UVic-UCC researchers study the habitats, vegetation and flora of Vic, commissioned by the City Council

Three researchers at the UVIC-UCC's Biodiversity, Ecology, Technology and Environmental Management Research Group (BETA) have carried out a study on habitats, vegetation and vascular flora of interest in the municipality of Vic. The project was commissioned by the City Council, in order to provide a detailed picture of the city's habitats and flora. This information had never been compiled in detail, and it is essential for the management of each municipality's natural heritage.

Detailed cartography on a 1:10,000 scale

The project was coordinated by Dr Carme Casas, with Dr Joan Font and Dr Albert Palou, and was carried out in two phases in 2017. The first phase, from January to July, involved mapping the habitats in the municipality on a 1:10,000 scale. This is the first time that a study of this type has been carried out on a municipal scale in Catalonia. The researchers identified a total of 68 different habitats according to the CORINE classification used in the European Union. Thirteen of these are considered Habitats of Community Interest (HIC), and four are identified priority habitats.

The second phase, from April to December, involved producing the catalogue of plants of interest and the vegetation map, also on a 1:10,000 scale. The plant catalogue contains 564 species and subspecies of plants that were identified during the study, of which only one species - Astragalus Austriacus - is included as vulnerable in the catalogue of threatened flora in Catalonia. "This species is present in four different areas in Vic, and we identified it for the first time in one of them while carrying out this study, and it is currently the only municipality in Catalonia where it has been identified," explains Casas.

The project also shows that meadows are the habitats that have the greatest wealth of plants in Vic. This means that they are most interest for the conservation of flora, despite currently occupying 2.7% of the municipality's total area. They are found in small scattered areas, mostly located on riverbanks and hillsides. Another of the areas of greatest natural interest, which in this case is forested, is located in the most mountainous western part of the municipality, including the areas of San Sebastià and La Miranda. According to Casas, the study "highlights the great biogeographic diversity of the area" and shows that the Plain of Vic, of which the municipality is a reflection, "is a point of transition between typically Mediterranean communities and the more humid habitats found in Central Europe."

Enhancing, improving and preserving habitats and vegetation

The study will be used to enhance, improve and preserve the habitats and elements of flora and vegetation that are important and outstanding in the municipality. "Finding out what we have and identify the most vulnerable areas that require a higher level of protection is essential for managing our territory," says Josep-Ramon Soldevila, Councillor for Rural Affairs and the Environment of Vic Town Council. Indeed, the information has already been used in the preparation of the new POUM (Municipal Urban Development Plan), to define the degrees of protection of non-urban land according to whether it includes a habitat of special interest.

The vice-rector for Research and Transfer of the UVic-UCC, Jordi Villà, says that "it is only possible to do high quality local research like this if international research has been carried out at the same level." Villà also says that the area of sustainability, which provides the context for

this study, "is now the driving force behind research at the UVic-UCC", which is becoming a benchmark in this field.

The study contains recommendations on management of the town's habitats, vegetation and flora, and some of these have been included in the POUM regulations. Among other ideas, the researchers suggest that their work could be used to improve the management of freshwater, aquatic habitats and wetlands, forests and meadows.