Ecocycles (E-Journal - European Ecocycles Society)
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Cultural heritage – the first research campus in Hungary
Full text linkThis article summarizes the authors’ views on the agricultural research building complex at 15 Herman Otto street in Budapest, that was established at the beginning of the twentieth century. In 2016, the very first research campus of Hungary has been designated a prestigious historical building complex
Riverside space and local communities: Selected theoretical aspects
Full text linkThe presented article is dedicated to the analysis of selected theoretical aspects regarding the riverside space. The very concept of space is presented interdisciplinary as the subject of research in numerous fields of science. Most attention was paid to analyses riverside space in the context of human-river relations, and the mainstream consideration is the social role of the phenomenon, its social perception, and the resulting actions. The concept of space is connected here with the concept of local community, which supplements the issue, and their interdependence mainly results from the attributes and the process of creating that community. So in the article, a lot of space is devoted to theoretical considerations of these interrelationships and dependencies. Selected contemporary examples of revitalization and re-use of the riverside space and the social impact of these processes in urban areas are also presented
Towards future land-use technologies: Life-long learning experiences on excursions
Full text linkThe integration of current agricultural research results including the use of the latest technologies into professional practice and university teaching requires direct exchange between employed people, students, and researchers. One possibility is the visit of research stations to observe, interpret and discuss the effects of different land-use treatments. This article explains the advantages, challenges and efforts of universities as organizers of excursions. Therefore, a pilot excursion to a well-known research station with a visit to an orchard in Central Germany with students and employees took place. Besides the numerous experiments, the challenges of agriculture in a dry climate (average yearly precipitation from 1896 to 2004 is 484mm) on the very nutrient-rich chernozem were an important topic. Our experiences from this excursion show high potential and the special value of this event to combine the practical challenges of land use with the new possibilities of research. Preparing the content of the excursion to support practical understanding and discussion with the scientists proved to be an advantage. Also useful is a follow-up session for sustainable use of the information gathered during the field trip. Of great importance is an administrative structure at the university that supports this type of teaching
Investigating rapid deforestation and carbon dioxide release in Bangladesh using geospatial information from remote sensing data
Full text linkRapid deforestation over the last few years due to the massive influx of refugees from neighboring Myanmar has been reported and is seen as a precursor to environmental disaster, raising the need for more effective monitoring of forest areas. The availability of data from several space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) missions allow enhanced monitoring of forest areas. The objective of this study was to map deforestation in two selected areas located in northeast and southeast Bangladesh using Sentinel-1 imageries and determine the applicability of SAR in forest monitoring in Bangladesh. Towards these purpose satellite imageries from 2017 and 2018 collected by Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1 Band SAR data in dual-polarization mode were used. In the northeastern area of interest, temporary deforestation was detected, which had occurred in low lying areas due to prolonged flooding. The second area of interest, in the southeast, revealed man-made deforestation in high land areas on an immense scale due to the influx and settlement of seven hundred thousand refugees. The results of the two sub-studies demonstrate the applicability and need of SAR data to effectively monitor deforestation in Bangladesh especially as it allows isolating natural and anthropogenic deforestation
The energy policy of the European Union and China toward the Arctic in view of falling oil and gas prices, climate change and low-carbon economies
Full text linkEnergy has become one of the most important fields of international policy since many countries are now aware that traditional (fossil) energy sources are finite. The European Union and China among the others try to ensure their sustainable energy supply and energy security. Both of them are net importers, their growing economy based on external energy sources. The Middle – East Africa and Eurasia have been the energy supplier regions in the world, but today the taut situation in those regions and the fierce competition between the EU and China force them to find new energy fields. The Arctic region is rich in hydrocarbon and other energy sources that have not been exploited yet. That is why the EU and China pay more attention to this region. This article attempts to reveal the different energy policies of the EU and China towards the substantial fossil energy resources of the Arctic taking into consideration the increasing need for renewable energy sources and the growing demand to phase out fossil fuels, particularly coal. First, a brief overview of the energy sources and institutions of the Arctic region illuminates the major role of the Arctic Council, then the European Union’s and China’s energy policy and their current energy situation are analyzed. The next paragraphs reveal the recent steps, future targets, and achievements of the European and Chinese energy policy towards the Arctic. These paragraphs describe the Neo-Liberal energy policy of the European Community and the Realist or Neo-Liberal ways of Chinese energy strategy, unfortunately, based mainly on fossil fuels. However, due to increasing political pressure because of climate change and environmental pollution, the development of renewable energy sources is imperative, often integrated into one “more sustainable” system with the traditional fossil energy sources. The central question is: Whose policy will win the battle for the Arctic region’s energy sources? It means whose policy will be more effective to obtain energy sources, both fossil and renewable ones. Finally, it sums up and compares the differences between the two international actors’ energy policy regarding their strategies for explorations of fossil fuels and renewables and highlights the different ways and tools of their energy diplomacy
Key pillars of the facile cooperation between environmental and cultural education in Poland
Full text linkContemporary education presumes a practical approach to teaching. For a long time, now it is not sufficient to simply memorize dry definitions – that is both inefficient and meaningless. Society expects of a young man that is leaving the walls of a high school or a university not only knowledge but first and foremost specific abilities and skills. It should be said plainly, however, that those can be nurtured through the education led in a practical way which allows the student to discover something autonomously basing on the theoretical knowledge received before. This kind of quality change in the education system should be particularly distinct regarding environmental education and science which should be, as a principle, taught possibly in the most practical way. Frequent access to the school laboratory will however not be enough
Effects of initiatives related to the sharing economy on the ecological security of urban residents - Polish experiences
Full text linkThe sharing economy connects the human and material resources available to private individuals, companies and city organizational units in a coherent way. The aim of this article is to present a theoretical and practical approach to sharing economy in the context of using this approach to increasing the ecological security of cities.
In the article, the method of literature studies in the field of sharing economy and ecological security was used as the method of gathering knowledge, and the case study method was used to verify the theoretical assumptions of this concept on the example of specific projects implemented by Polish cities in this area. Taking into account the social perspective and the possibilities of using modern information technologies, thinking about the future of cities should be related to the creation of new community strategies, in which the sharing economy can be helpful. The sharing economy offers a number of solutions that are already visible in the development strategy of Polish cities, which contributes to the improvement of the quality of life of their residents in the field ecological security. Their selected examples are presented in this article
Food counterfeiting in general; counterfeiting of milk and dairy products
Full text linkAfter giving a general description and historic perspective of food counterfeiting, the questions regarding food counterfeiting today, the nature of food counterfeiting, detection and combating food counterfeiting, and possible legal sanctions against food counterfeiting will be answered. Then the establishment and role of national anti-counterfeit organizations, the national anti-counterfeiting strategy, the expected benefits of actions against counterfeiting, the punishment of counterfeiting, and some cases regarding the counterfeiting of food are discussed.
In the case of counterfeiting of milk and dairy products, the milk of various animal species, buffalo, goat and sheep, as well as cows' milk is being falsified by mixing soymilk with cow's milk. Hereinafter, the detection of whey and the buttermilk from milk, the determination of whey protein from dairy products, the analysis of milk produced from milk powder and other options for milk and milk product counterfeiting are discussed. Finally, questions regarding the detection of other fats in milk, butter and ghee, the dilution of milk, determination of the heat treatment of milk and dairy products, the detection of the amount of spoiled milk unfit for consumption are answered. Analytical methods that can be used to detect counterfeits are always referred to
Assessment of the risks associated with the invasive weed Ambrosia artemisiifolia in urban environments in Romania
Full text linkAmbrosia artemisiifolia (ragweed) is an invasive weed with rapid spread during the last decades in many European countries, representing an important problem for environment and for public health, due to its highly allergenic pollen. Data from the European Aeroallergen Network (EAN) confirm the continuous increase of infested areas and of the amospheric ragweed pollen load. Ambrosia is responsible for significant health and economic impact in the most infested areas from Central Europe, mainly Hungary and neighbouring countries, including Romania. Despite generally occurring in dry and abandoned fields, along railways and roadsides, Ambrosia is now recognized as part of urban vegetation in some big cities, contributing to increase risk of air pollution and of respiratory diseases. The aim of our paper is to review the data regarding spread and problematic of Ambrosia in some big cities of Romania, mainly the capital and the actual public activities undertaken to reduce its consequences. Our data showed that Ambrosia is a real and increasing danger for human health in Romania, mainly due to its rapid spread in urban environment and increasing number of affected persons. There is an urgent need for more coordinated efforts and sustainable management of this problem, to reduce impact of Ambrosia in urban environment, to establish a national aerobiology network and to continue collaboration with European institutions and specialists in this field
Horticultural uses of botanical variations of woodland sage (Salvia nemorosa L.)
Full text linkOn the basis of the facts it may state that the Salvia nemorosa is an „underestimated” plant at present, but it may be a promising plant species for the future. This is especially true in the Central and Eastern Europe, a region exposed to certain climate changes, such as the more extreme weather, the fluctuation of rainfall distribution, the increasing of temperature, the rapid and unfavourable changes of climate in densely populated cities, the heat-island effects, the atmospheric drought, etc. Therefore, the Salvia nemorosa seems to be a very promising plant for the future generations. The searching and collecting program of the wild botanical variants of woodland sage were launched in 2009, as part of two botanical expeditions carried out in Hungary