Search Results (1,285)

Decommissioned airfields are increasingly recognized as strategic sites for ecological regeneration, climate adaptation, and the creation of new public spaces. However, research on their transformation has predominantly focused on the environmental performance of Nature-based Solutions (NBS), often overlooking the role of inherited spatial morphology in structuring regeneration processes and outcomes. This paper proposes an AI-assisted, morphology-based proto-ontological framework for analyzing and designing post-airfield architecture. The framework was developed through the inductive and comparative analysis of a corpus of 32 urban post-airfield regeneration projects, from which recurrent inherited morphologies, transformation actions, spatial devices, and NBS were identified and structured into a relational sequence. The framework was then applied to two contrasting case studies: Maurice Rose Airfield Park (Frankfurt) and Xuhui Runway Park (Shanghai); these were selected for their different transformation logics. The results show that similar airfield morphologies can generate markedly different climatic, ecological, social, and memory-related outcomes depending on how they are transformed and linked to NBS. The study demonstrates that inherited airfield morphologies are not passive remnants but operative spatial structures, and that NBS should be understood as spatially embedded and form-generating design components. The proposed proto-ontology offers a transferable analytical model and a basis for future computational and generative design applications. Full article

Disturbance events and subsequent management practices significantly shape the ecological legacies of affected sites. This study evaluated the impacts of a 2022 derecho and the subsequent forest management on forest structure and arthropod diversity by comparing affected forests at Fogwell Forest Nature Preserve and Fox Island County Park with control forests at Blue Cast Springs and Hammer Wald Nature Preserves. Arthropod communities were sampled using pitfall traps, while forest structure was assessed through detailed surveys of understory, midstory, and overstory vegetation. Results indicated a decrease in overall arthropod diversity across all sites since 2016, variably attributed to forest maturation, climatic variability, and the 2022 disturbance, with some taxa showing declines, such as Formicidae and Curculionidae. Fogwell exhibited a significant decline in arthropod diversity, likely linked to the derecho, while Fox Island’s diversity aligned more closely with undisturbed control sites. Notable midstory reductions were observed across sites over time, especially at Fox Island, due to harvest and storm impacts. Meanwhile, overstory diversity varied between properties. Regression modeling revealed that forest management practices at Fox Island may have mitigated the disturbance’s effects, aiding arthropod recovery. All in all, these findings highlight the importance of forest management strategies in influencing biodiversity and ecological recovery post-disturbance. Full article

Introduction: Marine recreational fishing (MRF) is a socially, economically, and ecologically important activity. However, the absence of systematic monitoring and research in Portugal has limited a comprehensive understanding of the sector and its broader implications. Addressing these gaps is essential to support evidence-based and adaptive recreational fisheries management. Objective: This work aimed to improve understanding of marine recreational fishing in Portugal by integrating social and biological perspectives across national, regional, and local scales. Methodology: A multidisciplinary approach was applied. At the national scale, online questionnaire data were combined with licencing information and regional effort estimates to quantify fishing effort, catches, release rates, catch composition, and direct trip expenditures. The same survey framework was also used to identify recreational fisher profiles based on motivations, behaviours, fishing practices, and attitudes toward management. At the local scale, shore angling surveys conducted before the implementation of the Natural Marine Park of the Algarve Reef were used to estimate fishing activity and establish a baseline for future monitoring. From a biological perspective, field-based catch-and-release experiments were conducted to assess post-release mortality and physiological disturbance, using indicators such as mortality, condition, capture and handling variables, and blood biomarkers of stress and recovery. Results: The national estimates documented substantial fishing effort, catches, and direct expenditure, confirming the relevance of MRF in Portugal at both ecological and socio-economic levels. Portuguese recreational fishers were also shown to be heterogeneous in their motivations, behaviours, and practices, reinforcing the need for management approaches that reflect this diversity. At the local scale, shore angling estimates from the Natural Marine Park of the Algarve Reef provided an important pre-protection baseline for the now established Marine Protected Area, enabling future comparisons and long-term assessment of management effects. Biological experiments showed that recreational fishing can generate measurable physiological disturbance in fish, with post-release condition influenced by capture and handling factors. Among the variables examined, hook location emerged as particularly important, with deep-hooked fish showing greater impairment and higher mortality risk. Conclusions: Together, these findings show that improving recreational fisheries management in Portugal requires integrating social patterns, fishery magnitude, and biological responses to capture and release. Long-term monitoring programmes, combined with management approaches adapted to different fisher profiles and fishing contexts, are essential to support more effective and sustainable recreational fisheries governance. Full article

Currently, in Catalonia, Spanish toothcarp (Apricaphanius iberus) has a discontinuous distribution, with its main populations located in the Ebro Delta and the Empordà wetlands. Along the Catalan coast, there are some small, isolated populations, most of which have been recently introduced. In the Empordà area, this species still maintains three isolated populations within two natural parks, where it currently occupies the northernmost site of its global distribution. Between 2017 and 2025, several fish sampling campaigns were carried out in the Empordà wetlands (Northeast Catalonia), gradually covering the entire area of potential distribution of this species in the area. In total, 228 points have been sampled, at least in one occasion, in all types of water bodies (rivers, canals, lagoons, marshes). In 106 points, more than two sampling events have been performed. Furthermore, in 2025, a specific diagnosis was carried out to better understand the current situation of the species in these protected spaces after a prolonged and severe drought. Sampling was carried out everywhere with fykenets, adding the use of nets and electrofishing in some stations located in large bodies of water. The known historical evolution of Spanish toothcarp distribution in the Empordà has been presented since the first data was made available at the beginning of the 1980s of the 20th century until now. Today, this fish only occupies approximately 10% of its potential distribution in the area. Over the last five decades, its distribution has expanded and contracted several times, but in 2025, it was once again in the worst possible situation of the analysis period. Therefore, the implementation of protected areas, or the execution of several large ecological restoration projects, have only succeeded in maintaining existing populations, but not in the expansion of its potential distribution to unoccupied areas. The main factors that explain this general situation are mainly (1) the proliferation of exotic species, (2) the loss of ecological status, and (3) hydrological alterations and increasingly severe droughts. Thus, the recovery and long-term conservation of Spanish toothcarp in the Empordà area inevitably requires the implementation of more extensive and decisive measures to reverse the incidence of these factors. Full article

Understanding the impact of neighborhood-level factors on stroke prevalence is crucial for addressing existing disparities. However, there is a distinct lack of ecological studies at the census tract level that investigate the social determinants of health (SDOH) influencing stroke prevalence within the U.S. Health and Human Services Region 3 (HHS Region 3: Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia). This study adopted a multivariate modeling approach to investigate the association between the 13 indicators of the Health Opportunity Index (HOI) and stroke prevalence at the census tract level in HHS Region 3 using four HOI indicator profiles and to highlight the specific SDOHs that are most associated with stroke prevalence. The four HOI indicator profiles include: (a) neighborhood and built environment profile, (b) social and community context profile, (c) resource profile, and (d) economic profile. The methodological approach was quantitative, using secondary data. The sample size was 8021 census tracts. The HOI was estimated for each census tract in the study area. Ordinary least squares regression (OLS) analysis and spatial lag model (SLM) were run to examine whether the 13 indicators of the HOI (categorized into four profiles) reliably predict stroke prevalence and to determine the most appropriate model that best identifies the strongest predictors of stroke prevalence. The results show that affordability, education, spatial segregation, and income inequality indicators were the strongest predictors of stroke prevalence in HHS Region 3. This granular research identifies the neighborhood-level SDOH most strongly linked to stroke prevalence, which can be leveraged to guide the development of targeted public health programs, quality improvement initiatives, resource allocation, and policy creation to combat stroke-related morbidity and mortality across census tracts in HHS Region 3. For example, the built environment, encompassing factors like employment access, affordable housing, and walkability, profoundly influences stroke prevalence and provides urban planners with practical insights for developing healthier, more equitable communities, such as creating neighborhood parks to encourage physical activity, a key factor in stroke prevention. This study also provides neighborhood organizations with the evidence needed to pursue grant funding and raise awareness about the socio-structural influences on stroke outcomes in their respective neighborhoods. Lastly, the insights generated from our study can facilitate collaborative decision-making processes with communities in HHS Region 3 regarding the prioritization of neighborhood-level SDOH for targeted public health interventions. This prioritization should focus on addressing predictors of stroke prevalence that are congruent with the community’s established priorities, thereby maximizing cost savings. Full article

Rapid urbanization, climate change, and biodiversity loss are intensifying environmental pressures on arid coastal cities through extreme heat, water scarcity, salinity intrusion, and increasing flood risks. Despite substantial investment in urban green spaces across the Gulf region, many public parks provide limited ecological functionality and climate adaptation benefits. This study evaluated the ecological performance of three coastal parks in Muscat, Oman Sarooj Beach Park (23,080 m²), Ghubrah Beach Park (34,818 m²), and Al Athaiba Beach Park (17,370 m²), to identify opportunities for more resilient landscape design. The assessment revealed that although green space occupied 76.8–82% of park areas, tree canopy cover remained low (8–12%), limiting thermal comfort, habitat provision, and ecological performance. Based on these findings, a Functional and Climate-Responsive Planting Strategy (FCRPS) was developed by integrating the 10–20–30 biodiversity guideline with performance-based planting criteria tailored to arid and saline environments. The framework was applied to the proposed Majis Beach Ecological Park in Sohar, Oman, to demonstrate the implementation of ecological urbanism and nature-based solutions in a hyper-arid coastal environment. The resulting design incorporates biodiversity-enhancing planting, blue–green infrastructure, wetland restoration, and climate-responsive spatial planning. The study demonstrates how multifunctional landscapes can enhance biodiversity, improve thermal comfort, strengthen stormwater management, and support community well-being while providing a transferable framework for resilient public park design in arid coastal cities. Full article

This study evaluates the multi-year taxonomic diversity and functional structure of beetle assemblages (Coleoptera) within Sub Arini Park, a historic urban green space in Sibiu, Romania. Following a preliminary baseline and methodological calibration phase in 2023, systematic monitoring was conducted during the 2024 and 2025 seasonal cycles utilizing standardized pitfall trapping across diverse park zones. We explicitly tested two hypotheses: (H1) that long-standing historic park management preserves a resilient and functional insect community structure, and (H2) that local spatial heterogeneity and microhabitat variations significantly drive species distribution. A total of 14,843 individuals belonging to 39 species were analyzed. While total abundance exhibited a slight decrease from 2024 (N = 7112) to 2025 (N = 6551), true diversity metrics (Hill numbers) revealed a significant increase in raw species richness (q = 0) from 30 to 39 species, alongside an enhanced equity of frequent species (Shannon diversity, q = 1, increased from 4.26 to 5.12). Functional guild analysis and multivariate PCA demonstrated a highly structured biocenotic distribution; specialist and hygrophilous species (e.g., Carabus variolosus Fabricius, 1787) were strictly constrained to high-humidity riparian corridors, whereas thermophilous generalists dominated open lawns under high anthropogenic stress. Our spatial analysis identified critical degradation within these heavily managed zones, specifically driven by intensive mowing, soil compaction, and organic debris removal. These findings confirm both hypotheses, revealing that the park operates as a heterogeneous mosaic of ecological refugia rather than a uniform habitat block. Crucially, this study provides a concrete, quantitative basis—derived from empirical thresholds of species richness, abundance shifts, and mapped microhabitat preferences—for implementing nature-based management strategies (such as establishing buffer zones with reduced mowing frequencies, limiting trampling, and retaining coarse woody debris) aimed at mitigating urban biodiversity loss and maintaining vital biological pest control services in Central–Eastern Europe. Full article

Urban Park vegetation plays a crucial role in mitigating air pollution by serving as a natural sink for gaseous and particulate pollutants, thereby enhancing the ecological sustainability of cities. Identifying tree species with high tolerance to air pollution is therefore essential for effective urban park planning and management in highly polluted urban environments. This study evaluated the air pollution tolerance of selected tree species commonly found in urban parks of Kandy City, Sri Lanka, using the Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI). Five tree species—Terminalia catappa (Indian almond), Cassia fistula (golden shower tree), Pongamia pinnata (Indian beech), Madhuca longifolia (butter tree), and Tabebuia rosea (pink poui)—were assessed at two urban park locations representing contrasting pollution levels, identified based on ambient SO₂, NO₂, and PM_2.5 concentrations. APTI was calculated using four leaf biochemical parameters: pH, ascorbic acid content, relative water content, and total chlorophyll content. Leaf samples were collected from ten replicates of each species at both sites. Madhuca longifolia exhibited the highest APTI values (17.06 at the HP site and 25.17 at the LP site), followed by Cassia fistula, Terminalia catappa, Tabebuia rosea, and Pongamia pinnata. These findings suggest that the identified species, particularly Madhuca longifolia and Cassia fistula, are well-suited for urban greening and can contribute to mitigating air pollution impacts. However, these findings are constrained by a single cross-sectional sampling term, limited species screening, sequential data collection variances, and fixed mathematical equations. Consequently, future research should implement continuous multi-station monitoring arrays, expand species diversity, establish localized biochemical weightings, and initiate long-term multi-seasonal tracking to resolve temporal dynamics in tropical urban ecosystems. Full article

Urban canopy height is an essential indicator for characterizing vegetation structure and carbon sequestration, yet satellite LiDAR often lacks sufficient spatial resolution, airborne LiDAR is costly, and SAR has limited sensitivity to vegetation structure. This study proposes a canopy height inversion framework using high-resolution stereo pairs from the Gaofen-7 (GF-7) satellite. A 0.65 m Digital Surface Model (DSM) was generated from GF-7 data, and a relative surface height was derived by differencing the GF-7 DSM from a coarse 30 m DSM reference. Key features were selected via Boruta and Random Forest Recursive Feature Elimination (RF-RFE), and six models—linear, polynomial, support vector machine, backpropagation neural network, XGBoost, and RF—were compared. The results showed that the Boruta feature set improved average R² by 8.2%. Among all models, RF performed best (test set R² = 0.71, RMSE = 1.70 m) and exhibited the strongest resistance to overfitting. Canopy heights within Beijing’s Fifth Ring Road showed an “outer-high, inner-low” pattern: large parks exceeded 30 m, while the Central Business District remained below 3 m. GF-7 stereo pairs enable efficient and cost-effective retrieval of canopy height in fragmented urban green spaces, supporting ecological parameter quantification and urban green-space management. Full article

In the context of intensifying global climate change, high-altitude mountain ecosystems play a critical role in climate regulation, biodiversity conservation, and the advancement of sustainable human development. Plateau regions, such as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, are particularly sensitive and responsive to global climatic fluctuations and function as essential ecological barriers supporting development across Asia. These areas occupy a strategic position within Asia’s ecological security framework and the broader international community, influencing not only regional ecological stability and social cohesion but also sustainable development pathways. However, owing to their fragile ecosystem structures, limited regenerative capacity, and the ongoing expansion of urbanisation and human activities, these regions frequently suffer from habitat fragmentation and degradation of ecological functions. This issue is especially acute in natural protected areas adjacent to plateau cities. Consequently, there is an urgent need for quantitative assessments of ecological restoration effectiveness within natural protected areas, alongside investigations into development approaches that underpin long-term regional stability and sustainability. Focusing on Chokpori Mountain—the “urban green heart” of Lhasa, a principal city on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau—this study develops a three-dimensional assessment framework encompassing ecological, economic, and social dimensions. By integrating the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model, remote sensing inversion techniques, field monitoring, and questionnaire surveys, the research systematically evaluates the effectiveness of ecological restoration and proposes insights for sustainable governance. The findings indicate that ecological restoration elicited positive ecological responses, evidenced by a 69.2% increase in soil retention post-renovation, an increase in vegetation coverage, and modeled total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) export loads demonstrating enhanced nutrient retention potential and improved water purification potential; (2) economic stimulation was evident, as demonstrated by an increase in average weekend daily visitor numbers from 876 to 1567 and a 24.2% rise in average monthly revenue of shops within a 1 km radius; and (3) social well-being improved, with ecological satisfaction reaching 89.2% and recognition of cultural communication attaining 67.3%. An integrated analysis indicates a synergistic enhancement of ecological environmental quality, regional vitality, and public perception. Accordingly, the outcomes of this study provide both theoretical insights and practical guidance for the ecological restoration and sustainable management of urban protected areas in high-altitude plateau regions worldwide. Full article

Tropical rainforests are characterized by high species diversity and complex canopy structure, making accurate forest stand classification important for ecosystem assessment, biodiversity monitoring, and forest carbon estimation. However, single-source remote sensing data lacks sufficient discrimination ability to address the issue of spectral similarity among classes, and conventional convolutional neural networks often struggle to extract discriminative features and integrate heterogeneous data in highly complex forests. To address these challenges, this study developed a dual-branch deep learning framework that integrates DenseNet and ConvNeXt for classification in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park. The framework combines sub-meter Google Earth imagery to capture spatial–textural detail with multi-temporal Sentinel-2 imagery to represent phenological variation. The results showed that multi-temporal Sentinel-2 data outperformed single-date imagery by capturing phenological patterns, and that the fusion of high-resolution spatial information and multi-temporal spectral information yielded higher accuracy than either data source alone. The dual-branch model achieved an overall accuracy of 94.47% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.94, outperforming all benchmark models. These findings indicate that branch-specific feature extraction and adaptive fusion can improve fine-scale classification in complex tropical rainforest environments. The proposed framework provides a practical approach for fine-scale forest stand mapping and may support biodiversity monitoring, ecological assessment, and sustainable forest management. Full article

Bioprospecting for extremozymes from unique ecological niches is crucial for developing robust biocatalysts for green chemistry. Here, we report the de novo hybrid genome assembly of Penicillium crustosum CTM10622, isolated from the humid montane forest of El Feïdja National Park, Tunisia. Using Illumina NextSeq™ 500 and Nanopore PromethION 2 Solo, a highly contiguous 31.38 Mb assembly (N50 = 1.94 Mb; 98.3% BUSCOs) was achieved. This robust genomic foundation enabled the identification of an extensive hydrolase repertoire, leading to the discovery of a novel alkaline serine lipase, PCLIP, subsequently heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris. Recombinant rPCLIP exhibited a high specific activity (15,000 U/mg at pH 10, 65 °C) and exceptional thermostability, with half-lives of 14 and 8 h at 80 and 90 °C, respectively. The enzyme’s identity as a serine lipase was confirmed by its complete inhibition by Orlistat or tetrahydrolipstatin (THL) (51 µM), PMSF (5 mM), and diisopropylfluorophosphate (DIFP) (2 mM). To determine its substrate specificity, advanced computational approaches, including convolutional neural network-based docking and explicitly solvated molecular dynamics, were employed to compare rPCLIP with its homologue PCrL, a recombinant serine alkaline lipase from Penicillium crustosum Thom P22. While rPCLIP showed optimal experimental activity toward short-chain glyceryl tributyrate, simulations revealed that long-chain trioctanoin acts as a ‘thermodynamic trap’ due to over-stabilization. Conversely, the rigid rPCrL favors tricaprylin, driven by a ‘hydrophobic engine’ effect where the solvated environment forces chain burial with minimal entropic penalty. The findings demonstrate that rPCLIP specificity is driven by a delicate interplay of geometric complementarity, Van der Waals enthalpy, and conformational entropy. Full article

This study investigated the influence of the National Marine Park of Zakynthos (NMP) on overall tourist satisfaction, with a particular focus on the conservation of the endangered loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). Using a quantitative methodology on a hybrid sample of 1216 respondents, the research framework was validated via exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The measurement model analyzed visitor attitudes across two primary dimensions: ecological destination factors and institutional management factors. The multiple linear regression analysis indicated that both groups of latent factors contributed significantly to tourist satisfaction (R² = 0.359, p < 0.001). The study revealed high environmental awareness among visitors, who supported spatial–behavioural restrictions and expressed a strong willingness to contribute to protection programs through monetary donations. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that strict biodiversity conservation is not a barrier but rather a critical asset that enhances the destination’s sustainable tourism value. Full article

Umbrella species can facilitate efficient biodiversity conservation, as their targeted protection effectively safeguards co-occurring species and entire ecosystems in conservation management. To verify Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) as an umbrella species for sympatric endangered species, this study evaluated the conservation efficacy of the Hainan four-eyed turtle (Sacalia insulensis) through multidimensional spatiotemporal analysis. By comparing the population data collected using cage-trapping methods from 2005 to 2025, the S. insulensis population in the Bawangling region of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park has exhibited obvious recovery, from no initial records to 25 individuals (mean relative population density: 0.0404 individuals/cage-day). Its growth trajectory is closely linked to the continuous enhancement of conservation efforts for Hainan gibbons, confirming umbrella effects stemming from poaching suppression and habitat restoration. However, when compared with recent surveys in other park regions, significant spatial limitations were revealed that the mean relative population densities at Yinggeling (0.01 individuals/cage-day) and Diaoluoshan (0.0064 individuals/cage-day) were only 25.74% and 15.84%, respectively. Additionally, juveniles constituted only 12% of Bawangling’s population, indicating that while the umbrella strategy delivers meaningful conservation outcomes, supplementary targeted initiatives are still needed to improve efficiency in resolving the species reproductive bottlenecks (e.g., nesting habitat quality). Those findings demonstrate that umbrella species conservation can establish an ecological conservation force field; however, its effectiveness is constrained by unequal resource allocation and species niche differences. Future efforts should overcome the spatial and ecological limitations of single-species umbrella effects by using smart patrol networks, secondary umbrella species mechanisms, and dedicated management plans. Full article

This study integrates spatial justice theory with the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to construct a new analytical model: “Institutional Rules–Spatial Justice Issues–Spatial Injustice Perception–Institutional Feedback.” Using Shangri-La Potatso National Park as a case study, our deductive–inductive approach reveals the practical dilemmas and institutional challenges in the development of China’s national park system. The findings indicate that (1) national park reforms have not restructured entrenched power relations, leading to ineffective governance and deficiencies across multiple institutional rules; (2) these rule deficiencies shape an action arena where multiple actors interact within nested power networks, generating four interrelated spatial justice issues—power deviance, resource deprivation, cultural erosion, and conflict reproduction; (3) actors’ perceptions of spatial injustice, assessed through procedural, distributive, recognitional, and restorative justice lenses, produce institutional feedback that often perpetuates rather than resolves systemic inequities. Theoretically, this study reveals that while spatial justice issues manifest differently in ecological conservation versus urban development contexts, both are driven by institutional exclusion constructed through a “capital–power–technology” alliance. In practical terms, an inclusive governance system centered on collaborative decision-making, equitable resource allocation, cultural recognition, and integrated conflict resolution is proposed to advance spatial justice. Full article