José I. Barredo

European Commission | ec · Joint Research Centre (JRC)

Sustaining ecosystem services (ES) critical to human well-being is hindered by many practitioners lacking access to ES models ("the capacity gap") or knowledge of the accuracy of available models ("the certainty gap"), especially in the world's poorer regions. We developed ensembles of multiple models at an unprecedented global scale for five ES of...

Covering 35% of Europe’s land area, forest ecosystems play a crucial role in safeguarding biodiversity and mitigating climate change. Yet, forest degradation continues to undermine key ecosystem services that forests deliver to society. Here we provide a spatially explicit assessment of the condition of forest ecosystems in Europe following a Unite...

This briefing describes the characteristics of primary and old-growth forests and assesses its resilience to natural disturbances, in particular wildfires. Likewise, the role of primary and old-growth forests on wildfire risk is analysed with a view on the EU’s policy aim of strictly protecting these forests as called for in the EU’s Biodiversity a...

The crises of climate change and biodiversity loss have pushed the aim for increasing the resilience of forest ecosystems high on the agenda of foresters and policymakers. At the same time, synergistic opportunities for restoring forests and biodiversity are emerging to safeguard these ecosystems. Naturalness is a key characteristic of forest ecosy...

Primary forests are of paramount importance for biodiversity conservation and the provision of ecosystem services. In Europe, these forests are scarce and threatened by human activities. However, a comprehensive assessment of the magnitude of disturbances in these forests is lacking, due in part to their incomplete mapping. We sought to provide a s...

The growing demand for woody biomass to meet the environmental and climate objectives of the European Green Deal raises concerns about the capacity of forest ecosystems to sustain their diverse services and functions. Deadwood, an often-overlooked source of biomass, exemplifies this dilemma, yet the evidence needed to enhance its management is spar...

The landscape mosaic model quantifies and maps the spatial juxtaposition of different land uses. It provides a landscape perspective of anthropic threats posed by agriculture and urban development, and the spatial-temporal shifting of the landscape mosaic indicates landscapes where anthropic intensity has changed. We use the U.S. Geological Survey...

Forests are vital for sustaining biodiversity and regulating climate. However, the fragmentation of these critical ecosystems poses a serious threat to their ecological integrity and the myriad of organisms they support. In this paper we compare the degree of forest connectivity derived via the traditional approach of using a binary forest cover ma...

HIGHLIGHTS → Deadwood (DW) plays a critical role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem resilience, as well as other forest ecosystem processes, such as nutrient and carbon cycling and forest fires. → Salvage logging is increasing in European forests to recover biomass loss due to natural disturbances, and thus influences the amount of DW left i...

The effectiveness of Protected Areas in conserving forest ecosystems has been examined at the continental scale using area-based habitat parameters, but knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of forest habitats is still lacking. Here, we assess the effectiveness of European Protected Areas in conserving the vertical structure of forests by an...

This report is a narrative review of the effects reported in the scientific literature (peer-reviewed and indexed scientific publications showing quantitative evidence) about the relationships between a selection of nature restoration practices and food production. The reported effects are extracted from systematic reviews, meta-analyses and indivi...

The debate on forest bioenergy sustainability has been so far dominated by assessments made through the carbon emissions lens. The biodiversity perspective has been largely missing. The European Green Deal's ambitious targets have brought biodiversity and ecosystem condition restoration and conservation to the core of the EU's legislative portfolio...

Over the last decade many ecosystem service (ES) models have been developed to inform sustainable land and water use planning. However, uncertainty in the predictions of any single model in any specific situation can undermine their utility for decision-making. One solution is creating ensemble predictions, which potentially increase accuracy, but...

Forests are under pressure to provide biomass for different uses, but also to mitigate climate change and house biodiversity. In the EU, there is an intense debate around which functions to prioritize, and the role of scientists is increasingly critical in the quest for policy coherence.

The EU Ecosystem Assessment is an analysis of the pressures and the condition of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems and their services using a single, comparable methodology based on European data relative to the baseline year 2010. The assessment covers the total land area of the EU and the UK as well as the marine regions. The ecosyste...

In the report on the use of woody biomass for energy production in the EU, written under the auspices of the Biodiversity for 2030 Strategy, JRC scientists analyse the sources and trends as well as sustainability pathways for the use of woody biomass for bioenergy in the EU that could mitigate climate change while maintaining or improving forest bi...

The alpine tundra is the highest elevation belt of high mountains. This zone is an important reservoir of freshwater and provides habitat to unique species. This study assesses projected changes in the areal extent of the alpine tundra climate zone in three warming levels in European mountains. The alpine tundra was delineated using the Köppen-Geig...

The EU Bioeconomy Strategy, updated in 2018, in its Action Plan pledges an EU-wide, internationally coherent monitoring system to track economic, environmental and social progress towards a sustainable bioeconomy. This paper presents the approach taken by the European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Centre (JRC) to develop such a system. To accomp...

The alpine tundra domain occurs at altitude in the high mountains in Europe. It is an important reservoir of freshwater and provides habitat to unique species. The natural climatic treeline is projected to gradually advance vertically upward with global warming and the domain would shrink by 84% of its present size in a 3°C warming scenario. Limiti...

The alpine tundra domain occurs in the high elevation zones of some of Europe’s mountain ranges. It is an important reservoir of freshwater and provides habitat to unique species. Almost 20% of the domain falls within Natura 2000 sites. The treeline, which is below the domain, represents the forest limit. Despite the importance of high mountains li...

Global warming is altering climate patterns and the frequency and magnitude of heat and drought events affecting ecosystems worldwide. One of the effects of these changes is tree mortality driven by heat and drought, which have effects in forest ecosystem functions, services and biodiversity. Therefore, systematic observations and georeferenced dat...

The Mediterranean basin is the richest biodiversity region in Europe and a global hotspot of biological diversity. In spite of that, anthropogenic climate change is one of the most serious concerns for nature conservation in this region. One of the climatic threats is represented by shifts of the Mediterranean climate and expansion of the arid clim...

The study assesses how climate change could affect Europe in eleven impact areas. Under a high warming scenario, several climate impacts show a clear geographical northsouth divide. Most of the welfare losses, assessed for six impact areas, would be greatly reduced under a 2ᵒC scenario. ► How to cite: ◄ Ciscar Martinez, J.-C., Ibarreta Ruiz, D.,...

The Mediterranean basin is the richest biodiversity region in Europe and a global hotspot of biological diversity. In spite of that, anthropogenic climate change is one of the most serious concerns for nature conservation in this region. One of the climatic threats is represented by shifts of the Mediterranean climate and expansion of the arid clim...

The fifth MAES report presents indicators for mapping and assessment of ecosystem condition at European level. A set with specific indicators is available for assessment of ecosystem condition per ecosystem type. A core set with key indicators is available to support an integrated ecosystem assessment across ecosystem type.

𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘 A modelling approach to estimate the 𝘮𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘮 extent of the bioclimatic habitat suitability (HS) of tree species (and long-lived perennial plants in general). Underlying the maps in the European Atlas of Forest Tree Species, the approach is linked to the bioclimatic conditions characterising the habitats under which the taxon is suitable to...

Climate change is already affecting terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity and is projected to become an even more important driver of biodiversity and ecosystem change in the future (Kovats et al., 2014; Urban, 2015). Climate change will have a broad range of positive and negative impacts on biodiversity at genetic, species (e.g. plant and animal...

The Mediterranean basin is a global hotspot of biological diversity and the most rich biodiversity region in Europe. Nevertheless, climate-driven habitat loss is one of the most serious concerns for biodiversity conservation in this region. We assess Mediterranean habitat loss and conversion into arid habitat under scenarios of climate change and e...

[From the introduction] In Europe, 33 % of the total land area (215 million ha) is covered by forests, with a positive trend of increase for the forested areas. Other wooded lands cover an additional area of 36 million ha. 113 million ha are covered by coniferous forests, 90 million ha by broadleaved ones and 48 million ha by mixed forests. Forest...

Forests are rich in biodiversity and valuable for recreation, water regulation and soil protection. As well as for providing timber and other non-wood forest products, forests are important for mitigating climate change and for the renewable energy sector. Forest ecosystems are exposed to a range of environmental, economic and social pressures that...

The European Atlas of Forest Tree Species is the first comprehensive publication of such a unique and essential environmental resource, that is, our trees. Leading scientists and forestry professionals have contributed in the many stages of the production of this atlas, through the collection of ground data on the location of tree species, elaborat...

Ecosystems may be classified into a variety of groups or zones according to their homogeneity. An Ecological Zone may be defined as an area with broad yet relatively homogeneous natural vegetation formations that are similar, although not necessarily identical. Several key aspects of forest resources are influenced at the global and continental sc...

The aim of this report is to illustrate by means of a series of case studies the implementation of mapping and assessment of forest ecosystem services in different contexts and geographical levels. Methodological aspects, data issues, approaches, limitations, gaps and further steps for improvement are analysed for providing good practices and decis...

In the EU, the mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services, abbreviated to MAES, is seen as a key action for the advancement of biodiversity objectives, and also to inform the development and implementation of related policies on water, climate, agriculture, forest, marine and regional planning. In this study, we present the development...

According to the United Nations’ International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, “natural hazards are processes or phenomena that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage”. They are at the interface between human and natural syst...

Forest insect pests represent a serious threat to European forests and their negative effects could be exacerbated by climate change. This paper illustrates how species distribution modelling integrated with host tree species distribution data can be used to assess forest vulnerability to this threat. Two case studies are used: large pine weevil (H...

Following the Oslo Mandate action on estimating the full value of forest ecosystem services across Europe with a view to using common valuation approaches, this document tries to display some the latest works performed within the pan-European Region. Also the request for values to be increasingly reflected in relevant national policies and market-b...

In addition to the supply of wood, forests provide many services to humans in terms of climate regulation (e.g. carbon sequestration), air purification, recreation and tourism, fresh water supply, soil protection, habitat for biodiversity and many others. Options for recreation is one of the cultural services provided by forest ecosystems. Cultural...

The aim of this report is to illustrate by means of a series of case studies the implementation of mapping and assessment of forest ecosystem services in different contexts and geographical levels. Methodological aspects, data issues, approaches, limitations, gaps and further steps for improvement are analysed for providing good practices and decis...

Global change, including climate, land-use and socio-economic changes, is expected to increase the stress on the entire water cycle. In the Mediterranean region, extreme events are likely to increase due to climate change. This work, framed in the EC Seventh Framework Programme project IMPRINTS, presents a methodology to obtain future flood risk ma...

The objective of the JRC PESETA II project is to gain insights into the sectoral and regional patterns of climate change impacts in Europe by the end of this century. The study uses a large set of climate model runs and impact categories (ten impacts: agriculture, energy, river floods, droughts, forest fires, transport infrastructure, coasts, touri...

• We propose a methodology for assessing forest vulnerability to insect pests at pan-European level • Pilot study using two insect pests for testing and validating a methodology that could be extended to other pests ➤ Large Pine Weevil (Hylobius abietis) ➤ Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner (Cameraria ohridella) • Our results highlight the strengths of...

The second MAES report presents indicators that can be used at European and Member State's level to map and assess biodiversity, ecosystem condition and ecosystem services according to the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES v4.3). This work is based on a review of data and indicators available at national and European...

The objective of the JRC PESETA II project is to gain insights into the sectoral and regional patterns of climate change impacts in Europe by the end of this century. The study uses a large set of climate model runs and impact categories (ten impacts: agriculture, energy, river floods, droughts, forest fires, transport infrastructure, coasts, touri...

This document describes the “INSPIRE data specification on Natural Risk Zones – Technical Guidelines” version 3.0 as developed by the Thematic Working Group (TWG) Natural Risk Zones using both natural and a conceptual schema language.

Forest ecosystems play a key role in the global carbon cycle. Spatially explicit data and assessments of forest biomass and carbon are therefore crucial for designing and implementing effective sustainable forest management options and forest related policies. In this contribution, we present European-wide maps of forest biomass and carbon stock sp...

Mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services An analytical framework for ecosystem assessments under action 5 of the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 : discussion paper – final, April 2013 Action 5 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 calls Member States to map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in their national t...

The JRC PESETA II study integrates the consequences of several separate climate change impacts into a macroeconomic CGE model. This enables comparison of the different impacts based on common metrics (household welfare and economic activity). The study uses a large set of climate model runs (twelve) and impact categories (agriculture, energy demand...

The JRC PESETA II study integrates the consequences of several separate climate change impacts into a macroeconomic CGE model. This enables comparison of the different impacts based on common metrics (household welfare and economic activity). The study uses a large set of climate model runs (twelve) and impact categories (agriculture, energy demand...

There is a wide variety of flood damage models in use internationally, differing substantially in their approaches and economic estimates. Since these models are being used more and more as a basis for investment and planning deci-sions on an increasingly large scale, there is a need to reduce the uncertainties involved and develop a harmonised Eur...

Forests play a pivotal role in timber production, maintenance and development of biodiversity and in carbon sequestration and storage in the context of the Kyoto Protocol. Policy makers and forest experts therefore require reliable information on forest extent, type and change for management, planning and modeling purposes. It is becoming increasin...

Forests play a pivotal role in timber production, maintenance and development of biodiversity and in carbon se-questration and storage in the context of the Kyoto Protocol. Policy makers and forest experts therefore require reliable information on forest extent, type and change for management, planning and modeling purposes. It is becoming increasi...

In this work we evaluate the implications of climate change for future fluvial flood risk in Europe, considering climate developments under the SRES A2 (high emission) and B2 (low emission) scenario. We define flood risk as the product of flood probability (or hazard), exposure of capital and population, and vulnerability to the effect of flooding....