The Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Forest–Heathland Communities over 60 Years in Fontainebleau, France

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information

Samira Mobaied³  Nathalie Machon³  Arnault Lalanne⁴  Bernard Riera¹  Linda See² 

[1]Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR MNHN 7179, Mécanismes Adaptatifs: des Organismes aux Communautés, 1 Avenue du Petit Château, Brunoy 91800, France

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[3]Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO, UMR7204), Sorbonne University, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, CP51, 55 rue Buffon, Paris 75005, France

[4] E-Mail

[5]Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO, UMR7204), Sorbonne University, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, CP51, 55 rue Buffon, Paris 75005, France

[6] E-Mail:

[7]Géoarchitecture EA 2219, UFR Sciences et Techniques, University of Western Brittany, 6, Avenue Victor Le Gorgeu, CS93 837, Brest 29238, France

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关键词: GIS;    land cover change;    biodiversity conservation;    protected area;    secondary succession;    heathland;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijgi4020957

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

According to the EU Habitats Directive, heathlands are “natural habitats of community interest”. Heathland management aims at conserving these habitats threatened by various changes, including successional processes leading to forest vegetation. We investigate the dynamics of woody species to the detriment of heathland over a period of 60 years in the Fontainebleau forest and we examine the effects of soil types, soil depth and topography parameters on heathland stability. We assess changes in forest cover between 1946 and 2003 by comparing vegetation maps derived from aerial photographs coupled to GIS analyses. The results show the loss of more than 75% of heathland during 1946–2003 due to tree colonisation of abandoned heathland. We detected differences in the dynamics of colonisation between coniferous and deciduous trees. The colonisation of heathland by coniferous species was faster over the last 20 years of our study period. Tree encroachment was faster in north-facing areas and in areas of acidic luvisols. While this dynamic was very slow in acid sandstone soils, heathland stability was more important in shallow soils on flat and south facing areas. Our study has the potential to assist land managers in selecting those heathland areas that will be easier to conserve and/or to restore by focusing on areas and spatial conditions that prevent forest colonisation and hence favour the long-term stability of heathland.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.