Vegetation changes
The picture below shows vegetation changes over the last 19 years in Beniatjar (Vall d’Albaida, Valencia; at the foot of the Benicadell). The increase in trees (Pinus halepensis) is very evident. In 2006, terraced fields were either productive or recently abandoned. Now, more terraced fields have been abandoned, and many are covered by trees. Abandonment of rural activities and tree colonizations is happening in many Mediterranean landscapes across southern Europe, with obvious implications on fire regimes [1,2,3]. Rural abandonment was especially pronounced in the 1970s [1], but it is still occurring. As a consequence, large Mediterranean areas are now occupied by young pine populations, which often fuel 20th-century wildfires. Land abandonment and fire are the primary global change drivers in Mediterranean ecosystems; climate change is becoming more important every year.
References
[1] Pausas J.G. & Fernández-Muñoz S. 2012. Fire regime changes in the Western Mediterranean Basin: from fuel-limited to drought-driven fire regime. Climatic Change 110: 215-226 [doi | pdf]
[2] Chergui B., Fahd S., Santos X., Pausas J.G. 2018. Socioeconomic factors drive fire regime variability in the Mediterranean Basin. Ecosystems 21: 619–628 [doi | pdf | post]
[3] Pausas J.G. & Millán M.M. 2019. Greening and browning in a climate change hotspot: the Mediterranean Basin. BioScience 96:143-151 [doi | oup | blog | pdf]