Transcript Scientific name

The Montado (Cork and Holm oak woodland)
Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência
Lisboa, Portugal
A visit to the Montado (Cork and Holm oak woodland)
in the Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência
The Montado is a woodland ecosystem in which cereal crops, pasture land or MesoMediterranean arborescent matorral, in juxtaposition or rotation, are shaded by a fairly closed
to very open canopy of native evergreen oaks, namely Cork and Holm oaks.
In Portugal, Cork oak and Holm oak woodlands cover approximately 1.2 million ha from the
Alentejo, in the central part of the country, to the Algarve in the south, including some non
negligible areas in the center-east and northeast region (see maps below). As such, they
represent 36% Portugal’s "forested area", in a sparsely populated region with ca. 5% of the
population but with one of the country's (and the world’s) largest agricultural exports as cork.
Additional biological products from these woodlands are the acorn (from Holm oak),
herbaceous forage and specific cattle breeds such as the black Iberian pig and the gravanesa
cow.
Acorn and cork from Cork oak
Other commercial benefits arrive from charcoal production, cereal crop cultivation, honey
production and wild mushroom picking. Aromatic/medicinal plants that grow in the
understory layers also are used for industrial tannins and resin ladano production.
Quercus rotundifolia and Quercus suber distribution in Portugal. Adapted
from the National Forest Authority data. March 2001.
Cork oak (Quercus suber)
Holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia)
In Portugal the harvest of cork began in the 19th century on an industrial scale. In that period
selective thinning and low density cultivation techniques were introduced to make use of the
ground for farming. At the end of the 19th century, the Portuguese cork oak forests were
considered the best managed in the world.
Oaks from this ecosystem can grow up to a height of 82 feet and live for up to three hundred
years, continuously serving the local populations, who periodically strip the bark of the Cork
oak. This unique bark (cork) protects the tree both from cold winters and from fires in the dry
summers, characteristic of the Mediterranean regions. Moreover, Cork oak trees act via
biological processes to modify soil properties in the ecosystem. They enrich the soil in
nutrients, attract different types of animals that supplement this modification, alter bulk
density and porosity, and, thereby, increase the available soil stored water.
Traditional methods of understory clearing have been replaced by effective mechanized
ploughing to reduce understory fuel and thus the risk of fire exposure and damage.
A typical Montado landscape is illustrated below:
In these woodlands people use the forest and its biological products in a sustainable way
to ensure the maintenance of the production. It is also the increase in the planting of Cork
oak and Holm oak that is believed to lead to a reduction in soil erosion in southern
Portugal. New and old Oak forests provide a livelihood for local populations. It is well
know that the present and near future of locals are dependent on the harvesting of cork
and on the maintenance of high biodiversity and functional complexity of these forests.
Fauna of the Montado
The Cork oak and Holm Oak woodlands ensure a high biodiversity of wild fauna, including
approximately 53% of Portuguese species of reptiles and amphibians, more than 160 bird
species, and approximately 60% of the Portuguese species of mammals.
Examples of animals commonly found in these woodlands include lizards, snakes, frogs,
buzzards, kites, eagles, owls, magpies, hoopoes, bee-eaters, passerines, cranes in the winter,
rabbits and hares, foxes, weasels, genets, wild boars, deer and some protected species like the
Cabrera's Vole or some bat and bird species.
Some of these species exist in the
Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência collection:
Scientific name: Vulpes vulpes
Family : Canidae
Common name: Red fox
Distribution : North America; North Africa and Euroasia
Conservation status : Least concern (LC)
Scientific name: Herpestes ichneumon
Family : Herpestidae
Common name: Egyptian mongoose
Distribution : Egypt, Iberian peninsula, Israel and sub-Saharan Africa
Conservation status : Least concern (LC)
Scientific name: Genetta genetta
Family : Viverridae
Common name: Common genet
Distribution : Africa, West of the Arabian peninsula; Northern
Palestinian; Iberian peninsula and France
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Scientific name: Meles meles
Family: Mustelidae
Common name: European badger
Distribution: Europe
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Scientific name: Sus scrofa
Family: Suidae
Common name: Wild boar
Distribution: Northern and Central Europe, the Mediterranean
Region and Asia
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Additional information on these species can be found in:
http://carnivora.fc.ul.pt/especies/asespecies.htm
Scientific name: Mustela nivalis
Family : Mustelidae
Common name: Least weasel
Distribution : Eurasia, North America and North Africa
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Scientific name: Microtus cabrerae Thomas, 1906
Family: Cricetidae
Common name: Cabrera's vole
Distribution: Occurs in the Iberian Peninsula with a very fragmented distribution
Conservation status: Vulnerable in the Portuguese Vertebrate Red Book and Near
Threatened in the Red List of Threatened Species IUCN.
Scientific name: : Buteo buteo
Family : Accipitridae
Common name: Common buzzard
Distribution : Europe and Asia
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Scientific name: Hieraaetus pennatus
Family : Accipitridae
Common name: Booted eagle
Distribution: Southern Europe, North Africa and Asia.
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Scientific name: Merops apiaster
Family : Meropidae
Common name: European bee-eater
Distribution: Southern Europe
Conservation status: Least Concern (LC)
Scientific name: Alectoris rufa
Family :Phasianidae
Common name: Red-legged partridge
Distribution: Southwestern Europe, France and Iberian
Peninsula.
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Scientific name: Cyanopica cyanus
Family : Corvidae
Common name: Azure-winged Magpie
Distribution: Southwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Scientific name: Athene noctua
Family : Strigidae
Common name: Little Owl
Distribution: South Europe, Asia and North Africa
Conservation status: Least Concern (LC)
Scientific name: Fringilla coelebs
Family : Fringillidae
Common name: Chaffinch
Distribution: Europe, Asia and North Africa
Conservation status: Least Concern (LC)
Scientific name: Lacerta lepida
Family : Lacertidae
Common name: Ocellated Lizard
Distribution : Iberian peninsula, West and Southeast of France
and Northwest of Italy
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Scientific name: Malpolon monspessulanus
Family :Colubridae
Common name: Montpellier snake
Distribution: Mediterranean basin
Conservation status: Least concern (LC)
Flora of the Montado
In Montado landscapes, plant diversity of the understory layers (when not used for
cereal cultivation) can reach a level of more than 25 vascular plant species per square
meter. Many of these species have aromatic, culinary or medicinal uses, including
various types of lavender, oregano, rosemary, mint, etc.. The harvesting of these
plants and subsequent processing is also an important economic resource for local
people, besides cork extraction, cereal or acorn profit, forage for animals, honey or
edible mushrooms.
Examples of herbaceous plants commonly found in the Montado
Herbarium sheets from the Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência
Echium plantagineum L.
Carlina racemosa L.
Chamaemelum mixtum (L.) All.
Chrysanthemum segetum L.
Diplotaxis catholica (L.) DC.
Raphanus raphanistrum L.
subsp. raphanistrum
Medicago nigra (L.)Krock.
var. vulgaris (Benth.) Franco
Trifolium aureum Pollich
Papaver rhoeas L.
Daucus carota L.
subsp. maritimus (Lam.) Batt.
Foeniculum vulgare Mill.
Torilis arvensis (Huds.) Link
Triticum aestivum L.
Avena sativa L.
Hordeum murinum L.
susbsp. leporinum (Link)Arcang.
Lolium rigidum Gaudich
Information on these species can be found in http://www.jb.utad.pt/pt/herbario/cons_reg.asp
The Cork oak
Scientific name: Quercus suber L.
Family : Fagaceae
Common name: Cork oak tree
Distribution: Endemic of Southwest Europe
(Portugal, southern Spain, southern France, Italy)
and North Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia).
Height : 10-20m
The Cork oak occurred in the Tertiary Era (between the Oligocene and Miocene) since
the beginning of Mediterranean sea formation, 60 million years ago. In Portugal,
Pliocene fossils of this species were found in the Alentejo (South of Portugal).
It is an evergreen tree. The Cork oak does not grow evenly during the year. In the
winter, the tree canopy stay dormant. In the spring it returns to full activity extending to
the end of summer.
In Portugal, flowering happens between April and June and may continue for August
and September.
This oak produces a suberous tissue (the cork) to involve the trunk and branches.
This tissue has regenerative capacity and protects the tree against biotic and abiotic
factors (fire) in its natural habitat. The cork extraction is a very important economic
activity in Portugal and the cork oak is legally protected.
Some species of Montado exist in the Botanic Garden of the Museu Nacional de
História Natural e da Ciência and in the Herbarium collection:
Scientific name: Quercus rotundifolia Lam.
Family : Fagaceae
Common name: Holm oak or Holly oak
Distribution : Native of Mediterranean region
Habitat: Mediterranean forests
Height : 27 m
This oak tree flowers from April to May. The male
flowers are arranged in catkins while the female flowers
are arranged in panicles. The fruits are acorns (big and
sweet), used for animal forage (ex. black Iberian pig).
The Holm Oak is an evergreen tree, with ragged spinytoothed leaves when young and serrated leaves in
adults.
Scientific name: Arbutus unedo L.
Family: Ericaceae
Common name: Strawberry Tree
Distribution: Mediterranean region, SW
France and Ireland
Habitat: Mediterranean forests
Height: 5m
Scientific name : Rosmarinus officinalis L.
Family : Lamiaceae
Common name : Rosemary
Distribution : Mediterranean region
Habitat: Mediterranean forests
Height: 2 m
Scientific name: Erica arborea L.
Family : Ericaceae
Common name: Tree heath
Distribution : Mediterranean region;
Macaronesian, N e E Africa.
Habitat: Mediterranean forests
Height : 1 - 4m
Scientific name : Cistus ladanifer L.
Family : Cistaceae
Common name : Brown-eyed Rockrose
Distribution : Native of the western
Mediterranean region
Habitat: Mediterranean forests
Height : 1-2.50 m
César Garcia
Scientific name : Centaurea sphaerocephala L. ssp.
polyacantha (Willd.) Dostál
Family : Asteriaceae
Distribution : Iberian Peninsula (endemic)
Habitat: Coastal thickets
Scientific name : Genista sp.
Family : Fabaceae
In the Botanic Garden:
Genista monspessulana (L.) L. Johnson:
Mediterranean region
Genista triacanthos Brot.: Iberian Peninsula and
NW Morocco
Genista tridentata L.: Iberian Peninsula
Scientific name : Zygodon forsteri (Dicks.) Mitt.
Habitat: Holm oak woodland (high conservation status
in Portugal and Europe)
César Garcia
Scientific name : Dicranoweisia cirrata (Hedw.) Lindb.
Ex Milde
Habitat: Cork oak woodland
César Garcia
Scientific name : Flavoparmelia caperata (L.) Hale
Habitat: Cork and Holm oak woodland
Palmira Carvalho
Threats to the Montado in Portugal due to bad human practices
•Deforestation and habitat destruction (for house building, even though the trees are
legally protected)
•Deforestation to plant exotic production (ex. Eucalyptus sp. for paper paste production)
•Fire (increasing probability with global warming and fallow abandonment )
•Desertification (increasing with global warming)
•Increase of oak illnesses and plagues due to incorrect management during cork extraction
and deep ploughing
•Hunting and prey control (legally not authorized species)
•Increase of cereal cultivation and modification of spatio-temporal mosaic rotation (fallow
lands)
•Increase of intensive agriculture and greenhouse farming
•Increase in the use agro-chemicals
•Negligible efforts for the recovery and restoration of high-value biodiversity rangelands
•Absence of programs seeking for the conversion of Eucalyptus cultivations into natural
forest
•Absence of legislation preventing the devastation due to incorrect management practices
•Absence of legislation and control for mushroom and fungi harvesting and use.
Some campaigns are already taking place to preserve regional ecosystems.
Considering the Montado, a campaign was launched in Portugal for collecting bottle
cork stoppers to recycle into corkboards, place mats, coasters, flooring, gaskets or
insulation material:
http://www.greencork.org/index8.php?idlingua=1&idbanner=2&idlink=2&id
contador=14777&
Be active: disseminate the importance for regional ecosystems preservation
and the good practices to achieve such goal. Participate!