Biogeography and Global Change

The main research lines are: (1) The effects of global change (i.e., temperature, nitrogen and aridity increase) on terrestrial ecosystems, especially in the Mediterranean region. (2) The interaction among different global change drivers (e.g. land use, climate, biotic factors) on key species and communities. (3) Scientific support for conservation, restoration and reforestation that have a solid ecological base and that explicitly contemplate the impact of climate, land use and community changes. (4) Long-term follow-up of natural reference systems of protected natural reserves and of recovered or reforested ecosystems. Ongoing research is giving rise to emerging research lines that will in turn define future activities. The knowledge we hope to acquire should be transferable to end users such as companies, technical and management bodies of natural reserves and resources.