Yesterday we spent an excellent field day looking for locations to sample biodiversity and ecosystem functions in rivers and "acequias de careo" systems. This work is part of the NBS4WATER project funded by the Autonomous Organism of National Parks, in which we aim to learn how human-nature coupled systems work, using as a model the system of "acequias de careo" of Sierra Nevada. This system has recently been designated as a demonstration site of the World Network of Ecohydrology Demonstration Sites of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (UNESCO-IHP). Very happy to be working in the Sierra Nevada.

Today, June 21, the awards ceremony of the II Edition of the Photography Contest "How do you see the Anthropocene" organized by the Natural Heritage, Biodiversity and Global Change Foundation, and the Faculty of Experimental Sciences of the University of Almeria, also together with us, the CAESCG, took place.

We have counted with the presence of Juan José Moreno Balcázar, Dean of the Faculty of Experimental Sciences of the University of Almería and Javier Cabello Piñar, Secretary of the Foundation and Director of CAESCG, in addition to the winners and finalists.

In a very gratifying event, where the different works have been discussed, the objective is to continue with this theme in future editions, as we pointed out last year, to see the evolution of these perceptions of society on this era that we want to move towards sustainability. 

Congratulations to all participants, and especially to the winners, thanks to all of you we are excited to continue with this great activity. 

Here you can consult all the other works: https://caescg.org/ii-concurso-de-fotografia-como-ves-tu-el-antropoceno/

Today we were at Ohanes City Hall to present our NBS4WATER project on the "acequias de careo" systems of the Sierra Nevada as nature-based solutions to climate change. It has been a pleasure to exchange ideas and how well they have attended us. The "acequias de careo" systems of the Ohanes ravine are beautiful and also play a fundamental role in supplying water to the town. They are therefore essential for the water security of the inhabitants of this beautiful town in the Alpujarra of Almería.

We inform you that in this course, to be held from August 30 to September 2 in Sierra Nevada, will participate our CAESCG director Javier Cabello, who will speak on "What Sierra Nevada brings to the wellbeing of people", and our secretary Maria Jacoba Salinas, whose topic will be "The Sierra Nevada of Almeria", being these sessions focused on the part of this mountain range located in Almeria.

The general objective of the course is to provide information about this ecosystem, such as the Sierra Nevada, from perspectives such as geology, climatology, animal and plant biodiversity, its contributions to human wellbeing and the management of the Natural and National Park, among others.

Here is the link to learn more about the course.

Come and participate, it's going to be very interesting!

We started the field sampling carried out in the CAESCG project NBS4WATER, with the aim of having a more precise knowledge of the "acequias de careo" system along a gradient of aridity and anthropization, improving their management and preventing their disappearance and, at the same time, using them as an effective tool for adaptation and mitigation of the effects of global change.

We started with the measurement of water potential, photosynthesis, leaf area and sampling in the Robledal de Cañar, on the southern slope of Sierra Nevada.

Let's start!!!

This route allows to know the problems associated with climate change in the semiarid area of Almeria and to value the habitats of jujube trees or white artos (Ziziphus lotus), as they are known in Almeria. It includes two itineraries (North and South), both out and back along the same path, and of low difficulty that allow visualizing key aspects to understand the effect of climate change on semiarid ecosystems that depend on groundwater. Both are complemented in the information they offer through various milestones or information points where you can download additional information related to the Azufaifar ecosystem.

INTRODUCTION NORTH ITINERARY.

It starts at the Visitor Center of Las Amoladeras, which is accessed from the local road AL-3115 towards Retamar to Ruescas. There is a free public parking where we can leave our vehicle.

Throughout this itinerary, visitors will learn about the services and benefits that jujube trees, as dominant plants in the ecosystem, provide to society. In addition, both in this itinerary and in the southern one, information is offered to deepen in the geological and biological aspects responsible for the functioning of the ecosystem as a whole.

This route is accessed through the entrance to a small botanical garden located in front of the entrance to the Visitor Center building. This point gives access, heading north, to a mound from which we can observe the surrounding landscape, and the first milestone marked on the route with a QR code on a wooden post.

Later, going back on the same path, we return to the asphalt road in and out of the Visitor Center from where we will find about five hundred meters to the left in a northerly direction, a signpost of the GR-140. This point marks the beginning of the trail that will take us to the viewpoint of Las Amoladeras. Along this trail we will find new milestones also marked with QR codes.

These milestones have been designed to provide key aspects that help to understand the importance of jujubes as elements that contribute to our well-being through the benefits they bring us, and the threat that climate change represents for these plants.

You can complete the Climate Change Route with the South Itinerary, for which you have to make a trip to the beach of Torregarcía. If this is the end of the route, you can complete the information by downloading milestone 10 of the South Itinerary.

INTRODUCTION SOUTHERN ITINERARY

It begins next to the beacon or watchtower of Torre Garcia, where there is a free public parking available where we can leave our vehicle and find the first milestone marked with QR code on a wooden post.

This itinerary, together with the northern one, aims to help understand the effect of climate change on the arid landscape and its biodiversity.

It runs along the path that runs parallel to the beach, and also offers the possibility of knowing samples of our history, as an old salting factory of Roman origin. It ends once you reach an old bunker.

You can complete the Climate Change Route with the North Itinerary, for which you have to go to the Amoladeras Visitor Center or take the GR-140 to reach the Amoladeras viewpoint and do the North Itinerary in reverse.

Example of Augmented Reality visualization. You can try it in the following image.

Climate Change Route Brochure.

Build your own Jujube tree cutout.

With the support of

Our PhD student Nelson Londoño Gutiérrez participated in an outstanding way in the Virtual Forum of the Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca for the celebration of the International Day of Biological Diversity with the presentation "Biodiversity Conservation in Colombian Socioecosystems". Nelson is doing his doctoral thesis on "Socioecosystems as a framework for designing biodiversity conservation actions in landscapes with oil palm presence in Colombia". Thank you for expanding CAESCG's research perspective globally. You can watch her participation in the following link (minute 31:26 to 45:38).

Today we have been visited by high school students and teachers of different nationalities participating in the Erasmus+ Project "Climate change: open your senses" led by Luxembourg and whose Spanish partner is La Salle Virgen del Mar.

We, as the Andalusian Center for the Evaluation and Assessment of Global Change, wanted to make our work known, showing you the lines of research we carry out, the projects we lead and in which we participate, as well as an overview of how our center works.

To learn firsthand how we generate knowledge for sustainability.

José María Calaforra, Professor of Geology at our Center and director of the "Water Resources and Environmental Geology" Research Group, transferred his scientific and research experience in the field of Underground Environmental Protection to the 36th Brazilian Congress of Speleology-CBE.

The overall objective of this congress was to disseminate information about the importance of caves and karst ecosystems for society in general, in commemoration of the International Year of Caves and Karst UNESCO-UIS, a subject in which José María is an expert. One of the examples of success that he presented during the congress was that of the Giant Geode of Pulpí, a geo-resource of incalculable value on a worldwide scale and that we have here, in Almería.

His participation took place in one of the round tables, where the topic of "Conservation of the Speleological Heritage, its advances and new challenges" was discussed together with other speakers. He also gave a presentation on surveillance, protection, research and sustainable tourism in the subway environment.

In general, he contributed his knowledge of caves and karst ecosystems in other territories to further deepen the protection of these ecosystems, which are so particular and at the same time so important for the natural balance of the planet.

This week we had the meeting to coordinate the work of NBS4WATER, a new project on "Nature-based solutions for resilient management of the hydrological cycle in mountain areas: traditional water management systems of Sierra Nevada", the project in which we intend to characterize and enhance the value of irrigation ditches of Sierra Nevada as nature-based solutions to climate change, granted by the Autonomous Agency of National Parks (OAPN). The project is a great challenge in which researchers from CAESCG-UAL, MEMOLab, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, UCO, Universidad de San Luis, Universidad de Cartagena, UMA, USGS, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Leuphana Universität Lüneburg will participate.

Our objective is to study traditional water management systems from an interdisciplinary perspective (ecology, geography, hydrogeology, history, socioecology), and to do so, we propose to evaluate the impact that these systems, and their forms of governance, have on ecosystems (aquatic and terrestrial) and the hydrological cycle, with the aim of promoting their use as tools to mitigate the effects of climate change on water security and to maintain biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services in mountain areas.

A great start for this new challenge, where we begin to develop all the ideas we have in mind and organize our first field trips!

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