Display omitted
•Restoration measures led to the recovery of macrophyte communities.•Downward trend of associations typical for high eutrophic state was observed.•Former association of submerged ...plants – Potametum lucentis, recurred.•The occupied areas of some existing communities increased, e.g. nympheids.•Improvement of light conditions is necessary to accelerate the recovery of elodeids.
Restoration of urban lakes becomes necessary to slow down unfavourable processes and to recover theirrecreational role. Macrophyte communities are good bioindicators, thus they can be used to assess the effectiveness of restoration.
The aim of the study was to determine the dynamics and patternof macrophyte recovery as a result of the restoration measures in a degraded shallow urban lake characterized by strong cyanobacterial blooms. Annual changes in the composition and areal coverage of littoral macrophyte phytocoenoses, and in the Ecological State Macrophyte Indexwere recorded using a GPS and the ArcGIS programme and analysed in relation to changes in water quality for three years following restoration measures (phosphorus inactivation, aeration, and biomanipulation).
The shifts were statistically significant in the first two for total nitrogenconcentrationand three years for chlorophyll aconcentration, whereas total phosphorus concentration only decreased significantly in the third year. Changes in water transparency were not significant. The ecological status of the lakewas good or moderate. A characteristic pattern of recovery was observed. Phytocenotic richness increased (from 9 to 12 communities) and total phytolittoral area decreased (from 42 to 37ha, i.e. 12%) during restoration efforts. The area of hypereutrophic plant communities (Ceratophylletumdemersi, Hydrocharitetummorsus-ranae, Typhetumangustifoliae) decreased, the former submerged community returned (Potametumlucentis) and the area of some existing communities (e.g. nympheids) increased.
Slow return of elodeidswas caused by low transparency andlack of submerged vegetation propagules, which are the most probable limiting factors of the recolonization process.
Establishment of new entrepreneurial ventures have a direct influence on economic growth of the economy and society of every country. It relates especially to unemployment level and net income of the ...employees. Given these facts, the two aims of the paper are: 1) presentation of the Innovativeness of 14 countries of South - East Europe region and two additional countries: Poland and Hungary based on their overall ranking(s) as well as Information and Communication Technologies, ICT access and ICT use; and 2) to present development and business performance of academic start-up and spin-off companies in ICT sector which were created by the University of Novi Sad (Serbia) and which allowed it to become a sustainable University. The indicators such as total number of new ventures, number of employees, total revenue and average gross profit margin were used in order to analyse establishment, development and sustainability of academic ICT start-up and spin-off companies. The study shows that sustainable measures, particularly academic start-up and spin-off companies, have a very important role in sustainable economic growth (local, national and regional) and are a significant driver of innovation. They are of key importance for the sustainable development of the University.
The rapid increase of energy use has caused great concerns of resource depleting, greenhouse gas emitting, and economic difficulties. In U.S, building sector contributes 39% 33 of the total energy ...consumption, exceeding the other major sectors such as industries and transportation. In order to relieve the environmental and economic pressure, high performance buildings are broadly implemented recently because they are energy efficient and have less negative impact of the built environment on human health and natural environment. This paper presents the work of the thermal performance modeling and analysis for an athletic training facility located at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. The goal for this study is to predict energy consumption of the building for heating, cooling, lighting, and indoor equipment. Furthermore, the study aims to identify sustainable measures to reduce energy consumption and operation cost for the new building built based on latest ASHRAE standards. The building modeling was developed in Designbuilder, a software developed for building performance analysis. The base case of the building model was in accordance with the design standard ASHRAE 90.1-2013. The parametric analyses were conducted to determine possible improved design parameters. By comparing parametric cases, a couple of sustainable design measures were identified to improve building energy efficiency and thermal comfort. As a result, it was found that as a building with large portion of curtain wall, the weak point for this building lies on the windows and the tightness of the building. Improving window and the tightness can significantly reduce the energy consumption of the building.
The paper studied the impact of unfavorable factors on agriculture land, pretability and measures to reduce negative consequences. Nowadays, there are about 40 anthropogenic factors of soil ...degradation, but the erosion is the main factor of soil cover degradation in the Republic of Moldova. This type of degradation is manifested from old times as a natural process depended on the accidental relief and torrential rains. The present quality state of the soil cover denotes that the fields with a high reliability note of 80-100 points occupy about 27% of the total area of agricultural lands. The soils with medium reliability note of 70 points or less occupy 52% from the total area of agricultural fields and are moderate degraded. The soil with low rating are completely destroyed by ravens and active earth flows with a surface of 178 thousand ha and have a very low productivity. The complex of measures and technologies regarding the conservation and the increase of eroded soils fertility includes: the antierosion organization of the territory; the formation of forest framing, including the protection curtains against the erosion provoked by waters and winds; recovering of the hardly eroded soils by grassing and foresting; settling ravens and earth flows by regulating water drainages, their and limitary field grassing and foresting, cultivation of field cultures in bands on the slopes; the formation of protection bands from perennial herbs; the implementation of antierosion crop rotations; the unconditioned apply of antierosion soil works on slopes, agrotechnical actions etc.
As interest grows in environmentally friendly buildings, or “green buildings,” the real estate industry is expected to play an increasingly active role in the realization of a low-carbon society. ...Various efforts toward such a society are currently being promoted vigorously within an international framework. To supply a socially desirable level of green buildings via the market mechanism, the economic value of green buildings (as measured by the market) must be commensurate with the required investment. Many remain sceptical, however, about the true economic value of green buildings. A thorough analysis has yet to be conducted to evaluate whether green buildings realize income increases commensurate with the enormous initial investments required, although it is clear that cost savings do result from lower energy consumption. This paper shows through a series of analyses that certain market conditions must be in place in order for green buildings to produce economic value. Specifically, it used the hedonic approach to clarify whether or not there is added economic value, focusing on the new condominium market in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Based on a demonstration analysis of the housing market, the author shows that new condominiums with “green labels” using “sustainable measures” command a premium of approximately 5.8% in asking prices and 4.7% in transaction prices.
In 1991, the Madrid Protocol on environmental protection in Antarctica was added to the Antarctic Treaty. Antarctica has a central role in determining the Earth's climate and oceanic circulation ...patterns. The environmental principles in the Protocol include requirements for prior assessment for all activities. The environmental impacts of all activities is necessary to assess predicted impacts towards the quality of life in Antarctica and elsewhere. Antarctica faces a number of challenges, which have significant environmental implications. This paper explores the conceptual relationship between the quality of life and the Protocol and the wider implication of the concept.
The implementation of sustainable development principles in water resources management refers to an integrated management and coordination of the entirety of the actions and interventions that ...concern the water ecosystem, or parts of it, within a watershed. This procedure is accomplished through the development and application of an overall management plan at a hydrological basin level. This concept was followed by the water resources management plan of the city of Volos' watershed, which is presented in this paper. The main objective is the choice of the best set, among others, of hydraulic projects, which will be able to re-establish the balance in the basin's deficient water budget, satisfying at the same time future urban water demand. Decision making was carried out using a GIS tool and involved traditional water capture hydraulic projects on the one hand and sustainable water saving measures on the other. The whole procedure is being developed in an area with serious environmental problems, concerning mainly the groundwater resources. The particularity here is that the alternative solutions strongly depend on administrative agreement and consensus between relevant authorities.
An economic and financial system adapted to encouraging and incentivising sustainable development is a fundamental requirement. New schemes such as the green deal and renewable heat incentive must be ...made to work with the minimum amount of bureaucracy throughout the supply chain and industry. Engineers and building professionals need to do more to communicate with financial professions. We need to collectively elevate the profile of building services engineering and show the positive elements of excellent financial returns for energy efficiency projects and the long term benefits of a sustainably built environment.
PDF
