Search Results (4,281)

Fine-scale site selection of urban parks serves as a core measure to guarantee spatial equity of public service spaces for residents and advance the sustainable development of urban ecological spaces. Among relevant tasks, balancing the supply and demand of green spaces stands out as an essential foundation for maintaining long-term stability of urban human well-being and ecosystems. Green-space supply is defined as the stock of various existing urban parks within the city, while green-space demand is quantified via grids generated based on residential communities in Changsha. Existing research on urban park site selection lacks a full-process coupled framework, fails to accommodate differentiated layout demands for multi-level parks, and struggles to reconcile the sustainable operation and long-term ecological empowerment of urban green-space systems. Taking the main urban area of Changsha as the research scope, this study divides the study area into grid units to analyze the spatial differentiation of green-space accessibility and identify service blind zones. The XGBoost model is adopted to predict areas suitable for green-space construction, and the NSGA-III algorithm is applied to realize collaborative multi-objective optimization covering service efficiency, ecological benefits, and land development costs. The results reveal that the 15-min walking coverage of community parks in central Changsha only reaches 57.29%. Respectively, 34.52% and 41.04% of residential communities record accessibility levels below the municipal average of urban parks and forest parks, with prominent shortages of green-space supply in peripheral urban areas. This study optimizes and screens twenty-eight candidate sites for community parks, twelve candidate sites for urban parks, and eight candidate sites for forest parks. The proposed scheme effectively narrows the gap in green-space accessibility across the whole city and coordinates ecological conservation with land development costs. Compared with research relying on a single model or two-stage coupling frameworks, this paper constructs a systematic workflow spanning supply–demand status assessment to multi-objective layout decision-making, enabling differentiated optimized layout of multi-tiered parks. The integrated framework effectively enhances the spatial resilience and resource utilization efficiency of urban green-space systems, facilitates high-quality and sustainable upgrading of urban living environments, and provides a referable innovative approach for multi-level urban park arrangement and refined multi-objective planning. Full article

The Shendong mining area, located in the transition zone between the northern Loess Plateau and the Mu Us Sandy Land, is a representative ecologically fragile region and desert coal base in China. Using Google Earth Engine (GEE) and Landsat imagery from 1999 to 2024, this study constructed a long-term remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) dataset and integrated the Theil–Sen median slope estimator, Mann–Kendall test, and Hurst exponent to examine the spatiotemporal evolution, future trajectories, and multi-stage driving mechanisms of eco-environmental quality (EEQ) at the mining-area and individual-mine scales. At the mining-area scale, RSEI showed pronounced interannual fluctuations and a weak downward trend, characterized by a two-stage, wave-like trajectory with a narrowing amplitude. The mean RSEI and standard deviation decreased from 0.5669 and 0.0855 during 1999–2010 to 0.5182 and 0.0501 during 2011–2024. Moderate and good grades predominated, with lower EEQ in the mining core and higher EEQ in peripheral buffer zones. Across 13 representative mines, ecological quality generally remained moderate but exhibited spatial and stage-dependent heterogeneity, with Liuta Mine showing the greatest variability. Slight degradation was the dominant trend, although local recovery occurred, and Hurst analysis revealed marked spatial differences in future trajectories. RSEI variations in the Shendong mining area exhibited pronounced spatial and stage-dependent associations with high-intensity mining, climatic water–heat conditions, topographic background, and ecological governance and restoration processes. No continuous and irreversible overall decline was observed; however, without an independent non-mining control, the findings represent integrated ecological responses within the mining area rather than causal estimates of mining’s net ecological effect. Full article

The coal gangue waste dumps formed by open-pit coal mining are prone to low-temperature oxidation and heat storage, creating deep hidden high-temperature abnormal areas, continuously releasing toxic gases, and causing complex disasters such as slope instability and water and soil pollution. At present, self-ignition prevention and control technology is only applicable to the shallow treatment of small and flat gangue mountains. For large, deep, high-temperature waste dumps with significant height differences, multiple steps, and large areas, there is a lack of an integrated, complete set of technologies. The multi-field coupling mechanism of grouting fire extinguishing lacks engineering verification, and there is no quantitative evaluation system combining long and short periods. This paper takes the deep spontaneous-combustion high-temperature area of the No. 5 spoil dump of Lutian Coal Mine of Wuhai Energy as the research object. With the core goals of precisely delineating the fire zone space, revealing the multi-field coupling fire extinguishing mechanism of grouting, and establishing a long-term quantitative evaluation system, this study proposes a multi-process joint governance technology, along with a standardized hole filling and zoned differentiated grouting parameter system. The research systematically demonstrated technical feasibility through on-site drilling, large-scale grouting construction, and full-process quality control and error analysis. The results show that the 50 m interval geothermal gradient boreholes can accurately identify high-temperature distributions in the deep part of the dump from 0 to 34 m. The maximum combustion depth of the fourth-level and fifth-level platforms is 34 m and 20 m, respectively. A total of 1578 grouting boreholes have been constructed, with a total grouting volume of 139,289.3 cubic meters. After the treatment, the concentrations of toxic gases were all below the detection limits of the equipment, and the single cooling range reached 43% to 87%. This research refined relevant theories on the spontaneous combustion control of large-scale multi-step waste dumps, established standardized engineering processes, and provided theoretical and engineering references for the prevention and control of spontaneous combustion of solid waste in similar mines. It holds significant value for the ecological safety of mines and regional pollution control. Full article

Water scarcity, high non-productive soil evaporation, and poor vegetation establishment are major constraints on the sustainable ecological restoration of reconstructed open-pit mine dumps in arid and semi-arid regions. Conventional surface-applied water replenishment can result in rapid evaporative loss, thereby reducing the ecological benefits obtained from limited water resources. However, whether redistributing water into deeper reconstructed soil layers can simultaneously reduce non-productive evaporation, stabilize the root-zone hydrothermal environment, and improve vegetation growth remains insufficiently verified. In this study, a deep-profile soil water replenishment (DPSWR) device was tested in reconstructed mine-dump soil columns planted with locally adapted Stipa. Surface-applied water replenishment (CK) and DPSWR were compared using a single-run simulated rainfall comparison, soil water-retention and water-loss measurements, continuous temperature and moisture monitoring at 10 and 40 cm depths, and plant growth indicators. In the rainfall-simulation comparison, DPSWR showed lower cumulative water loss across the tested rainfall intensities and improved water-retention stability; the evaporation rate under CK was approximately 1.3 times that under DPSWR, whereas final soil water-holding capacity under DPSWR was approximately 2.4 times that under CK. Root fresh weight, plant fresh weight, and seedling number were significantly higher under DPSWR than under CK (p < 0.01), and maximum plant height and root length also increased significantly (p < 0.05). Under equal water-input conditions, DPSWR reduced non-productive water loss, prolonged soil water retention, and supported vegetation establishment. These findings suggest that DPSWR may provide a more water-efficient approach to the sustainable restoration of reconstructed mine dumps in water-limited regions. Full article

Ucides cordatus, a key species in Brazilian mangroves, supports both ecological processes and traditional extractive practices. Some mangrove areas in Northeastern Brazil are increasingly exposed to anthropogenic stressors. We evaluated the population density, size structure, extractive potential, and morphological maturity of this species in Acupe (state of Bahia), integrating environmental and human disturbance variables. Surveys conducted in 2018–2019 revealed a high proportion of undersized individuals (93.1% below the legal minimum catch size), with larger crabs concentrated in warmer months and near the estuarine fringe. Although solid waste and tree cutting were evident throughout the study area, no statistically significant association was detected with crab abundance or forest structure. Maturity estimates were a carapace width of 54.6 mm for males and 50.7 mm for females, suggesting early reproductive investment in females. Principal Component Analysis indicated that crab density and extraction potential correlated with rainfall, temperature, and vegetation structure, rather than local anthropogenic pressures. Despite moderate densities, the predominance of immature individuals and signs of overfishing highlight the need for improved management. We recommend that L. racemosa-dominated mangrove sectors, generally associated with high proportions of undersized crabs, should be considered priority areas for no-take or recovery zones. Full article

Rapid urbanization is reshaping land-use patterns and threatening regional ecological security, with different functional zones facing distinct pressures and ecological requirements. Existing studies predominantly apply conventional ecological source-corridor methods to formulate regional ecological network, overlooking the heterogeneity in ecological network and its resilience across functionally heterogeneous zones. To address this gap, we propose an ecological baseline-differentiated threshold method in Wuhan Metropolitan Area, which determines source selection criteria based on the ecological land proportion of each county group, and simulate progressive node removal under probabilistic, importance-based, and protection-priority scenarios to assess network resilience. Compared with the conventional uniform threshold approach, our method retains 23 additional ecological sources in urbanized zones and improves network connectivity from 0.43 to 0.51. The differentiated network sustains resilience above 0.4 until 91% of nodes are removed under the protection-priority scenario, whereas the uniform network collapses at a 66% removal rate under random attacks. We identify that 12.0% of nodes function as structural backbones, and their targeted removal drives resilience below 0.2 at a 12% removal rate, confirming cascading failure risks. Zone-specific strategies are formulated based on the identified vulnerability patterns. These findings demonstrate that incorporating ecological baseline heterogeneity into source selection enhances both structural organization and dynamic robustness, offering a cost-effective pathway for strengthening regional sustainability in functionally heterogeneous landscapes. Full article

Territorial ecological restoration involves a continuous chain of tasks, including degradation diagnosis, target identification, zoning-based governance, process monitoring, effectiveness assessment and adaptive management. The relevant knowledge is widely distributed across policy plans, monitoring reports, restoration cases and the academic literature, and is characterized by multi-source heterogeneity, cross-scale associations and dynamic change. Existing knowledge organization approaches mainly rely on textual synthesis, indicator systems or general-purpose knowledge graph construction tools, and therefore struggle to simultaneously handle cross-context implicit relations, domain-rule constraints, inconsistent entity expressions and evidence traceability in ecological restoration knowledge. To address these limitations, this paper proposes EcoRestore-KG, a multi-agent knowledge graph construction framework for territorial ecological restoration. The framework unifies heterogeneous inputs through controlled evidence representation and adaptive context segmentation, and organizes ontology-guided triple mining, cross-context relation inference, graph quality control, entity canonicalization, relation endpoint remapping and evidence binding into a progressive workflow for the automatic extraction, auditing and assembly of ecological restoration knowledge. Experimental results show that EcoRestore-KG outperforms general-purpose large language models and existing knowledge graph construction baselines in relation extraction, entity coverage and semantic-quality evaluation. It achieves relation precision, recall and F1 scores of 71.4% ± 0.3%, 69.5% ± 4.4% and 70.3% ± 2.3%, respectively, improving relation F1 by 9.9 percentage points over the strongest baseline. Its entity F1 reaches 79.8% ± 0.7%, and its LLM-S score reaches 8.48 ± 0.11. Single-module and combined ablation experiments further demonstrate that evidence representation, context segmentation, cross-context relation inference, relation quality auditing and entity canonicalization jointly support the performance gains of the framework. This study provides a verifiable methodological pathway for structured organization, quality auditing, evidence tracing and subsequent integration of newly available knowledge. Full article

Pines (genus Pinus) are a diverse group of conifers widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, comprising more than 110 species worldwide. In Europe, pines are a defining component of forests, occupying environments that range from dry Mediterranean lowlands to high-elevation alpine zones. They support a wide spectrum of ecosystem services, from timber and non-wood products to protection, biodiversity, and cultural values. In this review, we bring together ecological traits, silvicultural practices, and management considerations for ten European pine species. This review examines ten major European pine species, including Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), maritime pine (P. pinaster), stone pine (P. pinea), Aleppo pine (P. halepensis), black pine (P. nigra), mountain pine (P. mugo), Swiss stone pine (P. cembra), Turkish pine (P. brutia), Bosnian pine (P. heldreichii), and Macedonian pine (P. peuce). Together, these species span a wide range of European environments, with Pinus sylvestris showing the broadest distribution. Despite the extensive literature on pine species, information on their ecological, silvicultural, and management attributes remains fragmented across disciplines. To bridge this gap, this review draws on an expert-curated core of scientific and technical literature complemented by a structured literature search adapted from the PRISMA framework, compiling within a single framework their main ecological and silvicultural characteristics, altitudinal range, growth patterns, stand diversity, and management practices and the principal goods and ecosystem services they provide. The comparative analysis highlighted distinct functional groups among European pines, illustrating contrasting adaptive strategies across environmental gradients, with altitudinal distributions ranging from sea level to 2400 m. Mediterranean species, such as P. halepensis, P. pinaster, and P. brutia, generally showed higher drought and fire adaptation, whereas mountain taxa such as P. cembra, P. mugo, and P. heldreichii displayed greater cold tolerance but increased vulnerability due to restricted climatic niches and slow regeneration. Broadly distributed species, such as P. sylvestris and P. nigra, exhibited intermediate ecological strategies, with responses strongly influenced by regional climatic conditions. By integrating evidence on distribution patterns, functional traits, growth patterns, and management practices, this review provides a comparative framework to support adaptive forest management and informed species selection, helping to safeguard forest functions and their associated benefits under ongoing climate change. Full article

The construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) is guided by the core philosophy of “ecological priority and green development.” To meet the practical requirements of building a “Green and Beautiful FTP,” this study constructed a kernel Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (kNDVI) dataset using Landsat series satellite imagery. By integrating methods including the Mann–Kendall (MK) trend test, Hurst exponent, and coefficient of variation (CV), an in-depth analysis was conducted on the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and trends of growing-season vegetation in Hainan Island from 1994 to 2023. Additionally, the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model and the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) interpretation method were employed to quantitatively unravel the driving mechanisms of climatic factors and human activities on kNDVI variations. The results indicate that: (1) Over the past three decades, the overall kNDVI of Hainan Island has exhibited a significant upward trend, characterized spatially by an evolution pattern of “stable recovery in the central region and localized degradation along the coast.” (2) The vegetation evolution demonstrates strong persistence and is highly consistent with community stability. The high stability in the central mountainous areas stems from a superior natural background and strict ecological protection; the transition zone is jointly influenced by vegetation types and anthropogenic management; meanwhile the coastal areas exhibit significant degradation characteristics driven by high-intensity human disturbances. (3) The analysis of driving mechanisms reveals a complex control logic of “topographical foundation—human reshaping—extreme climate triggering.” Static topographical factors, such as elevation and slope, occupy an absolute dominant position; human activities, represented by rubber plantation expansion and urbanization, exert a bidirectional reshaping effect characterized by “inland greening and coastal suppression”; furthermore, extreme drought and high temperatures in the later stages of the study demonstrated a significant pulse-like impact, exacerbating the risks of short-term climatic stress. This study clarifies the core patterns of vegetation evolution in Hainan Island, validates the effectiveness of ecological policies, and provides a quantitative scientific basis for ecological conservation and sustainable development in tropical island regions. Full article

Synthetic musk compounds (SMCs) are emerging contaminants frequently detected in aquatic environments due to their widespread use in personal care and household products. This study investigated the occurrence, environmental drivers, and ecological risks of twelve SMCs in the Han River estuary and adjacent coastal waters, Korea, using three years of monitoring data (2020–2022). A total of 222 water samples from 13 monitoring stations were analyzed by GC–MS. 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta-(g)-2-benzopyran (HHCB) was the dominant compound, followed by musk ketone (MK). Total SMC concentrations ranged from non-detectable levels to 157.6 μg/L, with the highest concentrations consistently observed at wastewater treatment facilities. XGBoost-SHAP analysis identified total nitrogen (TN) as the most influential predictor of SMC occurrence. This association reflects the shared wastewater origin of the two rather than any causal link, so that TN serves as an indicator of wastewater influence rather than of SMC concentration itself. Ecological risks were evaluated using Monte Carlo-based probabilistic hazard quotient (HQ) analysis. HHCB and MK exhibited the highest risks, with mean HQ values exceeding 1.0 at wastewater treatment facilities, indicating potential ecological concern. In contrast, most coastal sites showed low risk levels. The observed spatial patterns identified wastewater discharge zones as major hotspots of SMC exposure and ecological risk. These findings highlight the importance of wastewater-derived SMCs as emerging contaminants in estuarine environments and demonstrate the utility of integrating long-term monitoring, explainable machine learning, and probabilistic risk assessment for ecological risk characterization. Full article

River ecosystems play a key role in both natural and urbanized environments, acting as essential links in ecological systems. However, they are increasingly exposed to the synergistic effects of anthropogenic pressure and hydrological instability. This study aims to identify and assess changes in land use and their impact on the phytosociological structure and functioning of ash-alder (Fraxino-Alnetum) patches in floodplains. Based on cartographic analyses (1941, 1961, 2025) and detailed geobotanical surveys (2024–2025) conducted at six representative sites, the spatio-temporal dynamics of land use and vegetation habitat conditions were evaluated using ecological indicator values. The results indicate a substantial landscape transformation: a transition from areas dominated by agricultural and forest ecosystems to zones heavily altered by urban expansion, transport infrastructure, and industrialization. Phytosociological analyses show that while species richness remains relatively stable, floristic composition is changing due to hornbeam succession and the emergence of mesophilous species. The presence of non-native species indicates ongoing anthropization in plant patches. Furthermore, hydromorphological modifications, including bank reinforcement and channel deepening in the vicinity of sports and railway infrastructure, have hindered natural river dynamics and accelerated floodplain drainage. The observed changes indicate that ash-alder forests in the Biała Przemsza valley are in a transitional phase between riparian and oak-hornbeam communities, with a clear oak-hornbeam transformation evident in many areas, driven by changes in water relations. This study highlights the urgent need to implement integrated restoration strategies that account for both hydrological catchment recovery and the mitigation of urban pressure to ensure the long-term resilience of riparian ecosystems. Full article

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, located in northern China, spans a vast territory. It serves as a crucial transitional zone connecting three major ecosystems—forest, grassland, and desert—and constitutes an essential component of the nation’s ecological security barrier. Over the past three decades, significant changes have occurred in the region’s land use structure and landscape patterns. Based on long-term time-series land use data, this study systematically analyzed land cover changes and landscape diversity characteristics by dividing the region into climatic zones, ecological zones, and administrative areas. Additionally, a driver analysis framework based on the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model was constructed, and the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was employed to quantitatively identify the contribution rates of driving factors influencing the Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI). Results indicate pronounced spatial heterogeneity in land-use structure dynamics across regions. Among all land use types, grasslands, croplands, and bare land exhibited the most pronounced changes under the combined influence of natural environmental variations and human disturbances. Against this backdrop of landscape pattern evolution, the regional Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI) also showed differentiated variation trends. Based on SHAP contribution analysis, population density (POP) was identified as the primary driver affecting SHDI changes, with a contribution rate of 29.9%, followed by precipitation (PRE, 19.5%), elevation (DEM, 17.2%), and GDP (11.9%). Further SHAP response analysis revealed the nonlinear effects and characteristics of different driving factors on SHDI, indicating that the proposed framework can effectively elucidate the driving mechanisms of landscape changes. The findings provide scientific support for developing sustainable and differentiated land-use management strategies and optimizing ecological conservation and restoration measures across regions with diverse ecological backgrounds. Full article

The mechanistic understanding of biogeochemical dynamics in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) has historically been hindered by persistent cloud cover and reliance on static geographic boundaries. In this study, we analysed a 20-year (2003–2022) satellite-derived chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) dataset to overcome these observational limitations through a three-part spatial and machine-learning framework. First, the Data Interpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions (DINEOF) algorithm reconstructed a gap-free climatology, demonstrating robustness under extreme simulated cloud cover (R² = 0.884). Second, a Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering algorithm objectively partitioned the basin into three dynamic, physically driven bioregions: an oligotrophic gyre, river plumes, and an upwelling mega-cluster. Third, we applied an explainable Random Forest framework, supported by SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), to identify the main physical and biogeochemical predictors associated with coastal Chl-a variability using hindcast nutrients and a strict chronological split (training: 2003–2018; test: 2019–2022). The models produced conservative but meaningful independent test-period performance across coastal zones, with R²_log values from 0.437 to 0.595. Rather than revealing a new ecological paradox, the framework provides a basin-specific interpretation of a globally documented pattern: offshore oligotrophication alongside localized coastal enrichment. The open ocean and transition/upwelling sectors show negative Chl-a tendencies consistent with sea surface warming, enhanced stratification, and reduced upward nutrient supply. Conversely, coastal ecosystems are structured by local hydrological and wind-driven forcings that modulate the regional climate signal. In the Congo plume, Chl-a variability is primarily structured by haline plume dynamics and secondary nutrient constraints, whereas the Niger plume reflects coupled mixed-layer and terrigenous nutrient controls. These findings establish a spatially objective typology of the GoG, providing a regional reference framework for future high-resolution missions, monitoring, and coupled physical–biogeochemical modelling. Full article

Mangrove prop root epifaunal communities support coastal biodiversity by providing habitat and refuge for associated sessile species and contributing to larval supply. Yet, regional surveys across latitudinal gradients in southeast Florida remain scarce. Understanding how these communities vary spatially and temporally is essential for forecasting biodiversity responses to environmental change. This study tested how macrobenthic assemblage composition and beta diversity on red mangrove prop roots vary from Key West to Melbourne, Florida. Presence-absence data from 32 sites in four zones were analyzed using beta diversity partitioning, indicator species analysis, and temporal turnover metrics. A strong biogeographic boundary near Palm Beach County delineated a species-rich southern pool, formed by the Florida Keys and Miami-Dade and characterized by tropical sponges. Of the 41 indicator species, 34 were associated with these two southern zones, while neither northern zone had exclusive indicators. Northern beta diversity was dominated by nested subsets of a larger species pool rather than species replacement. Over the three years, only Broward-Palm Beach gained species, while the other three zones lost species, though this was not statistically significant. These findings highlight the ecological significance of the potential biogeographic ecotones and provide a baseline study from which to gain insight into how climate-driven mangrove range expansion may impact coastal biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. Full article

High-altitude Andean páramo ecosystems are critical socio-ecological assets that provide key regulating and supporting services, yet they remain highly vulnerable to climate change and anthropogenic pressures. Understanding these services requires frameworks that integrate biophysical capacity with social valuation and demographic accessibility. In this study, we mapped and assessed belowground and aboveground carbon storage and species habitat provision across the altitudinal gradient (3160–4400 m.a.s.l.) of Cajas National Park (PNC), Ecuador, using a spatially explicit socio-ecological approach. Carbon stocks were modeled following The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2019 Refined Guidelines, combining reference soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks with aboveground biomass coefficients. Habitat provision was modeled through a multi-factor suitability index integrating Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), elevation, water bodies, and interpolated climate surfaces. Biophysical supplies were weighted via a Delphi-based expert consultation and integrated with demographic census data (173,672 inhabitants in four adjacent parishes) to estimate actual service capture and effective benefits. Total carbon stocks in PNC were estimated at 1.49 million Mg C, with volcanic Andisols acting as the primary reservoir (97.5% of the total stock). Habitat suitability was highly heterogeneous, with critical refuge patches clustered around the park’s lacustric network and stable microclimatic zones. Socio-ecological mapping revealed that the eastern boundary of the park represents the highest hotspot of effective benefit capture, directly supplying vital water regulation and cultural services to the peri-urban populations of Sayausí and Baños. These results demonstrate the utility of integrating standard IPCC guidelines with the ECOSER protocol, offering a repeatable and transparent framework to guide spatial conservation planning and sustainable land-use zoning in vulnerable high-altitude protected areas. Full article