1,721,004 research outputs found
Management des Borkenkäfers Ips typographus L. im Nationalen Naturschutzgebiet Praded in der Tschechischen Republik
No full textManagement of the bark beetles (Ips typographus L.) in the National Nature Reserve Praded of Czech Republic
No full textManagement des Borkenkäfers Ips typographus L. im Nationalen Naturschutzgebiet Praded in der Tschechischen Republik
No full textManagement of the bark beetles (Ips typographus L.) in the National Nature Reserve Praded of Czech Republic
No full textA new 'lexicon' of land degradation: Toward a holistic thinking for complex socioeconomic issues
Full text linkLand degradation is perceived worldwide as a key process of resource depletion, representing a paradigmatic issue in national and supra-national political agendas for the 21st century in both advanced and emerging economies. Trying to delineate a 'new lexicon of land degradation', the present study contributes to a holistic thinking of driving forces in local communities and regional contexts through a refined analysis and discussion of (apparent and latent) factors of land degradation. Rethinking the importance of five notions (time, space, scale, systems, and response) having an intimate linkage with land degradation allows a refined understanding of socio-environmental dynamics and the most appropriate actions to combat (or mitigate) land resource depletion. The conclusions summarize the rationale proposed in this work, and provide a brief outlook on future research addressing land degradation, its drivers and consequences
Evaluating the spatial coherence of composite indexes of land degradation at small administrative units
No full textIn light of the 'zero-net land degradation strategy', the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) guidelines for policy-relevant indicators of land quality, have stressed the importance of comparable indexes' informative value across spatial scales. However, the proliferation of composite indexes of land sensi-tivity, vulnerability, or exposure to desertification risk, has been occasionally grounded on a systematization of theoretical concepts - both in advanced economies and in emerging countries. Rationalization of the operational approaches to land degradation assessment implies a (spatially explicit) comparison and verification of their outcomes at different (policy-relevant) spatial scales. To answer this issue, we implemented a statistical approach evaluating the coherence and reliability of four composite indexes of land degradation (ES3, ES4, LVI, DSI), with a practical application for Italy, a Mediterranean country classified as 'affected' by UNCCD. Using (municipal) administrative units as the elementary analysis' domain, sequential econometric techniques were used to test the internal (spatially explicit) coherence of the four composite indexes, and the role of information redundancy, for calibration of local-scale land degradation strategies. The outcomes of spatial regressions documented the po-tential of the four indexes in a short-term assessment of land vulnerability, confirming that such indexes provided a coherent ranking of Italian municipalities based on their intrinsic degree of land degradation. Principal Component Analysis documented the superior informative power of the ES4 index and confirms the appropri-ateness of an extensive use of the Environmentally Sensitive Area Index (ESAI) at small spatial scales. The proposed framework supports the creation of an index dashboard to monitoring complex environmental phenomena
Investigating Metropolitan Hierarchies through a Spatially Explicit (Local) Approach
Full text linkAssuming a non-neutral impact of space, an explicit assessment of metropolitan hierarchies based on local regression models produces a refined description of population settlement patterns and processes over time. We used Geographically Weighted Regressions (GWR) to provide an enriched interpretation of the density gradient in Greece, estimating a spatially explicit rank–size relationship inspired by Zipf’s law. The empirical results of the GWR models quantified the adherence of real data (municipal population density as a predictor of metropolitan hierarchy) to the operational assumptions of the rank–size relationship. Local deviations from its prediction were explained considering the peculiarity of the metropolitan cycle (1961–2011) in the country. Although preliminary and exploratory, these findings decomposed representative population dynamics in two stages of the cycle (namely urbanization, 1961–1991, and suburbanization, 1991–2011). Being in line with earlier studies, this timing allowed a geographical interpretation of the evolution of a particularly complex metropolitan system with intense (urban) primacy and a weak level of rural development over a sufficiently long time interval. Introducing a spatially explicit estimation of the rank–size relationship at detailed territorial resolutions provided an original contribution to regional science, covering broad geographical scales
Investigating metropolitan change through mathematical morphology and a dynamic factor analysis of structural and functional land-use indicators
No full textWe presented an operational rationale grounded on complex system thinking to quantify structural and functional landscape transformations along three stages representative of post-war metropolitan development in Rome, Italy (urbanisation with population/settlement densification, 1949–1974; suburbanisation with medium-density settlement expansion, 1974–1999; counter-urbanisation with settlement sprawl, 1999–2016). A mathematical morphology approach assessing the geometric form of land patches and a multi-way factor analysis (MFA) of landscape metrics were used to investigate the joint evolution of urban form and land-use functions over time. The empirical results of the MFA delineated the multivariate relationship between nine land-use classes (with distinctive socioeconomic functions) and seven morphological types (reflecting different landscape structures) according to four observation times (1949, 1974, 1999, 2016). Taken as an intrinsic attribute of complex landscape systems experiencing intense transformations, an estimation of the ‘rapidity-of-change’ in the form-functions relationship at a given development stage was derived from MFA outcomes separately for urbanisation, suburbanisation, and counter-urbanisation. A simplified form-functions relationship, reflecting the spatial polarisation in compact settlements and rural (low-density) landscapes, was observed with compact urbanisation. By stimulating urban sprawl into fringe farmland, suburbanisation resulted in patchy and heterogeneous rural landscapes. Counter-urbanization was associated with the fragmentation of built-up settlements leading to a chaotic mosaic of land structures that mixes urban and rural traits. Rapidity-of-change in form-function relationships was greater during suburbanisation than urbanisation and counter-urbanisation. It reflects the intrinsic pressure of economic growth in contemporary cities
Conclusion: Land degradation and complex socioecological systems
No full textEcosystems can be considered as complex systems where different elements (productive, institutional and contextual) act synergistically on environmental conditions and land degradation processes. Soil degradation, drought, poverty, cultural and technological backwardness are the main causes of degradation of both natural and social environments. Such issues usually affect marginal areas, and this happens both in economically-developed countries and in developing regions. In these areas, sustainable land management is recognized as the element on which to act to improve people's living conditions and safeguard the environment (Salvati and Zitti, 2008b; Salvati and Carlucci, 2011, 2014; Salvati et al., 2013a; Zitti et al., 2015; Biasi et al., 2017; Pili et al., 2017). Desertification is the most emblematic case of land degradation, the effects of which were first recognized at the beginning of the 20th century (Kosmas et al., 1999, 2003, 2013; Salvati et al., 2009; Kairis et al., 2013a, 2013b). In 1930, most of the Great Plains of the United States of America suffered a prolonged drought which, together with inappropriate agronomic practices, led to soil degradation, which has gone down in history with the term "dust bowls". Specifically, adverse weather and climate conditions appeared that affected the Central United States and Canada between 1931 and 1939 which, leading to soil deterioration, gave rise to sandstorms. This ecological disaster caused an exodus of more than half a million Americans who left their farms in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. Only the adoption of more appropriate cultivation methods and the sustainable management of water resources prevented catastrophic consequences in the event of similar droughts. Unfortunately, this has not remained an isolated episode because adverse climatic conditions and poor land management have led to cases of land degradation in almost all areas worldwide (Moonen et al., 2002; Montanarella, 2007; Salvati et al., 2012a; Colantoni et al., 2015a). Nowadays, global warming, together with the intensification of economic development and population growth, have led to soil degradation, that now affects nearly 40% of the Earth's surface, including some areas of southern Europe (National Committee for the Fight against Desertification, 1998). After experiencing droughts with a general increase in climatic aridity, the Mediterranean basin has in fact been considered one of the most important hotspots for the observation of soil degradation and desertification processes (Kosmas et al., 1999, 2003, 2013; Salvati and Zitti, 2005; Salvati et al., 2009, 2012b; Kairis et al., 2013a, 2013b; Karamesouti et al., 2015; Zambon et al., 2018). It has been widely demonstrated that, in this region, the increasing level of environmental vulnerability is associated with long-term ecological dynamics (e.g., climate aridity, soil deterioration, erosion, salinity and land-use changes) together with socioeconomic, cultural and institutional dynamics that contribute to anthropogenic pressure leading to major landscape transformations (Moonen et al., 2002; Montanarella, 2007; Salvati and Zitti, 2008a; Salvati et al., 2012a; Colantoni et al., 2015a; Di Feliciantonio and Salvati, 2015; Zambon et al., 2017, 2018). All these conditions can be exacerbated by unsustainable land management, especially in fragile areas (Moonen et al., 2002)
Moving toward the north: A country-level classification of land sensitivity to degradation in Czech Republic
No full textLand sensitivity to degradation is a spatially varying attribute of local systems that experience rapid changes in socio-ecological conditions. To answer the increasing demand of quantitative risk assessment of land degradation and desertification - taken as a final stage of land degradation - in non-affected countries, our study estimates land sensitivity to degradation in the Czech Republic at 1:10,000 scale using the Environmental Sensitive Area (ESA) framework. Czech land was classified into four sensitivity levels (‘insensitive’, ‘potentially sensitive’, ‘fragile’, and ‘critical’). ‘Fragile’ and ‘critical’ land concentrated in accessible lowlands with intensive agriculture. Climate and vegetation quality contributed the most to land sensitivity to degradation in the country. Low soil quality and land management quality were causes of land sensitivity in few, sparse agricultural districts. A comparison with Mediterranean and South-Eastern European countries indicates that land sensitivity to degradation in the Czech Republic is only slightly lower than in neighbouring, affected countries (sensu UNCCD, Annex IV), with the same acting drivers (agriculture intensification and urban sprawl). In light of climate change, national and regional policies are required to face with the increase of land sensitivity in ‘formally non-affected’ countries of Central-Eastern Europe, taking stock of the ‘Mediterranean’ experience in assessing and managing land sensitivity to degradation
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