**6. Acknowledgement**

This paper is based on work conducted by some of the authors within the project entitled "MSc technology-enhanced Forest Fire Fighting Learning" (project number 510184-LLP-1- 2010-1-UK-ERASMUS-ECDC) financed by the EACEA Agency of European Union.

#### **7. References**


perhaps allow the greatest complement of native species to persist. While the current configuration and composition of general vegetation communities will surely be different, it is desirable the communities to be characterized predominantly by species native to the

Forest wildfire in the South East Europe is strongly influenced by spring and summer temperatures and by cumulative precipitation. The effect of temperature on wildfire risks is related to the timing of spring, and increases with latitude and elevation. The greatest effects of higher temperatures on forest wildfire in recent decades have been seen in the southern countries - Croatia, Greece, Italy- and a handful of fire seasons account for the majority of large forest wildfires. A seasonal climate forecast for spring and summer temperatures would thus be of value in anticipating the severity and expense of the forest wildfire season in much of the South East Europe, and would be of particular value in Albania, Bosnia,

This paper is based on work conducted by some of the authors within the project entitled "MSc technology-enhanced Forest Fire Fighting Learning" (project number 510184-LLP-1-

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region.

Croatia.

**6. Acknowledgement** 

**7. References** 


**2** 

*Spain* 

**Assessing Loss of Biodiversity in** 

**Europe Through Remote Sensing:** 

Boris Hinojo Sanchez1 and Emilio Chuvieco Salinero2

Susana Martinez Sanchez1, Pablo Ramil Rego1,

*1GI-1934 TB Botany and Biogeography Lab., IBADER, Campus of Lugo, University of Santiago de Compostela 2Department of Geography – University of Alcalá* 

**The Necessity of New Methodologies** 

There is a global consensus on the idea of the present loss of biodiversity is intimately linked with human development, and that the conservation and sustainable use of present biological diversity is paramount to current and future generations of all life on Earth (Duro

The United Nation Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, http://www. biodiv.org, last accessed May 2011) lays down that countries are responsible for conserving their biological diversity and for using their biological resources in a sustainable manner. It expands until 2020 with the global *Strategy Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi biodiversity targets* (http://www.cbd.int/2011-2020, last accessed May 2011) to promote effective implementation of the CDB and to stem biodiversity loss by 2020. It compels the contracting countries to develop scientific and technical capacities to provide the appropriate measures

It was during 90s and 2000s when scientific community became conscious that habitat destruction is the most prominent driver of biodiversity loss (Dirzo and Raven 2003)and together with degradation and fragmentation represent the most important factors leading to worldwide species decline and extinction (Chhabra et al. 2006; Soule and Terborgh 1999). To improve the current conservation efforts and draw new strategies around the commitments under the CBD, it is crucial that our progress is monitored (Pereira and Cooper 2006). Biodiversity monitoring should be focused on trends in the abundance and distribution of populations and habitat extent (Balmford et al. 2005) and be carried out at

There are several biophysical features influence species distributions, population sizes and ranges like land cover, primary productivity, temporal vegetation dynamics, disturbance events or climate (Hansen et al. 2004). All of them could be used as biophysical predictors of biodiversity at different scales. Remote sensing has been shown to be effective in some extent to measure and mapping those indicators and it has become a powerful tool for ecological

in order to prevent and halt the pace of biodiversity loss all around the world.

different scales, regional and global and even local (Pereira and Cooper 2006).

studies because it allows monitoring over significant areas (Kerr and Ostrovsky 2003).

**1. Introduction** 

et al. 2007).

