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Judgedments

VIII. EXPERT JUDGEMENT

1. Expert contact (person who fills the expert judgement):
Expert Contact same as Project Contact? No
Expert Contact same as Data Contact? No
If expert contact is different from Data and Project contact, please indicate: 
Last Name: Fabião  First Name: António 
Organisation: Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Departamento de Engenharia Florestal  Job Title: Professor, Silviculture 
Street Address: Tapada da Ajuda  City:  Lisboa 
State:  Estremadura  Postal code: 1349-017 Lisboa 
Phone: +351 213 653 488  Fax number: +351 213 645 000 
Email:  afabiao@isa.utl.pt  Web page Address:  www.isa.utl.pt 
Relationship with the project: 
- Design
- Implementation
- Management of project area
YES Research
- Other (describe):  

2. According to site conditions and degradation impacts, were the objectives appropriate and well-chosen?
Yes
Explain briefly: Most of the area is sloped and had degraded soils and vegetation, thus the prevailance of multifunctional objectives is appropriate 

3. According to site conditions and degradation impacts, were the methods (site preparation, species selection, prior actions,...) appropiate and well-chosen?
Yes
Explain briefly: Site preparation was appropriate and the choosen species may be considered as pioneer for the type of site 

4. Do ecological health and integrity appear to be improved, enhanced?
Yes
Explain briefly: Previous tree cover was scarce and disperse and manual vegetation was dominated by early successional species sensitive to wildfire 

5. Does the general ecological trajectory appear dynamic?
Yes
Explain briefly: Both soil characteristics and natural vegetation diversity are improving 

6. Any signs of threshold crossings?
Yes
Explain briefly: In part of the project area (unit 2), the success of understory natural shrubs, together with poor stand management, leaded to increased wildfire risk 

7. Consequences of the restoration project on the soil (physical properties, biological activities, functions,...):
Fragmentation of the parent material and accumulation of litterfall may be considered as factors of soil formation and improvement 

8. Consequences on ecosystem structure, including forest cover, horizontal layers, etc. :
Landscape diversity was improved through the increase in tree cover 

9. Consequences on ecosystem functions : productivity, dissemination, etc. :
Unknown consequences on possible Lynx pardina and Canis lupus populations because tree cover increase may have influence on habitat suitability and predator-prey relationships; Functions related to soil formation, soil organic matter content and plant species diversity were positively affected 

10. Actions needed and next monitoring actions to be considered. Please explain in your own words and indicate your recommendations, e.g., for
a.- Research/Development: Relationship between tree cover and Lynx pardina and Canis lupus populations 
b.- Demonstration, communication and education:  
c.- Public policy: Increased budget for protected areas administration 
d.- Other:   

REACTION: This research is supported by the "Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development" programme, under contract EVK2-2002-80025