Island Arthropod Macroecology

LIFE BEETLES - Preparatory and Monitoring Actions

• WEBPAGE
• LIFE EU
• Services Acquisition
• 2020 to 2024

Summary:

Within the scope of the LIFE BEETLES project (LIFE18 NAT/PT/000864), the environmental restoration of disturbed areas of the islands of Flores, Pico and Terceira is foreseen for the conservation of the species of beetles targeted by the project: Tarphius floresensis (endemic species to the island of Flores), Pseudanchomenus aptinoides (endemic to the island of Pico and S. Miguel), and Trechus terrabravensis (endemic to the island of Terceira). These three species have recently been assessed by the IUCN as being threatened with extinction, receiving the following statutes from the IUCN Red List:

-Trechus terrabravensis  “EN -Endangered”

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/97126159/99166599

Pseudanchomenus aptinoides “CR -Critical Endangered”

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/97117836/99166554

Tarphius floresensis “CR -Critical Endangered”

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/112215110/112215127

The aims of this project are:

1) Provide temporal data on the distribution and abundance of target species for the past ten years;

2) Carry out field trips during the summer of 2020 in order to support the operational plans for the target species;

3) Support the development of operational plans for the project's intervention areas;

4) Preparation of habitat management plans for the three target species;

5) Biological monitoring of KPIs (key progress indicators);

6) Assist in the execution of a training workshop for the operational staff hired under the project;

7) Specialized scientific support to the Project's technical teams in the preparation and implementation of strategies for carrying out the specific conservation actions to be implemented;

8) Specialized scientific support to the Project's technical teams in the execution of a transfer and replicability strategy of the project's actions.

9) Provide annual data on the conservation status of the target species;

10) Provide technical data for the final report, which should include information on habitat availability and conservation status of the target species.

Articles in SCI Journals already published within this project:

Borges, P.A.V., Lamelas-Lopez, L. & Schülke M (2022) New records of rove-beetles (Insecta, Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) for Azores Islands (Portugal). Biodiversity Data Journal, 10, e87672. DOI:10.3897/BDJ.10.e87672 (IF2020 1,225; Q3 Biodiversity Conservation)

Lhoumeau, S., Cardoso, P., Boieiro, M., Ros-Prieto, A., Costa, R., Lamelas-Lopez, L. Leite, A., Amorim, I.R., Gabriel, R., Malumbres-Olarte, J., Rigal, F., Santos, A.M.C., Tsafack, N., Ferreira, M.T. & Borges, P.A.V. (2022) SLAM Project - Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores: V - New records of terrestrial arthropods after ten years of SLAM sampling. Biodiversity Data Journal, 10, e97952. DOI:10.3897/BDJ.10.e97952 (IF2021 1,550; Q3 Biodiversity Conservation)

Tsafack, N., Gabriel, R., Elias, R.B., Boieiro, M., Ferreira, M.T. & Borges, P.A.V. (2022) Arthropods and other biota associated with the Azorean trees and shrubs: Laurus azorica (Seub) Franco (Magnoliophyta, Magnoliopsida, Laurales, Lauraceae). Biodiversity Data Journal, 10, e80088. DOI:10.3897/BDJ.10.e80088 (IF2020 1,225; Q3 Biodiversity Conservation)

Costa, R. & Borges, P.A.V. (2021) SLAM Project - Long term ecological study of the impacts of climate change in the natural forest of Azores: I - the spiders from native forests of Terceira and Pico Islands (2012-2019). Biodiversity Data Journal, 9, e69924. DOI:10.3897/BDJ.9.e69924 (IF2020 1,225; Q3 Biodiversity Conservation) 

Tsafack, N., Fattorini, S., Boieiro, M., Rigal, F., Ros-Prieto, A., Ferreira, M.T. & Borges, P.A.V. (2021) The role of small lowland patches of exotic forests as refuges of rare endemic azorean arthropods. Diversity, 13(9), 443. DOI:10.3390/d13090443 (IF2020 2,465; Q3 Ecology)

Borges, P.A.V., Rigal, F., Ros-Prieto, A. & Cardoso, P. (2020) Increase of insular exotic arthropod diversity is a fundamental dimension of the current biodiversity crisis. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 13(5), 508-518. DOI:10.1111/icad.12431 (IF2020 2,729; Q1 Entomology)

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Funding Institution:

AZORINA (LIFE EU Project).

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Partners:

Junta de Freguesia Lajes das Flores, Municipio de São Roque do Pico.

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