Magali WEISSGERBER, Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, GEOLAB, F-63000, France
Anne BONIS, Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, GEOLAB, F-63000, France
Laine CHANTELOUP, Université de Lausanne, Institut de géographie et durabilité, GDR ARES, Switzerland
Afforestation following agricultural abandonment along with urbanization and agricultural intensification are dominant land use/cover changes (LUCC) long lasting and still ongoing today in Europe. They have major consequences on biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES). However, afforestation has interestingly many negative as well as positive impacts (Foote and Grogan, 2010; Lasanta et al., 2015; Ustaoglu and Collier, 2018). Our work focuses on a study zone in the Massif Central region of France which is undergoing those three LUCC. We aimed at mapping LUCC and evaluate the effects of afforestation on ecosystems and ES. Using historical areal orthophotos and data bases we mapped land use/cover in 1946 and in 2019. Data were subsequently obtained on field sites representing plots of various succession stages, from grasslands to mature forest. They characterize multiple parameters: vegetation (richness, abondance), soil (structure, composition) and carbon stock as a regulation ES. Comparison of 1946 and 2019 land use/cover maps confirmed the increase of wooded areas (19% in 1946 and 34% in 2019) and of urban areas (3% and 13%) and the decrease of agricultural lands (78% and 51%). Moreover, we observed a land-sparing trend with plain areas at low altitudes being dedicated to urbanization and intensified croplands while steep areas at higher altitude are much concerned by afforestation. Changes in vegetation composition following abandonment will be discussed in parallel with soil and carbon stock data.
Mots clés : Land use|Land cover|Afforestation|Ecosystem Services|Abandonment
A104915MW