Mountain Forest Area Research Articles

Significant effect of topographic normalization of airborne LiDAR data on the retrieval of plant area index profile in mountainous forests

As an important metric for describing vertical forest structure, the plant area index (PAI) profile is used for many applications including biomass estimation and wildlife habitat assessment. PAI profiles can be estimated with the vertically resolved gap fraction from airborne LiDAR data. Most research utilizes a height normalization algorithm to retrieve local or relative height by assuming the terrain to be flat. However, for many forests this assumption is not valid. In this research, the effect of topographic normalization of airborne LiDAR data on the retrieval of PAI profile was studied in a mountainous forest area in Germany. Results show that, although individual tree height may be retained after topographic normalization, the spatial arrangement of trees is changed. Specifically, topographic normalization vertically condenses and distorts the PAI profile, which consequently alters the distribution pattern of plant area density in space. This effect becomes more evident as the slope increases. Furthermore, topographic normalization may also undermine the complexity (i.e., canopy layer number and entropy) of the PAI profile. The decrease in PAI profile complexity is not solely determined by local topography, but is determined by the interaction between local topography and the spatial distribution of each tree. This research demonstrates that when calculating the PAI profile from airborne LiDAR data, local topography needs to be taken into account. We therefore suggest that for ecological applications, such as vertical forest structure analysis and modeling of biodiversity, topographic normalization should not be applied in non-flat areas when using LiDAR data.

Recreational potential as an indicator of accessibility control in protected mountain forest areas

The article presents research findings related to recreational use of forests located in protected mountainous areas with forestage of over 80%. The study was designed to identify recreational potential of the Carpathian national parks (Bieszczady National Park, Babia Gora National Park, Gorce National Park and Magura National Park; southern Poland) and to compare these findings with the actual number of visitors. The information received on the recreational potential of parks is important from the point of view of protection of natural resources and the financial situation of the parks. The calculated ratio may be an effective tool of management for park administration, that allows to reconcile statutory social and protective functions of national parks. The study determined the recreational potential of the forests with the use of recreational valorisation method designed for areas with varied terrain, and the evaluated factors included the stands of trees with their habitat and land relief. The permissible number of national park visitors, expressed as manhour/ ha/year ranges from 19.31 in Bieszczady National Park (BG: 19o 35' E, 49o 35' N) to 32.06 in in Bieszczady National Park (B: 22o 40' E, 49o 10' N). In 3 out of 4 investigated parks, Magura National Park (M: 21°25' E, 49o 30' N), Gorce National Park (G: 20o 10' E, 49o 35' N), B) recreation carrying capacity was not exceeded, whether or not the strictly protected area is taken into account. Only in BG was the recreation carrying capacity exceeded by nearly 24%, or by 85% if the strictly protected area is excluded from tourism-related exploitation. The presented procedure for monitoring access to mountain forests in national parks, from the viewpoint of natural resources conservation, can be applied in other mountainous areas covered with forests and exposed to tourist and recreational traffic, and in forests facing particular risk of recreational damage, e.g. in urban and suburban forests growing in areas with varied orography.

Ecological risk assessment of typical karst basin based on land use change: A case study of Lijiang River basin, Southern China

Taking Lijiang River basin as study area, and based on the remote sensing images of 1973, 1986, 2000 and 2013, the land-use data were extracted, the ecological risk index was constructed, and the characteristics of spatiotemporal variation of ecological risk were analyzed by "3S" technique. The results showed that land use structure of Lijiang River basin was under relatively reasonable state and it was constantly optimizing during 1973-2013. Overall, the ecological risk of Lijiang River basin was maintained at a low level. Lowest and lower ecological risk region was dominant in Lijiang River basin, but the area of highest ecological risk expanded quickly. The spatial distribution of ecological risk was basically stable and showed an obvious ring structure, which gra-dually decreased from the axis of Xingan County Town-Lingchuan County Town-Guilin City-Yangshuo County Town to other regions. Region with lowest ecological risk mainly distributed in natural mountain forest area of the north and mid-eastern parts of Lijiang River basin, and region with highe-st ecological risk concentrated in Guilin City. The ecological risk distribution of Lijiang River basin presented significant slope and altitude differences, and it decreased with increasing slope and altitude. During the study period, the area of low ecological risk converted to high ecological risk gra-dually decreased and vice versa. On the whole, the ecological risk tended to decline rapidly in the Lijiang River basin.

Detection and accuracy of landslide movement by InSAR analysis using PALSAR-2 data

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) analysis is a radar technique for generating large-area maps of ground deformation using differences in the phase of microwaves returning to a satellite. In recent years, high-resolution SAR sensors have been developed that enable small-scale slope deformation to be detected, such as the partial block movement of a landslide. The L-band SAR (PALSAR-2) is mounted on Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2), which was launched on 24 Mar. 2014. Its main improvements compared with ALOS are enhanced resolution of as high as 3 m with a high-frequency recurrence period (14 days). Owing to its high resolution and the use of the L-band, PALSAR-2 can obtain reflective data passing through a tree canopy surface, unlike the other synthetic aperture radars. Therefore, the coherence of InSAR in mountainous forest areas is less likely to decrease, making it advantageous for the extraction of slope movement. In this study, to verify the accuracy of InSAR analysis using PALSAR-2 data, we compared the results of InSAR analysis and the measurement of the displacement in a landslide by global navigation satellite system (GNSS) observation. It was found that the average difference between the displacements obtained by InSAR analysis and the field measurements by GNSS was only 15.1 mm in the slant range direction, indicating the high accuracy of InSAR analysis. Many of the areas detected by InSAR analysis corresponded to the locations of surface changes due to landslide activity. Additionally, in the areas detected by InSAR analysis using multiple datasets, the ground changes due to landslide movement were confirmed by site investigation.

Year-round estimation of soil moisture content using temporally variable soil hydraulic parameters

Soil moisture plays a key role in the hydrological cycle as it controls the flux of water between soil, vegetation, and atmosphere. This study is focused on a year-round estimation of soil moisture in a forested mountain area using the bucket-model approach. For this purpose three different soil moisture models are utilised. The procedure is based on splitting the whole year into two complement periods (dormant and vegetation). Model parameters are allowed to vary between the two periods and also from year to year in the calibration procedure. Consequently, two sets of average model parameters corresponding to dormant and vegetation seasons are proposed. The process of splitting is strongly supported by the experimental data and it enables us to variate saturated hydraulic conductivity and pore-size characterisation. The use of the two different parameter sets significantly enhances the simulation of two (Teuling and Troch model and Soil Water Balance Model-Green–Ampt (SWBM-GA)) out of three models in the six-year period from 2009 to 2014. For these two models, the overall Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient increased from 0.64 to 0.79 and from 0.55 to 0.80, respectively. The third model (the Laio approach) proved to be insensitive to parameter changes due to its insufficient drainage prediction. The variability of the warm and cold parameter sets between particular years is more pronounced in the warm periods. The cold periods exhibited approximately similar character during all six years. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Structural characteristics of typical water conservation forests in mountainous areas of Beijing

ABSTRACTForest structure and function are both closely interconnected and interdependent. It is important to understand forests’ structural characteristics to utilize their functions effectively. In this study, we quantified and compared 112 water conservation forests in the mountainous areas of Beijing, which included 18 different forest types. We performed a holistic analysis, summarizing the forests’ structural characteristics in terms of water conservation and examining aspects of horizontal and vertical structures. The results showed that natural conservation forests had mostly unevenly aged, multilayered, mixed structure, while most artificial conservation forests exhibited even-age, single-story, and homogeneous structures with relatively low biomass. Understanding structural features may provide better insight into how forests affect water conservation and thus improve the sustainable management of forests for water conservation in Beijing.

Studies of Used to Forest Product by Dayak Meratus Tribe in the Forest Area of Meratus Mountain, Hulu Sungai Tengah Regency

Dayak Meratus tribe is the native tribe that lives in the forest area of Meratus Mountain. Biological basic data on plant biodiversity in the area, particularly plants utilized by Dayak Meratus tribe, have not been much discovered. The research are: (1) to discover the traditional characteristic and knowledge of Dayak Meratus tribe, (2) to determine the priority of plants to be conserved, (3) to study local government policy in the forest resources management and, (4) to determine the strategy of priority plants conservation. Research was conducted at Meratus Mountain forest area, Hulu Sungai Tengah Regency and Herbarium Bogoriense, Biological Research and Development Center of LIPI, Bogor, from July to September 2002. Determination of priority plants is based on 4 criteria: (1) Index of Cultural Significance that consists of three value, that are: quality of use, intensity of use, exclusivity of use, (2) Distribution, (3) Status in the nature area (wild, semi domesticated, domesticated/cultivated), and (4) the characteristic of use/utilization by the community (commercial, subsistence). The number of plant species used by Dayak Meratus Tribe is 240 species of 18 use characteristic, 2 species endemic, 14 species rare, 111 species have more than one utilization function, 20 medicinal plants can be used as a consideration in changing the status of protected forest to conservation areas with status of national park.

Legacies, socio-economic and biophysical processes and drivers: the case of future forest cover expansion in the Polish Carpathians and Swiss Alps

Mountain forest areas are key for providing a wide range of ecosystem services and are hot spots for land use change processes, in particular, increase in forest cover at the expense of mountain pastures and meadows. Mountain forest systems in eastern and western Europe have likely similar future socio-economic situations but significantly different socio-economic history. Using a scenario-based land use modelling approach (Dyna-CLUE framework) we model three scenarios (trend, liberalisation and self-sufficiency) of future land use in the Polish Carpathians and the Swiss Alps, focussing on forest cover change. We find that forest cover increase can be expected to continue in European mountainous regions under all likely scenarios, limited only by relatively strict policy interventions. Biophysical factors, rather than socio-economic ones, are key for defining the suitability for, and therefore likely locations of future forest cover, but land use legacy plays a very important role in the spatial patterns of future forest cover, particularly in eastern Europe.

How Biotic Differentiation of Human Impacted Nutrient Poor Deciduous Forests Can Affect the Preservation Status of Mountain Forest Vegetation

A significant loss of biodiversity resulting from human activity has caused biotic homogenisation to become the dominant process shaping forest communities. In this paper, we present a rare case of biotic differentiation in European temperate deciduous forest herb layer vegetation. The process is occurring in nutrient poor oak-hornbeam forests in mountain areas (Polish Eastern Carpathians, Central Europe) where non-timber use was converted into conventional forest management practice. This change contributed to increases in the nitrogen content and pH reaction of the soil that, contrary to predominant beliefs on the negative impact of habitat eutrophication on diversity, did not result in a decrease in the latter. We discuss possible reasons for this phenomenon that indicate the important role of tree stand composition (an increasing admixture of beech worsening the trophic properties of the soil). The second issue considered involves the effect of the changes in herb species composition of oak-hornbeam forest on its distinctiveness from the beech forest predominating in the Polish Eastern Carpathians. Unfortunately, despite the increase in the species compositional dissimilarity of oak-hornbeam forest, a reduction in their distinctiveness in relation to the herb species composition of beech forest was found. Such a phenomenon is an effect of the major fragmentation of oak-hornbeam forests, a spread of beech forest-type species, and forest management that gives preference to beech trees. Consequently, it can be expected that changes occurring in oak-hornbeam forest vegetation will contribute to a decrease in the forest vegetation variability at the regional scale.

BURUNG STRATA BAWAH (UNDESTORY) DI HUTAN PEGUNUNGAN TAMAN NASIONAL KERINCI SEBLAT (TNKS) KERINCI JAMBI

Birds are one of the biological wealth owned by Indonesia. The structure of the lower strata of bird communities in tropical areas represent a very good system to see the difference in sensitivity between species for habitat variation in different scales. This study was conducted in January 2013 using the method of net Mist (mist nets) in the Kerinci National Park (TNKS). Birds that are found as many as 21 species to 83 people only order passerines with six families. The diversity of birds affected by many factors diantarannya abundance of epiphytes, an abundance of fruits, the openness of the forest floor and tree species composition. Generally mountainous forest area will have a relatively high number of species ang. Key word: Undestory, Birds, TNKS

Process‐based characterization of evapotranspiration sources over the North American monsoon region

AbstractEvapotranspiration (ET) is a poorly constrained flux in the North American monsoon (NAM) region, leading to potential errors in land‐atmosphere feedbacks. We quantified the spatiotemporal variations of ET using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model, modified to account for soil evaporation (Esoil), irrigated agriculture, and the variability of land surface properties derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer during 2000–2012. Simulated ET patterns were compared to field observations at 59 eddy covariance towers, water balance estimates in nine basins, and six available gridded ET products. The modified VIC model performed well at eddy covariance towers representing the natural and agricultural land covers in the region. Simulations revealed that major sources of ET were forested mountain areas during the summer season and irrigated croplands at peak times of growth in the winter and summer, accounting for 22% and 9% of the annual ET, respectively. Over the NAM region, Esoilwas the largest component (60%) of annual ET, followed by plant transpiration (T, 32%) and evaporation of canopy interception (8%). Esoiland T displayed different relationships with P in natural land covers, with Esoiltending to peak earlier than T by up to 1 month, while only a weak correlation between ET and P was found in irrigated croplands. Based on the model performance, the VIC‐based estimates are the most realistic to date for this region. Furthermore, spatiotemporal patterns reveal new information on the magnitudes, locations, and timing of ET in the North American monsoon region with implications on land‐atmosphere feedbacks.

Influence of tree density on climate-growth relationships in a Pinus pinaster Ait. forest in the northern mountains of Sardinia (Italy)

Abstract: In view of the projected increases in the frequency and duration of drought events in the Mediterranean basin, a better understanding how differences in stand structure influence climate-growth relationships can improve and drive the conservation and management strategies for marginal forests in mountain areas. In this study, we examined the intra-annual variability of growth patterns and responses to climate of two maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) stands growing at contrasting tree densities at low elevation in northern Sardinia. A dendroclimatic analysis was used to assess the climate-growth relationships of these trees on monthly, seasonal and annual scales. The late spring and summer precipitations of the current year appeared to be the crucial climatic driver that encouraged the radial growth of the species in this mountain stand. However, summer drought was the primary climate constraint, exerting negative effects on P. pinaster growth. Summer Palmer drought severity index showed contrasting influence on latewood growth responses to drought conditions related to stand density, remaining significant also during the autumn months in the stand with the highest tree density. Our findings indicate that stands growing at high tree densities may experience more prolonged water shortages, especially during the late summer and early autumn months. Additionally, since the early 1980s, as precipitation has decreased, the influence of previous rainy years on radial growth has been highly significant in the stand with the lowest tree density. This result might suggests that these trees are able to utilize a greater amount of water reaching deeper soil horizons stored due to the previous rainy years, especially during periods of low precipitation.

Improvement of Forest Height Retrieval By Integration of Dual-Baseline PolInSAR Data And External DEM Data

Abstract. In recent years, a lot of studies have shown that polarimetric synthetic aperture radar interferometry (PolInSAR) is a powerful technique for forest height mapping and monitoring. However, few researches address the problem of terrain slope effect, which will be one of the major limitations for forest height inversion in mountain forest area. In this paper, we present a novel forest height retrieval algorithm by integration of dual-baseline PolInSAR data and external DEM data. For the first time, we successfully expand the S-RVoG (Sloped-Random Volume over Ground) model for forest parameters inversion into the case of dual-baseline PolInSAR configuration. In this case, the proposed method not only corrects terrain slope variation effect efficiently, but also involves more observations to improve the accuracy of parameters inversion. In order to demonstrate the performance of the inversion algorithm, a set of quad-pol images acquired at the P-band in interferometric repeat-pass mode by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) with the Experimental SAR (E-SAR) system, in the frame of the BioSAR2008 campaign, has been used for the retrieval of forest height over Krycklan boreal forest in northern Sweden. At the same time, a high accuracy external DEM in the experimental area has been collected for computing terrain slope information, which subsequently is used as an inputting parameter in the S-RVoG model. Finally, in-situ ground truth heights in stand-level have been collected to validate the inversion result. The preliminary results show that the proposed inversion algorithm promises to provide much more accurate estimation of forest height than traditional dualbaseline inversion algorithms.

A Water Yield‐Oriented Practical Approach for Multifunctional Forest Management and its Application in Dryland Regions of China

AbstractMountainous forest areas are vitally important for water supply in dryland regions which suffer from high erosion risk and severe water shortage. Massive afforestation, mainly for erosion control, may reduce the water yield and threaten local water supply security. Moreover, many over‐dense forests due to a strict logging ban policy have produced remarkably negative impacts for both forests (e.g., low timber quality, restricted natural regeneration, and high stand instability) and water yield. To satisfy the rapidly increasing demands on water supply and other services, a practical approach for managing forest stands in a multifunctional way, which particularly addresses water yielding, is urgently required. For this purpose, we integrated the existing knowledge and experience, designed an “ideal” stand structure to represent multifunctional forest (MFF) and determined its key parameters (a ground coverage of >0.7, a canopy density around 0.7, and an H/DBH ratio (tree height [m] to the diameter at breast height [cm]) of <0.7). Moreover, a decision process for MFF stand management was recommended as: (1) investigating the site quality; (2) identifying the site‐specific main forest functions; (3) quantifying the stand structure; (4) diagnosing the stand structure by comparing with the “ideal” one; and (5) arranging the functions/structure‐oriented management measures. In this way, the water‐yielding function can be improved and meanwhile other forest functions can be promoted.

Catchment-scale distribution of radiocesium air dose rate in a mountainous deciduous forest and its relation to topography

A large number of air dose rate measurements were collected by walking through a mountainous area with a small gamma-ray survey system, KURAMA-II. The data were used to map the air dose rate of a mountainous deciduous forest that received radiocesium from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Measurements were conducted in a small stream catchment (0.6 km2 in area) in August and September 2013, and the relationship between air dose rates and the mountainous topography was examined. Air dose rates increased with elevation, indicating that more radiocesium was deposited on ridges, and suggesting that it had remained there for 2.5 y with no significant downslope migration by soil erosion or water drainage. Orientation in relation to the dominant winds when the radioactive plume flowed to the catchment also strongly affected the air dose rates. Based on our continuous measurements using the KURAMA-II, we describe the variation in air dose rates in a mountainous forest area and suggest that it is important to consider topography when determining sampling points and resolution to assess the spatial variability of dose rates and contaminant deposition.

Assessing, valuing, and mapping ecosystem services in Alpine forests

Forests support human economy and well-being with multiple ecosystem services. In this paper, the ecosystem services generated in a mountainous forest area in North Italy were assessed in biophysical and monetary units. GIS was used to analyze and visualize the distribution and provision of different services. The assessment of ecosystem services in biophysical units was an important step to investigate ecosystem functions and actual service flows supporting socio-ecological systems. The Total Economic Value (TEV) of all the investigated ecosystem services was about 33M€/yr, corresponding to 820€/ha/yr. The provisioning services represented 40% of the TEV while the regulating and cultural services were 49% and 11%. The service of hydrogeological protection, particularly important in areas characterized by a high risk of avalanches and landslides, showed a major importance among the regulating services (81%) and within the TEV (40%). Results from mapping ecosystem services were useful in identifying and visualizing priority areas for different services, as well as exploring trade-offs and synergies between services. Finally, we argue that while a biophysical perspective can ensure a solid accounting base, a comprehensive economic valuation of all categories of forest ecosystem services can facilitate communication of their importance to policy makers.

Remote monitoring of defoliation by the beech leaf-mining weevil Rhynchaenus fagi in northern Spain

Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests are among the most widespread and emblematic deciduous forests in Europe, frequently serving as refuge for several endangered species. Populations of the beech leaf-miner weevil Rhynchaenus fagi, a common specific defoliator, usually remain at endemic levels for long periods, but outbreaks occasionally occur under favorable conditions, causing extensive defoliation and forest decline. Monitoring defoliation is highly relevant to integrated beech management, particularly in the beech forests of northern Spain, located in the southernmost range of the Cantabrian Mountains. Monitoring and mapping damage using multispectral satellite remote sensing may be a suitable, cost-effective option in these rugged areas. One hundred eleven defoliation field records from 17 inventory plots over an 8-year period were spectrally related to ten Landsat vegetation indices. A sigmoidal mixed-effects model as a function of vegetation index change for predicting R. fagi defoliation in beech stands was developed based on a recently proposed general Landsat model. The Moisture Stress Index (MSI, Band-5/Band-4) was the best fitted model. The ΔMSI defoliation model yielded 4.0% RMSE and 3.1% MAE defoliation estimated errors and a significant accuracy of 0.685 R2 (p<0.0001) or 0.632 Nagelkerke’s R2. Model was applied to map the spatial–temporal pattern of R. fagi defoliation on beech stands, and a trend of defoliation oscillation was observed in the area during the 8year study. Remote sensing-based model represents a cost-effective tool for health monitoring in large, difficult to access, forested mountain areas, such as those studied. Forest management programs, as those aimed to habitat conservation of southern Cantabrian beech forests, will greatly benefit from remote mapping and the assessment of stand vulnerability to insect damage and other disturbances in current climate warming scenarios.

Trends in surface air temperatures, precipitation and combined indices in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula (1970-2007)

CR Climate Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials CR 63:43-60 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01287 Trends in surface air temperatures, precipitation and combined indices in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula (1970-2007) S. Fernández-Montes*, F. S. Rodrigo Andalusian Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring of Global Change (CAESCG) and Department of Chemistry and Physics, University of Almería, Carretera de Sacramento s/n 04120, Almería, Spain *Corresponding author: soniafm@ual.es ABSTRACT: This work evaluates recent (1970-2007) climatic changes in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, a semi-arid region with important human pressure. The high-resolution dataset Spain02 (~20 km) was used. This allowed us to discover local/regional signals, most of them not previously reported because of the use of coarse data or interpolation techniques. Annual precipitation has not experienced long-term changes in most of the region (80%) but showed some negative trends in the wettest mountainous NW area and slight recovery in the most arid S/SE region, mainly due to changes during winter. However, an increase in long-term droughts, examined at 4 locations, was found, which seems highly connected to a temperature increase. Both maximum and minimum temperatures (Tmax, Tmin) have increased in most of the region (in 70 and 88% of the area, respectively) at high rates (average 0.5 and 0.52°C decade-1 for Tmax and Tmin, respectively), with steepest trends in spring and summer and distinct subregional differences. Thus, the diurnal temperature range decreased in the most populated areas in the NE and the S/SW (25% of the region), whereas it mainly increased in natural and mountainous areas (15%). Combined indices showed increasing frequency of warm-dry and warm-wet days and less cold days, especially in the central W and NE. Precipitation intensity increased within warm-wet days in the transition seasons (40% of the region), suggesting enhanced convective events, even where total precipitation did not change. Besides large-scale factors, we discuss precipitation-temperature feedbacks and land cover changes in the analyzed period (i.e. increase in mountainous forested areas, urban and agricultural intensification in coastal flatlands), possibly affecting the observed signals. Given the relatively low density of long-term records from which the Spain02 was built, caution is needed in the interpretation of results, especially for temperature in altitude gradients. KEY WORDS: SE Spain · Precipitation · Maximum temperatures · Minimum temperatures · Spain02 · SPEI · Joint temperature-precipitation modes · Subregional trends · Land cover changes Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Fernández-Montes S, Rodrigo FS (2015) Trends in surface air temperatures, precipitation and combined indices in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula (1970-2007). Clim Res 63:43-60. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01287 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in CR Vol. 63, No. 1. Online publication date: March 18, 2015 Print ISSN: 0936-577X; Online ISSN: 1616-1572 Copyright © 2015 Inter-Research.

Retrospective Study on Search and Rescue Operations in Two Prealps Areas of Italy

The rising number of people involved in outdoor recreation and tourism in mountain forest and wilderness areas close to urban areas has led to an increase of rescue efforts in the last decades. The study analyzes rescue operations in 2 mountain areas of the Veneto Prealps in Italy. A retrospective review of search and rescue incident reports for a 20-year period was performed. The study also takes into consideration any differences between accidents in the 2 areas in relation to the morphology and mountain activities involved. There has been an increase in accidents, and the greater participation in mountain activities does not seem to be accompanied by an improvement in knowledge of the specific risks in this kind of environment. Inexperience is reflected in many reasons for callouts and is related to the remarkable rise in the number of rescued but uninjured people; the trend of fatalities and injuries is otherwise stable. Comparison of the 2 areas reveals differences in accidents mainly attributable to diversities in mountain activities involved that led to different health consequences. Search and rescue missions in mountain areas are dangerous for rescuers and made difficult by the severe environment. The knowledge of accident characteristics is therefore very important and is necessary to reduce risks for tourists and healthcare costs. To tackle the problem of safety there is also a need for more information in the form of preventive education and publicity about the typical hazards.

Agricultura urbana y periurbana como contribución a la estrategia de conservación de la biodiversidad de Heliconias en la región central de Cuba

New ways of sustainable production on urban and peri- urbans areas have contributed to the conservation of species diversity, as to ornamentals plants that belong to family: Heliconiaceae. For this reason we recorded nine species of Heliconia as new accessions from Central Region of Cuba, that were prospected in gardens and yards of national reference as well as from three botanical gardens in central provinces of Cuba (Cienfuegos, Villa Clara and Santi Spiritus), located in forested mountain areas. Molecular corroboration of the species collected was included, as well as a brief description of the morphological and ecological characteristics of these accessions. We show the high commercial potential they have for the island and the contribution to the territorial expansion of these species. In the propagation strategy we considered the micropropagation through biotechnological techniques of tissue culture and in vitro conservation in Cienfuegos Biofactory. The collaboration of universities and the municipal government of Cuba Central region together with the active participation of the farmers have allowed the development of new areas, gardens and home gardens, despite limited resources.