimes boring. And i also have to take phycology courses. I have to study so much different things. Maybe sometimes it is boring and hard but i can get information about so much things easily. I think it is great for me.


Enviroment is not my major but i always want to be aware the problems of world have, want to know all about the Earth that i'm living on it. And i also wanted to change that positively as a person. In Turkey I took courses about enviroment, too. I did volunteer work about enviroment. Now here, I wanted to take this course and wanted to have acquisition of knowledge how enviromental topics are come up in different country. In addition to this, i can take the opportunity to compare my country or other countries.