Search Results (1,896)

Water-related ecosystem services provide a broad range of benefits, including the mitigation of extreme hydrometeorological events, the provision of water for various uses, the support of tourism, and the provision of cultural services. This study assesses the perceptions and accessibility of these services among communities located near the Alafiarou and Okpara dams in Benin and the Bagré dam in Burkina Faso. The methodology involved designing and implementing a questionnaire in KoboCollect, with trained agents deployed to conduct data collection at each of the three sites. Data analysis indicates that respondents identified biodiversity conservation and the provision of drinking water as the most crucial ecosystem services. Over two-thirds of participants reported observing both positive and negative changes in the services provided by rivers and in socio-economic activities since the construction of the dams. While the majority noted improvements in agriculture, irrigation, water quality, fisheries, and flow rates, other changes included biodiversity loss, a decrease in vegetation cover (notably trees and shrubs), an increase in the population of mosquitoes and other insects, and a decline in fishery resources downstream. Despite these challenges, local communities were strongly willing to participate in initiatives aimed at protecting and restoring river ecosystems and their related services. Full article

Contamination of food with heavy metals is an important factor leading to serious health concerns. Rapid identification of these heavy metals is of utmost priority. There are several methods to identify traces of heavy metals in food. Conventional methods for the detection of heavy metal residues have their limitations in terms of cost, analysis time, and complexity. In the last decade, voltammetric analysis has emerged as the most prominent electrochemical determination method for heavy metals. Voltammetry is a reliable, cost-effective, and rapid determination method. This review provides a detailed primer on recent advances in the development and application of graphene-based electrochemical sensors for heavy metal monitoring over the last decade. We critically examine aspects of graphene modification (fabrication process, stability, cost, reproducibility) and analytical properties (sensitivity, selectivity, rapid detection, lower detection, and matrix effects) of these sensors. Furthermore, to our knowledge, meta-analyses were performed for the first time for all investigated parameters, categorized based on graphene materials and heavy metal types. We also examined the pass–fail criteria according to the WHO drinking water guidelines. In addition, the effects of heavy metal toxicity on human health and the environment are discussed. Finally, the contribution of heavy metal contamination to the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) stated by the United Nations in 2015 is discussed in detail. The results confirm the significant impact of heavy metal contamination across twelve SDGs. This review critically examines the existing knowledge in this field and highlights significant research gaps and future opportunities. It is intended as a resource for researchers working on graphene-based electrochemical sensors for the detection of heavy metals in food safety, with the ultimate goal of improving consumer health protection. Full article

To ensure water source security and sustainability of the national major strategic project “South-to-North Water Diversion”, this study aims to evaluate the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of the ecosystem service value (ESV) in its water source area from 2002 to 2022. This study reveals its changing trends and main influencing factors, and thereby provides scientific support for the ecological protection and management of the water source area. Quantitative assessment of the ESV of the region was carried out using the Equivalence Factor Method (EFM), aiming to provide scientific support for ecological protection and resource management decision-making. In the past 20 years, the ESV has shown an upward trend year by year, increasing by 96%. The regions with the highest ESV were Garzê Prefecture and Aba Prefecture, which increased by 130.3% and 60.6%, respectively. The ESV of Xinlong county, Danba county, Rangtang county, and Daofu county increased 4.8 times, 1.5 times, 12.5 times, and 8.9 times, respectively. In the last two decades, arable land has decreased by 91%, while the proportions of bare land and water have decreased by 84% and 91%, respectively. Grassland had the largest proportion. Forests and grasslands, vital for climate regulation, water cycle management, and biodiversity conservation, have expanded by 74% and 43%, respectively. It can be seen from Moran’s I index values that the dataset as a whole showed a slight positive spatial autocorrelation, which increased from −0.041396 to 0.046377. This study reveals the changing trends in ESV and the main influencing factors, and thereby provides scientific support for the ecological protection and management of the water source area. Full article

Environmental protection has become one of the key challenges of our time. This has led to an increase in pro-environmental activities in the field of cosmetics and household chemicals, where manufacturers are increasingly trying to meet the expectations of consumers who are aware of the potential risks associated with the production of cosmetics and household chemistry products. This is one of the most important challenges of today’s industry, given that some of the raw materials still commonly used, such as surfactants, may be toxic to aquatic organisms. Many companies are choosing to use natural raw materials that have satisfactory performance properties but are also environmentally friendly. In addition, modern products are also characterized by reduced consumption of water, resources, and energy in production processes. These measures reduce the carbon footprint and reduce the amount of plastic packaging required. In the present study, seven formulations of environmentally friendly car shampoo concentrates were developed, based entirely on mixtures of bio-based surfactants. The developed formulations were tested for application on the car body surface, allowing the selection of the two best products. For these selected formulations, an in-depth physicochemical analysis was carried out, including pH, density, and viscosity measurements. Comparison of the results with commercial products available on the market was also performed. Additionally, using the multiple light scattering method, the foamability and foam stability were determined for the car shampoos developed. The results obtained indicate the very high application potential of the products under study, which combine high performance and environmental concerns. Full article

The ongoing advancement of urbanization has significantly amplified its impacts on the water environment. Understanding the coupling relationships between urbanization and the water environment (UAWE) is crucial for Chinese policymakers aiming to promote sustainable urban development. In this study, a comprehensive UAWE evaluation model was developed to examine the development trajectories in Neijiang City from 2012 to 2022. Methodologically, a comprehensive evaluation approach was applied to assess urbanization and water resource trends over this period, followed by the development of a Coupling Coordination Degree Model (CCDM) to quantify their synergistic relationship. The results showed that the coupling between the comprehensive urbanization index and the water environment system evolved over time, as reflected in the following key findings: (1) Neijiang underwent three distinct stages from 2012 to 2022 in terms of coupling and coordination between urbanization and the water environment: Basic Coordination (2012–2015), Good Coordination (2016–2020), and Excellent Coordination (2020–2022). (2) Urbanization exerted varying impacts on subsystems of the water environment, with the pressure-response subsystems exhibiting marked volatility from 2012 to 2022. The impact intensity followed the order spatial urbanization > economic urbanization > social urbanization > population urbanization. These findings offer valuable theoretical and practical insights for aligning urban sustainability goals with effective water environment protection measures. This study provides essential guidance for policymakers in Neijiang and similar regions, enabling the development of tailored strategies for sustainable urbanization and enhanced water management. Full article

Habitat fragmentation restricts the movement of large mammals across broad landscapes, leading to isolation of individuals or groups, reduced interaction with other species, and limited access to vital resources in surrounding habitats. In this study, we aimed to determine the wildlife ecological corridors for five large mammals (Ursus arctos, Cervus elaphus, Capreolus capreolus, Sus scrofa, and Canis lupus) between Kastamonu Ilgaz Mountain Wildlife Refuge and Gavurdağı Wildlife Refuge. In the field studies, we used the transect, indirect observation, and camera-trap methods to collect presence data. Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) (v. 3.4.1) software was used to create habitat suitability models of the target species, which are based on the presence-only data approach. The results indicated that AUC values varied between 0.808 and 0.835, with water sources, stand type, and slope contributing most significantly to model performance. In order to determine wildlife ecological corridors, resistance surface maps were created using the species distribution models (SDMs), and bottleneck areas were determined. The Circuit Theory approach was used to model the connections between ecological corridors. As a result of this study, we developed connectivity models for five large mammals based on Circuit Theory, identified priority wildlife ecological corridors, and evaluated critical connection points between two protected areas, Ilgaz Mountain Wildlife Refuge and Gavurdağı Wildlife Refuge. These findings highlight the essential role of ecological corridors in sustaining landscape-level connectivity and supporting the long-term conservation of wide-ranging species. Full article

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) was designed to protect the quality of all water resources. For reservoirs, the ecological potential classification assesses biological parameters, evaluating only the phytoplankton community. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of using fish communities to determine water quality in reservoirs. A literature review was conducted to gather information on how fish community data were integrated into reservoir water quality assessment under the WFD. This work includes an exploratory case study of the Aguieira Reservoir (Portugal), evaluating the ichthyofauna community, along with physical, chemical, and biological assessment of the water. The results of the review show that fish abundance and composition (sensitive metrics) should be used to develop ecological indices for assessing water quality in reservoirs. However, the effects of anthropogenic pressures and invasive species are not included in the calculation of most proposed indices. The case study serves as an illustrative example and demonstrates low abundance and composition of the fish community with a high percentage of invasive species, revealing a poor water quality, regarding ichthyofauna biotic index results (F-IBIP). Nevertheless, including these metrics in the classification of ecological potential can help guide restoration strategies to mitigate the effects of anthropogenic pressures. Full article

The use of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model driven by China Meteorological Assimilation Driving Datasets (CMADS) for runoff simulation research is of great significance for regional flood prevention and control. Therefore, from the perspective of production-living-ecological space, this article combined multi-source data such as DEM, soil texture and land use type, in order to construct scenarios of territorial spatial change (TSC) across distinct periods. Based on the CMADS-L40 data and the SWAT model, it simulated the runoff dynamics in the Xitiaoxi River Basin, and analyzed the hydrological response characteristics under different TSCs. The results showed that The SWAT model, driven by CMADS-L40 data, demonstrated robust performance in monthly runoff simulation. The coefficient of determination (R²), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE), and the absolute value of percentage bias (|PBIAS|) during the calibration and validation period all met the accuracy requirements of the model, which validated the applicability of CMADS-L40 data and the SWAT model for runoff simulation at the watershed scale. Changes in territorial spatial patterns are closely correlated with runoff variation. Changes in agricultural production space and forest ecological space show statistically significant negative correlation with runoff change, while industrial production space change exhibits a significant positive correlation with runoff change. The expansion of production space, particularly industrial production space, leads to increased runoff, whereas the enlargement of agricultural production space and forest ecological space can reduce runoff. This article contributes to highlighting the role of land use policy in hydrological regulation, providing a scientific basis for optimizing territorial spatial planning to mitigate flood risks and protect water resources. Full article

While water conservancy projects continuously enhance flood control and resource allocation capabilities, the adverse impacts on basin systems, particularly the structural disruption of surface water–groundwater continuity, have become increasingly pronounced. Therefore, establishing quantitative assessment of water system connectivity as a critical foundation for optimizing spatial water distribution, maintaining ecohydrological equilibrium, and enhancing flood–drought regulation efficacy is important. Focusing on the regulated reaches of the Panjiakou, Daheiting, and Taolinkou reservoirs in the Luan River Basin, this study established and integrated a three-dimensional assessment framework that synthesizes hydrological processes, hydraulic structural effects, and human activities as three fundamental drivers, and employed the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to develop a quantitative connectivity evaluation system. Results indicate that water conservancy projects significantly altered basin connectivity: surface water connectivity decreased by 0.40, while groundwater connectivity experienced a minor reduction (0.25) primarily through reservoir seepage. Consequently, the integrated surface–groundwater system declined by 0.39. Critically, project scale governs surface connectivity attenuation intensity, which substantially exceeds impacts on groundwater systems. The comprehensive assessment system developed in this study provides theoretical and methodological support for diagnosing river connectivity, formulating ecological restoration strategies, and protecting basin ecosystems. Full article

Coal gangue, a major by-product of coal mining, poses significant environmental challenges due to its large-scale accumulation, land occupation, and potential for air and water pollution. This manuscript presents a comprehensive overview of continuous chamber gangue storage technology as a sustainable mining solution for coal mines. The principles of this approach emphasize minimizing disturbance to overlying strata, enabling uninterrupted mining operations, and reducing both production costs and environmental risks. By storing the surface or underground gangue in continuous chambers, the proposed method ensures the roof stability, maximizes the waste storage, and prevents the interaction between mining and waste management processes. Detailed storage sequences and excavation methods are discussed, including continuous and jump-back excavation strategies tailored to varying roof conditions. The process flows for both underground and ground-based chamber storage are described, highlighting the integration of gangue crushing, paste preparation, and pipeline transport for efficient underground storage. In a case study with annual storage of 500,000 t gangue, the annual economic benefit reached CNY 1,111,425,000. This technology not only addresses the urgent need for sustainable coal gangue management, but also aligns with the goals of resource conservation, ecological protection, and the advancement of green mining practices in the coal industry. Full article

The ecosystem services (ESs) of forests are the benefits that people derive from forest ecosystems. Their precise recognition is important for differentiating and determining the optimal principles of multifunctional forest management. The aim of this study is to identify some important ESs based on a site classification system at the lowest level—i.e., forest stands, at the forest owner level—as a tool for differentiated management. ESs were assessed within the Czech Republic and are expressed in units in accordance with the very sophisticated Forest Site Classification System. (1) Biomass production: The vertical differentiation of ecological conditions given by vegetation tiers, which reflect the influence of altitude, exposure, and climate, provides a basic overview of biomass production; the highest value is in the fourth vegetation tier, i.e., the Fageta abietis community. Forest stands are able to reach a stock of up to 900–1200 m³·ha⁻¹. The lowest production is found in the eighth vegetation tier, i.e., the Piceeta community, with a wood volume of 150–280 m³·ha⁻¹. (2) Soil conservation function: Geological bedrock, soil characteristics, and the geomorphological shape of the terrain determine which habitats serve a soil conservation function according to forest type sets. (3) The hydricity of the site, depending on the soil type, determines the hydric-water protection function of forest stands. Currently, protective forests occupy 53,629 ha in the Czech Republic; however, two subcategories of protective forests—exceptionally unfavorable locations and natural alpine spruce communities below the forest line—potentially account for 87,578 ha and 15,277 ha, respectively. Forests with an increased soil protection function—a subcategory of special-purpose forests—occupy 133,699 ha. The potential area of soil protection forests could be up to 188,997 ha. Water resource protection zones of the first degree—another subcategory of special-purpose forests—occupy 8092 ha, and there is potentially 289,973 ha of forests serving a water protection function (specifically, a water management function) in the Czech Republic. A separate subcategory of water protection with a bank protection function accounts for 80,529 ha. A completely new approach is presented for practical use by forest owners: based on the characteristics of the habitat, they can obtain information about the fulfillment of the habitat’s ecosystem services and, thus, have basic information for the determination of forest categories and the principles of differentiated management. Full article

In response to the global ecological and agricultural challenges posed by coastal saline-alkali areas, this study focuses on Dongying City as a representative region, aiming to develop a high-precision soil salinity prediction mapping method that integrates multi-source remote sensing data with machine learning techniques. Utilizing the SCORPAN model framework, we systematically combined diverse remote sensing datasets and innovatively established nine distinct strategies for soil salinity prediction. We employed four machine learning models—Support Vector Regression (SVR), Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Geographical Gaussian Process Regression (GGPR) for modeling, prediction, and accuracy comparison, with the objective of achieving high-precision salinity mapping under complex vegetation cover conditions. The results reveal that among the models evaluated across the nine strategies, the SVR model demonstrated the highest accuracy, followed by RF. Notably, under Strategy IX, the SVR model achieved the best predictive performance, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.62 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.38 g/kg. Analysis based on SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values and feature importance indicated that Vegetation Type Factors contributed significantly and consistently to the model’s performance, maintaining higher importance than traditional salinity indices and playing a dominant role. In summary, this research successfully developed a comprehensive, high-resolution soil salinity mapping framework for the Dongying region by integrating multi-source remote sensing data and employing diverse predictive strategies alongside machine learning models. The findings highlight the potential of Vegetation Type Factors to enhance large-scale soil salinity monitoring, providing robust scientific evidence and technical support for sustainable land resource management, agricultural optimization, ecological protection, efficient water resource utilization, and policy formulation. Full article

Small reservoirs have important functions, such as water resource guarantee, flood control and drought resistance, biological habitat and maintaining regional economic development. In order to better clarify the impact of agricultural activities on the nutritional status of water bodies in small reservoirs, zooplankton were quantitatively collected from four small reservoirs in the Jiuxianshan agricultural area of Qufu, Shandong Province, in March and October 2023, respectively. The physical and chemical parameters in sampling points were determined simultaneously. Meanwhile, water samples were collected for nutrient salt analysis, and the eutrophication of water bodies in four reservoirs was evaluated using the comprehensive nutrient status index method. The research found that the species richness of zooplankton after farming (100 species) was significantly higher than that before farming (81 species) (p < 0.05). On the contrary, the dominant species of zooplankton after farming (7 species) were significantly fewer than those before farming (11 species). The estimation results of the standing stock of zooplankton indicated that the abundance and biomass of zooplankton after farming (92.72 ind./L, 0.13 mg/L) were significantly higher than those before farming (32.51 ind./L, 0.40 mg/L) (p < 0.05). Community similarity analysis based on zooplankton abundance (ANOSIM) indicated that there were significant differences in zooplankton communities before and after farming (R = 0.329, p = 0.001). The results of multi-dimensional non-metric sorting (NMDS) showed that the communities of zooplankton could be clearly divided into two: pre-farming communities and after farming communities. The Monte Carlo test results are as follows (p < 0.05). Transparency (Trans), pH, permanganate index (COD_Mn), electrical conductivity (Cond) and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) had significant effects on the community structure of zooplankton before farming. Total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and electrical conductivity (Cond) had significant effects on the community structure of zooplankton after farming. The co-linearity network analysis based on zooplankton abundance showed that the zooplankton community before farming was more stable than that after farming. The water evaluation results based on the comprehensive nutritional status index method indicated that the water conditions of the reservoirs before farming were mostly in a mild eutrophic state, while the water conditions of the reservoirs after farming were all in a moderate eutrophic state. The results show that the nutritional status of small reservoirs in agricultural areas is significantly affected by agricultural activities. The zooplankton communities in small reservoirs underwent significant changes driven by alterations in the reservoir water environment and nutritional status. Based on the main results of this study, we suggested that the use of fertilizers and pesticides should be appropriately reduced in future agricultural activities. In order to better protect the water quality and aquatic ecology of the water reservoirs in the agricultural area. Full article

Population growth and land use change often have significant environmental impacts, affecting biodiversity, water supply, agricultural production, and other resources. Future scenario models can provide a better understanding of these changes, helping planners and the public understand the consequences of choices regarding development density, land use, and conservation. This study presents a model that has been used to identify alternative future scenarios for Florida considering future population growth and land use. It includes two scenarios: a “Sprawl” scenario reflecting a continuation of current development patterns and a “Conservation” scenario with higher densities, redevelopment, and more land protection. The study incorporates sea level rise scenarios for both 2040 and 2070. Results show that the Sprawl scenario could lead to 3.5 million acres of new developed land and 1.8 million acres of lost agricultural land by 2070 in Florida. In contrast, the Conservation scenario for 2070 results in 1.3 million fewer acres of developed land and 5 million more acres of protected natural land, showing that it is possible to accommodate future population growth while reducing impacts to agricultural and conservation priorities in Florida. Although this is by no means a “prediction” of future Florida, it has been useful as a tool for evaluating potential future land use scenarios and is a model that may be more broadly applied by other locations and users. Full article

Flood control infrastructure is essential for the development of cities and the population’s well-being. The goal is to protect human and economic resources by reducing the inundation area and controlling the flood level and peak discharges. Detention basins can do this by storing a large volume of water to be released after the peak discharge. By doing this, a large amount of energy is stored, which can be recovered via micro-hydropower. In addition, as the release flow is controlled and almost constant, Pumps as Turbines (PAT) could be a feasible and economic option in these cases. Thus, this study investigates the feasibility of micro-hydropower (MHP) in urban detention basins, using the Santa Lúcia detention basin in Belo Horizonte as a case study. The methodology involved hydrological modeling, hydraulic analysis, and economic and environmental assessment. The results demonstrated that PAT selection has a crucial role in the feasibility of the MHP, and exploiting rainfall with lower intensities but higher frequencies is more attractive. Using multiple PATs with different operating points also showed promising results in improving energy production. In addition to the economic benefits, the MHP in the detention basin produces minimal environmental impact and, as it exploits a wasted energy source, it also reduces the carbon footprint in the urban water cycle. Full article