Biodiversity dataset and atlas of the special area of conservation Montesinho/Nogueira, Portugal

Nuno Garcia; João C Campos; Daniel Silva; João Alírio; Lia B Duarte; Salvador Arenas-Castro; Isabel Pôças; Armando Loureiro; Ana C Teodoro; Neftalí Sillero

doi:10.3897/BDJ.12.e118854

Biodiversity dataset and atlas of the special area of conservation Montesinho/Nogueira, Portugal

Biodivers Data J. 2024 Apr 8:12:e118854. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e118854. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ CICGE - Centro de Investigação em Ciências GeoEespaciais, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal CICGE - Centro de Investigação em Ciências GeoEespaciais, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto Porto Portugal.
² Department of Geosciences, Environment and Land Planning, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal Department of Geosciences, Environment and Land Planning, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto Porto Portugal.
³ Área de Ecología - Departamento de Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias (Universidad de Córdoba)., Córdoba, Spain Área de Ecología - Departamento de Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias (Universidad de Córdoba). Córdoba Spain.
⁴ ForestWISE - Collaborative Laboratory for Integrated Forest and Fire Management, Vila Real, Portugal ForestWISE - Collaborative Laboratory for Integrated Forest and Fire Management Vila Real Portugal.
⁵ Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF), Lisbon, Portugal Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) Lisbon Portugal.

Abstract

Background: 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.

New information: 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.

Keywords: Web GIS; biodiversity conservation; biodiversity dataset; conservation status; occurrence records; open science; species distributions.

Nuno Garcia, João C. Campos, Daniel Silva, João Alírio, Lia B. Duarte, Salvador Arenas-Castro, Isabel Pôças, Armando Loureiro, Ana C. Teodoro, Neftalí Sillero.