CEEweb for Biodiversity

Non-Native Trees: A Double-Edged Sword for Soil and Biodiversity The impacts of seven widely distributed non-native tree species (NNT) on soil and biodiversity was evaluated in a review article. One of the examined species was black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), which is the most abundant non-native tree species both in Europe (covering 2.44 million hectares) and in Hungary. While this species enhances soil nitrogen levels due to its nitrogen-fixing ability, it can also contribute to soil acidification, affecting long-term ecosystem stability. Beyond soil, biodiversity faces greater challenges. Studies reveal that 66% of NNTs lead to biodiversity loss, particularly when they lack close European relatives. Species like Eucalyptus globulus and Ailanthus altissima, which phylogenetically distant from European native tree species, cause the most severe disruptions by limiting native flora and fauna interactions. 🚨 While some NNTs offer short-term benefits, their long-term ecological impacts must be carefully weighed in forest management to protect our forests' health and diversity. Read more here 👉 https://lght.ly/o0lne2n #Biodiversity #SoilHealth #NonNativeTrees #SustainableForestry 📷 modul6ollis @pixabay

🌍 What’s the best way to celebrate World Wetlands Day? 🐕🦺 By sharing a video of a dog and his owner on a SUP, floating on the beautiful Danube River. 🌊 This reminds us that wetlands are not just beautiful 🌿; they’re vital for our life, for biodiversity 🐦🌱, and climate resilience 🌡️. #WorldWetlandsDay #ProtectOurWetlands #CEEweb #MysticalDanube 🏄♂️ owner and 🎥 Csaba Mezei

Fighting Against Invasive Species! Invasive alien species (IAS) are silently spreading across Europe, harming native wildlife and ecosystems, and posing a major threat to the economy as well. Our latest study analyzes action plans for priority pathways of IAS from six Central and Eastern European countries. Our assessment compares the general content of the plans, methods for prioritizing pathways and associated species, and the defined measures. We concluded that improved regional collaboration, better information sharing, and more citizen science initiatives and awareness-raising campaigns are key actions for the effective control of invasive species. 📖 Read the full study here 👉 https://lght.ly/jf62gdn #InvasiveAlienSpecies #Biodiversity #CEE

🌱 Investing in Ecosystem Restoration: A Win-Win for People and Nature 🌍✨ A recent review highlights the economic opportunities of tackling ecosystem degradation. The urgent need for restoring degraded ecosystems is undisputed, it is vital for clean water, climate stability, and biodiversity conservation.🌳🌊 At both the European and global levels, the costs of degradation are immense, but the potential economic returns are staggering – up to 30 times for every unit of resources invested. Beyond the direct benefits, such as the increased economic value of ecosystem services, indirect socio-economic benefits also play a key role: ✅ Improved food security ✅ Job creation ✅ Greater resilience to climate and weather extremes ✅ Biodiversity conservation ✅ Sustainable development The review underscores the need for innovative solutions, like payments for ecosystem services, stronger policies, and greater private-sector engagement. 🌿 It’s time to find the optimal combination of well-designed and well-implemented approaches to restore our planet and secure a sustainable future. 🌎✨ 📰 Read the full study here 👉 https://lght.ly/5ffkoh3 📷 Claudio Testa @unsplash

🌍 The Impact of Non-Native Tree Species on Ecosystem Services 🌳✨ A recent study explores the global influence of non-native tree species (NNTs) on ecosystem services, highlighting both their benefits and challenges. These trees provide essential services like carbon storage, timber production, and soil protection 🌱🌲 – all contribute to human well-being and sustainable development. However, assessing the costs and benefits of NNTs on ecosystem services is critical for informed decision-making, effective management, and sustainable use, especially as climate change drives a growing demand for their use. the study also emphasizes the need for careful management to minimize potential negative effects, such as biodiversity loss or altered water cycles. Striking the right balance is key to harnessing their potential while protecting natural ecosystems. 🔍💧 🌿 Let’s rethink the role of non-native trees in shaping our environment responsibly. 📰 Read the full study here 👉 https://lght.ly/0ohkdgm #Sustainability #EcosystemServices #NonNativeTrees #ClimateAdaptation 📷 Florin Lucoaie @pixabay

🌍 Ökológiai paradigmaváltás, permakultúra, családi gazdaságok 🌱 – néhány gondolat legújabb podcastunk témáiból 🎙️✨ Reboot projektünk újabb gyöngyszeme egy inspiráló podcast, amelyben Werlein Anna beszélget Mátyás Révai-val. 🌿 Anna biológus, komposzt- és gombaszakértő, 🌾 Mátyás környezetkutató, humánökológus, permakultúra-tervező, és a PatternWise ügyvezetője. Ez utóbbi szerepében regeneratív fejlesztésekkel és permakultúrás tanácsadással foglalkozik. A fenti témákról és sok más érdekességről is hallhatsz a podcastban: 🎧 Hallgasd meg itt 👉 https://lght.ly/4c0b52i, és ha tetszett, oszd meg, hogy másokhoz is eljusson! 😊 #RebootFood #SustainableFoodSystem #FenntarthatóÉlelmiszer #Paradigmaváltás #Permakultúra 📷 Attila Dobák

Services of grassland from a different perspective Grasslands, which cover nearly one-third of the Earth's terrestrial area 🌎, have significantly declined over the past century, partly due to a lack of management or abandonment, as well as their conversion into other land-use types (e.g. croplands). However, in addition to their high biodiversity and social and cultural values, natural and semi-natural grasslands provide multiple services beyond agriculture as part of agricultural systems. These include water supply (both quality and quantity) and flow regulation, erosion prevention, climate regulation (e.g. carbon sequestration, carbon storage, mitigation of greenhouse gas fluxes), pollination, and cultural ecosystem services (related to livestock farming, tourism, hunting, and spiritual values). Permanent grasslands can store large amounts of carbon in the soil, and their permanent vegetation 🌳 provides protection against soil erosion, which is closely linked to other services such as water supply and regulation, as well as soil fertility. Due to their location and extent, grasslands play a unique role in the landscape by reducing water runoff, soil erosion, and soil loss. Additionally, grasslands positively impact agricultural production through pollination and biological control. ✔️ In light of current and predicted processes – such as the adverse effects of climate change 🌡️⚡ on crop production, increasing food demand, and rising demand for energy and nutrient inputs – there will be a growing need to utilize land that currently cannot support crop production. From this perspective, the potential role of grasslands in ensuring global food security should be more widely recognized. Policy decisions should place greater emphasis on grasslands, focusing on how they can be used not only for fodder and meat production but also for biodiversity conservation and other ecosystem services. Moreover, policies should aim to integrate grasslands into agricultural production systems, leveraging their potential to contribute to multifunctional landscapes, biodiversity conservation, food security, and sustainable livelihoods. Read more here 👉 https://lght.ly/4j4o3nl 📸 Helena Lopes @pexels

🌿 Inspiráció Annától! 🌿 Werlein Anna a Reboot, a fenntartható élelmiszerrendszerek kialakításáról szóló projektünk Fiatal Nagykövete, aki a programot képviseli és alakítja másokkal közösen itthon és Európában, emellett a komposztálás és a gombák világának szakértője is egyben. Hadd ajánljuk a figyelmetekbe Anna csodás posztját a közösségi komposztálókról 🥦✨. Ezek fontos szerepet játszanak a Reboot projektben is, mint a körkörös élelmiszerrendszerek fontos elemei. Itt olvashatod el Anna gondolatait 👉 https://lght.ly/6d0ao3j A Reboot projektről pedig itt találsz részleteket: https://lght.ly/pdml41c A fenntartható jövő néha apró lépéssel kezdődik. Tegyünk közösen egy élhetőbb világért, egy fenntarthatóbb élelmiszerrendszerért – egy komposztálóval, egy apró ötlettel, tanítással, de akár csak egy megosztással. 🌱✨ #RebootFood #SustainableFoodSystems #komposztálás #fenntarthatóélelmiszer 📷 Werlein Anna

🌍🌱 Protect Our Soil, Secure Our Food: A Call for Biodiversity in Agriculture 🌾💧 Healthy soil and biodiversity are the backbone of sustainable food production and food security. 🥦🍞 Yet, soil degradation and biodiversity loss are threatening this vital foundation. A great example comes from the Czech Republic 🇨🇿, where the “Bioreserve Na Mlakah” initiative is leading the way. Through this incredible project by using EU CAP Network support, farmers and conservationists have joined forces to restore wetlands and promote biodiversity-friendly practices. Their efforts not only protect species and habitats but also show how sustainable agriculture can go hand in hand with nature conservation. 🌿🦋 We can and we must transition to farming practices that preserve our soils and protect biodiversity—ensuring a healthier planet and a secure food future for generations to come. 🌎🍽️ 👉 Learn more about this initiative here 👉 https://lght.ly/577ffdh #RebootFood #SoilBiodiversity #SustainableFarming #FoodSecurity 📷 SPÚ - Státní pozemkový úřad

Seed bank versus invasiveness Soil seed banks are reservoirs of species and genetic diversity, and enable the survival of species and their adaptation to changing environmental conditions. It has already been proven that there is a correlation between a species' invasiveness and the characteristics of its seed bank, and that changes in the seed banks of native communities associated with invasions, including their impoverishment, influence their resilience to environmental changes and invasions. Evaluating changes in the soil seed bank as an indicator of ecosystem condition helps address practical conservation questions, such as predicting the long-term impacts of invasive species on vegetation and assessing the restoration potential of a site after the removal of invasive species. Data from the Czech 🇨🇿 flora have shown that species capable of forming persistent seed banks are increasingly represented in the casual, naturalized, and invasive stages. 👉 https://lght.ly/b2i38ii Analysis of seed bank database data has shown that invasive species consistently have a higher likelihood of forming persistent seed banks and denser seed banks compared to their non-invasive relatives in their natural distribution range, while the probability is similar in alien ranges. For invasive species, this ability may be important for establishment in new areas. The studies revealed that invasive woody species formed denser seed banks in alien distribution areas, indicating higher seed production and/or lower seed predation or mortality. 👉 https://lght.ly/mkmnl5l Analysis of more than 2,000 angiosperm species showed that the naturalization of a species in a new area and its invasiveness were strongly associated with the ability to form persistent (as opposed to transient) seed banks, whereas this was not the case for other seed traits, such as seed mass. 👉 https://lght.ly/7j285b2 The above also highlights that understanding seed persistence can contribute to predicting naturalization and invasiveness patterns, as well as identifying potentially invasive plants. 📷 Hans @pixabay