1,720,973 research outputs found
An integrated approach to support a river ecological network: A case study from the Mediterranean
Full text linkRiverine ecosystems are among the most impacted ecosystems worldwide since they are exposed to multiple stressors. Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) changes is the main human imprint on those ecosystems whose spatiotemporal habitat destructions pose a threat to biodiversity, ecosystem integrity and ecological processes. The most important statutory instruments for riverine ecosystem protection, conservation and restoration in the European Union are the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Habitats and Birds Directive (HBDs). In this study, we develop a methodological framework to spatially link the ecological integrity of river sub-basins with the protected areas therein, taking into account the influence of land use as expressed in the WFD. We combined a multi-criteria evaluation approach using six of the most frequently applied criteria for conservation evaluation to assess river basin integrity (RBI) index at the sub-basin level, and used as a proxy for functional connectivity categories. In addition, we used the distance of every sub-basin from the surrounding Natura 2000 sites as a measure of structural connectivity. Using ecological network design principles (i.e. Core areas; Corridors; Stepping Stones; Buffer areas; and Restoration areas), we incorporated the two aspects of connectivity into a framework, which links river management at the basin level with the site level assessment as dictated by the HBDs. We implemented this framework in a Mediterranean river basin located in Southern Tuscany, which is part of the Natura 2000 network. Six of the sub-basins (20%) have high functional connectivity, 14 sub-basins (47%) medium and 10 sub-basins (33%) low functional connectivity. Structural connectivity of the study area followed the same tendency as that of functional connectivity, with the majority of the sub-basins having medium connectivity (57%; 17 sub-basins), and 23% (7 sub-basins) and 20% (6 sub-basins) high and low structural connectivity respectively. As a result, six of the sub-basins were characterised as corridor areas while the majority of the sub-basins were identified as buffer areas (57%). Two sub-basins were characterised restoration areas and one as stepping stone (SS). Our approach is one of many plausible ecological networks, which although analytically simple, can be enriched with data on species and stakeholders' involvement
An integrated ecological and cultural framework for landscape sensitivity assessment in Cyprus
No full textThe aim of the paper is to describe the development and implementation of an integrated framework for landscape sensitivity assessment in Cyprus, a biodiversity hotspot with high landscape diversity. Akamas peninsula, the western tip of the island covering an area of 230 km2, is under great pressure for development, notwithstanding it hosts 21 terrestrial habitats, four of which are priority at European level, in addition to 48 endangered plant species.
Following previous coarse scale landscape mapping on the island, a more detailed landscape map at 1:10,000 scale (Level III) was produced, appropriate for local planning purposes. Overall landscape sensitivity was evaluated as a function of ecological, cultural and visual sensitivity of the study area. 66 Land Description Units (LDUs) were mapped and 38 Landscape Types (LCTs) were identified for the Akamas peninsula. Ecological sensitivity assessment for Akamas determined that 85 % of the LDUs have high to very high sensitivity with those within Natura 2000 sites having the highest. Out of 66 LDUs, 35 % were of high or moderate cultural sensitivity and there were 32 LDUs with high overall landscape sensitivity i.e. when visual sensitivity was also considered. Based on the various degrees of sensitivity identified in this study, the task of policy makers is to establish a policy response for each landscape type based on the principles and practice of sustainability. In the Mediterranean, the development of an integrated assessment for landscape sensitivity is critically important at a time of rapid chang
A rapid qualitative methodology for ecological integrity assessment across a Mediterranean island's landscapes
No full textRapid qualitative field methods can be used to evaluate ecological integrity (EI) at a landscape level. This study
evaluates the EI of 63 landscape types (LCTs) in Cyprus derived from Landscape Character Mapping. Following a
stratified sampling, LCTs were evaluated using 209 Land Description Units (LDUs) i.e., homogeneous map en-
tities, sharing a similar pattern of natural and cultural elements. In every LDU, six ecological integrity (EI) in-
dicators were visually assessed consistently namely naturalness, habitat continuity, number of habitats,
dominant habitat type, management intensity and scale. TwoStep Cluster Analysis was employed to identify EI
categories, and Categorical Principal Components Analysis (CATPCA) to associate the individual indicators with
overall EI in the LDUs. Linear regressions were used to predict EI based on the most important indicators.
Forested and shrubland landscapes have consistently good EI with low variation, while urbanized and agricul-
tural landscapes have lower EI. There is great variation in the number of agricultural landscape types and their
EI. There are significant linear relationships between EI and naturalness, habitat continuity and intensity. The
novelty of this work lies with the fact that it provides the first island-wide study in the Mediterranean assessing EI
spatially through a small number of indicators. Results indicate that LCA can be an appropriate consistent and
inexpensive spatial framework for assessing EI, which can be directly associated with management intervention
to maintain or improve E
Can distribution modeling inform rare and endangered species monitoring in Mediterranean islands?
No full textPhlomis cypria ssp. occidentalis is one of the Red Data Book species of the island of Cyprus with restricted distribution, whose conservation status must be periodically assessed under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive. We used the known species occurrence records (120 geo-referenced points) and six environmental variables (bioclimatic and biophysical) within the maximum entropy distribution modeling, to predict the potential suitable habitat for the species. We constructed three models, one using three biophysical variables, the second using three bioclimatic variables and a third model where we pulled all six variables together. We also calculated the species extent of occurrence (EOO) using a Minimum Convex Polygon and its area of occupancy (AOO) using Range Tool. We compared the results between the three Species distribution models (SDMs) with those obtained from EOO and AOO mapping. Out of the three SDMs the smallest predicted area was by Model III (all variables) while the largest by Model II (bioclimatic variables only) which also predicts the largest area of actual AOO (66%). Although Model III predicts only 28% compared to the actual AOO area, 84% of its prediction is spatially located within the AOO. The methods employed herein, when used in combination, have a twofold importance for Mediterranean islands which have a high percentage of rare and endemics species since a) they may significantly improve our knowledge on distributional patterns and b) they can guide future monitoring activities. In addition, and since they require moderate computer literacy, they can be readily employed by conservation agencies
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
- …
