Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
2000 network (see Figure 6.6). In other words, protected areas in mountains zones
of these countries have a double designation status. Cyprus, France and to a cer-
tain extent Greece have still retained a large area of their mountains as national
designations only.
Many mountainous areas are part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere
Reserves. Examples from the Mediterranean include the Sierra Nevada in Spain,
and Mount Olympus and Lefka Ori (Samaria Gorge) in Greece. Apart from the
'conventional' in situ designations a relatively recent designation is the Plant Micro-
Reserve; this was pioneered in Spain by Laguna
et al.
(2004) in order to protect
species restricted to very small areas. Plant micro-reserves are small areas, typ-
ically 1-2 ha, in which there is a significant presence of rare, threatened or en-
demic plant species. The management of small areas is relatively simple and can
easily be adapted when necessary. Currently micro-reserves have been established
in the Lefka Ori massif of Crete and the Troodos Mountain in Cyprus. The ma-
jority of the designations mentioned so far are species/habitat centred. However,
for mountain areas the IUCN Category IV (Protected Landscapes) is often advo-
cated (IUCN 1994) since it has the flexibility to offer protection to the whole area
while at the same time providing specific protection for specially defined purposes
(e.g. habitats/species) as seen necessary.
6.6 Conclusion
In the Mediterranean Basin with its long history of human activity, mountains are
considered to be some of the last remaining wilderness areas with high landscape
and biodiversity value. Despite the harsh environment, mountain ecosystems pro-
vide a wide range of ecosystem services (cf. MEA, 2005) including water, timber,
habitat provision, recreation and carbon sequestration, and for these reasons they
are important internationally.
Geology, tectonic activity, isolation and limited human activity explain the cur-
rent biogeographical patterns occurring in Mediterranean mountains. These patterns
conform to theory, with mountains displaying low species richness but high en-
demism along altitudinal gradients, although there are some exceptions. Mountains
have played a refuge role in geological history and to a certain extent they retain this
role today. Despite adversities there are still pristine areas in many Mediterranean
mountains that sustain a diversity of plant species but also populations of large
mammals and birds of prey. However, this role is impeded by ongoing human activ-
ities and most importantly climate change. For this reason conservation should not
focus simply on designation and protection but on the design of a flexible reserve
system along with conventional ex situ conservation measures. Recent conservation
efforts worldwide focus on the permeability of the intervening landscape matrix,
dispersal corridors and habitat networks (Jongman and Pungetti, 2004; Watts and
Handley, 2010), and these should also be applied in the case of mountains. More-
over, and despite the fact that past designations in mountain areas have focused on
