Oasis Ecosystem Research Articles

Assessing the Relationship between Ecological Water Demand of Haloxlon ammodendron and Its Wind Erosion Prevention Effect

Desert vegetation in the outer transition zone of an arid oasis serves as a protective barrier against wind and sand, safeguarding the oasis ecosystem. However, intensive agricultural water usage within the oasis has led to water depletion, posing a threat to the survival and growth of desert vegetation, as well as the associated increase in wind and sand phenomena. To ensure the sustainable distribution of water resources and maintain the stability of the oasis peripheral ecosystem, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the ecological water demand of desert vegetation and its effectiveness in preventing wind erosion. Through a combination of field sample tests, field pit tests, and data analysis, this research focused on Haloxlon ammodendron, the most prevalent species on the oasis periphery, to explore the intricate relationship between its ecological water demand and resistance to wind erosion. The results showed that medium-vegetation-coverage soils exhibited a higher soil moisture content (7.02%) compared to high-vegetation-coverage soils (1.57%) and low-vegetation-coverage soils (3.41%). As the soil water content decreased, the growth rate of H. ammodendron’s plant height, new branches, and crown width decelerated. The ecological water requirement of H. ammodendron during its growth period was 70.95 mm under medium-vegetation-coverage conditions, exhibiting a significant increase of 14.6% and 12.3% compared to high- and low-vegetation-coverage conditions, respectively. Meanwhile, H. ammodendron exhibits remarkable wind erosion prevention effects in moderate coverage conditions, resulting in a significant reduction in surface sand collection and sand transport by 53.15% and 51.29%, respectively, compared to low vegetation coverage; however, no significant difference was observed when compared to high vegetation coverage. The SEM model results revealed that soil water content had an indirect effect on sand transport (R2 = 0.90) and sand collection (R2 = 0.96) through three pathways of action, namely: volatile water content–crown growth rate–wind speed–sediment discharge; volatile water content–plant height growth rate–vegetation coverage–wind speed–sediment discharge; and volatile water content–plant height growth rate–vegetation coverage–sediment accumulation. This study provides valuable insights for the scientific formulation and implementation of strategies aimed at protecting desert vegetation.

Environmental DNA reveals invasive crayfish microbial associates and ecosystem‐wide biodiversity before and after eradication

AbstractBiodiversity monitoring in conservation projects is essential to understand environmental health, complexity, and recovery. However, traditional field surveys can be expensive, time‐consuming, biased toward visual detection, and/or only measure a limited set of taxa. Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods provide a new approach to biodiversity monitoring that has the potential to sample a taxonomically broader set of organisms with a similar effort, but many of these approaches are still in the early stages of development and testing. Here, we used multi‐locus eDNA metabarcoding to understand how the removal of invasive red swamp crayfish using cypermethrin pesticide impacts local biodiversity of a desert oasis ecosystem, as well as to detect crayfish both directly and indirectly. We tracked crayfish DNA signatures, microbial DNA associated with crayfish, and biodiversity of plant, fungal, animal, and bacterial communities through time. We were unsuccessful in detecting crayfish directly in either control tanks or oases using targeted metabarcoding primers for invertebrates and eukaryotes, similar to previous studies which have shown variable levels of success in detecting crayfish from environmental samples. However, we were successful in discerning a suite of 90 crayfish‐associated taxa to serve as candidate bioindicators of invasive presence using 16S and fungal ITS2 metabarcoding. Ranking these 90 taxa by their geographic distribution in eDNA surveys and by evidence of crayfish associations in the literature, we support nine taxa to be high ranking, and suggest they be prioritized in future biomonitoring. Biodiversity analyses from five metabarcode loci including plants, animals, and both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes showed that communities differed but that species richness remained relatively similar between oases through time. Our results reveal that, while there are limitations of eDNA approaches to detect crayfish and other invasive species, microbial bioindicators offer a largely untapped biomonitoring opportunity for invasive species management, adding a valuable resource to a conservation manager's toolkit.

Soil Stoichiometry Characterization in the Oasis-desert Transition Zone of Linze, Zhangye

To investigate the changes in C, N, P, and K contents and ecological stoichiometry of desert oasis soils and to elucidate their ecological responses to environmental factors, 10 sample plots were selected in the Zhangye Linze desert oasis in the middle part of the Hexi Corridor, and surface soil samples were collected to determine the C, N, P and K contents of soils and to reveal the distribution characteristics of soil nutrient contents and stoichiometric ratios in different habitats and the correlation with other environmental factors. The results showed that:① the distribution of soil carbon was uneven and heterogeneous across sites (R=0.761, P=0.06). The highest mean value was 12.85 g·kg-1 in the oasis, followed by 8.65 g·kg-1 in the transition zone and 4.1 g·kg-1 in the desert. ② The content of total soil potassium did not vary significantly and was high among deserts, transition zones, and oases and low in saline areas. ③ The mean soil C:N value was 12.92, the mean C:P value was 11.69, and the mean N:P value was 0.9, all of which were lower than the global average soil content (13.33, 72.0, and 5.9) and the Chinese soil average (12, 52.7, and 3.9). ④ Soil water content was the most influential factor affecting C, N, P, K, and ecological stoichiometry characteristics of desert oasis soils, with a contribution of 86.9%, followed by soil pH and soil porosity, with contributions of 9.2% and 3.9%, respectively. The results of this study provide basic information for the restoration and conservation of desert and oasis ecosystems and establish a basis for future study of the biodiversity maintenance mechanism in the region and its correlation with the environment.

Ecological vulnerability assessment of natural oasis in arid Areas: Application to Dunhuang, China

Oasis vegetation contains a variety of ecological functions and can quickly indicate changes in the environment. According to the vegetation dynamics of natural oasis, this study constructed a natural oasis ecological vulnerability assessment model (NOEV) The model is based on Pressure-Sensitivity-Resilience framework, combined with redundancy analysis, minimum cumulative resistance model, and ecological risk sensitivity index to effectively assess the ecological vulnerability of natural oasis. The results showed that human activities, represented by the expansion of farmland and population growth, were the main factors affecting the vegetation dynamics of natural oasis in the last 30 years, and their contribution to the change of vegetation area is 42.08%. In the temporal dynamics, a serie of economic and environmental policies implemented by the government after the 21st century have promoted the recovery of vegetation. Vulnerability decreased on the whole oasis but increased in some local areas during 2005–2020. In the spatial dynamics, the transition zone of vulnerability from high to low occurred, it a distance of approximately 30 km from an artificial oasis located also in the area. We suggest that the governments should set up an ecological buffer zone in this area and implement different environmental protection policies inside and outside the buffer zone. Few vulnerability assessment models have been constructed for oasis ecosystems, and the NOEV model constructed in this study helps to formulate more direct and effective policy recommendations for the government's ecological protection and restoration work.

Analysis of Water Chemistry Characteristics and Hydraulic Relationships of Different Water Bodies in Typical Mountain-oasis Systems in the Northwest Inland Area

Kaidu River basin is a typical mountain oasis ecosystem in the northwest inland. Its hydrochemical environment information is of great significance to understand the regional hydrological process and optimize the allocation of water resources. Based on the collection of samples of various water bodies in mountainous and oasis areas in different seasons in 2020, this study analyzed the water chemical characteristics and hydraulic links in this region. The results showed that:① the water body in the study area was slightly alkaline as a whole, and the pH and TDS values showed the spatial changes of low in the oasis area and high in the mountain area; HCO3- and Ca2+ were the main anions and cations. The regional hydrochemical type was mostly HCO3--Ca2+, and the hydrochemical type of groundwater in the oasis area was more complex than that in the mountainous area. Regional hydrochemical changes were mainly controlled by rock weathering and human disturbance. ② The δ18O and δD values of the river water showed the seasonal changes of dilution in summer and enrichment in spring, whereas groundwater was depleted in winter and spring and enriched in autumn. Precipitation and glacial water did not change significantly within a year. In space, the δ18O and δD values of river water and groundwater showed the law of enrichment in the oasis area and dilution in the mountainous area. ③ The relationship between surface water and groundwater in the study area was close, and the transformation was frequent in summer. The relationship between surface water and groundwater in the oasis area was closer than that in the mountainous area. Groundwater in the oasis area was recharged by groundwater in the previous period, river water, and precipitation, and the recharge rate was usually groundwater in the previous period>river water>precipitation.

Sustainable management of water resources and assessment of the vulnerability of Moroccan oases to climate change.

In the oases of Morocco, climate trends show an increase in average temperatures of 2.2°C and exacerbated precipitation by + 20% between 2020 and 2050 according to climate change scenarios. The consequences of these changes have a clear decrease in water availability and an increase in water needs. Therefore, analyzing water resource capacity and searching for adequate solutions to water scarcity in oases are essential for developing drylands. In this study, we assess the possible effects of climate change on water scarcity and the oasis ecosystem and its components. The calculated water stress index (WSI) remains very low due to a decrease in the resource impacted by the combined increase in precipitation and temperature. The obtained results indicate that for scenario 1 the WSI varies from 904 to 699m3/inhab/year in 2030 and for scenario 2 the WSI varies between 583 in 2030 and 451m3/inhab/year in 2050. The water availability indicator takes a value in scenario 1 of 75% for Zagora and 50% for Ouarzazate at the horizons 2030 and 2050, then increase in scenario 2 to 89% for Zagora and 78% for Ouarzazate at the horizons2030 and 2050.These results were used to develop the adaptation process, which aims to identify needs, activities, and projects in the short, medium, and long term at the horizons 2030 and 2050. In addition, it could shed light on sustainable development in this region. In addition, this study could be a reference for researchers and a decision-support document for decision-makers to place economic development within an environmental management framework.

Changes in Land Use and Ecosystem Service Values of Dunhuang Oasis from 1990 to 2030

Maintaining the integrity and stability of oasis ecosystems is an important topic in the field of ecological research. Assessment of ecosystem services and their changes can provide important support for the sustainable development of oases. This study took the Dunhuang oasis in the hyper-arid area as the research object and used 1990, 2010, and 2020 Landsat series satellite images to complete the land use interpretation by random forest classification. Then we estimated the ecosystem services value (ESV) by using benefit transfer method, and predicted the trend of ecosystem service value changes under three scenarios using the Analytic Hierarchy Process method and the patch generation land use simulation model (AHP-PLUS model). The results showed that the vegetation areas of the Dunhuang Oasis first decreased and then increased during 1990–2020. The decrease was largely due to the expansion of built-up land and farmland, and the increase was mainly contributed by the implementation of ecological protection policies. The path of changes in the ESV of the Dunhuang Oasis during 1990–2020 was well consistent with that of vegetation areas, with a maximum of 9068.15×106 yuan (in 1990) and a minimum of 6271.46×106 yuan (in 2010). Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that urbanization reduced ESV, and the implementation of ecological policies enhanced ESV. The ESV of the Dunhuang Oasis for the year 2030 under the ecological conservation scenario could reach 7631.07×106 yuan, which is 381.1×106 yuan higher that under the economic development scenario. The ecological conservation scenario is the optimal option to achieve sustainable development of the Dunhuang Oasis. We suggested that the government should continuously enhance the protection of forests and waterbodies, reasonably restrict production and domestic water consumption, and efficiently increase the proportion of ecological water consumption. In addition, this study improved the evaluation method of oasis ESV based on the proportion of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) of grasslands with different coverage, which is important for improving the environment in arid areas.

Response of desert oasis ecosystem services to the production-living-ecological land change in the upper reaches of the Yellow River:A case study in Yinchuan City

Response of desert oasis ecosystem services to the production-living-ecological land change in the upper reaches of the Yellow River:A case study in Yinchuan City

Temporal and Spatial Evolution of Eichmann Lake Wetland in Aksu River Basin and Its Response to Ecological Water Supply.

Timely understanding and quantitative analysis of the changing trend in natural ecosystems in arid and semi-arid areas and their response to the ecological water supply process are of great significance for maintaining the health of oasis ecosystems. Taking the Eichmann Lake wetland of the Aksu River Basin in Xinjiang as the research area, the temporal-spatial distribution characteristics of the lake and the response of ecological water in recent years were studied based on remote sensing images and monitoring data. The results show that: (1) The water surface area of Eichmann Lake is shrinking, from 61.57 km2 in 1996 to 27.76 km2 in 2020. The changes in water surface area have experienced three stages: rapid decline, slow decline, and slow recovery. After the ecological water supply, the water surface area has obvious seasonal changes with hysteresis; (2) In areas with a low average water level, the ecological water supply has a significant impact on the groundwater level. The higher the water supply is, the higher the groundwater level will be. There is a significant lag effect between the change in the groundwater level and the response of the ecological water supply, which is 1-2 months; (3) The response characteristics of different natural vegetation to the ecological water supply were different in interannual, seasonal, and spatial contexts. The response of Populus euphratica to the ecological water supply is obvious, and its growth is the best within the range of 100-500 m from the water supply outlet. This research can provide the basis for the rational allocation of the Aksu River Basin's water resources, and also act as a valuable reference for the restoration and reconstruction of surrounding vegetation in the Aksu River irrigation area.

Evapotranspiration Characteristics of Different Oases and Effects of Human Activities on Evapotranspiration in Heihe River Basin

Evapotranspiration plays a decisive role in the whole oasis ecosystem and is an important factor to maintain the ecological stability of oases. To quantitatively analyze the evapotranspiration differences of oases at different scales and the expansion of urbanization, it is necessary to compare and discuss them at different time scales. In this study, the spatial and temporal characteristics of evapotranspiration of Zhangye Oasis, Jinta Oasis, and Ejina Oasis in the Heihe River basin were analyzed by using the remote sensing dataset of daily surface evapotranspiration of 100 m resolution from 2010 to 2016. The difference in evapotranspiration intensity in different oases was analyzed, and the influences of irrigation and urbanization expansion on evapotranspiration were discussed. The conclusion is as follows: Zhangye Oasis is the largest oasis in the area and, compared with other oases, due to the largest proportion of wetland and farmland in the underlying surface, the intensity of evapotranspiration is also the largest, reaching 650 mm/year on average. There is no obvious annual change; the range of evapotranspiration changes fluctuates between positive and negative 60 mm/year. Jinta Oasis began to decline after 2012; the evapotranspiration value dropped from 620 mm/tear to 560 mm/year, while Ejina Oasis showed a slight increase after 2014. In the irrigation stage, the evapotranspiration intensity increased significantly. Especially in the peak season of crop growth, the evapotranspiration after irrigation increased by 4 mm/day compared with that before irrigation. The evapotranspiration in urban and oasis areas is different in summer: compare that of 2010 with 2016—the evapotranspiration intensity of the expanding towns in the northeast direction decreased by about 50 mm/month, the northwest expanding towns decreased by about 110 mm/month. There was no obvious annual change in evapotranspiration in the urban area. With the expansion of urbanization, the evapotranspiration intensity in oases decreased. The results of this study provide some reference for the study of oasis irrigation activities and urbanization expansion.

Economic Importance of Common Dates (Phoenix Dactylifera L) and Their Impact on the Sustainability of Palm Date’s Biodiversity in Ouargla Oasis (Algeria)

This study carried out inOuargla oasis which constitute an important genetic reserve in South-Est Algeria. It is aim to examine common date chain, dates from cultivars other than Deglet Noor; based on identifying production parameters, socio-economic environment; especially in terms of marketing. And to quote constraints that hinder its good functioning. It also aims to analyze biodiversity within oasis. Reasoned sampling was considered in order to have a certain representativeness by area. Surveys were carried out during direct interviews with farmers. Descriptive statistics have been used to find the results.Our results suggest that the production of common dates throughout the region is fluctuating. It often exceeds 77%. Indeed, the, Ouargla region is well known for its production in Ghars variety.Majority of the farms surveyed are small in size, less than 1ha, from 100 to 300 plant. Of middle age (40-60 years), irregular planting represented by 26% the type that dominates in old system. It also appeared predominance of an oligovarietal system, consisting of three varieties Deglet Noor, Ghars and Tafezouine, which receive a very important interest in terms of preservation because of their market value. The other common date varieties represent only a small percentage 7.80%. Many of these cultivars are rare and old, and the rate of endemism is high. The importance of this endemism is related to the dynamics of peasant selection and the state of the palm groves. However, these oases are increasingly experiencing an accelerating loss of agrobiodiversity. The research contributes to the empirical work by providing an evidence on importance of the common-dates as an alternative for safeguarding oasis ecosystem and their impact on the sustainability of palm date’s biodiversity. Indeed, the environment is subject to multiple technical and commercial problems. Several varieties of dates are devalued and are subject to uprooting.

Discovering agricultural fires and role of the various actors in the South-East of Algerian Sahara: the case of Berriane oasis

This research aims to identify the various actors and their missions to fire management in Berriane oasis; a south-east region of Algeria known for its challenging environment and dense oases. The research is conducted in three main steps respectively involving the characterization of oases fires in the Berriane region, analysis of the spatial variability of fire in relation to the human and environmental factors, and finally, role of the different actors by the MACTOR method. The analysis of structured games between actors allowed assessing their influences and dependencies. Results confirm the role of actors of agricultural fires management the protection of the oasis ecosystem.

RETRACTED: Estimation of aboveground biomass of vegetation based on landsat 8 OLI images

Remote sensing estimation of aboveground biomass for desert oasis vegetation in arid area is an important means to monitor land desertification, it is of great significance to accurately evaluate the carbon sink change of desert oasis ecosystem, and maintain the stability of oasis ecosystem. The aboveground biomass information of vegetation, such as vegetation index and band factor in a delta oasis area is obtained by using Landsat 8 OLI image data; Based on the combination with the measured aboveground biomass data of vegetation, the optimal estimation model of aboveground biomass of four vegetation types (arbors, shrubs, herbs and crops) in this area is established, and the above ground biomass of vegetation was retrieved and verified. The results showed that: (1) there was a very significant correlation between the remote sensing factors of aboveground biomass of four vegetation types and the measured aboveground biomass, and the correlation coefficient ranged from 0.711 to 0.756 (P < 0.01); (2) multiple stepwise regression (MSR) model is the optimal estimation model of aboveground biomass of arbors and shrubs, and partial least squares regression (PLSR) model is the optimal estimation model of aboveground biomass of herbs and crops, the estimation results have a good linear fitting relationship with the measured results; (3) the order of aboveground biomass of vegetation in oasis area from low to high is: herbs < shrubs < arbors < crops. Among them, the aboveground biomass of grass is mainly below 280 g m-2, the aboveground biomass of shrub is mainly 280-950 g m-2, and the aboveground biomass of four vegetation is mainly distributed in 280-1450 g m-2. Based on the Landsat 8 OLI image data, the remote sensing estimation model can accurately estimate the aboveground biomass of four oasis vegetation types (arbors, shrubs, herbs and crops), and reveal the spatial distribution characteristics of aboveground biomass of oasis vegetation.

Analysis of the Expansion Characteristics and Carrying Capacity of Oasis Farmland in Northwestern China in Recent 40 Years

An oasis is a unique landscape that fuels human subsistence and socioeconomic development in the desert ecosystem. However, the overexpansion of oases, especially farmlands, poses severe threats to available land and water resources. This study aims to assess the expansion levels, carrying capacity dynamics, and planting structure optimization to maximize economic returns in northwest China’s five Typical Oasis Groups (5TOGs) using uniform data sources, time scales, and methods. Satellite products and a water-heat balance model were used to evaluate the changes in the area and carrying capacity dynamics of the 5TOGs. A linear programming approach was used to optimize each oasis’s cropping structure for the carrying level scenario. The results showed that the area of 5TOGs has expanded from 1980–2020, and the increment of oasis farmland is the main driver of oasis expansion. The most dramatic expansion of oases and their farmlands occurred during 2010–2020. As a consequence, the carrying capacity of each oasis is deteriorating with this expansion. The additional water resources to support this expansion of the oases and their farmlands come from groundwater, which is declining rapidly. Based on the optimized planting structure, cotton remains the main crop in Xinjiang oases with more than 60% area, the cotton area should be reduced in the Hotan River Oases, and the planting structure of the Heihe River Oasis will remain unchanged. The findings of this study have provided a quantitative analysis of oasis expansion and planting structure optimization, which have practical implications for water resource management and sustainable development of agriculture to maintain the stability of the oasis ecosystem.

The Regulation of Ion Homeostasis, Growth, and Biomass Allocation in Date Palm Ex Vitro Plants Depends on the Level of Water Salinity

The date palm, a central plant in the fragile oasis ecosystem, is considered one of the fruit species most tolerant to salt stress. However, the tolerance mechanisms involved are yet to be addressed and their evaluation until now was mainly based on heterogenous plant material such as seedlings or limited to in vitro experiment conditions. For these reasons, we propose to deepen our knowledge of the morphological and physiological responses to salt stress using acclimated ex vitro plants resulting from the propagation of a single genotype. The plants were irrigated with 0, 150, 300, or 450 mM NaCl solutions for four months. Our results showed that the influence of water salinity on growth and ion-homeostasis regulation was very dependent on stress levels. The 150 mM NaCl concentration was found to improve dry biomass by about 35%, but at higher salt concentrations (300 and 450 mM) it decreased by 40–65%. The shoot:root dry mass ratio decreased significantly at the 150 mM NaCl water concentration and then increased with increasing water salt concentration. The leaf:root ratio for Na+ and Cl− decreased significantly with increasing water salinity up to a concentration of 300 mM NaCl, and then stabilized with similar values for 300 mM and 450 mM NaCl. In contrast to Na+ and Cl−, leaf K+ content was significantly higher in the leaf than in the root for all salt treatments. Unlike Na+ and K+, Cl− was expelled to the surface of leaves in response to increased water salinity. Overall, date palm plants appear to be more capable of excluding Cl− than Na+ and of changing biomass allocation according to salt-stress level, and their leaves and roots both appear to play an important role in this tolerance strategy.

Agro-physiological traits as biological factors to optimize organic and inorganic amendments for date palm cultivation

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is the most important fruit crop in the oasis ecosystems due to its different ecological and socio-economic roles. However, this crop is confronted with environmental stresses such as soil poverty in organic and mineral matter. This research aimed at how local compost and/or phosphate sludge (PS) can affect the agro-physiological parameters of date palm over time in a greenhouse environment. The results showed that the factor time (period) presented a positive effect in the improvement of the physiology (stomatal conductance and chlorophyll fluorescence) and the growth (number of leaves, shoot height, and leaf area) of date palm seedlings treated with compost and PS + Compost in the periods P4-P9 and P8-P9, respectively, compared to the control. In addition, this study revealed the effectiveness of compost alone or combined with PS to boost the growth performances and physiology of date palm seedlings from the second month of the experiment with an apparent difference after four months of compost and PS application. It is clear from this study that the application of compost and its combination with PS could be a biological tool to improve date palm development under poor soil.

New records and check list of arthropods from two oasis ecosystems in Algeria

An arthropod sampling survey was performed in two palm groves from the wilaya of Biskra and Ouled Djellal. During 12 months (2020) of survey, the obtained results indicated the presence of 117 taxons divided into 2 classes (Insecta =103 species and Arachnids = 11 species). The species belonged to the orders: Coleoptera, Diptera, Orthoptera, and Hymenoptera. The Coleoptera order was the most represented in the two palm groves (32 from Ouled Djellal (OD) and 6 from Feliache (Fe)). The major trophic guild represented in the oasis ecosystems was the predator guild (OD= 39%, Fe=32%) in comparison to those of phytophagous (OD= 28%, Fe=12%) and pests (OD= 4%, Fe=15%). This indicates an ecological balance in the investigated oasis ecosystems between pests and their predators. The observation of two new species: Scymnus frontalis (Fabricius, 1787) and Diomus zinon (González and Honour, 2011), from the Coccinilidae Family increases the number of predator species of insect pests in the investigated oasis ecosystems.

Hydrochemical Characteristics and the Relationship between Surface and Groundwater in a Typical ‘Mountain–Oasis’ Ecosystem in Central Asia

Water environment monitoring is an important way to optimize the allocation and sustainable utilization of regional water resources and is beneficial for ensuring the security of regional water resources. In order to explore hydrochemical distributions in a mountain–oasis ecosystem in Central Asia, surface water and groundwater samples from the Kaidu River basin were collected over four seasons. pH values, major ions, total dissolved solids (TDS) and stable isotopes were determined during the period from 2016 to 2017. The results showed: (1) that most water bodies in the study areas were mildly alkaline and that hydrochemical distributions showed significant seasonal and spatial variation; (2) that δD and δ18O in surface water and groundwater showed enrichment in summer and autumn and poverty in spring and winter, with higher δ18O values appearing in the oasis area and lower δ18O values appearing in the mountain area; (3) that most of the water bodies in the study areas were of HCO3−Ca2+ type, with the hydrochemical types of groundwater presenting obvious spatial inconsistency relative to surface water; (4) that rock weathering was the main factor controlling hydrochemical composition in the study areas and that human activities had an influence on the groundwater environment in the oasis area; (5) and that surface water–groundwater interactions also displayed spatial inconsistency, especially in summer. The interaction between river water and groundwater was more obvious in the traditional oasis area, especially in spring and summer. The results will be important for regional water resource management and sustainable water utilization.

Advanced and emerging agricultural innovations for securing food, climate and ecosystems in Moroccan oasis

In Morocco, oasis ecosystems cover 15% of country’s lands and are bright spots of rich biodiversity and multi-functionality but hot spots of land degradation, social vulnerability and water and food insecurity. Hence there is a need to shift from assessing risks and hazards in these ecosystems to effectively capture key drivers and pursue solutions and measures to reduce vulnerability and enhance adaptive and productive capacity. In other terms, the food-environment dilemma requires urgently revitalizing these fragile agro-ecosystems in order to re-nurture the population, to strengthen society growth and food-related value chains and bring back resilience and sustainable development. In doing so, it is imperative to enforce, develop and encourage adoption of state of the art but adapted innovations and support knowledge sharing processes and approaches that drive implementation and up/deep scaling of innovations within ecosystems and by communities. A large array of innovations and technologies is emerging pertaining to advanced biotechnology, agro-ecology, smart-irrigation management, disease monitoring, control and safety, food industry, livestock, soil security, landscape management and institutional policy and governance. The paper seeks to present an integrated view of these stock takes and how they can help in addressing simultaneously climate change and food security, spatial prioritization, closing gaps, strong interfacing of society and ecology and achieving land degradation neutrality.

Characterization of Goat Breeding Systems in Tunisia and In the Mediterranean Region

Despite its socio-economic role in Tunisia, the goat has been considered as an agent of natural resource degradation due to the excessive exploitation of forests and rangelands. Currently goat farms are beginning to regain interest in different Tunisian climatic conditions. Goat breeding is distributed throughout the territory, particularly in the mountain areas, natural rangelands and southern oases. The main systems encountered are (i) systems integrated into farms, (ii) livestock systems in mountainous and forest regions, (iii) oasis ecosystems and (iv) transhumant livestock systems. These farming modes are influenced by developments in agricultural systems in general, which change due to socio-economic development and are dependent on the availability of funding through national projects. In North African countries in general, transhumant pastoral systems dominate arid and semi-arid zones and are characterized by the seasonality of food resources, which are tightly influenced by rainfall. Extensive pastoral farming, mixed with sheep in regions with a dry climate and limited water resources, is the most widespread. Goat farming is a form of savings rather than an economic activity. Concerning the majority of Mediterranean countries; the existing farming systems reveal the importance of socio-territorial unity and available natural resources. The classification of goat farming systems is based on the resources used (natural rangelands or crop residues), the intensity of resource use (extensive or intensive), the types of livestock breeders (nomadic or sedentary), or the product generated and it's quality. The dominant systems in the European countries of the northern Mediterranean shore are farms oriented to the production of goat's milk intended for the manufacture of cheeses.