Proceedings 7th European Conference on Ecological Restoration Avignon, France, 23-27/08/2010 1 RESTORATION OF RUPESTRIAN FIELDS, ECOSYSTEMS OF THE CERRADO BIOME THREATENED BY LAND-USE CHANGES (protocol and preliminary results).

Abstract: Rupestrian fields or campos rupestres, located in eastern Brazil, are a more or less continuous herbaceous stratum with sclerophyllous evergreen small shrubs between rocky outcrops which occurs between 800m and 2000m. It is the largest vegetation formation of the Espinhaço Range and the harsher physiognomy of the biome Cerrado. While their soils are shallow, sandy, highly acidic and poor in nutrients, they are very diversified with one of the highest level of endemism in Brazil. Interactions between the substrate, local topography and microclimate create a huge variety of micro-habitats generating a mosaic of communities. Currently, the Cerrado is one of the most endangered biome of South America and rupestrian fields remain poorly documented. Because of intense anthropic pressures, ecological restoration studies are urgently needed to rehabilitate this ecosystem and services they provide. This study tests the transfer of herbaceous native species from rupestrian fields to restore three kinds of degraded areas (with stony substrate, sandy substrate or ferruginous substrate) using hay collected on two types of rupestrian fields (sandy and stony). We manipulated 2 or 3 levels of 3 treatments in a multifactorial experiment: weeding/plant interactions, nutrient addition/no fertilization, hay from stony site/from sandy sites/no hay. Experimentations were carried out in three replicate sites for each kind of degraded areas (n=9) and each treatment was replicated 4 times at each site in blocks. Controls were also set up in the field and in greenhouse. Preliminary results are discussed