Search Results (84)

Saproxylic beetles are key bioindicators of forest ecosystem quality and play essential roles in deadwood decomposition and nutrient cycling. However, their populations are increasingly threatened by habitat fragmentation, deadwood removal, and climate-driven environmental changes. For this reason, an integrated sampling method can increase the detection of species with varying ecological traits. We evaluated the effectiveness of integrative sampling methodologies to assess saproxylic beetle diversity within Sila National Park, a Mediterranean forest ecosystem of high conservation value, specifically in two beech forests and four pine forests. The sampling methods tested included Pan Traps (PaTs), Malaise Traps (MTs), Pitfall Traps (PTs), Bait Bottle Traps (BBTs), and Visual Census (VC). All specimens were identified to the species level whenever possible, using specialized dichotomous keys and preserved in the Entomological Collection TB, Unical. Various trap types captured a different number of species: the PaT collected 32 species, followed by the PT with 24, the MT with 16, the VC with 7, and the BBT with 5 species. Interestingly, biodiversity analyses conducted using PAST software version 4.17 revealed that PaTs and MTs recorded the highest biodiversity indices. The GLMM analysis, performed using SPSS software 29.0.1.0, demonstrated that various traps attracted different species with different abundances. By combining multiple trapping techniques, we documented a more comprehensive community composition compared to single-method approaches. Moreover, PaTs, MTs, and PTs recorded 20%, 40%, and 33% of the Near Threatened species, respectively. We report new records for Sila National Park, including the LC species Pteryngium crenulatum (Curculionidae) and the NT species Grynocharis oblonga (Trogossitidae). For the first time in Calabria, the LC species Triplax rufipes (Erotylidae) and the NT species Oxypleurus nodieri (Cerambycidae) and Glischrochilus quadrisignatus (Nitidulidae) were collected. Our results emphasize the importance of method diversity in capturing species with distinct ecological requirements and highlight the relevance of saproxylic beetles as indicators of forest health. These findings support the adoption of multi-method sampling protocols in forest biodiversity monitoring and management programs, especially in biodiversity-rich and structurally heterogeneous landscapes. Full article

The landscape of the Warmian municipality of Dobre Miasto has significant natural and cultural value. However, the municipality’s tourism potential remains untapped. The absence of comprehensive local zoning plans covering the entire municipality or most of its territory has disrupted the landscape, leading to the emergence of visually discordant elements. Due to rapid land-use changes in the Region of Warmia, the protection and preservation of its rich natural and cultural heritage are increasingly challenging. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of natural and cultural resources, as well as tourism infrastructure, on the development potential of rural tourism in Dobre Miasto municipality in Poland’s historical region of Warmia. Attempts were made to identify spatial disparities in tourism attractiveness and to determine the ways in which the local environmental and the cultural landscape may support sustainable tourism planning. The results provide valuable insights for implementing appropriate land-use strategies and setting new directions for future development. Tourism infrastructure has to be modernized, expanded, and adapted to new projects, while ensuring that planning and tourism management align with the principles of sustainable development. The growth of tourism creates new opportunities for stimulating rural areas, but it requires careful planning and the implementation of policies that effectively regulate tourist flows while maintaining ecological and cultural integrity. Full article

As urbanization has accelerated, rail transit has evolved from being a mere means of transportation to a public area that houses the city’s cultural memory and serves as a crucial portal for the public to understand the culture of the city. As an urban public space with huge passenger flow, the metro (or subway) cultural space has also become a public cultural space, serving communal welfare and representing the image of the city. It is currently attracting more and more attention from the academic community. Wuhan, located in central China, has many subway lines and its engineering construction has set several national firsts, which is a typical sample of urban subway development in China. In this study, we use Python 3.13.0 crawler technology to capture the public’s comments on cultural space of Wuhan metro in social media and adopt SnowNLP sentiment score and LDA thematic clustering analysis to explore the overall quality, distinct characteristics, and deficiencies of Wuhan metro cultural space construction, and propose targeted design optimization strategies based on this study. The main findings are as follows: (1) The metro cultural space is an important window for the public to perceive the city culture, and the public in general shows positive perception of emotions: among the 16,316 data samples, 47.7% are positive comments, 17.8% are neutral comments, and 34.5% are negative comments. (2) Based on the frequency of content in the sample data for metro station exit and entrance space, metro train space, metro concourse and platform space, they are ranked as weak cultural spaces (18%), medium cultural spaces (33%), and strong cultural spaces (49%) in terms of the public’s perception of urban culture. (3) At present, there are certain deficiencies in Wuhan metro cultural space: the circulation paths in concourses and platforms are overly dominant, leaving little space for rest or interaction; the cultural symbols of metro train space are fragmented; the way of articulation between cultural and functional space in the metro station exit and entrance space is weak, and the space is single in form. (4) Wuhan metro cultural space needs to be based on locality landscape expression, functional zoning reorganization, innovative scene creation to optimize the visual symbol system and behavioral symbol system in the space, to establish a good image of the space, and to strengthen the public’s cultural identity and emotional resonance. Full article

The Three-North Shelter Forest Program (TNSFP) is a large-scale ecological restoration project that has attracted worldwide attention. It covers 4.069 million km² across 13 provinces in northern China, including northwestern, north-central, and northeastern regions. Bibliometric analysis provides a structural overview of the research in this field and offers insights into key research fronts. We conducted a literature review of the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) from 1990 to 2024 using HistCite for a comprehensive literature analysis and CiteSpace for visualizing research trends and co-citation networks. Based on the literature data from the WoSCC, we performed a bibliometric visualization review of the TNSFP. We observe a rising trend in research on the TNSFP, with the number of publications steadily increasing, especially after 2011. Remote Sensing emerged as the leading journal during the study period, accounting for 8.84% of the total publications. China is the leading contributor to research in this field, comprising 99.32% of the publications, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) being the primary research institution, accounting for 36.05%. Research on the TNSFP is interdisciplinary, with Environmental Sciences serving as its primary focus. Ecological restoration and climate change are likely to be the main trends in future research. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the TNSFP’s research landscape, offering insights that can inform policy decisions, guide future research directions, and support on-the-ground conservation and afforestation strategies. Full article

This study focuses on the visual attention of residents and tourists to elements of urban landscapes from above. It screens out elements that attract viewers’ attention, assesses their aesthetics, and explores how these aesthetic evaluations affect the psychology of place identity. We tracked data from 30 participants, collected responses from 237 participants, and observed differences in visual behaviors and emotional connections to place identity. The results show that while residents and tourists exhibit similar visual behaviors when viewing the same landscape, they have large differences in their perceptual behaviors for different visual elements and have very different familiarity levels in the place identity dimension. Landmark buildings attract strong visual attention despite their low proportion in the overall landscape. Aesthetic factors such as the color vividness of elements like water, mountains, and landmark buildings significantly affect place identity. This study shows that combining eye-tracking and psychometric analysis can effectively evaluate urban landscape perception and provide valuable insights for visual planning and preservation efforts in historic neighborhoods. Full article

Invasive insect pests pose a significant threat to forest ecosystems. Effective pest management relies on detecting these pests, which can be challenging when populations are sparse, newly introduced, or not easily observable. The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula White), a recent invader to North America, has caused extensive damage across the eastern United States since its introduction in 2014. Conventional monitoring methods, such as traps or visual inspections, are limited in their spatial coverage and may not reliably attract or capture target species. In this study, we explored the potential of bat guano as an additional tool for invasive insect detection. We collected guano samples from five bat species across three forested sites in New Jersey, USA, between 2018 and 2022 and used species-specific quantitative PCR (qPCR) to detect spotted lanternfly DNA. Spotted lanternfly DNA was detected in guano from two bat species: big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) and eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis). Detection probability was strongly influenced by spotted lanternfly phenology, with higher detection rates occurring during the adult life stage. The detection of spotted lanternfly DNA in bat guano demonstrates the feasibility of using guano analysis as a complementary tool for insect pest surveillance. Integrating guano-based monitoring with traditional methods could enhance insect pest detection efforts across diverse forested and agricultural landscapes. Full article

Landscape visual evaluation is a key method for assessing the value of visual landscape resources. This study aims to enhance the visual environment and sensory quality of urban landscapes by establishing standards for the visual comfort of urban natural landscapes. Using line-of-sight and multi-factor analysis algorithms, the method assesses spatial visibility and visual exposure of building clusters in the core urban areas of Harbin, identifying areas and viewpoints with high visual potential. Focusing on the viewpoints of landmark 3D models and the surrounding landscape’s visual environment, the study uses the city’s sky, greenery, and water features as key visual elements for evaluating the comfort of urban natural landscapes. By integrating GIS data, big data street-view photos, and image semantic recognition, spatial analysis algorithms extract both objective and subjective visual values at observation points, followed by mathematical modeling and quantitative analysis. The study explores the coupling relationship between objective physical visual values and subjective perceived visibility. The results show that 3D visual analysis effectively reveals the relationship between landmark buildings and surrounding landscapes, providing scientific support for urban planning and contributing to the development of a more distinctive and attractive urban space. Full article

Urban street spaces play a crucial role in children’s daily commuting and social activities. Therefore, the design of these spaces must give more consideration to children’s perceptual preferences. Traditional street landscape perception studies often rely on subjective analysis, which lacks objective, data-driven insights. This study overcomes this limitation by using eye-tracking technology to evaluate children’s preferences more scientifically. We collected eye-tracking data from 57 children aged 6–12 as they naturally viewed 30 images depicting school commuting environments. Data analysis revealed that the proportions of landscape elements in different street types influenced the visual perception characteristics of children in this age group. On well-maintained main and secondary roads, elements such as minibikes, people, plants, and grass attracted significant visual attention from children. In contrast, commercial streets and residential streets, characterized by greater diversity in landscape elements, elicited more frequent gazes. Children’s eye-tracking behaviors were particularly influenced by vibrant elements like walls, plants, cars, signboards, minibikes, and trade. Furthermore, due to the developmental immaturity of children’s visual systems, no significant gender differences were observed in visual perception. Understanding children’s visual landscape preferences provides a new perspective for researching the sustainable development of child-friendly cities at the community level. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing the design of child-friendly streets. Full article

This study aimed to develop criteria for the expert assessment of the visual attractiveness of informal urban green spaces and compare these results with indicators derived from spectral indices and geospatial data. The research was conducted in Lublin, Poland, a medium-sized European city. The expert assessment evaluated the overall attractiveness, naturalness, landscape contrast, and uniqueness. The results were juxtaposed with spectral indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Leaf Area Index (LAI), and land surface temperature, which were calculated for the target areas and a 300 m buffer surrounding them. The analyses revealed strong correlations between the expert ratings and spectral indices. For example, overall attractiveness was linked to lower temperatures, while landscape contrast exhibited a relationship with temperature differentials. Moreover, areas with greater landscape contrast showed larger index differences between the site and the buffer. Positive correlations were also observed between attractiveness and land slope. Importantly, the spectral indices highlighted the ecological value of some sites that received lower expert assessments, such as areas dominated by shrubs and bushes. This research introduces the concept of ‘enchanted natural places’ (ENPs) as a framework for identifying and formalizing the protection of visually and ecologically valuable, informal green spaces. The integration of expert evaluations with spectral data provides a novel, robust methodology for assessing urban green spaces, bridging subjective perceptions and objective environmental indicators. This approach underscores the importance of informal green spaces not only for aesthetic and ecological benefits but also for supporting biodiversity and mitigating urban heat islands, contributing to urban resilience in the face of climate change. Full article

Throughout Europe, including Poland, Ixodes ricinus ticks are the main vector of numerous pathogenic agents that pose a serious threat to public health. Southern Poland attracts many tourists with its scenic landscapes and abundant recreational opportunities. These areas are ideal habitats for wild fauna, which serve as the main reservoirs and hosts for these pathogens and ticks. The large population and biodiversity of these hosts facilitate the proliferation of ticks. The aim of this study was to determine the potential exposure of humans to ticks and tick-borne pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia spp., along the nature-educational and tourist trails of the Poprad Landscape Park. From 2020 to 2021, ticks were collected using the flagging method on three tourist trails and nature-educational paths within the Poprad Landscape Park. DNA was isolated from 213 I. ricinus ticks using the ammonia method. To detect pathogens in ticks, PCR and nested PCR methods were used. To detect B. burgdorferi s.l. and A. phagocytophilum, two pairs of primers specific to the flaB gene fragment and 16S rRNA gene fragment were used, respectively. For Babesia spp. detection, primers specific to the 18S rRNA gene were used. The amplification products were separated electrophoretically and visualized under ultraviolet light. In total, among the 213 examined ticks, B. burgdorferi s.l. was detected in 31% of the samples. Neither A. phagocytophilum nor Babesia spp. were detected in the studied material. These results indicate a potentially high risk of ticks and tick-borne B. burgdorferi s.l. infections for residents and tourists in the recreational areas of the Poprad Landscape Park. Full article

With the acceleration of global aging, outdoor environments, especially urban green space’s planning and design, play a crucial role in not only promoting physical health but also significantly increasing the opportunities for social interactions for older adults. In recent years, the study of age-friendly outdoor environments has attracted increasing attention, with digital methods emerging as essential tools due to their precision and versatility. In this research, three parks in the Nankai District, Tianjin, are taken as the subject of a case study to explore the spatial factors that may exert influence on the behavior distribution of older adults in summery urban parks’ planning and design. With the behavior data of the older adults in the park collected using an Insta360 camera every hour (from 8 a.m. to 15 p.m.), the three parks are divided into a total of 49 areas for further analysis. Additionally, the visual indexes of the spatial syntax are analyzed with Depthmap 10, the sunlight conditions are analyzed with the Tangent model, and some other spatial factors, such as the green space ratio and the hard ground ratio, are calculated according to the semantic segmentation of the 360-degree panoramic view photo from the center of every area. SPSS and Gradient Boosting Decision Trees (GBDTs) are used to reveal not only the correlations between the sunlight conditions and the behavior distribution of behavior of the older adults, but also the importance ranking of spatial factors. Furthermore, some improvement strategies are proposed for spatial facility configuration, park furniture arrangement, rational hardscape planning, as well as greening and landscape design. By exploring how to improve the spatial planning and design of summery urban green space for older adults, this research provides guidance on the creation of urban green spaces in extremely hot weather that are not only visually appealing but also socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. Full article

Traditional villages in the Hakka region of Guangdong Province have attracted significant attention for their unique cultural heritage and traditional lifestyles. Their favourable audio-visual environments offer immersive and realistic experiences for both residents and visitors. Thus, we selected four representative villages and used semantic segmentation to extract the core visual elements (sky, vegetation, construction, and dynamic) from visual landscape images. Audio-visual interaction experiments and subjective surveys were conducted to investigate the participants’ evaluations of the visual landscape and soundscape to explore the mechanisms of audio-visual interaction. The results revealed that different audio-visual combinations significantly influenced the participants’ visual landscape satisfaction, acoustic comfort, and audio-visual harmony evaluations. Specifically, visual images of natural spaces with a high proportion of sky (24.54%) and vegetation (72.56%), matched with natural sounds (with a sound pressure level of approximately 55 dB) such as birdsong, wind, and flowing water, received excellent ratings for both visual landscape satisfaction and acoustic comfort evaluations. Moreover, the findings further revealed that coordination between visual and audio materials was crucial for enhancing the participants’ perceptions and assessments, highlighting the importance of audio-visual coordination in creating harmonious environments. These findings provide recommendations for spatial planning, landscape design, and soundscape optimisation in traditional villages. Full article

Flowers, as integral elements of urban landscapes, are critical not only for aesthetic purposes but also for fostering human–nature interactions in green spaces. However, research on flower color preferences has largely been descriptive, and there is a lack of exploration of potential mechanisms influencing flower color preferences, such as economic and social factors. This study created visual samples through precise color adjustment techniques and introduced the L*, a*, and b* parameters from the CIELAB color system to quantify the flower colors of the survey samples, conducting an online survey with 354 Chinese residents. The complex aesthetic process’s driving factors were unveiled through a comprehensive analysis using a Generalized Additive Model (GAM), a piecewise Structural Equation Model (SEM), and linear regression models. The results show that the public’s flower color preference is primarily related to the a* and b* parameters, which represent color dimensions in the CIELAB color space, and it is not significantly related to L* (lightness). Factors such as age, annual household income level (AI), personal income sources (PI), nature experience, and emotional state (TMD) significantly influence color preferences, with emotional state identified as the most critical factor. Lastly, linear regression models further explain the potential mechanism of the influencing factors. This study proposes a framework to assist urban planners in selecting flower colors that resonate with diverse populations, enhancing both the attractiveness of urban green spaces and their potential to promote pro-environmental behavior. By aligning flower color design with public preferences, this study contributes to sustainable urban planning practices aimed at improving human well-being and fostering deeper connections with nature. Full article

Urban ecology and heritage-protection space are important parts of urban land and should be highly emphasized in urban planning. Improving and upgrading the level of urban ecological and heritage-conservation space will directly affect the level of spatial quality of the built environment of the city. As a high-density city, Macau suffers from “urban diseases” such as a low per capita green space rate and poor quality of the human environment. Therefore, in order to solve this kind of urban disease, the green environment quality of Macau’s heritage space should be improved and more leisure and recreational space should be provided for urban residents. This paper examines the layout of cultural heritage open spaces in Macau and suggests strategies for planning the preservation and use of these critical resources. This study investigated the current status of open space resources in Macau’s offshore islands, cultural heritage space resources, eight Largo spaces (“Largo” is a unique term for urban public open space in Macau) in Macau’s historic city, site-based cultural heritage open spaces, and the current status of rural walking trails in the offshore islands’ ecological reserves, and used GIS technology to visualize the survey results. Last, this paper investigates the planning strategy for the sustainable use of Macau’s outlying island ecological reserves and proposes a “green network” to connect the main mountains, green areas, and coastal wetlands in Coloane with the natural space. In view of the heritage-conservation space of the Macau Peninsula, this paper proposes the planning strategy of constructing linear landscape and cultural routes and planning characteristic heritage streets and alleys. Through using cultural heritage buildings as nodes and connecting pedestrian streets and alleys, the planning mode of combining heritage attractions and streets and alleys is realized. Full article

Urban forest parks offer valuable spaces for walking activities that benefit both physical and mental health. However, trails in current park designs are often underutilised, and the scene layout does not fully meet the preferences of walkers. Therefore, understanding the connection between scene characteristics and walking preferences is essential. This study aimed to develop an ensemble protocol to assess the role of scene characteristics in walking preferences, using Shanghai Gongqing Forest Park as an illustrative example. A walking preference heat map was created using a combination of crowdsourced GPS data. The scene characteristics were quantified using panoramic photographs, drone orthophotos, computer vision, and deep learning techniques. Taking spatial dependence into account, the key findings include the following: (1) From an overhead view, the shortest paths, waterbody density, and recreational facility selection positively influenced walking preferences, while secondary asphalt trails had a negative effect. (2) At the eye level, aesthetically pleasing landscape elements, such as flowers and bridges, attracted more pedestrians, while closed trails were less favoured. (3) Eye-level features explained 43.5% of the variation in walking preference, with a stronger influence on walking preference compared to 22.4% for overhead features. (4) Natural elements were generally more significant than artificial ones; the feature ranking of significant impact was flowers > NACHr1000 > visual perception > water body density > bridge > SVF > retail > entertainment > asphalt. This study proposes a flexible protocol that provides urban forest park managers and planners with practical tools to create a more walker-friendly environment and more accurate trail alignment, as well as a solid empirical basis for assessing the use of urban forest parks. Full article