Search Results (126)

The study examines the extent to which the concept of ecosystem services is reflected in Estonian forestry legislation and how local communities and interest groups perceive and prioritise these services. Using a three-step methodology, the analysis combined (1) a content analysis of key legal acts—including the Forest Act, Nature Conservation Act, and related regulations; (2) a qualitative review of 26 forest management proposals submitted by communities to the State Forest Management Centre between 2021 and 2024; and (3) a comparative synthesis of legislative and community perspectives in order to identify their main areas of convergence and divergence. The findings reveal that provisioning services, particularly timber production, are most explicitly regulated, while regulating and cultural services appear mainly through indirect references. Community expectations, however, emphasise regulating (44%) and cultural (30%) services—especially habitat conservation, recreation, and landscape aesthetics—over provisioning benefits (26%). This discrepancy highlights a structural imbalance between legal framework and societal values. The study concludes that a more systematic integration of ecosystem services into forest management practice and regulations is required to achieve a balanced approach that accounts for ecological, social, and economic dimensions. Full article

Landscape aesthetic quality (LAQ) is a vital cultural ecosystem service in global forests, particularly in the subalpine forests across the Tibetan Plateau, which are considered popular tourist destinations due to their unique cultural services. However, the explicit spatial localization and spatial–temporal dynamics of LAQ in subalpine forests in the Tibetan Plateau remain largely unexplored. Herein, we introduced a method for assessing LAQ that integrates the species’ biophysical attributes with spatial landscape characteristics, allowing for a spatially explicit quantification of LAQ. We further employ this approach to project changes in LAQ under forest landscape dynamics (2016–2096) in Jiuzhaigou, eastern Tibetan Plateau. Most regions exhibited moderate or low LAQ, with high values ible, while over half of low-LAQ regions were not. The high-value zone of LAQ is projected to rise slightly by 2056 but decline sharply by 2096. These results reveal strong spatial heterogeneity in LAQ and indicate that future landscape dynamics will substantially reshape its distribution in the subalpine forests of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Our findings provide early evidence of declining cultural ecosystem quality in subalpine forests and offer guidance for adaptive management in similar mountain ecosystems worldwide. Full article

Understanding how the built environment shapes residents’ emotional perceptions in old residential communities (ORCs) is essential for enhancing livability and supporting people-oriented urban regeneration. This study proposes an explainable analytical framework that integrates community attributes, streetscape indicators, and subjective evaluations. Using random forest (RF) regression combined with Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP), we conducted an empirical study on ten ORCs in Yangzhou, China. A total of 1240 street view images (SVIs) were processed to extract social attributes, including building age, building scale, and point-of-interest (POI) diversity, as well as visual indicators such as walkability, green view index (GVI), and colorfulness. Six emotional perception scores were obtained from the MIT Place Pulse 2.0 model and further calibrated through questionnaires. The results show that the proposed framework effectively captures the spatial determinants of residents’ perceptions, with the model predictions being highly consistent with survey evaluations. Specifically, GVI and street enclosure are positively associated with perceptions of beauty, safety, and vitality, while building aging and functional monotony intensify negative feelings such as oppression and boredom. Visual diversity (VD) enhances aesthetic and vitality perceptions, whereas facility visual entropy demonstrates a dual role—reinforcing safety but potentially inducing oppressive feelings. By integrating interpretable machine learning with geospatial analysis, this study provides both theoretical and practical insights for micro-scale community renewal, and the framework can be extended to multimodal analyses including soundscapes and behavioral pathways. Full article

From the perspective of environmental history, which examines the interplay between socio-economic development and the natural environment, this paper discusses the evolution of Japanese landscapes. These landscapes evolved in somewhat different ways, absorbing influences from China and the West. Following the country’s opening up in the late 19th century, various forest management techniques were introduced from Europe and America. This paper examines the environmental history of the changes to the landscape that accompanied rapid Westernisation and the guidance provided by “Forest aesthetics” in forest operations—a crucial element of the landscape. Proposed by H. von Salisch, forest aesthetics is a forest management philosophy that provided guidelines for sustainability before the concept of ecosystems emerged. Although Japan is a small nation comprising elongated islands, mountains cover 67% of its land area. Its north-south orientation means that each region has unique forests and ways of life. This overview examines historical information concerning the formation of gardens and artificial forests, landscape transformations, and perceptions of forests across different eras. Using primarily secondary sources dating from around the 11th century, it demonstrates that, even in Japan, which is subject to natural disturbances under a monsoon climate, the sustainability of gardens and forests could be achieved by emulating the nature advocated for by forest aesthetics as closely as possible. This approach also considered hunting. Full article

This paper forwards the claim that our early human ancestors had protosacred experiences long before they had languages, architecture, or religions. A mountain may create feelings of awe while a grove in the forest may create feelings of serenity. In some circumstances (and very much dependent on the mental set of the individual), such protosacred experiences may create a sense of ultimacy that may be interpreted by the faithful as a religious experience in terms of their own beliefs. We chart an evolutionary account of the path of human ancestors from experiences of the protosacred to the diversity of religions, with a focus on the emergence of culturally varied architected sacred spaces designed to offer a religious group a sense of shared community and the sacred in the experience of their religion. We argue that the cultural evolution of languages was necessary for this transition. It made our species both Homo quaerens (the humans who ask questions) and Homo narrans (the humans who tell stories), able to ask existential questions and to offer answers that a group could accept. The answers took the form of narratives and scripts for ritual behaviors that could harmonize the community with the world around and beyond it. We suggest that both affordances and atmospheres relate to the aesthetics of space, stressing the atmospheric flow as the performance of various rituals proceeds. This paper offers examples from diverse religions or cosmologies and closes with suggestions for a range of empirical and experimental investigations to address the hypotheses raised herein. Full article

Trakošćan Lake is an artificial lake created in the mid-19th century for aesthetic and economic purposes. The area around the lake has been protected as park forest. Recently, the lake has become the most famous example of eutrophication in Croatia, as by 2022, a significant amount of sediment had accumulated in it. Therefore, the lake was drained that same year, followed by mechanical removal of the sediment. The total amount of sediment removed was 204,000 m³. After the removal work, a particularly important question arose of what to do with such a large amount of sediment. The objective of this research was to gain specific insight into the chemical composition of the sediment with the aim of its possible use in agricultural production for increasing the quality of arable land. A comprehensive qualitative geochemical and agrochemical analysis of the sediment composition was carried out for the first time, including indicators of the pH value, amount of organic matter and carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium, amount of carbonates, and the presence of metals, metalloids, and non-metals, of which As, Cd, Hg, and Pb are toxic. Electrochemical, spectrophotometric, and titration methods were used, along with three atomic absorption spectrometry techniques. The results of the analyses were interpreted in comparison with the natural substrate, as well as with the current regulations for agricultural land in the Republic of Croatia. According to this, sediment is not harmful for the environment. Full article

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) play a key role in the sustainable development of rural areas—yet they remain poorly quantified in planning practice. This study examines the relationship between the supply and demand of CES provided by various types of Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) in a rural landscape, using the municipality of Sosnowica (eastern Poland) as a case study. Landscapes such as forests, agricultural land, wetlands, and inland waters were evaluated using a set of biophysical and socio-economic indicators that reflect both their potential (supply) and actual use (demand) in terms of services such as recreation, landscape aesthetics, and cultural heritage. The findings reveal significant spatial disparities between CES supply and demand: forests and inland waters exhibit the highest supply potential, while agricultural land shows untapped opportunities in tourism and recreation. Wetlands, in particular, face notable service deficits—highlighting the need for targeted infrastructure and management interventions. Statistical analyses (Pearson correlation, Kruskal–Wallis test, Tukey HSD test) confirmed that the key factors shaping CES are accessibility and environmental attractiveness. The results indicate that CES mapping is a valuable tool for supporting sustainable rural planning, reinforcing local identity, counteracting depopulation, and stimulating socio-economic development. Full article

The rapid industrialization and urbanization of the modern era caused widespread deforestation and ecological degradation, raising global concerns about sustainable planning, urban green space, and environmental governance. Around the turn of the 20th century, Guangdong Province in China suffered severe environmental decline due to extensive deforestation, threatening public health, ecological resilience, and urban livability. In response, returning Chinese intellectuals and foreign forestry experts introduced advanced Western forestry theories and practices to address these crises and promote green urban development. This study examines how these transnational forestry ideas were ideologically embraced, locally adapted, and institutionally embedded in modern Guangdong’s afforestation and urban greening efforts. Drawing on a systematic review of historical literature, forestry journals, and government archives, it identifies three key developments. (1) In ideology, figures such as Yat-sen Sun and German forester Fenzel played vital roles in raising public awareness of afforestation. (2) In practice, Guangdong developed a diversified greening model integrating commemorative, ecological, and aesthetic functions. This included transforming Arbor Day into a civic ritual honoring Yat-sen Sun, establishing nurseries and forest farms for large-scale afforestation, systematically planting street trees in urban centers, and creating forest parks that combined conservation, recreation, and historical commemoration. (3) In regulation, Guangdong formulated forestry laws inspired by Western models. By this way, Guangdong effectively addressed the management challenges in urban greening practices. It should also be emphasized that these modern-era practices have persisted in Guangdong, and their historical experience provides a valuable reference for present-day urban greening. Additionally, Fenzel’s methods for planning nurseries and forest farms can be seen as early prototypes of “evidence-based planning”. By highlighting a historically grounded yet under-explored case, this research offers new insights into the long-term evolution of urban greening strategies and provides lessons for current global efforts in sustainable land use and resilient urban design. Full article

Natural playgrounds have garnered growing attention as supportive environments for children’s mental health. This study develops an analytical framework grounded in affordance theory and incorporates the Pleasure–Arousal–Dominance (PAD) model to examine the relationships between physical environmental features—and their combinations—in natural playgrounds and children’s emotional perceptions. Using the Yunhu Natural Playground in Fuzhou, China, as a case study, we selected seven typical behavior setting units. Environmental features were assessed through UAV imagery and on-site observations, while PAD-based visual questionnaires were employed to collect emotional responses from 159 children. By applying correlation analysis, random forest, and regression tree models, this study identified key environmental predictors of children’s emotional responses and revealed heterogeneous mechanisms across the three emotional dimensions. The results indicated that seasonal flowering/fruiting plants, accessible lawns, and structured play facilities were critical in supporting children’s pleasure, arousal, and dominance. Specifically, pleasure was primarily associated with sensory enjoyment and contextual aesthetics, arousal favored open grassy areas, and dominance was linked to environments with clear structure and manipulability. Based on these findings, this study proposes a spatial configuration strategy characterized by “nature as foundation, play encouraged, and structure clarified” to promote the positive development of children’s multidimensional emotional experiences. This research contributes empirical evidence on the role of physical environmental features in supporting children’s play behaviors and expands the theoretical understanding of the “emotional effects” of green spaces. While the findings are exploratory and context-specific, they emphasize the critical role of the sensory–behavioral–emotional chain in shaping children’s well-being and provide theoretical and practical guidance for the design of emotionally supportive, child-friendly, natural play environments in schools, parks, and residential areas. Full article

Landscape quality and the productivity of $\mathit{Rhododendron\; simsii}$ are directly related to the maintenance of ecological functions in the alpine region. The specific relationship between the spatial pattern of colour patches and the visual quality of R. simsii landscape recreational forests has been insufficiently explored. In this study, we constructed a model of the relationship between landscape colour patches and the aesthetic value of such a forest, analysing the key factors driving changes in its landscape quality. A total of 1549 participants were asked to assess 16 groups of landscape photographs. The results showed that variations in perceived aesthetic quality were stimulated by colour patch dynamics and spatial heterogeneity. Utilising structural equation modelling (SEM), we identified key indicators synergistically influencing aesthetic quality, including the area percentage, shape, and distribution of colour patches, which demonstrated strong explanatory power ($R^2$ = 0.83). The SEM also revealed that the red patch area, mean perimeter area ratio, and separation index are critical latent variables with standardised coefficients of 0.54, 0.65, and 0.62, respectively. These findings provide actionable design strategies: (1) optimising chromatic contrast through high-saturation patches, (2) controlling geometric complexity, and (3) improving spatial coherence. These results advance the theoretical framework for landscape aesthetic evaluation and offer practical guidance for landscape recreational forest management. Full article

Traditional park designs no longer meet the diverse needs of young users amid rising visitor numbers and environmental challenges. Exploring the impact of mountain city parks on youth is crucial, yet localised studies on their spatial perceptions in such unique environments are lacking. Landscape design based on spatial perception evaluation offers a promising approach for renewing mountain parks to address these complex needs. Therefore, a pilot study was conducted in Chongqing’s Pipa Mountain and Eling Parks, involving questionnaire surveys and on-site spatial data collection. Using principal component analysis to select the visual and auditory indicators most related to environmental satisfaction in the overall park and various types of gathering spaces, the results showed that the first principal component of the visual environment in the entrance platform and key nodes (r = 0.41, r = 0.45), as well as the first principal component of the auditory environment in the entrance platform, path platform, and elevated points (r = 0.67, r = 0.85, r = 0.68), all showed significant positive correlations with environmental satisfaction (p < 0.01). Moreover, naturalness and aesthetics were identified as the main factors influencing environmental satisfaction. A random forest model analysed nonlinear relationships, ranking spatial factors by importance. Simultaneously, SHAP analysis highlighted the effects of key factors like elevation changes, green view index, colour diversity, and natural elements. Elevation changes were positively correlated with satisfaction at elevated points but showed a negative correlation in the overall park environment and other gathering spaces. This study explored space-perception dynamics in mountain city parks, proposing strategies to improve environmental quality in various gathering spaces and the park. These findings support creating liveable mountainous environments and guide “human-centred health,” quality enhancement, and sustainable development in renewing mountain city parks. Full article

Modular green wall, or living wall (LW) system, has evolved worldwide over the past decades as a popular green building feature and a nature-based solution. Differential climatic conditions across the globe make the standardisation of practices inapplicable to local scenarios. LW projects with differing goals and preferences like aesthetic (such as plant healthiness), water-saving, and minimal plant growth require optimal combinations of plant species to achieve single or multiple goals. This exploratory study aimed to deploy empirical field LW data to optimise analytical models to support plant species selection and LW design. Plant growth performance and water demand data of 29 commonly used plant species in outdoor modular LW systems without irrigation were collected in subtropical Hong Kong for 3 weeks. The 29 species tested were grouped into five plant forms: herbaceous perennials (16 spp), succulents (2 spp), ferns (2 spp), shrubs (7 spp), and trees (2 spp). Plant species-specific plant height, LAI, plant health rating, and water absorption amount were recorded every 6 days, together with photo records. Total water demand varied widely among plant species, ranging from 52.5 to 342.5 mL in 3 weeks (equivalent to 2.5 to 16.3 mL per day). The random forest algorithm proved that the water demand of the species was a dominant predictor of plant health tendency, among other parameters. Hierarchical clustering grouped plant species with similar water demand and health rating tendencies into four groups. The health rating threshold approach identified the top-performing species that displayed a healthy appearance as a basic prerequisite, coupled with one or two optional objectives: (1) water-saving and (2) slow-growing. The comparison among the plant selection scenarios based on projected LW performance (water demand, plant health, and growth) provided sound evidence for the optimisation of LW design for sustainability. LW projects with multiple objectives inherited a multitude of multi-scalar properties; thus, the simulation of LW performance in this study demonstrated a novel data-driven approach to optimise plant species selection and planting design with minimal resource input. Full article

Forests, as tourism resources with ecological and aesthetic value, play a significant role in rural development. Forest villages, which rely on forest resources, are an essential component of rural construction. Studying the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of national forest villages within provincial administrative areas provides valuable insights into the sustainable development of rural tourism and the achievement of rural revitalization goals. This study examines 125 national forest villages in Liaoning Province. Based on the data on the geographical locations of the villages and their related influencing factors collected during the period from May to December 2024, spatial indices such as the nearest neighbor index, Gini index, and kernel density have been analyzed using mathematical statistics and ArcGIS spatial analysis methods. Additionally, this research investigates various factors influencing the distribution of forests and rural areas, as well as the interaction mechanisms among these factors. The results indicate the following. (1) The spatial distribution of national forest villages in Liaoning Province is clustered and uneven, with a pattern of “dense in the east and west, sparse in the middle”. (2) The number of forest villages in Liaoning Province is generally positively correlated with forest coverage, temperature, rainfall, road network density, and river network density. Conversely, it is negatively correlated with economic development level, population density, total population, and altitude. (3) Geographical exploration results suggest that economic development level and forest coverage rate are the most significant factors affecting the spatial differentiation of forest and rural areas in Liaoning Province. Interaction analysis reveals that river network density and forest coverage rate have the strongest combined effect, followed by total economic output and forest coverage rate. Full article

Urban afforestation is increasingly regarded as a key strategy for fostering biodiversity to restore and enhance the ecosystem services needed to counteract the effects of climate change in built-up areas. In Italy, several experimental afforestation projects have been launched as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), focusing on cities or metropolitan areas such as Milan, Rome, Pistoia and Campobasso. These projects follow a multidisciplinary approach, integrating botanists, foresters, urban planners, landscape architects and remote sensing specialists. The goal is to address the challenging complexity of urban forest restoration through reforestation and afforestation actions. Key innovations include the integration of transdisciplinary methodologies (landscape analysis, landscape design, forest and plant ecology) with the application of advanced remote sensing technologies and participatory community engagement frameworks to address ecological and social challenges. Experimental plots have been set up across various urban areas, testing a range of planting schemes to maximise climate change resilience and ensure long-term ecological sustainability. Emphasis has been placed on selecting drought-tolerant and thermophilic species that are better adapted to widespread warming and local urban heat islands. ‘Biodiversity strips’ with perennial flowers for insects, shrubs with berries for birds and nests for wild bees and vertebrates have been set up to enhance biodiversity in new afforestation areas. Advanced monitoring tools, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and multi-sensor drones, have been employed alongside field observations to assess forest growth, species survival, structural complexity and biodiversity enhancement over time. Historical analyses of landscape patterns and ecological connectivity over the past 200 years, along with evaluations of afforestation projects from the last 70 years, have provided critical insights into the successes and challenges of previous interventions, serving as a guide for future efforts. By focusing on ecological connectivity, the integration of afforested areas into the urban matrix, and citizen engagement, the current project aims to align urban forestry efforts with sustainable development goals. This comprehensive project framework addresses environmental restoration and the social and aesthetic impacts on local communities, contributing to the overall resilience and well-being of urban and peri-urban ecosystems. Full article

Background: Orthodontic problems can affect vital quality of life functions, such as swallowing, speech sound production, and the aesthetic effect. Therefore, it is important to diagnose and treat these patients precisely. The main aim of this study is to introduce new classification methods for skeletal class I occlusion (SCIO) and skeletal class II malocclusion (SCIIMO) among Arab patients in Israel. We conducted hierarchical clustering to detect critical trends within malocclusion classes and applied machine learning (ML) models to predict classification outcomes. Methods: This study is based on assessing the lateral cephalometric parameters from the Center for Dentistry Research and Aesthetics based in Jatt, Israel. The study involved the encoded records of 394 Arab patients with diagnoses of SCIO/SCIIMO, according to the individualized ANB of Panagiotidis and Witt. After clustering analysis, an ML model was established by evaluating the performance of different models. Results: The clustering analysis identified three distinct clusters for each skeletal class (SCIO and SCIIMO). Among SCIO clusters, the results showed that in the second cluster, retrognathism of the mandible was less severe, as represented by a lower ANB angle. In addition, the third cluster had a lower NL-ML angle, gonial angle, SN-Ba angle, and lower ML-NSL angle compared to clusters 1 and 2. Among SCIIMO clusters, the results also showed that the second cluster has less severe retrognathism of the mandible, which is represented by a lower ANB angle and Calculated_ANB and a higher SNB angle (p < 0.05). The general ML model that included all measurements for patient classification showed a classification accuracy of 0.87 in the Random Forest and the Classification and Regression Tree models. Using ANB angle and Wits appraisal only in the ML, an accuracy of 0.78 (sensitivity = 0.80, specificity = 0.76) was achieved to classify patients as SCIO or SCIIMO. Conclusions: The clustering analysis revealed distinguished patterns that can be present within SCIO and SCIIMO patients, which can affect the diagnosis and treatment plan. In addition, the ML model can accurately diagnose SCIO/SCIIMO patients, which should improve precise diagnostics. Full article