Pine Woodlands of Spain: The Invisible Diversity

PINE WOODLANDS OF SPAIN: The Invisible Diversity.

By Luis Gil Sánchez (*)

Click to see the cover and index of Gil Sánchez induction speech at Real Academia de Ingenieria

[DOWNLOAD - PDF 4 Mb - Spanish]

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Un Ejemplo de ¿Gestión? Ambiental de eucaliptales...

"... están en trance de desaparecer los ya escasos viejos alcornoques –conocidos como “pajareras”– del Parque Nacional de Doñana. Su pérdida está motivada por su prolongada utilización como “mamporreros vegetales” ... impuesto por los “canónigos de la protección”, pues sólo suponía la extinción local de una especie abundante en el ámbito peninsular y sin proyección mediática, en beneficio de que nidifiquen y se reproduzcan las colonias de garzas y espátulas.

Estos animales ignoran la “nobleza” de las especies cuando las eligen para nidificar, sólo quieren altura, y lo habrían hecho igual sobre los enormes eucaliptos que existían en el entorno y que fueron talados, sin más provecho que el de no ver especies exóticas en el entorno. Fue preferible no molestar a las aves a su regreso, dejándolas que se aposentaran en los alcornoques, que aceptar que los foráneos eucaliptos pudieran servir para algo más que para pasta de papel."

An Example of Eucalyptus Environmental Management(?)...

"... about to disappear the already scarce ancient cork oaks, also known as birdcages, at Doñana National Park. The loss is caused by their lengthy late use as "nesting perches" forced by "conservation gurus", and justified as this tree function was "just" to mean a local extinction event for an abundant and not too popularly mediatic tree species in Iberia, in exchange for the benefit of reproductive success in colonies of herons and spoombills.

These animals ignore however the "degree of nobility" of tree species when choosing them for nest building. They just need height. And they would have succeeded anyway nesting among the not so ancient but tall eucalypts that existed in this habitat and which were chopped for no benefit except the pleasure for some of not seeing alien species around anymore. It was preferred not to annoy the birds in their migration, leaving the nowadays dying cork oaks as perches, than accepting the alien eucalypts could be useful for another purpose than producing cellulosic pulp..."

(*)= Prof. Dr. Luis Gil Sánchez is a Forestry Engineer, Tree Geneticist and Doctor in Biology, Chair of Silvopastoral Systems at ETSIM-UPM, and this publication is his induction speech as a fellow of the Spanish Royal Academy of Engineering.

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PINE WOODLANDS OF SPAIN: The Invisible Diversity.

[DOWNLOAD - PDF 4 Mb - Spanish]

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You can also read selected excerpts of this work at Wikisilva - Aula de Silvicultura

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