Dear all,

In general we know a lot about ecosystems and how to technically manage them. However we keep on losing more surface and quality. Obviously there are other problems then only the technical ones. Take for instance the wet heaths.

Five years ago I made an information package for the Management Master Plan for the Natural Park Serra da Estrela, with 1000 km2 the largest Natural Park of Portugal. For each Natura 2000 biotope I listed its vulnerability and gave advice on management. Here I pick out one of them:

4020* Southern Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica ciliaris and Erica tetralix.
Phytosociological classification:
Class 34. CALLUNO-ULICETEA
34a. Ulicetalia minoris
34a.2. Genistion micrantho-anglicae
34a.2.1. Genisto anglicae-Ericetum tetralicis Rivas-Martínez 1979
34a.2.2. Potentillo herminii-Callunetum Rivas-Martínez 1979
subass. pycnothelietosum papillariae Jansen in Boom & Jansen 2002.
subass. genistetosum anglicae Jansen inéd.
Vulnerability:
- eutrophication (manure, fertilizers)
- water extraction
- heavy trampling by cattle, sheep and goats
- active conversion to woodland
- abandonment (natural succession)
Management:
- prevention of aforementioned threats by legislation and surveillance
- prescribed burning
- support of traditional land use (transhumance)

Although research is still really needed (especially macrofauna and fungi), we often do know more or less what ecosystems we have, what their vulnerability is and how we should technically manage them. It seems there is another problem then a pure technical one.

Despite of our technical knowledge many of the ecosystems like the wet heaths still deteriorate or even disappear. The problem of monitoring is left here without consideration, since it has been addressed elsewhere in this platform.

The wet heaths were for ages part of the heathland-based farming system in the Serra da Estrela. Now this system is collapsing and the biotopes are at risk, vulnerable as they are for land-use change. Traditional farmers have been safeguarding the EU-directives (Bird, Habitat, Nitrate, Water). Now they disappear, now we really need them!

Who will now execute the management procedures? The management team of the Park (ICN), the local population? The management authorities have no money. The management team of the Park experiences a strong pressure from the municipalities that have economic interests (ski-tourism in particular). In case of Serra da Estrela, which is a Natura 2000 site, there is legal aid: the Habitat Directive. On the other hand: management that is only forced by law is not very convincing and probably not sustainable in the long term.

Attempts to keep/restore the wet heathland system or any cultural landscape element in particular, without considering the wider context (ecologic, economic, social) will provide only partial solutions, and are almost certain to fail in their objectives.
The capacity of the wet heaths to survive has its limits. The aim of resilience analysis and management is to understand these limits, how to keep the system away from them, and how to influence the factors that directly/indirectly define the limits of the ecosystem or CLE’s existence. See www.resalliance.org and www.millenniumassessment.org/en/products.chapters.aspx.

An integrated approach is needed, including a discussion platform that aims at gearing all possible functions of the area to one another. In this platform all stakeholders of the natural, economic and social Estrelean capital should participate, trying to find a suitable solution. Rural development and nature management might go together, but that can only be realised by cooperation.

We scientists, like these stakeholders, have to participate with each other across our disciplines. The field of our study is now a cross-scale travel through a number of systems that are interrelated with each other: the ecological, social and economic systems. Innovation most probably comes through the multidisciplinary dialogue.
We urgently need good models to attack the problems of globalization.

Jan Jansen
Radboud University Nijmegen/ICN-Portugal