Ecocycles (E-Journal - European Ecocycles Society)
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Soil use practices for sustainable agricultural land and water management
Full text linkThis paper presents experimental results focused on measures increasing water infiltration into the soil profile and higher water holding capacity of the land. It is important from soil and land protection point of view against both drought and floods
Taste testing bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) grown in Aquaponics
Full text linkBitter gourd which is imported into the UK from abroad has been shown to be suitable to be grown in aquaponics under greenhouse conditions. Whilst research has indicated the plant grows well under greenhouse aquaponics conditions, as yet there has been no research on taste qualities. The aim of the study was thus to ascertain whether the taste of aquaponically grown bitter gourd is better or at least comparable with market-bought bitter gourd, grown abroad. Six adult participants participated in a blind taste test of 3 recipes of both aquaponically-grown bitter gourd and market-bought bitter gourd. The tests have shown that aquaponically grown bitter gourd is better and preferred in taste to the imported bitter gourd not grown aquaponically
Policy instruments and barriers to rural tourism development – a case study of cluster in the Liptov touristic region in Slovakia
Full text linkTourism industry, in general, and rural tourism specifically is often promoted as a go-to solution to the various problems that rural regions and communities are currently facing. In Slovakia, several policies have been formulated and implemented in order to harness this potential in reality. The main aim of this contribution is to (via an in-depth case study of a tourism cluster in Liptov region in Slovakia) find out the current state of the policy instruments being implemented to promote the development of rural tourism as well as barriers that hinder the effectiveness of said instruments. By means of questionnaire survey and interviews with relevant stakeholders (accommodation providers, representatives of local self-government and support organizations at the local and regional level) we identified both financial and institutional hurdles, but also a difference in opinions of different actors concerned
Ecological impact of Rohingya refugees on forest resources: remote sensing analysis of vegetation cover change in Teknaf Peninsula in Bangladesh
Full text linkSatellite remote sensing technique has been used to assess the vegetation cover changes experienced by areas severely affected by Rohingya refugees in Teknaf peninsula of Bangladesh which is bordering Myanmar. Since 25 August, 2017, approximately 655,000 refugees settled in Bangladesh as of 11 December 2017. Majority of them are settled in the sub-districts of Teknaf and Ukhiya. Teknaf peninsula is an ecologically critical area. It includes the protected Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the oldest reserved forests in Bangladesh. This vegetation at the southern coast of Bangladesh plays a vital role in the climate change adaptation and mitigation process in the region. Refugee camps and their practice of cutting trees to use as firewood for cooking cause significant deforestation. This study shows a major loss of vegetation cover following the refugee influx. The analysis of the remote sensed images provides quantitative data on the adverse impact of the refugee crisis on the natural resources and the ecosystem of the host community
Community-based solutions to locally-sourced food production systems featuring the revival of indigenous knowledge
Full text linkGaia Education (GE) - an international NGO with headquarters in Scotland - has been pioneering community-based educational approaches to sustainable design and development. Founded concurrently with the launching of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UN DESD) 2005-2014, GE has been developing unique curricula and pedagogy drawn from the precedent of the educational experiences of eco-village models around the globe. With a 10-year track record in forty-three countries on five continents, GE programmes are conducted in settings ranging from tribal and traditional communities to intentional eco-communities, from urban slums to universities and R&D centers. GE educational programmes equip students of all ages and cultural backgrounds with the appropriate knowledge, skills, and critical thinking tools necessary to design a society which uses energy and resources with greater efficiency, distributes wealth equitably, centers autonomy within local communities, and makes quality of life, rather than open-ended economic growth, the focus of future thinking. Learners become change agents capable of playing active roles in transitioning their existing communities and neighbourhoods to sustainable and regenerative practices, lifestyles and infrastructures.
The starting point for this paper is concern about the impactful effects of industrial food systems, based on large-scale, energy and resource-intensive, agribusiness enterprises operating at a global scale. In this context the paper introduces and analyses a series of regional Project-Based learning initiatives taking place in the Global South, developed within the framework of UN Sustainable Development Goals that address the standard three dimensions of sustainability - environment, society, and economy -with culture added as a unifying fourth dimension. These capacity building projects conducted with partners in Bangladesh, Senegal, India and Sicily support communities to transition from the input-intensive agriculture introduced by forces of globalisation to locally-sourced, agroecological food production systems featuring the revival of indigenous knowledge and cultural traditions. In this process, regenerative whole systems design practices developed in the North are introduced to villagers in the South to complement and augment indigenous knowledge and cultural traditions in an effort to achieve food sovereignty and ameliorate the damage done to ecosystems by climate change. The GE model engages local communities in the spirit of participatory action research, working together to find low energy, low cost, creative and innovative solutions to local problems. The GE model uses a holistic, non-reductionist approach to education, weaving together social, ecological, economic, and cultural dynamics to produce a living synthesis that can result in long-term ecosystem and community health and well-being.
The paper concludes by examining how GE programmes create learning environments for villagers in climate-vulnerable regions that foster meaningful, actionable knowledge. This knowledge promotes food sovereignty through the sustainable potential of community-based, locally-sourced food production systems, featuring the linkages of social, ecological, and cultural dynamics
Normalized difference vegetation index as a tool for the evaluation of agricultural drought in Slovakia
No full textThe paper deals with the evaluation of agricultural drought in Slovakia by remote sensing data. For this purpose, monthly normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values were derived from MODIS spectroradiometer at district level during the time period of 2000 to 2014. Verification was based on correlations with the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) for twelve sites selected according to limited climatic parameters. Correlations showed a strong relationship (? ? 0.1) between NDVI and PDSI values, mainly in the middle of the growing season (June to September). The aim of the paper is testing NDVI as a suitable tool for drought assessment in an agricultural land in Slovakia
Sustainable soil management in the Badacsony Wine District
Full text linkAgricultural landscapes with historical hillside vineyard cultivation have a touristic, economic, and environmental value in the Balaton uplands. However, sustainable cultivation methods are becoming increasingly important within today's adaptation to climate change impacts on these lands much exposed to erosion. Our long-term field experiment compared the effects of several soil-cover methods in several aspects. We recorded and examined the consequent changes in the physical (soil moisture), chemical (absorbable nitrogen content), biological (enzyme activity: fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis and dehydrogenase), the most probable number of bacteria and fungi), and economic (yield) parameters of soils. According to our results in 2017, mulching with organic plant wastes achieved the most positive effect on the parameters studied and also efficiently reduced erosion in the plantation
Importance of nickel as a nutrient in aquaponic systems - some theoretical considerations
No full textThis Note paper calls the attention to the important role the microelement nickel plays is the decomposition of urea in aquaponic systems. Since fish feeds do not contain nickel (it is not included in the list of micronutrients essential to fish growth and development) trace amounts of its soluble salts or complexes need to be added to aquaponic systems in order to achieve the systems' stable operation. 
ICT and tourism impacts in islands
Full text linkNew technologies can represent, for some aspects, both a problem and a precious resource. As we concerns, in tourism sector, ICT can help in managing and promoting destinations in a better way than in the past, especially in those cases where problems linked with the management of tourist flows and the need to manage a sustainable development exists.
Monitoring tourism impact at the destination is a fundamental issue in order to respect the right pressure and to avoid negative effects in the destination and with the residents. There are several devices available and useful for different needs, then almost each kind of monitoring and analysis can be supported by the right tools. This knowledge should encourage local responsible to implement regular and meticulous surveys and analysis to manage the impact of tourism pressure and to respect the optimal carrying capacity of the site