Search Results (135)

This study investigates the concept of landscape services (LS), which integrate environmental and sociocultural dimensions of sustainable development. Recognizing landscapes as essential to daily life and well-being, the research aims to support sustainable spatial planning by analyzing both their potential and their actual use. The study has three main objectives: (1) to assess the potential of 16 selected landscape types to provide six key LS through expert evaluation; (2) to determine actual LS usage patterns among the local community (residents); and (3) to identify agreements and discrepancies between expert assessments and resident use. The services analyzed include providing space for daily activities; regulating spatial structure through diversity and compositional richness; enhancing physical and mental health; enabling passive and active recreation; supporting personal fulfillment; and fostering social interaction. Expert-based surveys and participatory mapping with residents were used to assess the provision and use of LS. The results indicate consistent evaluations for forest and historical urban landscapes (high potential and use) and mining and transportation landscapes (low potential and use). However, significant differences emerged for mountain LS, rated highly by experts but used minimally by residents. These insights highlight the importance of aligning expert planning with community needs to promote sustainable land use policies and reduce spatial conflicts. Full article

The intersection of sports and natural forests and green spaces represents an emerging interdisciplinary field with implications for public health, environmental science, and sustainable land management and refers to the variety of cultural ecosystem services demanded by people from ecosystems. This manuscript presents a systematic bibliometric and thematic analysis of 148 publications for the period 1993–2024 identified through Web of Science and Scopus, aiming to evaluate the current state of research on sports activities conducted in natural forest environments. Findings indicated a marked increase in scientific interest of this topic over the past two decades, with key contributions from countries such as England, Germany, China, and the United States. Researchers most frequently examined sports such as hiking, trail running, mountain biking, and orienteering for their capacity to provide physiological and psychological benefits, reduce stress, and enhance mental well-being. The literature analysis highlights ecological concerns, particularly those associated with habitat disturbance, biodiversity loss, and conflicts between recreation and conservation. Six principal research themes were identified: sports in urban forests, sports tourism, hunting and fishing, recreational sports, health benefits, and environmental impacts. Keyword and co-authorship analyses revealed a multidisciplinary knowledge base with evolving thematic focuses. In conclusion, the need for integrated approaches that incorporate ecological impact assessment, stakeholder perspectives, and adaptive forest governance to ensure sustainable recreational use of natural forest ecosystems is underlined. Full article

Intensive farming in urban suburbs often causes habitat loss, soil erosion, wastewater discharge, and agricultural productivity decline, threatening long-term benefits for the local community. We developed a nature-based solution for sustainable land restoration by establishing “Green Treasure Island” (GTI). The aim of this study is to evaluate the ecological restoration effectiveness of GTI and explore its feasibility and replicability for future applications. The core eco-functional zone of GTI—a 7 hm² forested wetland—embedded a closed-loop framework that integrates land consolidation, ecological restoration, and sustainable land utilization. The forested wetland efficiently removed 65% and 74% of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural runoff, raised flood control capacity by 22%, and attracted 48 bird species. Additionally, this biophilic recreational space attracted over 3400 visitors in 2022, created green jobs, and promoted local green agricultural product sales. Through adaptive management and nature education activities, GTI evolved into a landmark that represents local natural–social characteristics and serves as a publicly accessible natural park for both rural and urban residents. This study demonstrates the feasibility of creating GTI for improving ecosystem services, providing a practical, low-cost template that governments and local managers can replicate in metropolitan rural areas worldwide to meet both ecological and development goals. Full article

This study evaluates ecosystem services (ESs) in 10 municipalities within the Han River Basin, analyzes trade-offs, and proposes measures to enhance synergies in areas with ES imbalances. The research focuses on: (1) evaluating ESs in Namyangju and Yongin; (2) identifying vulnerable areas through conservation value assessment; (3) analyzing trade-offs in vulnerable and regulated areas; and (4) developing scenarios to mitigate imbalances, comparing ES evaluations before and after implementation. To enhance synergies, three scenarios were developed, focusing on mixed forest planting and integrating ecological tourism and recreational facilities. These were applied to vulnerable and regulated areas in Namyangju and Yongin. We utilized the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) Habitat Quality (HQ) model, InVEST Carbon model, ES evaluation methodology. Synergies were considered improved if all ES indicators showed positive changes post-implementation. The optimal proportions of mixed forest planting and tourism facilities varied by trade-off type and land cover characteristics, as determined by ES evaluation scores. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of ESs in water source protection areas, highlighting trade-offs and offering practical solutions to mitigate imbalances. By focusing on municipalities in the Han River Basin, it presents a novel approach to ES evaluation at the administrative district level and addresses sustainable river land management and key environmental management challenges. Full article

In recent years, there has been a systematic return of humans to nature, the importance of the services and benefits provided by forests and other green spaces has increased, and thus the interest in recreational facilities that appear in forest areas has also increased. Recreational infrastructure in forests is essential to enhance the visitor experience while ensuring the ecological sustainability of forest ecosystems. The aim of our research was to establish how the socio-demographic factors have influenced the public perception of recreational infrastructure in forests, and how the demand for certain types of recreational land facilities has changed. The research material consists of the results of a questionnaire survey (online and traditional) carried out in Poland from September to October in 2020. A total of 1402 people were surveyed. A logistic regression (LR) model was used to determine the influence of the socio-demographic profile of the respondents on their perception of the importance of recreational infrastructure. The results indicate that linear recreational infrastructure, i.e., cycling (38.6% of respondents), walking (32.9%), and educational paths (19.7%), were of greatest interest. Viewpoints were highly preferred by respondents (29.9% of respondents). The demand for recreational facilities was mainly determined by the age and number of children owned and the place of residence of the respondents. Other socio-demographic characteristics, i.e., education level, gender, and satisfaction with the standard of living, were less influential on respondents’ views. Among the most needed recreational amenities in forests, social (52.2%) and recreational (46.5% of respondents) facilities were highlighted. The factors most strongly determining respondents’ views on the need to develop a particular type of recreational facilities in the forest were frequency of visits to the forest and distance of residence from the forest. Other factors such as age, education level, gender, or the number of children owned determined respondents’ opinions on the issues analyzed to a lower extent. The results are of great use, allowing public forest managers to better plan infrastructure in forest areas. Our research provides valuable insights into the management of forests, especially those with dominant social functions. The resulting recommendations allow us to prepare forests for changing demographic trends (an expected increase in urbanized areas and aging population) and rising social expectations. We prove that forests and recreational infrastructure are crucial in promoting people’s physical and mental health. Properly planned recreational infrastructure is able to encourage more physical activity outdoors and more frequent visits to forests. Full article

Forest edges, which serve as transition zones between forests and adjacent land cover types, are essential for providing wildlife habitats and delivering a range of ecosystem services, including cultural benefits such as recreation and welfare for people. This study evaluates the economic value of these cultural ecosystem services (CESs) in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Despite increasing development pressures driven by urban expansion, the social and ecological significance of forest edges remains underexplored. By applying travel cost and medical expense substitution methods, this study estimates the economic value of cultural ecosystem services, specifically forest recreation, at approximately KRW 65 billion, and the forest healing function at around KRW 896.5 billion across Gyeonggi-do. These results highlight the need for balanced planning and development regulations to safeguard forest edges and sustain their contributions to public health and well-being. By revealing the hidden social value of these cultural ecosystem services, this study aims to guide policies that promote sustainable land use and improve the quality of life for residents in rapidly urbanizing areas. Full article

Due to the increase in recreational demands, the significance of protected areas and forests with recreational potential in forests increased with the demands of nature tourism, which in turn provided new income sources to the forestry industry. In the current study, the economic values of the Uzungöl Nature Park’s lake view, an international tourist destination, were estimated using the hedonic pricing method. In the study, 188 questionnaires were conducted with 89 businesses, and the hedonic price function (HPF) was determined based on the study data collected from the businesses in Uzungöl Nature Park. It was estimated that the mean lake view in-room accommodation price for the hotels in Uzungöl Nature Park was USD 207.38 and the lake causes an increase of $2.8 per square meter and $144.67 in total on the room price of the hotels. The study findings demonstrated that the lake view was a desirable quality for hotel rooms, which is reflected in the prices in Uzungöl. The significant contribution of the lake view to room prices would support the planning and management of protected areas that are usually rich in natural resources. Determining the economic value of the lake view will enable business owners operating in the region or those planning to establish new businesses to make more informed pricing strategies. It will also strengthen hotel owners’ marketing campaigns and enable them to think more rationally about new investments (such as adding rooms or services). Business owners will be able to optimize their rooms based on lake views in order to offer more lake-view rooms to customers. Determining the economic value of the lake view will raise awareness about the protection of natural areas. By investing in eco-friendly and sustainable practices, hotel owners will contribute to the conservation of natural resources. The value estimates determined in the present study would also contribute to the employment of total forest value calculations and resource accounting systems. Full article

Small-scale, dispersed agroforestry spaces in the urban fringe constitute ecological land that serves dual public benefit functions: natural ecological conservation and rural-urban services. The purpose of this study is to construct a green infrastructure network by integrating the existing and potential green spaces in an urban fringe. The urban fringe in Zhengzhou was chosen as the study site. First, the urban fringe of Zhengzhou was identified based on multi-source data and artificial intelligence, followed by the extraction of green infrastructure elements through morphological spatial pattern analysis. Then, a public benefit output evaluation system was constructed to assess the land value of green infrastructure in the study area. Finally, based on the evaluation results, a classified network planning was conducted, and a triple-network integrated planning strategy was proposed. The results showed that (1) the administrative area of Zhengzhou is divided into three spatial types: urban core areas, the urban fringe areas, and urban periphery area; this study focuses on the urban fringe surrounding the main urban area of Zhengzhou, area of 678.93 km²; (2) the patch sizes of green infrastructure land in the study area range from approximately 0.01 km² to 2.83 km²; (3) green infrastructure land was classified into levels 1~5 based on ecological conservation and rural-urban services, and comprehensive high-grade land was identified for the construction of the green infrastructure network; and (4) the green infrastructure network in the study area was divided into the forest natural habitat network, the blue-green infrastructure network, and the agroforestry landscape recreation network, and a triple-network integrated green infrastructure network strategy was developed. This study aims to strengthen the effective protection and utilization of micro-habitats in the urban fringe, contributing to the formulation of strategies to reduce the ecological vulnerability of the urban fringe and promote sustainable urban development. Full article

Assessing the functions of forest ecosystems is important for a proper understanding of their role in the natural environment and society. Ecotourism emphasizes minimizing negative impacts on the environment and supports environmental education. Modern information and communication technologies, including forest apps, are helping in this regard. Precision forestry uses GIS technologies and remote sensing to obtain spatial data, identify the components of the natural environment, and evaluate the changes that they are subject to. A tool enabling the evaluation of synergy between ecosystem functions and tourism, in addition to traditional field research and surveys, is remote sensing. This paper aims to show the feasibility of evaluating the synergy of ecosystem and tourism services in forests using remote sensing as an alternative to traditional terrestrial measurements. This study’s temporal scope is from 2019 (i.e., the introduction of the pilot program on making forests available for bushcraft and survival activities in Poland) until the beginning of 2024. Thus, it covers the time when the State Forests program called “Stay Overnight in the Forest” related to dispersed camping in forests was in force. Additionally, online surveys were conducted using the Microsoft Forms platform among representatives of all forest districts participating in implementing the “Stay Overnight in the Forest” program from 1 May 2021. This program is a crucial element of the contemporary tourist and recreational offer of the State Forests in Poland and influences the course of the ecosystem and tourist services in the forests. From the recorded digital images, it is possible to obtain information about threats in forest ecosystems caused by natural disasters, such as windstorms and fires. The precise provision of information about degraded forest areas can contribute to the more efficient management of forest reclamation works and the restoration of damaged stands. On the other hand, the rehabilitated forest can be a destination point for educational trails in forests. Full article

In this research, we chose six indicators—soil conservation, water conservation, carbon sequestration, windbreak and sand fixation, biodiversity conservation, and forest recreation—to compute the forestland ecosystem service index for forestland within the study region, utilizing time series data. The outcomes reveal that the aggregate index of forestland ecosystem services exhibits a spatial distribution characterized by higher values in the northeastern part and lower values in the southwestern part, with an upward trend over time. Among these functions, windbreak and sand fixation, water conservation, carbon sequestration, and forest recreation all maintained relatively high growth rates. We selected 10 factors that are closely related to the natural environment and human activities and employed spatial principal component analysis to develop a comprehensive resistance surface. Based on the assessment results of forestland ecosystem functions, in conjunction with morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) as well as landscape connectivity analysis, we optimized the method for identifying ecological source sites and extracted 38 ecological source sites. Subsequently, leveraging circuit theory, we extracted 91 ecological corridors and pinpointed 25 ecological nodes, ultimately constructing a forestland ecosystem security pattern (ESP) in the study area and proposing restoration strategies. Full article

Balancing ecological conservation and economic development is a significant global challenge, particularly in developing countries where rich natural resources often coincide with impoverished areas. This study used the Yunhe Terrace as a case, integrating remote sensing data and statistical analysis to quantify the ecosystem asset value and its changes before and after ecological conservation efforts. Additionally, we assessed the nonmaterial service value and conducted a questionnaire survey to explore the impact of nonmaterial service value on the socio-economic development of local residents. The key findings are as follows: (1) The ecosystem assets of the Yunhe Terrace include four main types: forests, grasslands, wetlands, and cultivated land. In 2020, the Yunhe Terrace ecosystem was primarily composed of forest (56.79%) and cultivated land (36.61%), showing a balance between natural and modified landscapes. (2) The monetary value of ecosystem assets was calculated based on the economic net benefits of ecosystem assets over their expected useful lifespan (20 years in this study). The value of the Yunhe Terrace ecosystem before and after it became a scenic spot was assessed. Results showed that the total value of ecosystem assets increased from 265 million CNY to 523 million CNY over a 20-year period, representing an increase of 257 million CNY. (3) The value of nonmaterial services, represented here by net revenues from eco-tourism, was calculated from 2018 to 2022, covering the period before and after ecological conservation efforts began in 2019. Results showed the value of nonmaterial services rose from 3.07 million CNY in 2018 to 8.90 million CNY in 2022, a growth of 189.77% after ecological conservation. (4) Field surveys and questionnaire analysis of stakeholders’ income sources suggest that ecological conservation and recreational development in the Yunhe Terrace ecosystem have increased household income in terms of both the number of income sources and monetary value. This study demonstrates that ecological conservation and tourism can enhance household welfare, contributing to a better understanding of the dynamics between conservation and economic development. Full article

Forest fires diminish forests’ ecological services, including carbon sequestration, water retention, air cooling, and recreation, while polluting the environment and endangering habitats. Despite considerable economic advancements, firefighting strategies remain less than optimal. This paper introduces the Bi-layer Predictive Ensemble (BIPE), an innovative machine learning model designed to enhance the accuracy and generalization of forest fire susceptibility mapping. BIPE integrates model-centric and data-driven strategies, employing automated methods such as 10-fold cross-validation and meta-learning to improve stability and generalization. During its 10-fold cross-validation, BIPE demonstrated excellent performance, with the Area Under the Curve (AUC) values ranging from 0.990 to 0.996 and accuracy levels consistently high, around 97%, underscoring its robust class separation ability and strong generalization across different datasets. Our results confirm that BIPE outperforms traditional high-performance models like Support Vector Machine (SVM), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Deep Neural Network (DNN), and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), showcasing its practical effectiveness and reliability on the data of nonlinear, high-dimensional, and complex interactions. Additionally, our forest fire susceptibility maps offer valuable complementary information for German forest fire management authorities, enhancing their ability to assess and manage fire risks more effectively. Full article

This study investigates the impact of forest-activity diversity on life satisfaction using data from the 2023 Forest Recreation and Welfare Activities Survey conducted by the Korea Forest Service. Forest-activity diversity was categorized into two dimensions: experience diversity (combining forest recreation and welfare-activity experiences) and utilization diversity (the use of forest recreation and welfare facilities and programs). Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that greater diversity in forest activities and utilization significantly enhances life satisfaction. However, participants who engaged in both forest recreation and welfare activities or utilized both facilities and programs reported comparatively lower life satisfaction. The findings indicate that while activity and utilization diversity are critical in improving life satisfaction, the benefits may plateau with excessive participation. The effects of leisure activities also vary based on individual factors such as age, gender, and life context, underscoring the importance of tailored forest welfare programs. Balanced and meaningful engagement in diverse activities is essential for maximizing well-being. While forest activities generally enhance life satisfaction, programs must be inclusive and flexible to address diverse user needs. Future research should incorporate objective measures and longitudinal designs to better evaluate the long-term effects of forest welfare activities. Full article

The core of the cultural services of ecosystems (CESs) is the spiritual connection between humans and nature, and participatory mapping from the stakeholder perspective is an effective method for perceiving and protecting hotspot CES areas. This study used participatory mapping combined with 184 interviews and questionnaires, completed on 10 December 2023, to investigate the perceptions of CESs in Taibai Mountain National Forest Park by different stakeholder groups; spatial and correlation analyses were used to comparatively analyze the characteristics of the differences in the perceptions of CESs among different stakeholders, the influencing factors, and their spatial distribution patterns. The results show that (1) there is a positive correlation between the literacy level of external stakeholders and the perception of CESs, and there is no significant difference between the differences in the other demographic characteristics of stakeholders (gender, age, occupation, and literacy level) in the perception of CESs. (2) Different stakeholders have convergent perceptions of spiritual and religious values, cultural heritage values, educational values, and inspirational values, whereas there are greater differences in the perceptions of aesthetic values, ecological and recreational values, and local identity values. (3) Different stakeholders of the same CES are strongly correlated, and there is no correlation between spiritual and religious values and other values and no correlation between recreational and ecotourism values and educational and cultural heritage values; however, there is a correlation between all other subcultural services. It is important to fully identify and consider the characteristics of the differences in the perceptions of different stakeholders in CESs to enhance the regional planning and scenic area service function in the study area. Full article

Studying the factors influencing ecosystem regulation services in southwestern Zhejiang is of great significance for formulating reasonable pricing strategies for forest ecosystem regulation services and optimizing ecological security. This study constructed a theoretical framework for analyzing forest ecosystem regulation services and assessed the spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors of forest ecosystem regulation services using InVEST model calculations and spatial autocorrelation analysis. The results showed that all ecosystem services of forests in the study improved from 2000 to 2019, with the exception of soil conservation. The water conservation function increased significantly from 2000 to 2019, with an overall increase of 3.53%. The biodiversity conservation function in 2019 also increased significantly, with an average increase of 2.16% compared with 2000. The synergies mainly occurred between water source regulation and soil conservation, soil conservation and biodiversity, and forest recreation and carbon storage. Forest Reserve was precipitation, canopy closure, elevation, and soil texture, and their driving forces differed at different time scales. The trade-offs mainly occurred between soil conservation and forest recreation, forest recreation and biodiversity, and carbon storage and biodiversity. The research results provide a reference for achieving ecological protection and high-quality development in the southwestern region of Zhejiang. Full article