521 research outputs found
Observations on different post-fire bio-engineering interventions and vegetation response in a Pinus canariensis C. Sm. forest
No full textFire may undoubtedly be considered as the principal long-term perturbation influencing the distribution of the
Canary pine (Pinus canariensis C. Sm.). Even though the ecological adaptation to fire allows for a relatively rapid
regeneration, wildfire may induce abrupt ecological changes and soil loss. On the Canary Islands, during the 2007
(30 July - 2 August) wildfire, about 18.000 hectares of forest were destroyed. After the event, in order to avoid
erosion, a series of mixed check dams (wooden elements and stones with a core filled with forest residues) were
built in the gullies created by the surface runoff. This work aims to characterize the different responses of vegetation
and its recovery after fire for three different types of structures. We analyzed the performance and evolution of the
mixed check dams nine years after their construction and the post-fire response of vegetation in the different types
of bioengineering techniques applied. The effects of the mixed check dams are expressed in terms of plant density,
frequency, and cover both in absolute and in relative terms, comparing mixed check dams with three others (rocks
check dams, wattle fences, and control) in surrounding areas. Our results show that fire adaptation in the Canary
Islands vegetation (pyrophyte plants), coupled with selected bioengineering techniques, facilitated the seedling
germination and a quick restoration of the forest ecosystem
Slobodan Mandić
No full textSlobodan Mandić © Srđan Veljović Slobodan Mandić was born on November 23, 1977. He graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade (History Department) in 2005. He is currently working at the Historical Archives of Belgrade (Assistant Director for Archival Arrangement and Use Department). Slobodan is the author of the book "Computerization and Historiography 1995–2005" published by the Historical Archives of Belgrade in 2008 and another publication about influences and aspects of impleme..
Steps towards digital-based environmental civil engineering in developing countries
Full text linkDigital skills are becoming increasingly important within civil engineering, along with a growing need for other soft skills applicable in training, research, and practice which should reflect the diversity of modern civil engineering. Civil engineers need to embrace digital technology and develop skills necessary to exploit its benefits. A culture of continuous learning needs to be embedded more deeply in the profession to ensure that individuals can meet skills requirements throughout their careers and, for this, a more flexible approach which will include both academia and industry is needed. In order to achieve it, a project has been realized by Glasgow Caledonian University, which was conducted by Macedonian Association for Geotechnics. The applied methodology and findings are explained below
A Novel Integrated Design Methodology for Nature-Based Solutions and Soil and Water Bioengineering Interventions: The Tardio&Mickovski Methodology
Full text linkA methodology for designing nature-based solutions (NBS) and soil and water bioengineering (SWB) works is proposed which includes the main particularities of this type of intervention. The dynamic nature of NBS/SWB works, their most important changes and possible critical scenarios are reflected in the proposed methodology. A clear and practical time framework for design checks is also defined. Existing structural design routines and plant root reinforcement models are integrated into the proposed time staged scheme. Likewise, the connections with the monitoring stage and the possibilities of continuous improvement are incorporated as an essential characteristic of the approach of this type of intervention. The proposed methodology is validated by means of a practical case study example embracing the whole service life of an SWB/NBS intervention. The obtained results are in good agreement with both the accumulated experience within the European SWB sector and the existing data collected in SWB monitoring works. The proposed methodology can be readily implemented in a wide range of nature restoration projects and works
Hillslope processes: mass wasting, slope stability and erosion
No full textBook abstract: This book is designed to assist the civil and geotechnical engineer, geomorphologist, forester, landscape architect or ecologist in choosing ecotechnological solutions for slopes that are prone to a variety of mass movements e.g. shallow failure or erosion. Within this book, the ‘engineer’ is used in the global sense to encompass all planners, designers, etc who are involved in the stabilisation of slopes. We review the types of problematic slopes that may occur and describe briefly the nature of mass movements and the causes of these movements
The State Of The Environment In Macedonia With HIighlights On The Solid Waste Management
Full text linkThis thesis reports on the slate of the environment(SoE) in Macedonia. Using available data from the specialiied institutions and environmental experts, it shows an accurate picture of the situation with environmental protection in the country. The media addressed include air, water, soil and forests. Also, the social sphere of the environmental Protection is discussed through the review of the natural protection, public participation and the media. The focus of the thesis is on solid waste management. An assessment of the current situation in solid waste management in Macedonia is pesented together with its major components: waste stream composition, collection, transportation, recyclingj, reusing and disposal.Identifying landlilling as the most feasible waste dispoI option, an attempt is made to improve the current solid waste management policy. Supranational policy initiatives as at the EU level contribute to a gradual shift from smaller, uncontrolled landfills, with larger unmonitored environmental and larger quality effects and costs, to larger, generally regional systems with pollution control features, These “modern” landfills are carefully sited, and access and dumping are controlled and monitored. In the light of this, several suggestions are made for improvement of the solid waste management, and for gradual shifting towards integrated solid waste management
Sustainable Geotechnics—Theory, Practice, and Applications
Full text linkToday, modern Geotechnical Engineers, who in the past would have considered the phenomena occurring in the (primarily soil) environment, are faced with developments in environmental sciences that are becoming increasingly more detailed and sophisticated, with the natural phenomena and processes surrounding the civil engineering infrastructure being modeled, designed, monitored, and assessed in a more holistic way. This book brings together the state of the art in geotechnics with a focus on sustainable design, resilience, construction, and monitoring of the performance of geotechnical assets from ground investigations, through foundation and drainage design to soil stabilization and reinforcement. Engineers and scientists working in the fields of green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, sustainable drainage, eco-engineering, hydro-geology, landscape planning, plant science, environmental biology or bio-chemistry, earth sciences, GIS, and remote sensing are represented here by articles that show significant geotechnical components or applications. Case studies showcasing the application of the sustainable development principles (e.g., reuse, recycle, reduce; stakeholder engagement; public health; UN Global Sustainability Goals) in Geotechnics are also included in this book
Israel: the Middle East Objectives of the Regional Power After the Lebanon War (2006)
Full text linkThe study of the Middle Eastern objectives of Israel as a regional
power is divided into five chapters. The introductory chapter presents
hypotheses that Israel is a regional power and asks what its regional
objectives are. The second chapter is divided into two parts, the first of
which explains how current international relations impact theoretical
approaches and makes them the product of time, or echo of what is actually
happening. as a result, the author contends that the majority of anglo-
american theoretical production is essentially post-factum and designed to
explain only what has already occurred, rather than offering patterns that
can explain future interactions among units of the international system. The
second part of the chapter presents an overview of the literature on regional
powers and offers the minimal definition of a regional power. The third
chapter corroborates hypotheses that Israel is a regional power, while the
fourth part of the text analyses the Middle Eastern objectives of Israel’s
policies. The concluding part briefly presents the overview of the current
state of objectives that Israel has reached and how Iran remains its strongest
contestant
The effect of environmental factors on the development of pine root systems
Full text linkIt is well known that two of the principal soil physical factors that affect root growth are its mechanical strength and temperature. Soil compaction, which results in mechanical impedance that might restrict root growth, arises from mainly externally applied forces such as trampling by animals or farm and tillage equipment and even a small increase in compaction can result in large decrease in root growth and major changes in root morphology
Sustainable geotechnics - theory, practice, and applications
Full text linkToday, modern Geotechnical Engineers, who in the past would have considered the phenomena occurring in the (primarily soil) environment, are faced with developments in environmental sciences that are becoming more and more detailed and sophisticated, with the natural phenomena and processes surrounding the civil engineering infrastructure being modelled, designed, monitored, and assessed in a more holistic way [...
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