Inactive marble quarries as potential biodiversity hotspots!
My hometown is part of an area considered the most important center of the extractive marble industry in Portugal, being well known for hosting numerous marble quarries.
Nevertheless, many of them have not been exploited for years because they are no longer profitable. In fact, many of this old marble quarries lie dormant for decades without any environmental restoration attempts on the former extraction areas.
An example of one of these inactive quarries © David Germano | All rights reserved.
As I grew older, I became aware that this type of over-exploitation and subsequent abandonment could result in a huge environmental impact, having a negative influence on both habitats and native biodiversity. So, later, during my master's degree, I devoted myself to the study of this apparent big problem.
However, the answers I got were absolutely extraordinary and changed my initial perspective!
I found out that some of these transformed and abandoned sites have been revealing some evidences of important positive impacts on biodiversity, by improving habitat quality for several species.
An example of the vegetation recovery in one of the inactive quarries © David Germano | All rights reserved.
My study aimed to evaluate the evolution of ecological recovery in some of these sites, through the selection of birds, flora and vegetation as indicators, has shown that former quarries and its surrounding nature can create a landscape mosaic which promotes birdlife diversity, as well as the development of new biotopes... Like the one you can see in the picture below
© David Germano | All rights reserved.
In consequence they can contribute to a greater variety of vegetal communities, ranging from the typical vegetation of rocky habitats to the communities depending of aquatic habitats, which can be provided by several of these quarries.
Moreover, they also contribute to a greater variety of avian species that come to occupy these new biotopes, then promoting new ecological niches and diversifying rural landscapes, rather than damaging or destroying them!
As they say: "a picture is worth a thousand words!".
So, next I will share some of the species that I photographed in these quarries over the past years!
Algerian Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
Montpellier snake (Malpolon monspessulanus) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
Scarlet dragonfly (Crocothemis erythraea) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
Mediterranean turtle (Mauremys leprosa) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
Perez's Frog (Pelophylax perezi) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
Little ringed plover (Charadrius dubius) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
White stonecrop (Sedum album) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
Blue rock thrush (Monticola solitarius) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) © David Germano | All rights reserved.
Bonus: The exit road from an abandoned old quarry...
© David Germano | All rights reserved.
And that's all, folks! I hope you enjoyed the post!
Cheers!
I wa going to ask about the fishing in the quarries, but with the Pumpkinseed, that would be good fishing! Do people swim in the quarries? Your third image makes them look perfect for swimming!
Fishing in quarries is not usual, although someone introduced fish brought from dams. I've seen some huge ones.
When I was a kid, my friends and I went swimming many times, but it is extremely dangerous because there are many pointed stones and other materials that have never been removed, such as irons and cables, where you can get stuck. Besides being quite deep. Some of them have more than 20 meters deep. So swimming is not advisable.
I can appreciate the hazards from the cables and iron structures, for sure! It's nice that the quarries are becoming good habitat for wildlife, at least!
lol that cheetah , "all rights reserved" is reserved :D
Great posts I will b following you and nice pictures , thank you so much :)
Have to say I should go out of town a lot more :)
Yeah. Awkward content policy, lol! Anyway... I'm very glad that you liked! Thanks for following :)
Monticola solitarius is great. It's not that frequent to watch one.