Abstract
Golf is a key sector for tourism in Portugal and particularly in the Algarve, which has been recognized, on several occasions, as the best golf destination in the world. Beyond to the economic and social outputs, golf courses can have a positive impact in local environment, promoting habitats and local biodiversity. Today’s societies face the challenge of adapting to climate change, and decarbonization is a crucial aspect in all economic sectors. So far, there are few studies on the carbon emissions associated with golf activities, and the existing ones do not refer to the Mediterranean zone, where climate change will potentially be more damaging. This work intends to characterize the carbon emissions related to Ria & Cima Golf Courses in the Algarve (Quinta da Ria and Quinta de Cima), and to analyze their ecosystem services. Thus, it was made a characterization of annual consumption (of water, energy, fossil fuel, sand, fertilizer and pesticide) related to the maintenance operations (irrigation, mowing, aeration, verticutting and topdressing) in the various areas of the golf courses (greens, tees, fairways, and roughs). The most observed species of fauna and turf grass cultivars were inventoried. The ecological status of the lake water was evaluated seasonally. It was verified that is possible to improve the carbon balance and improve the environmental performance of golf courses. Also, the ecosystem services provided are important on preservation of biodiversity and habitats supply, mainly for aquatic fauna, during the months with water scarcity in Mediterranean.
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Moreira da Silva, M. et al. (2020). Carbon Balance and Ecosystem Services - Golf Courses Environmental Performance in Algarve, Portugal. In: Monteiro, J., et al. INCREaSE 2019. INCREaSE 2019. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30938-1_6
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