Search Results (7,526)

Rapid coastal urbanization poses severe threats to biodiversity through habitat fragmentation, making continuous monitoring of urban ecosystems essential. While birds serve as sensitive bio-indicators, the long-term spatiotemporal dynamics of their habitats and temporal shifts in environmental drivers remain poorly understood in high-density megacities. This study addresses this gap by developing a trend-explainable machine learning framework to evaluate avian habitat suitability across the western coast of Shenzhen from 2010 to 2020. We applied a standardized filtering protocol to citizen science data and integrated occupancy modeling with a Random Forest algorithm to simulate habitat distributions at 30 m resolution. Spatiotemporal habitat alterations were quantified using Mann–Kendall trend analysis, while SHAP was utilized to diagnose the changing importance and non-linear thresholds of ecological drivers over the decade. Our findings reveal pronounced spatial heterogeneity among six avian guilds. Habitat quality for terrestrial birds, raptors, and songbirds degraded severely in northern industrial regions, whereas targeted ecological restoration facilitated recovery in southern and western urban cores. The analysis further demonstrates dynamic temporal shifts in environmental responses. The restrictive impact of anthropogenic stressors including population density and nighttime light weakened for terrestrial and canopy-dwelling guilds but intensified for waterfowl. Concurrently, natural elements such as vegetation coverage and proximity to water bodies became increasingly important. Based on these spatiotemporal patterns, we delineated five ecological zones to guide targeted conservation interventions. This research provides an analytical framework linking predictive modeling with mechanistic insights, supporting evidence-based biodiversity conservation and sustainable urban planning in rapidly developing coastal landscapes. Full article

Background and Objectives: Laryngeal cancer imposes substantial inpatient costs in middle-income health systems. We described recent trends in laryngeal cancer hospitalizations in Romania, estimated hospital expenditure, and modeled the impact of prevention scenarios to 2035. Methods: We conducted an ecological analysis of 20,056 discharges diagnosed as laryngeal cancer (ICD-10 C32.x) between 2019 and 2023. Each episode was assigned a mean unit cost of 1100 USD, with age- and residence-specific adjustments, and re-priced using EU (3900 USD) and US (30,000 USD) tariffs. We derived annual costs and projected 2035 expenditure under three prevention scenarios. Results: Annual discharges fell from 5408 in 2019 to 3151–3212 in 2020–2021, then rose to 4409 in 2023, while inpatient spending ranged from 3.47 to 5.95 million USD, reaching 4.85 million USD in 2023 (22,200 USD/100,000 population). Re-pricing 2023 activity at EU and US unit costs yielded counterfactual totals of 17.20 and 132.27 million USD. Older adults (≥65 years) generated 47.6% of discharges and 49.1% of spending in 2023, and urban residence increased the odds of age ≥65 by 48% (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.40–1.57). Without new prevention, costs are projected to reach 12.60 million USD by 2035; a 30% smoking reduction and a combined package including radon mitigation and dysphonia screening would lower 2035 costs to 10.33 and 9.07 million USD. Conclusions: Demographic aging and sustained case volume will markedly increase hospital costs, while prevention scenarios are associated with lower projected inpatient expenditure. Full article

Surface dust samples were collected from bus stops and parking lots in different functional areas of Binzhou City, Shandong Province, China. This study investigated the contamination characteristics, source apportionment, and potential ecological and health risks of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in these dust samples. Eight target PTEs, including As, Zn, Pb, Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Mn, were quantitatively analyzed. The results revealed distinct concentration differences in these elements between bus stop dust and parking lot dust. Several PTEs exceeded the corresponding local soil background values, predominantly Zn, Pb, Cu, Cd and Cr. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Mn in bus stop dust were mainly sourced from traffic emissions, whereas As and Cd primarily originated from atmospheric deposition. For parking lot dust, Zn, Pb, Cu, Cd, Cr, and Mn were predominantly attributed to traffic sources, while As and Ni were mainly derived from natural background sources. The geo-accumulation index (I_geo) demonstrated that As, Cr, Ni, and Mn had negligible environmental impact, Pb, Cu, and Cd induced slight pollution, and Zn resulted in moderate pollution. Except for Cd, the average individual potential ecological risk index ($E_r^i$) values for all elements were below 40, suggesting a low ecological risk. Cd posed a moderate ecological hazard, whereas the comprehensive ecological risk index ($E_r^i$) values of all analyzed elements were at an extremely low level. The hazard index (HI) values via different exposure pathways and for all PTEs in both bus stops and parking lots were lower than 1, indicating no significant non-carcinogenic health risk. The carcinogenic risk ranking of elements was Cr > Cd > Ni > As, and their carcinogenic risk values (CR) via inhalation exposure were below 1 × 10⁻⁶, indicating no carcinogenic risk. This study provides a scientific basis for the environmental quality control and risk management of surface dust in urban bus stops and parking lots. Full article

Changes in urban form strongly affect surface thermal conditions, yet long-term quantitative assessments of this relationship, particularly the role of ventilation resistance, remain limited. To address this gap, this study integrates XGBoost, SHapley Additive explanations (SHAP), and multi-scale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) to examine how six morphological, ecological, and human-activity factors influence land surface temperature (LST) in Kaifeng City. The results indicate three main findings. First, LST increased significantly from 1986 to 2024, while interannual variability declined, indicating a gradual reduction in regional thermal fluctuations. Second, NTL was consistently the dominant indicator across the five representative years, while BF and NTL together captured the effects of urban expansion and intensified human activity. Third, FAD coefficients were more spatially heterogeneous in urban fringe areas than in the urban core. In 2020, the dispersion of FAD coefficients in fringe areas was 2.74 times greater than that in the central area, indicating stronger spatial differentiation in ventilation-related morphological constraints during urban expansion. Although FAD made only a modest contribution to overall predictive accuracy, it provided supplementary diagnostic information not captured by conventional density indicators and showed nonlinear, directional, and spatially heterogeneous responses. Compared with previous studies that mainly examined short-term or single-dimensional relationships between urban morphology and LST, this study integrates building densification, ventilation-related morphological resistance, ecological conditions, and human activity intensity into a long-term LST-driver framework, providing evidence to support heat-risk management during urban regeneration and outward expansion. Full article

Long-standing studies of historical cultural spaces have primarily focused on the preservation of heritage objects and landscapes, while insufficient attention has been paid to the structural relationships, land-use transformations, and cultural–ecological processes that sustain their long-term continuity. Taking the World Heritage site of Lijiang as a case, this study develops a three-dimensional structural decoding framework composed of spatial base, spatial network, and spatial entity, together with an analytical pathway of “Identification–Interpretation–Evaluation–Synthesis–Practice.” By integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches with multi-source data, the study establishes an evidence chain linking historical processes and contemporary conditions to examine the formation mechanisms, continuity, and contemporary deviations of Lijiang’s historical cultural space. The results show that terrain–habitat adaptability, water system coupling, and environmental risk avoidance shaped environmental adaptation; historical corridors, landscape perception, and core node associations organized spatial networks; and functional diversity, cultural capital agglomeration, and spatial-scale compatibility supported entity-based spatial practices. Although tourism development, urban expansion, and land-use transformation have not completely dismantled these historical relationships, they have caused localized deviations in ecological boundaries, path continuity, visual connections, functional vitality, and spatial scale. This study argues that the governance of historical cultural spaces should shift from preserving isolated heritage objects to sustaining cultural–ecological relationships that support memory, identity, spatial practice, and adaptive land governance. Full article

Urban pigeons (Columba livia) are widely distributed synanthropic birds closely associated with environments of intense human activity, raising interest in their role in urban microbial dynamics. Here, we characterized the fecal bacterial microbiota of urban pigeons from northern Mexico using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (V3–V4). A total of 1479 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were identified across five pooled samples. Alpha diversity varied among pools, with observed richness ranging from 228 to 514 ASVs. The bacterial community was dominated by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, particularly Escherichia–Shigella and Enterococcus. PICRUSt2-based functional predictions suggested a predominance of predicted metabolic pathways related to carbohydrate degradation and energy acquisition. Conservative taxonomic screening identified 58 gut-associated taxa, including 15 bacteria previously reported in association with humans; however, only three (Clostridium perfringens, Enterococcus faecalis, and Proteus mirabilis) showed reported zoonotic associations, all at very low relative abundances (<0.07%). These findings indicate that the fecal bacterial communities characterized in this study were dominated by taxa commonly associated with the avian gastrointestinal tract, whereas taxa that could be conservatively linked to documented zoonotic reports represented only a minor fraction of the detected microbiota. Overall, the results contribute to a more ecologically informed understanding of urban pigeon-associated microbiota within a One Health framework. Full article

The present study investigates the presence, sources, and impacts of microplastics (MPs) in different soil types, including agricultural, urban, and forest areas, through a synthesis of results of published scientific papers. MPs originate from a variety of human activities, such as the widespread use of plastic mulch in agriculture and the application of organic fertilizers and treated sewage sludge, as well as from vehicle tire wear, industrial processes, and the gradual degradation of plastic products in the environment. In urban soils, the main sources of MPs are related to road traffic, industrial activity, and landfills, while in forest soils, concentrations are generally lower. However, MPs in forest areas are thought to be carried there by the air, by runoff, or from nearby areas with human activity. Available data show that larger MP particles tend to remain in the surface layers of the soil, while smaller particles can penetrate deeper soil layers, increasing their bioavailability and the likelihood of interaction with microorganisms and plant root systems. In terms of their chemical composition, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) polymers dominate in agricultural soils, which is directly linked to agricultural practices, while polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are more frequently detected in urban soils. The morphological types of MPs include fragments, fibers, and films, while their color characteristics provide clues to possible sources of origin, such as plastic ground covers, tire wear, and packaging materials. Overall, the study’s results underscore the growing environmental significance of MP soil pollution and highlight the need for more effective management and recycling of plastic materials, as well as for further interdisciplinary research aimed at understanding the mechanisms of transport, accumulation, and long-term ecological effects of microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems. Full article

For advancing carbon peaking and neutrality objectives and regional socio-ecological sustainability, it is critical to examine how land use change and ecosystem carbon storage may evolve under different development scenarios, and to reveal the spatiotemporal patterns and key drivers of carbon sink capacity across the Lower Yangtze River Basin. Such analysis bears both substantial scientific insight and practical relevance. By coupling the PLUS, InVEST, and Geographical Detector models, the present study conducted a comprehensive assessment of land use and carbon storage dynamics in the Lower Yangtze River region from 2000 to 2025. We further explored how different factors drive the spatiotemporal variation in carbon storage, and predicted the potential land use patterns and associated carbon storage values in the research area by 2030 under three hypothetical scenarios. Collectively, our analysis yielded four core conclusions. (1) Between 2000 and 2025, the land use transformation in the research area was dominated by the continuous shrinkage of arable land and the expansion of construction land. (2) The total carbon storage in the study area declined steadily throughout the study period, showing distinct phased characteristics with a steep drop in the early stage and a slower decline thereafter. (3) Implementing the S2 scenario could effectively curb regional carbon storage loss, whereas the S3 Scenario would result in the most severe carbon stock depletion. (4) The spatial configuration of carbon storage is primarily structured by natural environmental factors. In light of these research outcomes, several recommendations are proposed to guide regional sustainable development. Specifically, efforts should be made to improve the intensive use of urban construction land, thereby minimizing carbon storage loss caused by urbanization. Additionally, develop scientific and targeted ecological conservation policies based on the spatial distribution patterns of high carbon storage zones. Finally, implementing regionally tailored management measures will help achieve coordinated and sustainable development across the study area. Full article

Pesticide contamination in urban runoff, stormwater, and peri-urban drainage networks is an increasing concern because of the persistence, mobility, and ecological toxicity of many pesticide residues and their transformation products. Nature-based solutions (NBSs), including constructed wetlands, bioretention systems, biofilters, and permeable reactive bio-barriers, provide low-energy and ecologically compatible platforms for urban water treatment; however, their performance is often constrained by limited sorption capacity, substrate saturation, variable hydraulic loading, and incomplete degradation of persistent pesticides. Biochar offers a multifunctional amendment for strengthening these systems because its tunable porosity, surface functionality, mineral composition, redox activity, and microbial habitat-forming capacity can support pesticide adsorption, catalytic transformation, and biodegradation. This review critically evaluates biochar-integrated NBSs for pesticide-contaminated urban water systems by linking biochar production and modification strategies with pesticide removal mechanisms, biochar–microbe interactions, engineered treatment configurations, and field-scale applicability. A comparative synthesis is provided across material-level mechanisms, system-level performance, machine learning-assisted prediction, techno-economic feasibility, life-cycle impacts, and environmental risk considerations. By integrating material properties, removal mechanisms, NBS configurations, predictive modeling, sustainability assessment, and risk considerations, this review provides a broader comparative basis than previous studies focused mainly on individual aspects of biochar-based pesticide remediation. Future priorities include standardized biochar production, long-term field validation, spent-biochar management, ecotoxicological assessment, and data-driven optimization of biochar-assisted NBSs. Full article

Both domestic and wild animals are frequently affected by accidental, intentional, or illegal poisoning globally, but data from some regions, including Italy, remain scarce. This study aimed to characterize animal poisoning events in a central Italian region over the period 2011–2020. A total of 2722 suspected cases were analyzed, of which 51.3% were confirmed positive for at least one poison. Among the 1397 confirmed cases, 863 animal carcasses and 534 poisoned baits were recorded, corresponding to 762 distinct poisoning events. The most frequently involved toxicants were metaldehyde, carbamates, and organophosphorus pesticides, followed by anticoagulant rodenticides and other compounds. Spatial analysis revealed distinct patterns in the use of toxicants. Sub-regional areas encompassing national and regional parks were primarily associated with agricultural pesticides, whereas urban areas were dominated by metaldehyde and anticoagulant rodenticides. These differences suggest that, in addition to their illegal nature, poisoning events may reflect underlying socio-environmental conflicts between humans and animals. The results highlight the value of an interdisciplinary approach to mitigate poisoning, involving coordinated efforts among scientific, veterinary, enforcement, and public stakeholders. Such strategies could reduce both the frequency and ecological impact of this illegal practice. Full article

Urban ecological resilience (UER) has become a central concern in rapidly urbanizing regions where development pressures increasingly interact with ecological constraints. Focusing on the Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration (GPUA), a semi-arid urban agglomeration in western China, this study examines the non-static and locally heterogeneous drivers of UER across 11 prefecture-level cities from 2000 to 2023. UER is measured through resistance, adaptability, and recovery. An extended STIRPAT model, Elastic Net with stability selection, two-way fixed-effects period interactions, and Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) are integrated to identify robust drivers, test post-2011 shifts, and estimate city-year local associations. Residual Moran’s I diagnostics and Spatial Lag GTWR (SLM-GTWR) are used as supplementary checks. The results show that UER remains relatively stable at the aggregate regional level but becomes increasingly divergent across cities. Ten robust drivers are retained, with fiscal investment intensity, human capital, medical and health level, and total energy consumption emerging as key variables. Period heterogeneity results indicate that fiscal investment becomes more favorably associated with UER after 2011, while the marginal association of energy consumption weakens. GTWR reveals clear local heterogeneity: human capital shows the most stable positive association, medical and health level remains generally negative, fiscal investment is positive but context-dependent, and energy consumption is predominantly negative but locally differentiated. Supplementary spatial diagnostics suggest that the GTWR specification captures the main spatiotemporal structure of UER, while spatial-lag checks broadly support the robustness of the local coefficient patterns, although estimates of spatial interaction remain sensitive to how inter-city linkages are defined. These findings indicate that UER drivers are dynamic rather than fixed, with resilience formation shaped mainly by governance-regime shifts and localized heterogeneity. The study contributes a sequential screening–heterogeneity framework for identifying non-static resilience drivers and suggests that resilience governance should combine stage-sensitive policy adjustment, place-based intervention, and regional coordination where ecological functions and environmental risks cross administrative boundaries. Full article

Land-use change poses a growing threat to ecological security, yet existing regional assessments often rely on a single ecological indicator and lack direct linkage to territorial spatial planning. This study develops an integrated ESV–ERI framework coupled with quadrant zoning to provide spatially explicit, planning-compatible guidance for ecological protection in tropical island regions. Taking Hainan, China, as a case study, this research draws on land-use data from 1994 to 2024, applying ESV and ERI assessments coupled with Z-score standardization to examine their spatiotemporal evolution characteristics. The results indicate the following: (1) forest land persistently dominated land use (>63%), while construction land expanded by 197.68% and forest land and grassland decreased by 9.36% and 93.78%, respectively. (2) ESV showed a downward trend, decreasing by 14.683 billion yuan, with forest land accounting for over 83% of total ESV. Spatially, ESV exhibited a “high inland, low coast” pattern, with high-value zones across inland water bodies and central nature reserves and low-value zones in coastal urban agglomerations. (3) ERI increased from 0.0371 to 0.0539, with low-risk zones in the middle mountains and high-risk zones around the island. (4) Based on the dual dimensions of ESV and ERI, the entire island was delineated into four ecological zones. These findings provide scientific decision support for territorial spatial planning and differentiated ecological protection in tropical island regions. Full article

Existing studies of China’s overarching ideological framework for national development, “Ecological Civilization”, have focused narrowly on environmental governance; how it reshapes sustainable rural development remains underexplored. This paper pursues two analytically distinct tasks. First, it reconstructs the policy history of how President Xi Jinping’s “Two Mountains” theory was incorporated into the Eco-civilization framework and how Zhejiang Province’s “Green Rural Revival” (GRR) program, as a lived example of Eco-civilization, was elevated as the national template for rural development in 2024. Second, drawing on three cases from a sample of 21 villages in Zhejiang, it identifies three core practices of GRR and conceptualizes it as a post-productivist project: withdrawal from extractivist production, restoration of ecological resources, and development of facilities catering to urban consumption. We argue that GRR has directed rural development in Zhejiang toward a post-productivist transition and question the model’s replicability and sustainability as the central government promotes it nationwide. Full article

Bats (Chiroptera) account for approximately 25% of all known mammalian species and provide essential ecological services, including insect regulation, pollination, and seed dispersal. Despite their importance, they face significant conservation threats and persistently negative social perceptions. Owing to their innate immunity and tolerance, bats constitute a particularly efficient natural reservoir for a wide variety of potentially zoonotic viruses. Over the past two decades, bat-associated viruses have been central to multiple outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases. From severe acute respiratory syndromes to filoviral hemorrhagic fevers, bats have consistently acted as key reservoirs in pathogen emergence. This has further damaged the public perception of bats as dangerous animals and vectors of serious diseases, in some cases leading to increased persecution of their populations. However, spillover events should not be attributed to bats, but rather to human-driven environmental changes—including deforestation, land-use transformation, agricultural intensification, urban expansion, biodiversity loss, wildlife trade and research biosecurity—that amplify contact among humans, livestock, and wildlife or their potential zoonotic pathogens. Safeguarding bat populations, minimizing direct interactions with wildlife, and preserving intact ecosystems are critical not only for bat conservation but also for reducing zoonotic spillover risk. Furthermore, it is essential to strengthen social communication regarding the importance of bats, in order to counteract their negative reputation and promote greater public understanding of their ecological value. This article reviews health, sociological, and conservation dimensions of the issue, situating them within a broader context to provide an integrated, multidisciplinary understanding. Potential solutions and priority directions for future research are also discussed. Full article

Urbanization is a major driver of land-use change and ecological shifts, especially in semi-arid regions with high environmental sensitivity. This study examined urban land growth and its ecological impacts in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 2000 to 2020 and forecasted trends for 2030. Landsat imagery was classified using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) approach, and ecological conditions were assessed through spectral indices, including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), land surface temperature (LST), a Tasseled Cap Wetness index (Wet), and a Normalized Difference Bare-Soil and Built-up Index (NDBSI). The Future Land Use Simulation (CA–Markov) model simulated land use under Business-as-Usual (BAU) and Ecological Priority (EP) scenarios. The results showed a significant increase in built-up land, mainly at the expense of cropland and grassland, with increased landscape fragmentation and rising LST, indicating intensifying urban heat. Ecological indices showed spatially varied responses, with localized greening in protected areas and overall environmental pressure in expanding zones. Scenario simulations suggest that policy interventions under the EP scenario can mitigate cropland loss, limit fragmentation, and enhance ecological connectivity compared with BAU. Overall, the findings show that integrating remote sensing, machine learning, and scenario modeling offers an effective framework for assessing urban–ecological dynamics and supports evidence-based planning for sustainable urban development in semi-arid cities. Full article