The project

PROGRESA stands for PRoyecto de evaluación y Gestión de seRvicios, Estructura y funcioneS de eucaliptales Abandonados - Project for the Evaluation and Management of the Services, Structure and Functions of Abandoned Eucalyptus Plantations. It has been funded by the Comunidad de Madrid thanks to the “Línea de Doctores Emergentes” within the “Convenio-subvención para el fomento y promoción de la Investigación y la Transferencia de Tecnología (2023-2026) en la Universidad de Alcalá”.

This project brings together a multidisciplinary team from different Spanish universities and research institutions. Our goal is to better understand the changes in the structure, functioning and ecosystem services experienced by abandoned Eucalyptus globulus plantations in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. To achieve this, we are focusing on how these plantations and their abandonment impact key ecological aspects, such as carbon storage, water resources, and the functional diversity of plants and soil microbial communities. These results are being compared with native cork oak (Quercus suber) forest stands.

Eucalyptus globulus (the blue gum) is a species native to Australia that has been widely introduced around the world due to its fast growth for the production of timber, pulp and other products. Its high growth rate has also been used to claim its potential as an efficient carbon sink to contribute to climate change mitigation. However, this species can also behave as an exotic invasive species due to its potential negative impacts on native ecosystems: it might be capable of displacing native vegetation, alter soil properties, increase fire risk, among others. These impacts vary significantly depending on the ecological context, making it essential to conduct local-scale studies to better understand this variability. Such studies are particularly important in the Iberian Peninsula, where research on this topic is still limited.

In Spain, E. globulus plantations for pulp production cover around 500,000 hectares. A large portion of these plantations is located in the province of Huelva, southwestern Spain. However, many stands have been abandoned over time due to a decline in productivity, likely as a result of increasingly harsh climatic conditions associated with climate change. The ecological fate of these abandoned, low-productive, and species-poor forest stands remains uncertain, as the effects they may have on their ecosystems are unclear, as is whether native vegetation will be able to recolonize these areas.

The results obtained in the PROGRESA project aim to shed light on these uncertainties and serve as a guide for land managers and policymakers to make science-based decisions that ensure a climate-resilient restoration of these forest stands, while safeguarding their ecosystem services, structure, and functions.

The PROGRESA project is a timely and urgent initiative, driven by the need to convert low-productivity eucalyptus plantations into alternative systems that are resilient to climate change and capable of providing ecosystem services.

Specific goals

Carbon storage

By collecting leaf litter, humus and soil samples, and obtaining measurements of tree and shrub biomass, we are determinining the carbon allocation patterns between compartments: aboveground (i.e. aboveground shrubs and trees) and belowground (litter, humus, soil organic carbon -SOC 0-10, SOC 10-30 and roots) in different stands following an abandonment gradient

Water uptake depth

We are performing isotope analyses on soil samples at different depths, as well as on branches from the dominant tree species (mainly Eucalyptus globulus and Quercus suber) and water from nearby wells and streams to determine the water sources used by the different species in different stands following an abandonment gradient

Forest structure recovery

We are estimating the functional diversity of woody plants in different stands following an abandonment gradient by measuring leaf, stem and hydraulic traits, while the functional diversity of soil microorganisms is being estimated through soil respiration induced by different substrates

Management proposals

We will generate knowledge that supports forest managers and policymakers in making science-based decisions, promoting the carbon sink function of forests and forest plantations while safeguarding other services, structures, and functions