European Science Foundation - COST Program ESSEM COST Action ES1104 "Arid Lands Restoration and Combat of Desertification: Setting Up a Drylands and Desert Restoration Hub" http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/essem/Actions/ES1104 http://desertrestorationhub.com Funding opportunity to participate in Training School 1 Northern Negev desert, Israel: Role of biological sand crusts in a desert ecosystem versus "upgrading" ecosystem productivity Feb 9-17, 2013, Israel COST Action ES1104 deals with the pressing need to treat and restore drylands and to combat increasing desertification. Restoring habitats not only improves biodiversity but also enhances the quality of life for those residing in such regions. An essential measure is the planting of and reestablishment of vegetation. The successful establishment of vegetation in arid and semiarid areas is complex and requires multi-disciplinary skills and capabilities (soils, hydrology, ecology, climate, microbiology, etc.). To promote the goals of this COST Action, Training Schools will be held to help widen the knowledge of the Action activities, provide training on new and emerging subjects, and may offer familiarisation with unique equipment or know-how in one of the laboratories of the Action. Below are details about this Training School and how to apply. BACKGROUND Arid and semi-arid regions can contain one or more of the following landscapes; sandy, rocky and loessial soils. It is not common, however, to find such landscapes in close proximity to each other. The NW Negev desert, Israel, provides such a setting that facilitates comparative studies. In this Training School (TS) we will assess sandy and rocky ecosystems having about the same annual average rainfall of 100 mm. The TS will be held in the NW Negev and will encompass lectures, field visits, and selected experiments. Sand dune belt Biological sand crusts (BSC) play a major role in stabilizing sand dunes in many desert areas. The destruction of this crust by anthropogenic activities promotes land degradation and desertification and has led to serious ecological and socio-economic problems in sandy areas of the Mediterranean Basin. Loss of these protective sand crusts causes severe sand drift/dune migration. This is evident along the northern half of the Egyptian-Israeli-Gaza Strip border, easily recognized in satellite images due to the high albedo on the Egyptian side caused by severe land degradation. In contrast, the protected Israeli side appears much darker as a result the biological sand crust cover. By stabilizing the mobile sand surface, the BSC provides conditions conducive to seed germination, plant establishment and plant productivity. Accordingly, there is considerable value in understanding the mechanisms that allow sandy regions to become stable or recover following disturbance of their protective BSC as this can lead to approaches and methods to encourage/accelerate crust formation and the return of vegetation. Topics to be covered include: -effect of grazing and agriculture along the Egyptian-Israeli border -role of biological sand crusts (BSC) in stabilizing dunes -disturbance and recovery of BSC -Israeli agricultural activities and problems with sand mobility -overnight/early morning experiments on BSC activity, dew -soil field exercises on BSC, disturbed plots, and sand NW Negev rocky hillslopes and catchments In contrast to sandy regions, rocky geomorphology in arid and semi-arid regions can lead to the development of an ecosystem reliant on runoff water. Exposed rock or rock covered by a veneer of soil will generate runoff from rainfall that can enter crevices and fissures along the hillslope. The concentration of runoff water creates patches and belts along the hillslope that are more fertile since an annual rainfall of 100 mm can be the equivalent of 200 or 300 mm in such runoff receiving areas. Perennial plant density is higher since there is more water at the root zone, salts are washed down, and more animal biodiversity and activity. Observations on runoff water led to the ancient Nabatean kingdom (app. 200 BC-100 AD) developing unique techniques and approaches to control runoff water, maximize runoff water yields, store water, and develop several towns in the northern Negev to support their trade route industry from Arabia to Egypt. This was a remarkable feat given that annual rainfall in the northern Negev was 100 mm and falling mainly within 3-4 winter months. Over the past 50 years, research in the Negev on rain/runoff/surface properties led to novel ways to increase ecosystem productivity such as hillslope minicatchments to support tree growth, and disturbance of soil surfaces to encourage infiltration. Topics to be covered include: -Ancient Nabatean and modern runoff and agriculture techniques, related archaeological sites -Tree planting on rocky arid hillslopes -Induced disturbance of the landscape to increase production -Planted forests Eligibility: In general, applicants must be a graduate student, post-doc, or early stage researcher and be enrolled in or affiliated to an Institution located in a country participating in this COST action (see http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/essem/Actions/ES1104). The scientific background of applicants should fit with the interdisciplinary nature of this Training School. Financial support: Students will receive a fixed grant of ?1100 as a contribution towards the costs of travel, accommodation and meals. However, please note that this will be paid to you AFTER the course has been completed (by bank-to-bank transfer) and that due to potential price rises the full cost may be as much as ?1300-1400. How to apply: A letter of application stating your reason for wanting to take part in the Training School should be sent to Simon Berkowicz, Arid Ecosystems Research Center, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (berkowi@vms.huji.ac.il) by Friday 21 December 2012. The letter must be accompanied by the following documents: (1) a 1-2 page CV containing your personal information, current home and university/institution mailing addresses, e-mail, Skype name (if possible), university education background including current enrolment status, training/work experience, refereed publications. (2) a letter of recommendation from your graduate supervisor. In the case of a post-doc or early stage researcher, a letter of recommendation is not needed. Preliminary Program Date day evening February 9 (Sat) arrival arrival Feb 10 (Sun) Travel to Nizzana Village; Short stops at degraded loessial soil areas, afforestation examples on dunes and loessial zones. Lectures: Intro to the region, land degradation/ desertification problems. Biological soil crusts, formation and recovery. Presentations by participants. Feb 11 (Mon Sand dune station and/or vicinity. Morning; soil, climate, biological soil crust explanations, examples of research. Afternoon: automated and manual testing of crust strength, water infiltration, in crusted, disturbed and sand surfaces, Set up of overnight measurements for soil crust activity/dew. Lectures: soil crust chemistry/physical characteristics, dew formation and evaporation in soil crusts Feb 12 (Tues) Sand dune station and/or vicinity. automated and manual testing of crust strength, water infiltration, in crusted, disturbed and sand surfaces, Set up of overnight measurements for soil crust activity/dew. Feb 13 (Wed) Sand dune station and/or vicinity. automated and manual testing of crust strength, water infiltration, in crusted, disturbed and sand surfaces, Set up of overnight measurements for soil crust activity/dew. Feb 14 (Thurs) Visit ancient Shivta Nabatean town and runoff water harvesting farms (ancient and modern), rocky Negev Highland hillslope tree planting techniques, landscape example of ancient water harvesting method, Mitzpeh Ramon erosional crater. Analysis of collected data, Closing discussions. Feb 15 (Fri) Depart Nizzana Village for Jerusalem, via Yattir planted forest, Dead Sea region, travel along arid to Mediterranean Evening open. rainfall gradient to Jerusalem. Feb 16 (Sat) Jerusalem Evening open. Feb 17 (Sun) departure