Search Results (1,983)

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 purpose of this study was to examine the role of traditional fire management practices in the general mitigation of wildfire risk in Greece. Major emphasis was placed on assessing people’s opinions about the perceived effectiveness of traditional fire management strategies that were historically and culturally employed by local communities—such as weather condition monitoring, prescribed burning, proper land use planning, and mosaic burning—in the general mitigation of wildfire risks. An online questionnaire was used to collect data from 397 environmental experts in Greece. The study shows that traditional fire control methods reduce wildfire risk. First, weather monitoring was found to be crucial to wildfire forecasting and prevention. The results showed that early warning, successful firefighting, and fire prevention depend on meteorological data. Additionally, prescribed burning was revealed to have reduced wildfire risk. Respondents accepted that they could reduce unprescribed fires, protect natural ecosystems, remove wildfire-prone areas, and regulate flame intensity. This suggests that scheduled burning in Greece may reduce wildfire damage. The study underlines the importance of including conventional fire management in the wildfire mitigation strategy of Greece. The aforementioned activities may help the environment and civilization progress by safeguarding ecosystems and reducing wildfire damage. These techniques, combined with community engagement and improved early warning systems, may help manage climate change-induced wildfires. Overall, the study contributes to wildfire management in Greece and other Mediterranean countries. The study emphasizes the need to incorporate traditional fire practices into Greece’s wildfire risk reduction strategies. Taking into account the success rates of these practices in other areas, as well as Greece’s old tradition of conducting fire, this paper stresses that further studies and policy developments be made in order to reinstate these practices in today’s wildfire management. Full article

The growing demand for sustainable waste management practices has prompted interest in the land application of paper sludge as an alternative to landfilling and incineration. This study evaluates the environmental potential of paper sludge derived from recycled hygienic paper production by investigating its effects on soil respiration, seed germination, and seedling development. A comprehensive set of respirometric tests using the OxiTop^® system assessed microbial activity in soil amended with various concentrations of paper sludge (1–100%). Concurrently, bioassays using Lepidium sativum L. and Pisum sativum L. seeds examined the phytotoxicity and physiological response during germination. The results show that low to moderate sludge concentrations (1–20%) stimulated microbial activity and enhanced germination parameters, with a germination index (GI) up to 150% at 1%. However, higher concentrations (>40%) led to oxygen depletion, microbial stress, and decreased plant growth, indicating potential phytotoxicity and the need for application thresholds. For certain intermediate concentrations (e.g., 30–40%), a delay of approximately 21 days before sowing is recommended to allow microbial communities to stabilize and avoid initial stress conditions for plants. This study demonstrates that controlled application of paper sludge in soil systems can serve as a viable and sustainable disposal method, supporting circular economy principles and reducing the environmental burden of paper industry by-products. Full article

Understanding heavy metal behavior in arid saline soils is critical for phytoremediation in degraded lands. This study investigated metal distribution and plant enrichment in the Tarim Basin using 323 soil and 55 plant samples (Populus euphratica, Tamarix ramosissima, cotton, jujube). Analyses included redundancy analysis (RDA) and bioconcentration factor (BCF) assessments. Key findings reveal that elevated salinity (total salts, TS > 200 g/kg) and alkalinity (pH > 8.5) immobilized As, Cd, Cu, and Zn. Precipitation and competitive leaching reduced metal mobility by 42–68%. Plant enrichment strategies diverged significantly: P. euphratica hyperaccumulated Cd (BCF = 1.59) and Zn (BCF = 2.41), while T. ramosissima accumulated As and Pb (BCF > 0.05). Conversely, cotton posed Hg transfer risks (BCF = 2.15), and jujube approached Cd safety thresholds in phosphorus-rich soils. RDA indicated that pH and total salinity (TS) jointly suppressed metal bioavailability, explaining 57.6% of variance. Total phosphorus (TP) and soil organic carbon (SOC) enhanced metal availability (36.8% variance), with notable TP-Cd synergy (Pearson’s r = 0.42). We propose a dual-threshold management framework: (1) leveraging salinity–alkalinity suppression (TS > 200 g/kg + pH > 8.5) for natural immobilization; and (2) implementing TP control (TP > 0.8 g/kg) to mitigate crop Cd risks. P. euphratica demonstrates targeted phytoremediation potential for degraded saline agricultural systems. This framework guides practical management by spatially delineating zones for natural immobilization versus targeted remediation (e.g., P. euphratica planting in Cd/Zn hotspots) and implementing phosphorus control in high-risk croplands. Full article

Human activities have accelerated the extinction of species, driving biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. Establishing protected areas (PAs) that encompass habitats of endangered species is essential for achieving biodiversity conservation and ecosystem protection goals. This study aimed to identify and prioritize critical conservation areas for the endangered long-tailed goral (Naemorhedus caudatus) in five regions of Gangwon and Gyeongbuk Provinces, South Korea. The MaxEnt model was applied to predict the potential habitat of the species, considering key environmental factors such as topographic, distance-related, vegetation, and land cover variables. The InVEST Habitat Risk Assessment (HRA) model was used to quantitatively assess cumulative risks within the habitat from the impacts of forest development and anthropogenic pressures. Subsequently, the Zonation software was employed for spatial prioritization by integrating the outputs of the models, and core conservation areas (CCAs) with high ecological value were identified through overlap analysis with 1st-grade areas from the Ecological and Nature Map (ENM). Results indicated that suitable habitats for the long-tailed goral were mainly located in forested regions, and areas subjected to multiple stressors faced elevated habitat risk. High-priority areas (HPAs) were primarily forested zones with high habitat suitability. The overlap analysis emphasized the need to implement conservation measures targeting CCAs while also managing additional HPAs outside CCAs, which are not designated as ENM. This study provides a methodological framework and baseline data to support systematic conservation planning for the long-tailed goral, offering practical guidance for future research and policy development. Full article

This study evaluates the influence of land use and water stress on ecosystem resilience, using panel data for thirty-three European countries from 2007 to 2024, following the identification of a research gap in the literature on this topic. The dependent variable is the bioclimatic ecosystem resilience index (BER), and the explanatory variables are Agricultural Land Share (ALS), Forest Land Share (FLS), and the Level of Water Stress (WS). The estimated models are a fixed-effects panel regression with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors, robust to autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, and spatial dependence, and a kernel-based regularized least squares model, which offers a new, nonlinear, heterogeneous, and sensitive to local contexts perspective on ecosystem resilience. The results indicate a significant positive effect of FLS on ecosystem resilience, ALS has a mixed influence, while WS has a negative impact. Robustness checks using cluster-robust standard errors and alternative model specifications confirmed the stability and direction of the estimated coefficients. The conclusions support the promotion of forest conservation policies, sustainable water resource management, and ecosystem-friendly agriculture practices as main directions for enhancing the capacity of ecosystems to respond to human and climate pressures. Full article

Against the global biodiversity crisis, arid and semi-arid regions are sensitive indicators of terrestrial ecosystems. However, research on their habitat quality (HQ) evolution mechanism faces dual challenges: insufficient multi-scale dynamic simulation and fragmented driving mechanism analysis. To address these gaps, this study takes northern China’s arid and semi-arid regions as the object, innovatively constructing a “pat-tern-process-mechanism” multi-dimensional integration framework. Breaking through single-model/discrete-method limitations in existing studies, it realizes full-process integrated research on regional HQ spatiotemporal dynamics. Based on 1990–2020 Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC) data, the framework integrates the InVEST and PLUS models, solving poor continuity between historical assessment and future projection in traditional research. It also pioneers combining the XGBoost-SHAP model and Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR): XGBoost-SHAP quantifies nonlinear interactive effects of natural, socioeconomic, and landscape drivers, while GTWR explores spatiotemporal heterogeneous mechanisms of landscape pattern evolution on HQ, effectively addressing the dual challenges. Results show the following: (1) In 1990–2020, cultivated and construction land expanded, with grassland declining most notably; (2) Overall HQ decreased by 0.82%, with high-value areas stable in the west and northeast, low-value areas concentrated in the central region, and 2030 HQ optimal under the Ecological Protection (EP) scenario; (3) Natural factors contribute most to HQ change, followed by socioeconomic factors, with landscape indices being least impactful; (4) Under future scenarios, landscape Patch Density (PD) has the most prominent negative effect—its increase intensifies fragmentation and reduces connectivity. This study’s method integration breakthrough provides a quantitative basis for landscape pattern optimization and ecosystem management in arid and semi-arid regions, with important scientific value for promoting integration of landscape ecology theory and sustainable development practice. Full article

Soil erosion is a widespread problem leading to land degradation in many watersheds, including the Lato Basin, an Apulian permanent river that supplies water used for irrigation in many agricultural territories along the Ionian coast with considerable economic importance for crop production. The loss of fertile soil makes land less productive for agriculture; soil erosion decreases soil fertility, which can negatively affect crop yields. The present research aimed to determine soil loss (t/ha/year) in the Lato watershed in 2024, and then four ecosystem services—loss of carbon, habitat quality, crop productivity and sustainable tourism suitability—directly or indirectly linked to erosion, were defined and evaluated in monetary terms. These ecosystem service evaluations were made for the actual basin land use, and also for two hypothetical scenarios applying different afforestation strategies to the watershed. The first scenario envisages afforestation interventions in the areas with the highest erosion; the second scenario envisages afforestation interventions in the areas with medium erosion, cultivated with cereal crops. Each scenario was also used to evaluate the economic convenience and the effects of sustainable land management practices (e.g., reforestation) to reduce soil erosion and loss of ecosystem services. This study demonstrates that soil erosion is related to land use. It also underlines that reforestation reduces soil erosion and increases the value of ecosystem services. Furthermore, the economic analysis shows that crop productivity is the most incisive ecosystem service, as the lands with high productivity achieve higher economic values, making conversion to wooded areas economically disadvantageous if not supported with economic aid. The results of this study may help development of new management strategies for the Lato Basin, to be implemented through the distribution of community funds for rural development programs that consider the real economic productivity of each area through naturalistic engineering interventions. The reforestation measures need to be implemented over a long time frame to perform their functions; this requires relevant investments from the public sector due to cost management, requesting monetary compensation from EU funds for companies involved in forestation projects on highly productive areas that will bring benefits for the entire community. Full article

Southern Kazakhstan, particularly the Zhambyl Region, is facing increasing groundwater stress due to climate change, degradation of irrigation infrastructure, and unsustainable water use. Despite substantial renewable groundwater reserves (8.33 km³/year), irrigation still relies on ephemeral surface flow. This study delineates priority zones for Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) using a GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis framework integrated with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Nine hydrogeological criteria were incorporated: shallow aquifer depth, groundwater salinity, precipitation, terrain slope, soil texture, land use/land cover, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), drainage density, and lineament density. Each parameter was normalized to a five-class suitability scale and weighted through expert-informed pairwise comparisons. The MAR suitability map identifies about 19% of the region (27,060 km²) as highly favorable for implementation. Field investigations at eleven groundwater sites in 2024 corroborate model results, providing aquifer depth, quality, and infiltration data. The most suitable areas are concentrated on Quaternary alluvial–proluvial fans near the Kyrgyz Alatau foothills and the Talas-Assa interfluve. Three hydrostratigraphic settings were identified: unconfined alluvial aquifers, Neogene–Quaternary unconsolidated sediments, and fractured Carboniferous carbonates. Recommended MAR methods include infiltration galleries, check dams, and injection wells. The proposed approach, validated through consistency analysis (Consistency Ratio ≤ 0.1), demonstrates the applicability of integrated geospatial and field methods for site-specific MAR planning. Strategic MAR deployment could restore productivity to 37,500 ha of degraded irrigated lands and improve groundwater resilience. These findings provide a practical framework for policymakers and water management authorities to optimize groundwater use and enhance agricultural sustainability under changing climatic conditions. Full article

The overarching topic of this article is land-use planning (LUP) for risk mitigation of natural hazards. In this context, landslides are one of the most destructive natural hazards, resulting in significant negative impacts on humans, ecosystems, and environments. This study presents a semi-systematic review of emerging ecogeomorphological principles for LUP to advance the mitigation of landslide risks. By integrating ecological and geomorphological systems, an ecogeomorphological approach offers a novel perspective for tackling landslide risk mitigation. This includes accounting for factors such as water flow accumulation, fractional vegetation cover, and soil erosion, using computational methods, applying artificial intelligence (AI) to process and predict risk, and integrating the internet of things (IoT) to real-time environmental data. We primarily explore the role of ecogeomorphology in fostering sustainable and risk-aware LUP, as well as how landslide research can be applied within LUP to strengthen broader management frameworks. The study reveals much evidence of ecogeomorphological factors in LUP, emphasising the integration of ecology, geomorphology, and hydrology for effective landslide mitigation. With the ongoing shift from traditional to emerging methodologies in risk management, our review addresses the existing research gap by proposing an up-to-date ecogeomorphological framework for practice. Full article

The global energy transition is pushing the development of advanced biofuels to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the aviation industry. This study thoroughly evaluates the potential of the Colombian crude palm oil (CPO) sector to support sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. Extensive primary data from 53 palm oil mills and 269 palm plantations were examined. The methodology included a carbon footprint analysis of SAF produced from Colombian CPO through the HEFA pathway, an economic aspects analysis, a review of renewable fuel standards, and an assessment of market access for low-CO₂-emitting feedstocks. The results show that the carbon footprint of the Colombian palm oil-SAF is 16.11 g CO₂eq MJ⁻¹ SAF, which is significantly lower than the 89.2 g CO₂eq MJ⁻¹ reference value for traditional jet fuel. This figure considers current direct Land Use-Change (DLUC) emissions and existing methane capture practices within the Colombian palm oil agro-industry. A sensitivity analysis indicated that this SAF’s carbon footprint could decrease to negative values of −4.58 g CO₂eq MJ⁻¹ if all surveyed palm oil mills implement methane capture. Conversely, excluding DLUC emissions from the assessment raised the values to 47.46 g CO₂eq MJ⁻¹, highlighting Colombia’s favorable DLUC profile as a major factor in its low overall CPO carbon footprint. These findings also emphasize that methane capture is a key low-carbon practice for reducing the environmental impact of sustainable fuel production, as outlined by the CORSIA methodology. Based on the economic analysis, investing in Colombian CPO-based SAF production is a financially sound decision. However, the project’s profitability is highly susceptible to the volatility of SAF sales prices and raw material costs, underscoring the need for meticulous risk management. Overall, these results demonstrate the strong potential of Colombian palm oil for producing sustainable aviation fuels that comply with CORSIA requirements. Full article

Climate change is expected to reduce water availability during cropping season, while growing populations and rising living standards will increase the global water demand. This creates an urgent need for national water management tools to optimize water allocation. In particular, agriculture requires targeted approaches to improve efficiency. Alongside field measurements and remote sensing, agro-hydrological models have emerged as a particularly valuable resource for assessing and managing agricultural water demand. This study introduces WaterCROPv2, a state-of-the-art agro-hydrological model designed to estimate national-scale irrigation water demand while effectively balancing accuracy with practical data requirements. WaterCROPv2 incorporates innovative features such as hourly time-step computations, advanced rainwater canopy interception modeling, detailed soil-dependent leakage dynamics, and localized daily evapotranspiration patterns based on meteorological data. Through comprehensive analyses, WaterCROPv2 demonstrates significantly enhanced reliability in estimating irrigation water needs across various climatic regions, particularly under contrasting dry and wet conditions. Validation against independent data from the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) for maize cultivation in Italy in 2010 confirms the model’s accuracy and underscores its potential for broader international applications. A spatial analysis further reveals that the estimation errors align closely with regional precipitation patterns: the model tends to slightly underestimate irrigation needs in the wetter northern regions, whereas it somewhat overestimates demand in the drier southern areas. WaterCROPv2 has also been used to analyze irrigation water requirements for maize cultivation in Italy from 2005 to 2015, highlighting its significant potential as a strategic decision-support tool. The model identifies optimal cultivation areas, such as the Pianura Padana, where the irrigation requirements do not exceed 200 mm for the entire maize growing period, and unsuitable regions, such as Salentino, where over 500 mm per season are required due to the local climatic conditions. In addition, estimates of the water volumes required for the current extent of maize cultivation show that the Pianura Padana region demands nearly three times the amount of water used in the Salentino area. The model has also been used to identify regions where adopting efficient irrigation technologies could lead to substantial water savings. With micro-irrigation currently covering less than 18% of irrigated land, simulations suggest that a complete transition to this system could reduce the national water demand by 21%. Savings could reach 30–40% in traditionally water-rich regions that rely on inefficient irrigation practices but are expected to be increasingly exposed to temperature increases and precipitation shifts. The analysis shows that those regions currently lacking adequate irrigation infrastructure stand to gain the most from targeted irrigation system investments but also highlights how incentives where micro-irrigation is already widespread can provide further 5–10% savings. Full article

Current changes in climate are leading to increased deposition of water and snow, which increases the concerns of flooding in agricultural soils. One way to help avoid flooding of urban areas is the implementation of river diversion system. Although the practice of river diversion alleviates the potential for flooding in a specific area, it increases the potential for flooding in other areas. In many cases agricultural areas end up receiving the diverted water and flooding of agricultural soils happens. A cascade of events can take place when agricultural areas are flooded, which can significantly alter the productivity and even land-use potential of the areas receiving the diverted waters. This literature review has three separate sections: (i) the first section reviews manuscripts published in scientific journals relating the impact of flooding on soil properties; (ii) then the information gathered from the literature review is used to evaluate the potential impacts that flooding would have on agricultural land located within the area affected by a river diversion system; (iii) the third section information is presented for potential management practices that can be used to help determine if the land is being impacted and management practices that could be used to help in problem mitigation. This manuscript provides a general overview of potential implications of flooding and does not indicate with 100% certainty that the potential issues raised would happen at any given field used for agricultural production. Rather, this report provides what can potentially happen at any given field that is flooded in general. Specific site issues should be investigated individually for a more thorough assessment. Full article

Globally, land degradation represents both an environmental and socioeconomic challenge, necessitating continuous monitoring due to its impacts on ecosystem services. Given the substantial changes in land use and land cover in Maranhão, this study aimed to evaluate land degradation across the state between 2001 and 2023, based on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 15.3.1. To this end, we integrated data on land cover (LC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and land productivity (LP) using the Trends.Earth algorithm (v.2.1.16), based on datasets from the MapBiomas platform (collections 9 and Beta) and MODIS (MOD13Q1 product), along with the application of the RESTREND model for climate adjustment. The results indicated that 39.56% of Maranhão’s territory showed signs of degradation, particularly in the central and northwestern (NW) regions, as well as parts of the southern (S) region. Stable areas accounted for 26.39%, while 32.08% were classified as improving, with notable trends in the southern and southeastern (SE) regions, suggesting vegetation recovery and more sustainable land management practices. The integrated analysis of LC, SOC stocks, and land productivity sub-indicators revealed that environmental degradation in Maranhão is strongly driven by the conversion of natural ecosystems into agricultural and livestock areas, especially in the central-eastern and NW regions. In conclusion, the findings highlight a misalignment with the SDG 15.3.1 target but also point to zones of stability and recovery, indicating potential for mitigation, restoration, and the implementation of sustainable land management strategies. Full article

Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics and driving forces of ecosystem service values (ESVs) is essential for managing complex socioecological systems, particularly in biodiversity-rich mountainous protected areas. This study investigates the evolution and interactions of ESVs in the Qionglai–Daxiangling region (QDR) of China’s Giant Panda National Park (GPNP) from 1990 to 2020. Based on a revised equivalent factor method, we quantified ESV changes and analyzed trade-offs and synergies among provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services. A Random Forest (RF) model integrated with SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was employed to assess the relative importance and interpretability of climatic, topographic, and socioeconomic drivers. The results show that elevation, wind speed, and sunshine duration are the most influential variables affecting ESVs. Notably, synergistic relationships among ecosystem services have increased over the past three decades, reflecting the impacts of national ecological restoration initiatives such as the Returning Farmland to Forest Program (RFFP). The SHAP-based analysis further revealed the complex, nonlinear contributions of both environmental and anthropogenic factors. This study provides an interpretable modeling framework for diagnosing ESV dynamics in protected mountainous landscapes. The findings offer practical insights for adaptive management and evidence-based policymaking in national parks under changing environmental and socioeconomic conditions. To better capture the anthropogenic influences on ecosystem functionality in mountainous regions, future studies should incorporate fine-scale land use data and broaden the socioeconomic indicator set to include variables such as ecological compensation and conservation enforcement levels. Full article