Sierra Nevada

The highest range of the Iberian Peninsula and the southernmost glacial massif of Europe

Borreguiles, centuries-old irrigation ditches (acequias) and an outstanding concentration of endemic plants.
Spain

Photo: Bouke ten Cate · CC BY 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Country
Spain
Protected area
Highest peak
Mulhacén · 3,479 m
Partner team(s)
UGR

About the site

Sierra Nevada, in south-eastern Spain, rises to 3,479 m at Mulhacén, the highest summit of the Iberian Peninsula. Protected as a Natural Park and National Park and recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, it is one of the most important centres of plant endemism in the Mediterranean basin.

Its high-mountain wet meadows, locally known as borreguiles, and snowbed grasslands are fed by snowmelt and by a dense network of traditional irrigation ditches (acequias) of medieval origin, which spread water across slopes and recharge aquifers. These systems are the reference model that PRESINMED aims to export to other Mediterranean mountains.

Sierra Nevada is also one of the best-monitored mountains in Europe (GLORIA, LTER and the Sierra Nevada Global Change Observatory), providing long time series on climate, snow, vegetation and fauna.

PRESINMED at Sierra Nevada

  • Reclamation of traditional irrigation ditches and their influence on wet meadows (T2.2.1)
  • Active restoration of keystone species such as Juniperus (T2.2.4) and new restoration techniques (T2.2.3)
  • Herbivory and tourism pressure on borreguiles (T1.1, T1.2), soil respiration (T1.4) and remote sensing with MonitorEO (T1.5–T1.7)
  • Coordination, data management and the decision-support tools of WP3

Location

Tasks with this site’s teams

  • T1.1 Impact of herbivory by domestic and wild ungulates under a drought scenario
  • T1.2 Impact of tourism pressure under a drought scenario
  • T1.3 Spatial and temporal analysis of biodiversity (plants, arthropods and birds)
  • T1.4 Quantification of soil respiration
  • T1.5 Remote monitoring of ecosystem variables
  • T1.6 Identification of essential compositional, structural and functional variables and metrics
  • T1.7 Characterisation of reference dynamics, spatial variability, trends and anomalies
  • T1.8 Assessing conservation status of endemic and threatened species and habitats
  • T2.1 Application of remote-sensing-derived variables and metrics to decision making and management
  • T2.2.1 Irrigation systems reclamation
  • T2.2.2 Monitoring plant community responses to water supply, livestock and tourist pressure
  • T2.2.3 Test of new restoration techniques
  • T2.2.4 Active restoration of keystone species
  • T2.3 Analysis of trade-offs and synergies between NbS
  • T3.1 Stakeholder engagement
  • T3.2 Ecohydrological model (WiMMed)
  • T3.3 Pasture production model
  • T3.4 Cultural ecosystem services model
  • T3.5 Local and international collaboration, participation, training and shared governance

Team at Sierra Nevada

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Biodiversa+ European Biodiversity Partnership

PRESINMED is funded through the 2023–2024 Biodiversa+ joint call for research proposals “Nature-based solutions for biodiversity, human well-being and transformative change” (BiodivNBS), with the national funders of the participating countries. Biodiversa+ is the European Biodiversity Partnership, co-funded by the European Commission.