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ConservaZione HaBitat inverteBrati 5: 133–135 (2011)CnBfvr

The CONECOFOR (CONtrollo ECOsistemi FORestali – Forest Ecosystem Control) Programme was launched in Italy in 1995 as a national branch of the UN-ECE International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests, http://www.icp-forests.org), in the framework of EC Regulation

n. 1091/94 and under the UN-ECE Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution. The inception and coordination of the Programme in Italy was implemented by the National Forestry Service (Corpo Forestale dello Stato), which became the Italian Focal Centre for the international programme. Between 1995 and 1996, 20 monitoring stations were

History of the CONECOFOR study area "SAR1 Marganai" (Iglesias, SW Sardinia): main aspects and valuesCristiana COCCIUFA1,2

1Corpo Forestale dello Stato, Uffi cio CONECOFOR, Via G. Carducci 5, I-00186 Rome, Italy.2Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Viale G. Marconi 446, I-00146 Rome, Italy.

E-mail: cristianacocciufa@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

The present paper describes the characteristics of the permanent monitoring plot "SAR1 Marganai" (Iglesias, Southern Sardinia), belonging to the national network CONECOFOR (CONtrollo ECOsistemi FORestali – Forest Ecosystem Control) and managed by the National Forestry Service of Italy (Corpo Forestale dello Stato). Since 1995, the monitoring of several forest parameters (crown condition, soil chemistry, leaf chemistry, atmospheric deposition chemistry, tree growth, ground vegetation, ozone injury assessment and meteorological observations) is implemented at the Marganai site in accordance with ICP Forests (International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests) protocols. The ICP Forests Programme (currently active at the site), together with further activities connected to other projects implemented in CONECOFOR study areas, has produced a long data series (at least fi fteen years) on forest conditions, which represents a great added value in the framework of the European Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER-Europe). For this reason, the Marganai plot is considered an "LTER-like" site and, given the high environmental relevance of the area, it is suitable to suggest hints, methods and research activities to be carried out at forest study sites formally admitted in the LTER-Europe network.

Key words: forest monitoring, ICP Forests, Long Term Ecological Research, dataset, invertebrates.

RIASSUNTO

Storia dell'area di studio CONECOFOR "SAR1 Marganai" (Iglesias, Sardegna meridionale): aspetti principali e valore

L'articolo descrive le caratteristiche del plot di monitoraggio permanente "SAR1 Marganai" (Iglesias, Sardegna), appartenente alla Rete nazionale di aree di studio in ambiente forestale denominata CONECOFOR (CONtrollo ECOsistemi FORestali) e gestita dal Corpo Forestale dello Stato. Dal 1995, nell'area di studio di Marganai è stato attivato il rilevamento di numerosi parametri forestali (condizioni delle chiome, chimica dei suoli, chimica delle foglie, chimica delle deposizioni atmosferiche, accrescimento della componente arborea, fenologia delle chiome, meteorologia, danni alle chiome da ozono atmosferico), secondo i protocolli del Programma Cooperativo Internazionale per la Valutazione ed il Monitoraggio degli Effetti dell'Inquinamento Atmosferico sulle Foreste (ICP Forests). Il monitoraggio ICP Forests (ancora oggi attivo) e le attività legate ad altri progetti nei quali le aree CONECOFOR sono state incluse hanno permesso di creare un set di dati sullo stato delle foreste lungo almeno 15 anni, che ha assunto grande valore nell'ambito della Ricerca Ecologica a Lungo Termine Europea (LTER-Europe). Per questo, l'area di studio di Marganai è defi nita "LTER-like" ed è considerata potenzialmente capace, anche per il suo elevato valore naturalistico, di suggerire spunti, metodi e ricerche sulle aree di studio forestali formalmente ammesse nella Rete Europea di Ricerca Ecologica a Lungo Termine, LTER-Europe.

*In: Nardi G., Whitmore D., Bardiani M., Birtele D., Mason F., Spada L. & Cerretti P. (eds), Biodiversity of Marganai and Montimannu (Sardinia). Research in the framework of the ICP Forests network. Conservazione Habitat Invertebrati, 5: 133–135.

Cristiana CoCCiufa

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set up in forest ecosystems, thus creating a network of Permanent Monitoring Plots (PMPs) in selected areas representative of the forest environment in Italy. The Marganai study area was included in this group. Later (from 1999 until 2004), new monitoring stations were included and a total of 31 study areas was achieved. Each of these plots is a fenced 50 x 50 m square area, where several environmental measurements are carried out according to agreed ICP Forests protocols. As the ICP Forests Programme has the main objective of monitoring the effects of air pollution on the health of forests, the focus has been on vegetation traits and their ecological interactions with air and soil: crown condition assessment, chemical content of soil and foliage, deposition chemistry, tree growth, ground vegetation, meteorological conditions (cf. Ferretti et al. 2006). Data from all CONECOFOR plots have been collected, stored and managed under EC Regulation n. 2152/2003 Forest Focus. Monitoring activities have been carried out with the following financial support: until 2007, co-funding by the EU and various regulations (the last of which Forest Focus); 2008, National Forestry Service; 2009–2010, LIFE+ Project "Further Development and Implementation of an EU-level Forest Monitoring

System" (FutMon, http://www.futmon.org/); 2011, National Forestry Service. The SAR1 Marganai permanent monitoring plot is located in Sardinia (Iglesias commune, Carbonia-Iglesias province), at 700 m above sea level, on a mountain slope near the west coast of the island (cf. Mason et al. 2006). It is a Quercus ilex high stand, with Ilex aquifolium and Cyclamen repandum in the shrub and herbaceous layers. Standard observations on leaves and soil began when the study area was set up in 1995. In 1996 also ground vegetation, tree growth and crown condition assessments were implemented in the plot, followed by ozone injury assessment (from 1997 until 2006), crown phenology (since 2002), meteorological observations (since 2005), atmospheric depositions (since 2006). The mentioned parameters are still being actively monitored at the site. Additional biodiversity parameters (epiphytic lichens, deadwood, invertebrates) were studied between 2003 and 2006 in 12 CONECOFOR plots in Italy, including Marganai, in the framework of a pilot project aimed at investigating biodiversity in selected ICP Forests monitoring stations in Europe (ForestBiota, www.forestbiota.org/) (Ferretti et al. 2006). All CONECOFOR study areas rely on about 15 years

Fig. 1. Map showing LTER-like sites in Europe (http://www.lter-europe.net/sites-platforms). The red circle shows the Marganai (Iglesias, Carbonia-Iglesias prov.) permanent monitoring plot.

History of tHe ConeCofor study area "sar1 Marganai" (iglesias, sW sardinia): Main aspeCts and values

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of almost uninterrupted data collection on forest conditions: this long dataset has been recognised as a high value for Long Term Ecosystem Research in Europe (http://www.lter-europe.net/), being the main criterion for the selection of LTER sites. The activities implemented at plot level have formed the basis for several studies about forest conditions (Petriccione et al. 2009a), effects of climate change on forest ecosystems (Petriccione et al. 2009b) and biodiversity assessment (Bredemeier et al. 2007). The value of the Marganai area is particularly due to the Mediterranean climate and environment, potentially resulting in relevant connections for ecological studies with other – albeit rare – Mediterranean research sites in Europe. The focus on the invertebrate fauna is also relevant to the goals of the European LTER Network: a recent survey among 12 LTER-Europe countries (Cocciufa, unpublished data) pointed out that among 73 case studies regarding 5 selected animal groups studied at site level (beetles, amphibians, reptiles, birds and small mammals), 10% of all publications concern beetles. Ten CONECOFOR study sites have been included in the Italian LTER Network and are

formally part of the European LTER Network. The current challenge for the European Network is the classification and ranking of the existing monitoring and research facilities in Europe, based on parameters assessed in the field, research questions, equipment, etc. (Cocciufa et al. 2011). In this framework, within the European Network, the Marganai study area is considered an "LTER-like" site (fig. 1). LTER-like sites, though not formally included in the LTER Network, have been set in areas of high environmental and ecological value; this is true also for the SAR1 Marganai plot. It is possible that LTER-like sites will also give relevant hints and inputs on ecological studies to be run at formal LTER sites.

AcknowledgementsThis paper was prepared in the context of the ICP Forests monitoring programme.I wish to thank Enrico Pompei (Corpo Forestale dello Stato, Ispettorato Generale del CFS, Divi-sione 6^ "Monitoraggio Ambientale – INFC e CONECOFOR", Rome) for critically reading the manuscript.