1,721,079 research outputs found
A Network Approach to Green Infrastructure: How to Enhance Ecosystem Services Provision?
Full text linkLandscape fragmentation is increasingly undermining the capacity of ecosystems to provide services and benefits to humans. The development of a green infrastructure network can enhance the provision of ecosystem services connecting ecosystem features. We review and explore the concepts, methodologies, and applications that allow to analyse connectivity of green infrastructure networks and the role of spatial connectivity for supporting and maintaining ecosystem services. Together with connectivity, the quality, quantity, diversity, redundancy, and distances of ecosystem elements result to be important characteristics to support the provision of services. We report how spatial and connectivity-based methodologies (for example, network indices and spatial pattern analysis) can support characterisation and prioritization of green infrastructure networks for crucial interventions, both for preserving and restoring connection elements
Participatory modelling and decision support for natural resources management in climate change research
No full textDroughts in Northern Italy: Taken by Surprise, Again.
No full textThis article analyses origins and impacts of unexpected vulnerabilities revealed by a long-lasting period of drought events across the Po river basin district, in Northern Italy, from 2003 to 2012. The study reveals that climate change effects advance at the same pace of land and water over-exploitation, to the detriment of environmental quality and human well-being. Even if the district is water-rich under normal climate conditions, recurrent droughts continue to highlight the same vulnerabilities. Little improvements have been achieved. Four policy options are identified to turn these threats into adaptation opportunities
Competence analysis for promoting energy efficiency projects in developing countries: The case of OPEC
No full textEnhancing energy efficiency is an important goal of climate change mitigation policies. Promoting energy efficiency projects in developing countries has faced several barriers, preventing optimal investments. One of the main barriers has been the lack of internationally recognized indices to compare projects across countries. In this era of global political turbulence and a looming trade-war that will likely lead to unjustified tariffs, it is critical to provide publicly available robust indices for investors. We construct the Energy Efficiency Country Attractiveness Index to evaluate countries' competitiveness in terms of energy efficiency potentials and related investment risks to aid investment decision-making in the oil and gas sector. Our index includes 30 indicators congregated in four pillars covering political, economic, social and technological factors, combined by means of Fuzzy measures and Choquet integral according to the preferences of a panel of experts. Although experts consider the economic and technological factors as the most important elements affecting investment in the energy related projects and they are moderately tolerant following disjunctive behaviour in dealing with the political, economic, social, and technological criteria, squared correlation analysis shows that, at least for OPEC countries, the political pillar is the crucial one in shaping the composite index
Natural water retention ponds for water management in agriculture: A potential scenario in Northern Italy
No full textlimate change is affecting water quantity and quality, with severe impacts on agricultural production. The use of nature-based solutions to address these challenges is increasing. Natural water retention ponds have been identified as viable solutions for water management in agriculture. This paper aims to characterize water retention ponds, and to quantify their effectiveness, direct and indirect benefits, and costs. The paper analyses the case of the Lamone river catchment in Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy), characterized by large seasonal variability of water flow and availability. This is an important agricultural area that relies heavily on irrigation. Here water retention ponds are systematically applied to store water in winter, for use during the dry season. They can play a strategic role in ensuring irrigation water availability, while preserving minimum environmental flow. The paper analyses both the benefits of ponds for the water balance at sub-catchment scale, and the environmental effects produced by ponds having an ecological functionality. We develop an implementation scenario for new ponds, and we appraise the contribution of new ponds whose siting is chosen in order to maximize landscape connectivity. Their hydrological effects are evaluated under present and future climate change scenarios, showing how they may increase water availability for irrigation, while improving the river flow regime. More water for irrigation can favour additional agricultural production, while a more ecologically oriented design of ponds can favour to landscape ecological improvements. The investment costs of ponds are justified in economic terms, and the additional costs of improved design are expected to be balanced by the ecosystem services obtained. The business model required to operate this type of intervention is discussed, together with potential funding channels. We discuss two innovative incentive models based on compensation of land and production lost, and on tradable development rights that can be applied to widely support NBS implementation
Comparing adaptive capacity index across scales: The case of Italy
Full text linkMeasuring adaptive capacity as a key component of vulnerability assessments has become one of the most challenging topics in the climate change adaptation context. Numerous approaches, methodologies and conceptualizations have been proposed for analyzing adaptive capacity at different scales. Indicator-based assessments are usually applied to assess and quantify the adaptive capacity for the use of policy makers. Nevertheless, they encompass various implications regarding scale specificity and the robustness issues embedded in the choice of indicators selection, normalization and aggregation methods. We describe an adaptive capacity index developed for Italy’s regional and sub-regional administrative levels, as a part of the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan, and that is further elaborated in this article. The index is built around four dimensions and ten indicators, analysed and processed by means of a principal component analysis and fuzzy logic techniques. As an innovative feature of our analysis, the sub-regional variability of the index feeds back into the regional level assessment. The results show that composite indices estimated at higher administrative or statistical levels neglect the inherent variability of performance at lower levels which may lead to suboptimal adaptation policies. By considering the intra-regional variability, different patterns of AC can be observed at regional level as a result of the aggregation choices. Trade-offs should be made explicit for choosing aggregators that reflects the intended degree of compensation. Multiple scale assessments using a range of aggregators with different compensability are preferable. Our results show that within-region variability can be better demonstrated by bottom-up aggregation methods
Application of the NetSyMoD approach in the ISIIMM Project for supporting decisions about irrigation management
No full textDecision Support Systems for water resources management: current state and guidelines for tool development
No full textCultural heritage and disasters risk: A machine-human coupled analysis
No full textNatural hazards represent a major threat to cultural heritage. Literature has analyzed this nexus using different approaches depending on their focus. To provide a comprehensive understanding of the core pillars structuring the field, we use a machine-human methodology that combines bibliometric and machine-learning text analysis. We focus on a sample of 565 peer-reviewed documents published between 1988 and 2020. Results prove there is increasing interest in the topic, covering different types of hazards depending on the area of interest and its most frequently associated risks. To enhance the granularity of the analysis we apply machine learning to the pub- lications abstracts and we classify documents based on their core topics. We find that the field is highly diverse and includes conservation, restoration and management of historical sites and cultural heritage. Scholars use sophisticated tools and innovative methodologies to account for this heterogeneity. We highlight the need for stronger interdisciplinarity in the field and we call for further progresses in spatial-explicit analysis. Finally, we point towards more inclusion of humanities in the area to account for the cultural aspects of heritage protection
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