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... The coastal zone comprises all the coastal regions which are the regions that are near the shore of waterbody like the sea of the ocean. They are fragile ecosystems which are very sensitive and vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic pressures that are the contributors to the deterioration of this regions near the shore and this is what has been recognized by the european Dobris assessment (Gouldson & Gouldson, 1996) . If one would like to draw and precisely determine the boundary between the land and the ocean , this seems to be an impossible task because there is no clearly defined line on the map. ...
Anthropogenic activities have done major changes to our global system. The coastal dissolved organic matter has great influenceon the global carbon cycle and hence climate change. The riverine input of dissolved organic matter represents the terrestrialorganic matter. Urbanized rivers is greatly impacted by the anthropogenic dissolved organic matter coming from wastewatertreatment plants . Chromophoric dissolved organic matter is a subgroup of the dissolved organic matter which can absorb light.Fluorescent dissolved organic matter in turn is a subgroup of the chromophoric dissolved organic matter .The fluorescence signalof the anthropogenic dissolved organic matter in the coastal zone is not well characterized and evaluated in the literature.Photochemically induced degradations and changes at the molecular level is considered to be a great process which could influencethe dissolved organic matter . In the present study, Laboratory mixing experiments several sunlight irradiation experiments wereconducted with several modes of filtration of three endmember mixing components ( River water, Sea water , wastewater treatmentplant effluent discharge) with the objective of finding a specific signal of fluorescence which could be a tracer of the anthropogenicdissolved organic matter through using the fluorescence spectroscopy excitation emission matrices (EEMs) coupled with thechemometric statistical technique of Parallel Factor analysis CP/PARAFAC. Moreover, multilinear regression model between thecontribution of CP/PARAFAC components and two content fraction of River water and Seawater endmember was developed. Inaddition the kinetics of the multilinear regression parameters were investigated. On top of that , geographical investigations of theevolution of fluorescence signal in the Gapeau river till the sea were conducted. Furthermore, Temporal investigation of thefluorescence signal for four water points in the pathway of Gapeau river were done. The multilinear regression model developedwas applied to model the results of the geographical and temporal field experiments. Results have shown that Multilinearregression model for contribution of CP/PARAFAC components is excellent and could be done for the three endmembers. Inaddition the search for specific fluorescence signal or signature for river water, wastewater treatment plants and sea water couldn’tbe done in this work. In human impacted coastal zone, residual fluorescent organic matter come from wastewater treatment plant,and no specific signal from sea water could be detected near the coast.
... environmental problems [16,17]. The fragmentation of natural habitats and landscapes is aggravated by urbanization, associated land development and transport network construction [18,19]. Irrational urban planning and land use patterns, excessive resource consumption and unexpected socio-economic development are the main factors underlying damage to regional ecosystems, including the island effect of urban areas on ecosystems [20,21]. ...
With the continued social and economic development of northern China, landscape fragmentation has placed increasing pressure on the ecological system of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region. To maintain the integrity of ecological processes under the influence of human activities, we must maintain effective connections between habitats and limit the impact of ecological isolation. In this paper, landscape elements were identified based on a kernel density estimation, including forests, grasslands, orchards and wetlands. The spatial configuration of ecological networks was analysed by the integrated density index, and a natural breaks classification was performed for the landscape type data and the results of the landscape spatial distribution analysis. The results showed that forest and grassland are the primary constituents of the core areas and act as buffer zones for the region's ecological network. Rivers, as linear patches, and orchards, as stepping stones, form the main body of the ecological corridors, and isolated elements are distributed mainly in the plain area. Orchards have transition effects. Wetlands act as connections between different landscapes in the region. Based on these results, we make suggestions for the protection and planning of ecological networks. This study can also provide guidance for the coordinated development of the BTH region..
... Since 1970, freshwater biodiversity has decreased more drastically than marine or terrestrial (23). This is a result of a complex mix of stressors and impacts (24). The major drivers can be summarized as multiple use (such as fisheries, navigation, and water abstraction), nutrient enrichment, organic and toxic pollution, acidification, and habitat degradation. ...
This text examines the impact of climate change on freshwater ecosystems, past, present and future. It especially considers the interactions between climate change and other drivers of change including hydromorphological modification, nutrient loading, acid deposition and contamination by toxic substances using evidence from palaeolimnology, time-series analysis, space-for-time substitution, laboratory and field experiments and process modelling. The book evaluates these processes in relation to extreme events, seasonal changes in ecosystems, trends over decadal-scale time periods, mitigation strategies and ecosystem recovery. The book is also concerned with how aspects of hydrophysical, hydrochemical and ecological change can be used as early indicators of climate change in aquatic ecosystems and it addresses the implications of future climate change for freshwater ecosystem management at the catchment scale. This is an ideal book for the scientific research community, but is also accessible to Masters and senior undergraduate students.
... Las causas que explican lo que Krugman ha llamado «la gran divergencia» (2008) y Rosanvallon «el gran cambio» (2012) son de naturaleza política y responden a una estrategia que se remonta a los años setenta del siglo XX. El efecto combinado de la crisis de crecimiento y las políticas de la austeridad de inspiración neoliberal está modificando de forma profunda nuestras estructuras sociales desde la conocida forma de rombo hacia estructuras sociales muchos más complejas y fracturadas (Savage et al. 2013) donde se han consolidado nuevas formas de inseguridad (Standing, 2013). Es el resultado de lo que Beck ha definido como «la política económica de la inseguridad»: incremento de la pobreza y la desigualdad, precarización del empleo e inseguridad endémica, traslado de los riesgos al individuo, adelgazamiento de las clases medias, aumento de las fracturas sociales, ruptura del vínculo existente entre capitalismo, Estado de Bienestar y democracia, riesgo de brasilización de occidente, aumento de la desafección y polarización social (2012). ...
Economic globalisation has led to great transformations in the new phase of deregulated capitalism; the deep recession is one of its most dramatic consequences. In Spain, the «neoliberal turn» in city policies initiated in the second half of the 1990s. This paper examines the neoliberal model of urbanism. A particular focus is placed on the territorial impact and the effects of austerity measures on two Spanish urban and metropolitan regions that represent the most elaborate version of the model: Madrid and Valencia.
... Las causas que explican lo que Krugman ha llamado «la gran divergencia» (2008) y Rosanvallon «el gran cambio» (2012) son de naturaleza política y responden a una estrategia que se remonta a los años setenta del siglo XX. El efecto combinado de la crisis de crecimiento y las políticas de la austeridad de inspiración neoliberal está modificando de forma profunda nuestras estructuras sociales desde la conocida forma de rombo hacia estructuras sociales mucho más complejas y fracturadas (Savage et al. 2013) donde se han consolidado nuevas formas de inseguridad (Standing, 2013). Es el resultado de lo que Beck ha definido como «la política económica de la inseguridad»: incremento de la pobreza y la desigualdad, precarización del empleo e inseguridad endémica, traslado de los riesgos al individuo, adelgazamiento de las clases medias, aumento de las fracturas sociales, ruptura del vínculo existente entre capitalismo, Estado de Bienestar y democracia, riesgo de brasilización de occidente, aumento de la desafección y polarización social (2012). ...
... Since 1970, freshwater biodiversity has decreased more drastically than marine or terrestrial (23). This is a result of a complex mix of stressors and impacts (24). The major drivers can be summarized as multiple use (such as fisheries, navigation, and water abstraction), nutrient enrichment, organic and toxic pollution, acidification, and habitat degradation. ...
The consequences of human impacts on aquatic ecosystem activities have been far reaching. Multiple stresses affect aquatic ecosystems globally. These can adversely affect physical, chemical and ecological water status, causing change in species composition, ecosystem structure and function and biodiversity. These impacts and the capacity for managing them are further compounded by the complex nature of the interactions between stresses. In this article the focus is on the threats posed by non-native invasive species. It considers the nature of this threat and options for management, highlighting examples of invasive freshwater species in the United Kingdom. The relationship between climate change and invasive species impacts is then examined. The article is based on a keynote presentation delivered at the Marine Invasive Species: Management of ballast water and other vectors. Key lessons derived from managing freshwater ecosystems under threat of invasive species are highlighted in terms of their relevance and potential application to other systems such as those in coastal and marine areas.
... [2] In 60% of European cities with more than 100,000 people, ground water is being used at a faster rate than it can be replenished. [3] In response, the European Commission has advocated the creation of a water efficient economy and the promotion of a sustainable water usage culture across Europe. [4] The project Integrated Support System for Efficient Water Usage and Resources Management (ISS-EWATUS) was proposed to develop several innovative Information and Communications Technology (ICT) methods to exploit ...
Determining the behavior of domestic water consumers can facilitate a more proactive approach to water demand management, and serves as the foundation for the development of any intervention strategies that seek to bring about sustained and substantial reductions in domestic water consumption. As part of the European Union (EU) funded project Integrated Support System for Efficient Water Usage and Resources Management (ISS-EWATUS), a household water consumption survey was administered to address the question of how water was used within the home in the EU. The survey was distributed by the University of Thessaly in Greece, and the Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas in Poland. This paper represents the research output of the survey, including the analysis of three major elements pertinent to the behavior of domestic water consumers: end use behaviors; socio-demographic and property characteristics; and psychosocial constructs such as attitudes and beliefs.
... Since 1970, freshwater biodiversity has decreased more drastically than marine or terrestrial (23). This is a result of a complex mix of stressors and impacts (24). The major drivers can be summarized as multiple use (such as fisheries, navigation, and water abstraction), nutrient enrichment, organic and toxic pollution, acidification, and habitat degradation. ...
This article considers the interactions between climate change and other drivers of change including hydromorphological modification, acid deposition, contamination by toxic substances using evidence from laboratory experiments, field experiments, and modeling. This article evaluates these processes in relation to extreme events, seasonal changes, in ecosystems, trends over the decades, mitigation strategies, and ecosystem recovery.
Aspects of hydrophysical, hydrochemical, and ecological change can be used as early indicators of climate change in aquatic ecosystems and it addresses implications for the future climate change for freshwater ecosystems management at the catchment scale
... There are also many studies on noise pollution in road traffic of big cities conducted in the last thirty years demonstrating that traffic is the main source of noise in the urban environments [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Thus, the ambient noise levels have increased since the 1980s mainly due to increased traffic [10]. Thus more than 50 percent of the European population is exposed to noise levels (L eq ) over 55 dBA due to road transport. ...
A noise pollution survey for a standard tourist coastal town, called El Portil (South-west Spain), that is additionally surrounded by a nature reserve, has been made. The main problem of this tourist town is that its population increases tenfold during the summer in relation to winter, this fact generating a large increase in the noise pollution experienced by the residents, who are tourists trying to relax during the holiday. The main noise sources identified were the traffic on the principal road crossing the town, and recreational activities of residents enjoying their vacation. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to characterize and assess the noise pollution experienced by the residents of a standard tourist town, in order to improve its management and development by the competent authorities.
... Landscape transformations are the expression of increasingly complex processes in our environment and society. These changes became seen as a threat as expressed in the first EEA-report on the assessment of Europe's environment [7]. This threat goes beyond environmental issues of quality and sustainability; it affects also existential values such as the ones expressed by diversity and identity, loss of character and heritage [8,9]. ...
Change is an essential property of landscape. The continuous interaction between
natural processes and human activities defines different landscape dynamics. The
general driving forces are well known, as well as the general trends of
contemporary landscape transformation. Increased demand on mobility,
industrialisation and urbanisation are related and processes that are mainly
driven by global economical forces. They cause a polarisation of geographical
space in more intensively used core areas and vast areas of marginalisation and
even land abandonment. Landscape changes accordingly. However, at the local
level the response to these forces can be very different. Based on detailed case
studies in different rural areas in Europe, mechanisms of transformation could be
recognised. They relate to functional changes in the land use, mainly caused by
actors who possess the spatial competence, i.e. the landowners, and rarely
planned, gradually and stepwise causing a structural transformation of the
landscape. Examples of changing farming practices and residential housing are
discussed briefly.
Keywords: landscape change, processes, sustainability, local scale.
1 Introduction
This paper describes some actual processes that change landscapes at the local
scale. Change is considered as an essential property of landscape dynamics. This
is also a basic element in the definition of landscape in the European Landscape
Convention by the Council of Europe [1].
\“ ‘Landscape’ means an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the
result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors” (Chapter I,
article 1).
In recent years, China has attached great importance to pollution control, and national and many provinces have introduced water pollution management policies in the hope that improvements can be made. However, there is currently a lack of objective and adequate assessment of the effectiveness of water pollution management (WPM) at the regional level, especially a lack of in-depth research on the causes of improvement, key measures, and pathways of action. This paper constructs an evaluation index system based on the driver, pressure, state, impact and response (DPSIR) model and evaluates the WPM performance of Tianjin based on the five aspects comprising the DPSIR model. The results show that WPM performance in Tianjin has been commendable, improving from 76.15 points out of 100 in 2014 to 90.93 points out of 100 in 2018. The score increased more rapidly from 2016 to 2018 after the regional policy was implemented. The main reason for this encouraging phenomenon is the significant improvement in water quality. From 2016 to 2020, the closure of high pollution industrial enterprises and the regulatory management of aquaculture have significantly reduced pollutant emissions. At the same time, under the constraints of the river chief system, pollutant discharge permits, discharge standards, ecological compensation agreements on water pollution and other policies in Tianjin, the effect of pollution source control is obvious, with improved water quality and high public satisfaction.
Graphical abstract
Although sparsely populated, the progressive degradation of Mongolia’s rivers, lakes and groundwater, driven by land-use changes, poses a key challenge for the future sustainable development of the country. This paper deciphers the cause–effect–response chain between river bank degradation, changes of the ecological status, declines of ecosystem functions and priority measures with the case of the Kharaa River in Northern Mongolia. The underlying research approach comprised: (1) hydromorphological characterisation of the Kharaa River, (2) water quality assessments, (3) determination of the riverbed composition including hyporheic zone properties, (4) the analysis of riverine biota (macroinvertebrates and primary producers) and (5) the identification of the sources of suspended and settled sediments. The assessment revealed a gradient of spatially heterogeneous river bank erosion due to the degradation of the riparian vegetation caused by overgrazing and wood utilization. As the most prominent ecological response, the biomass of benthic algae decreased and macrozoobenthic community metrics changed continuously along the pressure gradient, accompanied by shifts of habitat related functional traits. At the same time, the hyporheic zone dimensions and functioning were affected by suspended and infiltrated sediments in multiple ways (restricted spatial extent, lowered hydraulic connectivity, lower metabolism, ecologically critical quality of pore water). Geochemical and radionuclide fallout isotope fingerprinting has identified riverbank erosion as the main source of the suspended sediments in the Kharaa River, when compared to gully and land surface erosion. Erosion susceptibility calculations in combination with suspended sediment observations showed a strong seasonal and annual variability of sediment input and instream transport, and a strong connection of erosional behaviour with land-use. Amongst others, the protection of headwaters and the stabilization of the river bank erosion hotspots in the mid-stream sections of the Kharaa River are the priority measures to avoid further degradation of the aquatic ecosystem status and functions.
While the European Union's environmental achievements have proved important the next major issue is the pan-European cooperation in the broader region covered by the UN Economic Commission for Europe. When improving security in Europe became a common geopolitical goal in the 1970s and 1980s, several conventions on transboundary environmental issues, including air, water, impact assessment, and industrial accidents were established. Beyond their technical implications and successes, such agreements have potential to prevent transboundary conflicts that are now opening to all UN member states. The lessons learned with transboundary agreements and negotiations as well as those regarding regional seas, such as the Baltic and Caspian, could be useful for cooperation in Asia. On climate change mitigation, Europe's role tends to become marginalized in comparison with geopolitical actors like the big Asian economies and the US, which are less willing to come to an effective global agreement on greenhouse gases reduction.
This ETC-CCA technical paper provides a detailed analysis of available methods (indicators, index, GIS and model based methods) that can be concretely applied for assessing coastal vulnerability to climate change at the European and Regional Sea levels. Specifically the paper: (i) provides key definitions and elements to be considered when addressing the practicalities of coastal vulnerability assessment at the considered levels of analysis; (ii) identifies the methodological characteristics that are considered particularly relevant for assessing coastal vulnerability at the European and Regional Sea levels; (iii) describes the selected methods according to such characteristics; (iv) describes visualisation tools that may be particularly useful in providing scientific-based summary information to coastal practitioners; and (v) discusses data availability issues.
This paper by Steve Curwell, Andy Hamilton and lan Cooper reports on the work of BEQUEST (Building Environmental Quality Assessment for Sustainability through Time), a network funded in October 1997 by the EU Environment and Climate Programme.(1) The main objective of this group is to lay the foundations of a common understanding of sustainable urban development through a multi-disciplinary network of representatives of all actors involved in the provision, use and maintenance of the built environment. An integrated approach to built environment quality assessment is to be developed which will help to reduce the environmental uncertainty facing decision makers in the development and infrastructure industries.
This chapter describes the origins of the European Landscape Convention (ELC), the world's first and only treaty on landscape. It summarises the purposes of the ELC and the principles that underlie it, notably that all landscapes matter, that landscape requires protection, management and planning, and that people have a legitimate interest in how this is done. Countries take on a set of general commitments to give effect to these and other principles when they sign the convention. The ELC has now been widely adopted in the Council of Europe area; the UK signed in 2006. Implementation in the UK is lead by agencies at the country level. Considerable progress has been made to give effect to the convention, most notably in England through the active engagement of Natural England; however the momentum has suffered recently from funding constraints in the environmental sector. The ELC provides a favourable context for historic gardens and designed landscapes in several ways. One of its main aims is the protection of heritage landscapes, and those interested in historic and designed features, and their conservation needs should engage in the processes of landscape assessment and characterisation work that the convention encourages. The ELC also sends a message to the historic gardens community on the importance of working with local communities, local government, national agencies and European institutions in landscape-related initiatives. The ELC provides a strong rationale to seek funding from the HLF under schemes supported through their Landscape Partnership Programme.
Il lavoro ha l'obiettivo principale di analizzare gli impatti ambientali delle diete attraverso una
metodologia di valutazione sistematica e propone un approccio innovativo indagando gli
effetti sull'ambiente dei consumi alimentari in termini quantitativi e, soprattutto, qualitativi
considerando la sostenibilità relativa di stili alimentari fondati sul consumo di prodotti biologici
e convenzionali.
Rispetto ai precedenti studi, si cerca qui di superare il confronto tra i singoli prodotti analoghi
ma ottenuti con tecniche di produzione diversa (convenzionale e biologica) per valutare il loro
contributo in termini di impatto ambientale alla dieta nella sua interezza. In questo senso le
performance ambientali stimate per i diversi modelli di dieta hanno tenuto conto anche delle
complesse relazioni che i consumi alimentari hanno con il territorio, considerando, tra l’altro,
le tecnologie di produzione primaria e di trasformazione degli alimenti, le tipologie di
confezionamento e di conservazione, le modalità di trasporto e le distanze percorse tra luogo
di produzione e consumo, i modi di consumo.
Il report parte dall'analisi dell'evoluzione dei consumi alimentari, evidenziando quanto gli
aspetti ambientali rappresentino un carattere importante di questa dinamica soprattutto con
riferimento alla visione più ampia di sostenibilità. Sono quindi introdotti gli elementi del
dibattito in corso relativamente alla misurazione dell’impatto e, a tal fine, alla definizione degli
indicatori più idonei, giungendo alla identificazione della life cycle assessment (LCA), e dei suoi
indicatori, quale strumento più adeguato per la definizione, la stima e la comunicazione degli
impatti ambientali. Successivamente sono analizzati criticamente i risultati ottenuti, relativi
agli impatti generati in complesso dai diversi modelli di diete rilevate, con particolare
attenzione a cogliere il contributo dei prodotti biologici al valore ambientale della dieta: per
ciascuno degli alimenti consumati, suddivisi in quattro gruppi (carboidrati, latticini, carni e
frutta e ortaggi), vengono riportati gli effetti ambientali in termini unitari e nei diversi modelli
di dieta. Nelle considerazioni conclusive, infine, si sintetizza il lavoro svolto e i suoi risultati.
Introduction Sustainable development Forestry Environmental impact of manufacture and use of paper and paperboard Used packaging in the environment Life cycle assessment Carbon footprint Conclusion References
Several lake ice phenology studies from satellite data have been undertaken. However, the availability of long-term lake freeze-thaw-cycles, required to understand this proxy for climate variability and change, is scarce for European lakes. Long time series from space observations are limited to few satellite sensors. Data of the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) are used in account of their unique potential as they offer each day global coverage from the early 1980s expectedly until 2022. An automatic two-step extraction was developed, which makes use of near-infrared reflectance values and thermal infrared derived lake surface water temperatures to extract lake ice phenology dates. In contrast to other studies utilizing thermal infrared, the thresholds are derived from the data itself, making it unnecessary to define arbitrary or lake specific thresholds. Two lakes in the Baltic region and a steppe lake on the Austrian-Hungarian border were selected. The later one was used to test the applicability of the approach to another climatic region for the time period 1990 to 2012. A comparison of the extracted event dates with in situ data provided good agreements of about 10. d mean absolute error. The two-step extraction was found to be applicable for European lakes in different climate regions and could fill existing data gaps in future applications. The extension of the time series to the full AVHRR record length (early 1980 until today) with adequate length for trend estimations would be of interest to assess climate variability and change. Furthermore, the two-step extraction itself is not sensor-specific and could be applied to other sensors with equivalent near- and thermal infrared spectral bands.
This text examines the impact of climate change on freshwater ecosystems, past, present and future. It especially considers the interactions between climate change and other drivers of change including hydromorphological modification, nutrient loading, acid deposition and contamination by toxic substances using evidence from palaeolimnology, time-series analysis, space-for-time substitution, laboratory and field experiments and process modelling. The book evaluates these processes in relation to extreme events, seasonal changes in ecosystems, trends over decadal-scale time periods, mitigation strategies and ecosystem recovery. The book is also concerned with how aspects of hydrophysical, hydrochemical and ecological change can be used as early indicators of climate change in aquatic ecosystems and it addresses the implications of future climate change for freshwater ecosystem management at the catchment scale. This is an ideal book for the scientific research community, but is also accessible to Masters and senior undergraduate students.
The world's increasing population and the need to produce food, feed, fibre and fuel (energy) from agricultural crops puts pressures on global soil resources. Beyond production, soils have manifold environmental functions that must be preserved despite increasing production levels. Today, substantial parts of the world's soil resources are degraded. Urbanization and increased sealing of fertile soils, human-induced erosion and soil compaction, the input of contaminants, increasing nitrogen depositions, a possible scarcity of fertilizer P, and soil organic matter loss due to changing land use and soil management are amongst the severe present and future threats to soil resources. Research shows that agricultural production could be increased worldwide by several approaches such as filling the gap between potential yields and actual yields by improved agricultural techniques, increased agricultural land and reduced post-harvest losses. The highest potentials are seen in temperate rather than in tropical areas with their less resilient soils. Climate change will have a tremendous impact on the availability of agriculturally productive areas and will induce significant shifts between regions. Intensification of agricultural systems should aim at low-input high-yield systems best adapted to the local needs and framework conditions. This requires implementing all possible measures including aspects of organic farming, precision agriculture, reduced tillage, high-efficiency irrigation systems, agro-forestry systems, breeding, mechanization and improved post-harvest storage and handling technologies. The cascade use of biomass for food and feed, industrial raw material, energy production and organic fertilizer is clearly a valuable concept in this context.
An environmental risk assessment of the Loughor Estuary northern shoreline, in South Wales was carried out by adapting a previously developed Coastal Vulnerability Index). It was established utilising readily available physical parameters to determine vulnerabilities without the need for expert technical interpretation. The Coastal Vulnerability Index was used to determine vulnerability and to assess mesoscale applicability and simplicity of use for an estuarine environment. Assessments identified that the most critical physical parameters affecting vulnerability along this shoreline were coastal slope and beach width. Results highlighted that this shoreline was vulnerable and that a significant percentage of residential housing, transport and energy supply infrastructure are located in highly vulnerable areas. It was also noted that there is a concentration of future re-development sites in similarly vulnerable locations. The Coastal Vulnerability Index can be adapted depending on type of coastal environment and used as a planning tool to establish risk and vulnerability. This work demonstrates that the methodology can be adjusted for estuarine or coastal environments at local or regional scales, and can be used to justify in-depth studies for coastal defence.
Vulnerability assessment has gradually emerged as a basic tool in analyzing the response of regional and global environment to external events. Many studies have evidenced the increasing urbanization pressures on ecosystems and the threat to their potential for the provision of services. However, rather few efforts have been spared to characterize the vulnerability of ecosystem services provisioning to urbanization. This paper presents an integrated index to determine the vulnerability of ecosystem services provisioning to urbanization in China. It was based on the Exposure-Sensitivity-Capacity framework and integrated 16 indicators of ecological and socioeconomic dimensions. Quantitative analysis verified the effectiveness of the integrated index, and spatiotemporal patterns of vulnerability were obtained. Horizontal comparisons demonstrated that vulnerability was higher in the eastern provinces. The western and central provinces were roughly the same vulnerability level; however, the profiles of vulnerability for these regions were substantially different, particularly in sensitivity and capacity, respectively. The longitudinal comparisons highlighted the vulnerability degree of the eastern and central provinces was intensified between 1979 and 2010. The developed index could be further applicable to other locations and facilitate environmental management.
Con la entrada al nuevo milenio, en un marco de progresivo rechazo de los consumidores hacia el modelo dominante de agricultura intensiva, y de creciente demanda de alimentos de elevada calidad ecológica; a lo que hay que unir un cambio en el comercio internacional agrario, donde la primacía de las políticas domésticas es eclipsada por un proceso de liberalización agraria y rechazo de las prácticas proteccionistas, las políticas agrarias de Japón y la Unión Europea emprenden un nuevo rumbo, encontrando en la potenciación de las funciones extraproductivas de la agricultura y la persecución de objetivos medioambientales una nueva vía para la intervención pública.
Esta obra, dirigida tanto a investigadores en el área de los estudios agrarios y de medio ambiente, como a estudiantes universitarios de Sociología, Agronomía y Medio Ambiente, y estudiantes de posgrado en desarrollo rural, analiza el proceso de integración de la problemática ambiental en las políticas agrarias de la Unión Europea y Japón y la transformación del debate agroambiental en las sociedades europea y japonesa, para concluir con un análisis de las actitudes medioambientales de los agricultores.
Reference conditions are a key concept in the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). The WFD stipulates that the ecological status of a given water body shall be assessed by quantifying the deviation from a set of reference conditions that represent the stable state of an ecosystem in the absence of significant human disturbance. This concept is subject to criticism from several authors, particularly because underlying ecological concepts are weak and the distinction between natural variability and the effects of anthropogenic activities on ecosystem function will become increasingly artificial. In this paper, a sociologist and an aquatic ecologist examine the origin, successes and limits of the reference conditions concept and raise important questions about applying this concept in practice. We argue that this concept fitted specific needs from different institutions and stakeholders which promoted the WFD. Monitoring practices using this concept require some adaptations. Setting goals for restoration based on reference conditions is more problematic. A more adaptive management approach would be wiser.
Objectives WP2: To appraise the current situation with respect to soil erosion using existing data, information systems and models; To establish harmonised criteria and guidelines for the development and use of indicators assessing the present soil erosion risk or state as well as trends in soil erosion over time. Description of the work: 2.1 Identify different forms of soil erosion processes or mechanisms causing soil loss, as well as their relevance in different MS and their inclusion in current soil erosion methodologies − Tillage erosion − Erosion due to harvesting of root crops − Rills and inter-rill erosion − Gully erosion − Bank erosion in rivers and lakes − Snowmelt erosion − Wind erosion − Coastal erosion − Landslides − Internal erosion provoked by groundwater flows − 2.2 Review and analyse existing soil erosion assessment methodologies at European and national scales (including soil erosion indicators) Analyse the results obtained in terms of erosion rates, potential and actual erosion risk, vulnerability areas. Compare the result and check possible inconsistencies. 2.3 Synthesis report of extent of soil erosion in Europe Based on the information derived from the task 2.2 and, after a critical review, a synthesis report of nature and extent of soil erosion should be delivered by the workgroup. This report might include the weak points and uncertainties, which have been pointed out in task 2.2. 2.4 Definition of benchmarks and soil erosion indicators Assessment of existing soil erosion indicator systems: applicability at European and national level. Establish harmonised criteria and guidelines to develop a European soil erosion indicator system.
The notion of Sustainable Development has rapidly gained considerable attention since the last decades of the twentieth century. It has become a locus for global paradigm shift on environment and development issues particularly after Rio Conference in 1992. The comparative analysis of Agenda 21 and major UN documents, MDG, and RIO+20 as well as some major sources are made to provide a context for the assessment of landscape and environment importance for achieving sustainability. Study showed almost half of the Agenda 21 is devoted to the Environmental problems, landscape issues and protection of nature and natural resources. Landscape ecology and ecological complexity theories have been widely used in recent decades to analyze natural systems and artificial phenomena to predict the future behavior of systems; and to provide better solutions for balanced interactions of human and living organisms at larger scales. The paper investigated landscape ecology and complexity theory potentials for better understanding landscape system and its nature as an ever changing semi-living phenomenon, which plays a key role for the life of inhabitants of the planet. Using an integrated approach and analyses, this research is to develop the ecological dimensions of landscape as framework for the contribution of landscape ecology and ecological complexity towards achieving sustainable development. Analyses led the paper postulates the new dimensions: Transformation complexity and Accumulation complexity; and reveals Ecosystem complexity and Biocomplexity to expand the current dimensions of ecological complexity, with their effects on the landscape systems, environmental sustainability and hence sustainable development.
La directive cadre européenne sur l’eau (DCE)1 impose une nouvelle forme de gestion des
milieux aquatiques et la notion de conditions de référence est un point-clé pour la mise
en œuvre de l’évaluation (mesurée comme un écart à cette référence) et pour définir les
objectifs de restauration. Cependant, de nombreuses critiques se sont élevées contre ce
concept. Le contexte de « changement global2 » ne fait que renforcer cette tendance. Dans
cet article, coécrit par un écologue et une socio-politiste, nous revenons sur la
construction sociale et scientifique de cette notion, des indicateurs qui en découlent et
de leur agrégation dans la DCE. En nous focalisant sur son application aux cours d’eau,
nous expliquons son origine, son succès, ses limites et les questions que pose son
institutionnalisation. Cela nous conduit à nous interroger sur l’avenir de cette
politique, en particulier du point de vue de la restauration.
: A selection procedure for the location of landfill sites, combining GIS technologies with site investigation methodologies, is outlined. Development of the GIS model was driven by the need to identify sites with suitable geological barriers to reduce potential risks of groundwater contamination by landfill leachate and to establish a scientific, non-biased approach to landfill site selection in order to promote public confidence in the scientific basis and overall transparency of the site selection process. There are two stages to the process: 1. GIS stage, consisting of a primary, two step screen, leading to identification of target areas, followed by a secondary screen, involving more detailed local information and site-specific analysis, to identify individual sites; 2. Geotechnical evaluation, consisting of site investigation and laboratory assessment of the geotechnical characteristics of individual sites. The developed GIS model pertains only to the primary screening. On completion of the site selection procedure, individual sites should be graded on a scale of suitability, and ranked in order of preference.
With 27 member states, the European Union has a population of nearly half a billion, making its sustainable development both important and multinational. Though the practicality of the Driving forces-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework is widely recognized in Europe, it has never been applied to choose sustainability indicators for the European Union. This study focused on using the DPSIR framework to establish a set of sustainable development indicators clearly displaying their casual links in the European region. The DPSIR framework was used to select 28 indicators, as well as to collect corresponding data for 27 member states between 2005 and 2006. After applying the partial-least-squares (PLS) technology to determine how each construct was related, experimental results proved all of the causal links other than the effects of 'response' on 'driving forces', 'pressure' and 'state'. This study also suggested some other environment-management methods related to the DPSIR framework for European authorities, together with a longitudinal assessment of the proposed model.
The shift from government to governance in European water policies conveys a pluralist conception of stakeholder participation in planning. This article argues that the current Driving forces-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) approach to the planning of natural resource use, developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Environmental Agency (EEA) is at odds with a pluralistic conception. The DPSIR approach consists in constructing a single socio-environmental model to address a specific problem in water management, while paying no attention to the existence of conflicts surrounding the definition of the issue at hand, the social, political and spatial delimitation of that issue, and the translation of stakes in terms of quantitative variables. Scenarios produced in this process therefore explore a limited range of policies, i.e. those defining the problem in the same way, as illustrated here with the case of the Garonne River in France. This article presents an alternative method, combining knowledge in social science and natural determinisms to build contrasting socio-hydrological scenarios that do not share the same hypotheses regarding their respective key issues.
This work summarizes a very extensive study conducted in the city of Valencia, Spain, on the role of green areas in the comfort of the city. Previously, the environmental parameters that make up the urban environment were studied. With these values, a very large series of comfort indexes was analyzed and validated, and the indexes that exhibited the best behavior were determined. The role of green areas in public city spaces was also studied: the retention of solar radiation and pollution retention capability. This culminated in the formulation of the comfort indexes according to the amount of green areas, which, through statistical correlation, allowed the determination of the surface area of green areas required for the city to be considered theoretically comfortable. This work completes the analysis of these formulations for a wider spectrum of measurements in the city with a greater scope and greater variety of spaces and situations. The three comfort indexes that performed best, i.e., those with greatest statistical certainty, have been reformulated for Valencia. The work concludes with research from the previous experimentation applied to the green plan of Valencia. The final solution takes into account the proposals put forward by the Valencian Authority on the plan for protection of the Huerta, the natural market garden setting on which the city of Valencia stands, following the philosophy of the European Territorial Strategy and the European Landscape Convention.
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