Nature-based tourism has an influence on ecosystem functioning around watercourses, but this influence lacks scientific evidence. Additionally, strategic and operational management of streams ...necessitates trade-offs between the recreational activities and values of tourists and riparian zone hospitality services. This paper aims to assist environmentalists and planners by exploring the effects of tourism-based recreational activities on ecosystem functioning along the drawdown zone. The study uses multivariate statistical techniques to delineate the relevant global tourism issues for planners. Kruskal-Wallis tests (p < 0.01) were conducted using quantitative data from 284 transects within the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir in China. The results revealed higher ecosystem function indices than tourism indices. Indicators of tourism contributed both positively and negatively to ecological indicators, with the Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from minor to moderate (r = ̶ 0.24 to 0.38, p < 0.05). Principal component analysis revealed that the critical variables of ecosystem functioning and tourism activities explained 72.26 % of the overall variance. Nevertheless, hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that these indicators responded differently in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sections. Our findings suggest that policymakers should consider the different characteristics of riparian zones in future planning, as doing so will improve both national and global strategic and operational management.
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•Indicator responses were distinct in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sections.•The ecosystem functioning index was higher than the tourism index.•Tourism indicators had minor to moderate effects on ecological indicators.•Boat ramps and agricultural work, but not pollution, had a negative impact on ecological indicators.•Strategic and operational management of streams necessitates innovative tourism planning on a global scale.
•Coppicing is an old form of forest use and with a share of 16% still present in Europe.•For centuries it sustainably provided commons with energy and nutrition.•The variety of local needs favored ...forests with a variety of tree species.•Changing markets caused the conversion from coppice to coniferous forests.•Today coppices gain a new meaning in context to nature protection and climate change.
Due to historical descriptions dating back to the Roman Empire, we know that coppice is the oldest form of systematic forest utilisation. For centuries, it provided a broad array of products, energy and services to rural communities, and often in sustainable ways. The type of use was based on available forest resources and the demands of the residents. In compliance with ecological conditions, it proved to be stable and resilient for centuries. Using the example of jointly owned coppices in Lower Austria, the paper investigates the applied social and management systems that ensured its sustainable use and the role played by traditional knowledge. The study also analyses the decline of coppice forestry due to advanced agricultural and industrial techniques that began in the second half of the 19th century. However, the future looks promising when taking into account the changing societal demands. Over the past few decades, coppicing has taken on new meaning for their owners. This concerns the rediscovery of wood as a renewable resource and the appreciation of forests for their role in protecting against soil erosion and global warming. Thus, new actions relying on traditional expertise are set by local farmers, particularly in the open landscape. Not only does this include care measures in the ancient coppice forests, but also the planting of new biotopes as its reduction of wind speed improves the microclimate. Thereby, the cultural heritage and valuable flora and fauna are preserved. On account of the responsible authorities’ support for coppice forest management and with financial aid, local people benefit from the resilience of coppice forests within the context of climate change by making use of this valuable, natural and sustainable bio-resource for current and future applications.
Improving the management of protected areas through the implementation of planned management measures is of key importance for the adequate protection and conservation of protected areas. One of the ...many opportunities that can be undertaken in this sense is volunteering, which is a basic and key means of active participation of citizens in solving the issues of wider community. Volunteering contributes to the creation of a stable and, for the individual, attractive social community that offers the possibility of action in the field of nature protection and management of protected areas. The aim of this paper is to analyze the results achieved through various volunteering activities within protected areas, as models of good practice, as well as to provide an overview of the possibilities for increasing the capacity of managers in human and material resources in the process of managing protected areas, which includes the process of involving volunteers. The results of various projects show that volunteers can contribute to the management's activities in different ways, and primarily by performing specific tasks for which the managers lack enough capacity. Moreover, volunteering within protected areas achieves a higher level of awareness among individuals, especially young people, about growing problems in the field of nature protection, challenges in managing protected areas, but also about the way each individual can contribute to the conservation of nature for future generations.
Nature conservation strategies are affected by, as well as instruments of, geopolitics and interterritorial relations. This paper provides a conceptual framework that facilitates a systems-based ...analysis of the relationship between nature conservation and geopolitics. We compare and connect two prominent academic literatures relevant to this relationship: the peace parks and conservation geopolitics literatures. Whereas peace parks refer to an academic knowledge field, a social movement, and a territorialized conservation reality on the ground, conservation geopolitics refers to an academic discourse within critical geopolitics. We analyzed both academic literatures on four aspects: (i) the approach to nature conservation; (ii) the approach to interterritorial relations; (iii) the framing of the relationship between nature conservation and geopolitics; (iv) the actors involved. The former literature predominantly emphasizes cross-border integration, community development and nature conservation benefits. The latter predominantly highlights the more exclusionary, conflictive, and normative aspects of the relationship. The comparison highlights that the relationship between nature conservation and geopolitics can be best understood as a complex. Relational approaches, such as systems approaches, can uncover the intricacies of the nature conservation-geopolitics complex. We have laid the groundwork for such a systems approach by identifying four system components domains: the diversity of involved actors, the institutional framework, multiscale and historical dynamics, and the spatial-territorial context. A systems approach to the nature conservation-geopolitics complex provides a guiding framework for the examination of contemporary issues like the diverging agencies of various actors, trade-offs, and ethical dilemmas between nature conservation and geopolitical concerns.
•Nature conservation is embedded in, and an instrument of, geopolitical relations.•Nature conservation and geopolitics function as a complex.•Relational approaches, like systems approaches, are useful for examining the complex.•We must actively engage with the spatiality of nature conservation and geopolitics.•Systems approaches incorporate (non-)human agency, trade-offs, and ethical dilemmas.
Agriculturally used meadows are habitats whose biodiversity depends on anthropogenic disturbances such as fertilization or mowing. Intensified agricultural practices (too frequent mowing, use of ...mineral fertilizers and insecticides) lead to declines in the abundance and species diversity of the biota inhabiting them. The intensification of agricultural production in north-eastern Poland relates primarily to the increase in cattle numbers and the intensification of grassland management, but many areas were included in Natura 2000 network. Our study was aimed at indicating the impact of diverse use of meadows on the species richness and diversity of invertebrates, amphibians, and birds in the grasslands of Narew river valley, Special Bird Protection Area, where the intensification of grassland use was noted in the last decades, and part of the meadows was included in the agri-environmental program. The agri-environmental program is a very good tool for the protection of grassland biotic diversity. The highest taxonomic richness and diversity of the studied animal groups were found in meadows included in these programs with extensive use, while the lowest was in the over- and intensively used meadows fertilized with mineral fertilizers and liquid manure. Only the meadows in the agri-environment program were inhabited by the fire-bellied toad and the tree frog - amphibians from Annex IV of the Habitats Directive. The number of breeding bird species globally threatened (IUCN Red List), listed in Annex I of the EU Birds Directive, and with negative population trend in Europe (SPEC1–3) was highest in meadows included in EU conservation programs. The main factors reducing biotic diversity in the grassland of flooded river valley were the high number of grassland mowing per season, intensive fertilization, especially with liquid manure, the great distance of meadows to the river, low soil humidity, and low share of shrubs and trees in the meadows border zone.
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•Biotic diversity of grasslands in river valleys strongly depends on management type.•Propose to test the effect of use on invertebrates, amphibians and birds•Agri-environmental programs as nature protection tools in grassland were tested.•Agri-environmental programs on grassland maintain high biotic diversity.•The effect of nature protection was observed on the threatened species' biodiversity.
•The two-way dependency of streams and their riparian forests is reviewed.•We focus on biodiversity and ecosystem functions, including microbial processes.•Land use and climate change effects on ...riparian and stream ecosystems are discussed.•Potential management and protection practices are overviewed.•Future research questions are drawn together.
In this review, we draw together the research on the two-way connection of streams and their riparian forests of the boreal zone from ecological points of view. Although the knowledge about stream-riparian interactions has increased considerably recently, in practice, riparian zones are still mainly seen as buffers for nutrient and sediment loading. However, recent research has shown that riparian forests disproportionately foster regional biodiversity and maintain stream ecosystem functions and diversity. On the other hand, streams contribute to riparian diversity and ecosystem functions. Microbes are key drivers of global biochemical cycles, and they also interact with plants and animals. The knowledge on microbial communities and understanding of processes they drive has considerably increased due to recent development in microbial profiling methods. However, microbes have been largely neglected in former reviews. Thus, this overview has a special focus on the role of microorganisms in controlling stream-riparian interaction. We also review the land-use pressures that are threatening biodiversity and ecosystem processes of riparian zones in forested landscapes. In addition, we review the possible effects of climate change on stream-riparian interactions. Finally, we outline the research gaps that call for future research.
The study identified the indicators of functional and morphological diversity of the Dnipro River floodplain water bodies within the Dnipro-Orilsky Nature Reserve. The database of recorded water ...bodies of the reserve consists of 302 objects. The total area of the floodplain and the water bodies close to it is 24.2 km2, and the area of the water bodies is 6.03 km2. Thus, the water bodies cover 24.9% of the floodplain area. The water bodies of the Dnipro River channel system account for 17.9% of the number of water bodies in the Reserve and 71.4% of the total area of water bodies and the Dnipro River in the projection of the Reserve. The water bodies of the study system are located at a distance of up to 3.2 km from the main channel of the Dnipro River. The average distance is 1.50 ± 0.04 km. The closest water bodies to the main channel of the Dnipro River are those in the Dnipro riverbed, which were formed as a result of the creation of a reservoir in the floodplain. Three factors with eigenvalues greater than unity were extracted as a result of factor analysis of the morphometric features of the water bodies. These three factors explain 85.8% of the cumulative correlation of morphometric features. Factor 1 reflects a latent variable that can be identified as the total size of the ponds. The total size of the water bodies was the largest for the Orilsky Canal, with slightly smaller sizes in the water bodies of the Dnipro River channel. The smallest water bodies were in the Obukhivka system. Factor 2 as a latent variable can be identified as the level of shoreline development. According to this indicator, the water bodies of different systems did not differ. Factor 3 can be identified as the altitude and variability of the relief surrounding the water bodies. The lowest values of this factor were for the water bodies of the Orilsky Canal and the Obukhivka system. The values were slightly higher for the water bodies of the Taromske and Mykolaivka systems. The highest levels of relief and its variability were characteristic of the areas close to the water bodies of the Dnipro channel system. Cluster analysis allowed us to identify seven clusters that are relatively homogeneous in terms of morphometric features. These clusters can be differentiated based on the results of discriminant analysis. An important aspect of differentiation is the size of the water bodies, the development of the shoreline, and the height of the terrain surrounding the water bodies. The identified clusters correspond well to the types of water bodies, which are selected based on their orientation relative to the preferred direction of water flow. The satellite image classification was used to identify 15 types of vegetation cover within the reserve. The water bodies are characterized by specific spectra of the main types of plant communities in their surroundings. The cluster analysis of the water bodies resulted in nine clusters based on the structure of the vegetation complexes surrounding them. Each cluster contains the entire list of vegetation types that have been established for floodplain ecosystems. The peculiarity of the complexes lies in the specific ratio between different vegetation types. The most important structural factors that distinguish the complexes are the projective cover of oaks, floodplain meadows, and shrubs. At the top level of the hierarchy, the complexes are differentiated by the projective cover of floodplain meadows. At a lower level, the differentiation is based on the projective cover of sands or oaks. The clusters identified on the basis of plant complexes and morphometric features, as well as the types of water bodies in terms of orientation with respect to the prevailing water flows, correspond to each other to a certain extent.
Personal pro-environmental action has often been explained in terms of personal cost-benefit analyses and personal capabilities. However, given that only collectives and not single individuals can ...effectively address large-scale environmental crises, such as mass extinction of species, peoples’ pro-environmental motivation might emerge from their perceived involvement in agentic collectives, as proposed in the social identity model of pro-environmental action (SIMPEA). Collective cognition and motivation (e.g., ingroup identification, ingroup norms, collective efficacy, and group-based emotion) might drive identified group members’ nature protection intention and behavior both directly and indirectly by affecting personal factors (e.g., personal attitudes). We tested this in two related nationally representative surveys of N = 2065 Germans, measuring both personal and collective predictors as well as nature protection intentions and behavior on either the regional or the worldwide, global level. As hypothesized, blockwise regression analyses suggest that collective factors affect people’s conservation action both directly and indirectly. In addition, participants’ identification with all humanity moderated the relationship between collective factors and personal intention (and personal norms) to protect global nature. Overall, the results support propositions of the social identity model of pro-environmental action and highlight the importance of collective factors motivating citizens’ conservation action.
The study concerns waste and waste water management in municipalities located within borders of national parks in Poland. In the case, the desired direction of development is understood as ...undertaking pro-environmental measures, such as: the development of a collective sewage network and household sewage treatment facilities in place of holding tanks, and organized waste management, effective segregation of generated waste for future reutilization. The analysis is based on statistical data for the years 2019-2022obtained from the Local Data Bank (BDL). The multi-criteria analysis involved following stages: calculation of selected diagnostic variables for each municipality, normalization of indicators for the selected features to achieve their comparability, designation of a synthetic indicators describing the rate of wastewater and waste management. The obtained synthetic indictors enable to determinegroups and types of municipalities related to the level of waste and wastewater management and to set up their spatial distribution within national parks. Six administrative units (11,7%) exhibit high-level waste management and above-average wastewater management. The largest group of the municipalities (57%) consists of units rated as average. No correlation can be observed between the level of waste and sewage management in individual municipalities and their location within the boundaries of a particular national park.
