Land-use land-cover (LULC) change contributes to major ecological impacts, particularly in areas undergoing land abandonment, inducing modifications on habitat structure and species distributions. Alternative land-use policies are potential solutions to alleviate the negative impacts of contemporary tendencies of LULC change on biodiversity. This work analyzes these tendencies in the Montesinho Natural Park (Portugal), an area representative of European abandoned mountain rural areas. We built ecological niche models for 226 species of vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) and vascular plants, using a consensus modelling approach available in the R package 'biomod2'. We projected the models to contemporary (2018) and future (2050) LULC scenarios, under four scenarios aiming to secure relevant ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation for 2050: an afforestation and a rewilding scenario, focused on climate-smart management strategies, and a farmland and an agroforestry recovery scenario, based on re-establishing human traditional activities. We quantified the influences of these scenarios on biodiversity through species habitat suitability changes for 2018-2050. We analyzed how these management strategies could influence indices of functional diversity (functional richness, functional evenness and functional dispersion) within the park. Habitat suitability changes revealed complementary patterns among scenarios. Afforestation and rewilding scenarios benefited more species adapted to habitats with low human influence, such as forests and open woodlands. The highest functional richness and dispersion was predicted for rewilding scenarios, which could improve landscape restoration and provide opportunities for the expansion and recolonization of forest areas by native species. The recovery of traditional farming and agroforestry activities results in the lowest values of functional richness, but these strategies contribute to complex landscape matrices with diversified habitats and resources. Moreover, this strategy could offer opportunities for fire suppression and increase landscape fire resistance. An integrative approach reconciling rewilding initiatives with the recovery of extensive agricultural and agroforestry activities is potentially an harmonious strategy for supporting the provision of ecosystem services while securing biodiversity conservation and functional diversity within the natural park.

Assessing biodiversity in protected areas is essential for effective conservation management. However, conventional methods for estimating species richness can lead to inaccurate assessments of biodiversity in these regions. To address this, we present a complementary approach to assess potential species richness at a 1 km resolution in the special conservation area of Montesinho/Nogueira (SAC-MN; Portugal), based on a spatial and temporal estimates of species richness trends over time (2001–2021). We compiled 10,190 species occurrence records from four taxonomic groups: amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. We created correlative ecological niche models (MaxEnt) with a time series of satellite-remote sensing variables (SRS-ENMs) using Google Earth Engine (GEE). We calculated annual potential species richness (PSR) maps by stacking the SRS-ENMs and identified positive and negative trends with the Mann–Kendall test. Each species’ ecological niche model revealed unique patterns of habitat suitability within SAC-MN over time. The eastern and western boundaries of SAC-MN revealed an increase in PSR, while the central area indicated PSR declines. Each group displayed different trends in PSR: birds and mammals were more similar between them than amphibians and reptiles. This approach provides ecologists and conservationists with valuable tools to evaluate PSR and trends over time, offering crucial insights for decision-makers and stakeholders to support local biodiversity conservation efforts.

The special area of conservation Montesinho/Nogueira (SAC-MN) is a key area for biodiversity conservation in the Iberian Peninsula. Covering an area of approximately 1081 km² in the northeast of Portugal mainland, the SAC-MN is home to a wide range of species, including several endemic and endangered species and priority habitats. Despite its ecological significance and importance for conservation, there is a lack of publicly available biodiversity data, which urges the need to create a comprehensive and up-to-date biodiversity dataset for the SAC-MN. To bridge the knowledge gap on biodiversity in SAC-MN, we undertook a thorough data collection process, including species occurrence records and conservation status information at regional (Portugal) and European levels, from multiple sources. We collected and compiled this information for five major taxonomic groups (amphibians, birds, flora - vascular plants, mammals and reptiles) in SAC-MN, resulting in a total of 31,871 records with 1,312 documented species. In addition, we developed an easy-to-navigate web-based geographic information system (Web GIS). In this article, we present an in-depth report on the process of compiling and preparing data, as well as the development and design of our Web GIS to increase awareness and enhance understanding of the importance of preserving biodiversity in SAC-MN.

In this work, we present and describe a spectral library (SL) with 15 vascular plant species from Montesinho Natural Park (MNP), a protected area in Northeast Portugal. We selected species from the vascular plants that are characteristic of the habitats in the MNP, based on their prevalence, and also included one invasive species: Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn, Castanea sativa Mill., Cistus ladanifer L., Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Frangula alnus Mill., Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl, Quercus pyrenaica Willd., Quercus rotundifolia Lam., Trifolium repens L., Arbutus unedo L., Dactylis glomerata L., Genista falcata Brot., Cytisus multiflorus (L’Hér.) Sweet, Erica arborea L., and Acacia dealbata Link. We collected spectra (300–2500 nm) from five records per leaf and leaf side, which resulted in 538 spectra compiled in the SL. Additionally, we computed five vegetation indices from spectral data and analysed them to highlight specific characteristics and differences among the sampled species. We detail the data repository information and its organisation for a better understanding of the data and to facilitate its use. The SL structure can add valuable information about the selected plant species in MNP, contributing to conservation purposes. This plant species SL is publicly available in Zenodo platform.

The special area of conservation Montesinho/Nogueira (PTCON0002) is a key area for conserving biodiversity in the Iberian Peninsula. Covering an area of approximately 1081 km² in the northeast of Portugal mainland, the PTCON0002 is home to a wide range of biodiversity, including several endemic and endangered species, and priority habitats. Despite its ecological significance and importance for conservation, there is a lack of publicly available biodiversity data, which urges the need to create a comprehensive and up-to-date biodiversity dataset for the PTCON0002. To bridge the knowledge gap on biodiversity in PTCON0002, we undertook a thorough data collection process, such as species occurrence records and conservation status information at regional (Portugal) and European levels, from multiple sources. We collected and compiled this information for PTCON0002 resulting in a total of 31 871 records with 1 312 documented species. In addition, we developed an easy-to-navigate web-based geographic information system (Web GIS). In this article, we present an in-depth report on the process of compiling and preparing data, as well as the development and design of our Web GIS to increase awareness and enhance understanding of the importance of preserving biodiversity in PTCON0002.