STUDY ON THE OPINION OF STAKEHOLDERS ON FORESTRY ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

The ecosystem services provided by forest areas have a direct and indirect impact on the quality of life of people and also increase the well-being of society. The regulatory and water protection function of forests is institutionalized in the European and Bulgarian legislation. In the context of the current crisis in the water sector in Bulgaria there is a need to identify the stakeholder groups involved in the management, protection, control and use of the water ecosystem service. Under the crisis of water management in Bulgaria we understand the reduction of the volume of water resources and difficulties in supplying clean water to the population. Their opinion on the ecosystem of the forest and its water protection function in particular was examined by conducting a survey. The current paper identifies the different stakeholder groups and presents an analysis of the results obtained by means of a questionnaire sent to stakeholders. The results obtained are used as a basis for forming institutional links and managing conflicts in the process of generating, protecting and managing water from its source to the user. The study proved that society makes sense of the connection between the forest and the provision of clean water. Through the study, we succeeded in identifying a major problem related to the incomplete and outdated information on the maintenance of ecosystem services and improvement of the quality of the goods generated from them which is due to the poor communication between institutions coupled with the lack of awareness by the direct responsibilities of various departments and positions. The electronic platform created for the project on the one hand will support the process of information security of the technical mapping of water sources and water protection forests, as well as provide an opportunity for communication with various stakeholders. This will enable a higher information security.

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Where Do Ecosystem Services Come From? Assessing and Mapping Stakeholder Perceptions on Water Ecosystem Services in the Muga River Basin (Catalonia, Spain)

Land ◽

10.3390/land9100385 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 385

Author(s):

Enrica Garau ◽

Josep Vila-Subiros ◽

Josep Pueyo-Ros ◽

Anna Ribas Palom

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

River Basin ◽

Water Availability ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Rainfall Variability ◽

Complex Situation ◽

Stakeholder Groups ◽

Key Stakeholders ◽

Water Ecosystem ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

Reductions in water availability and increasing rainfall variability are generating a narrative of growing competition for water in the Mediterranean basin. In this article, we explore the distribution and importance of water resources in the Muga River Basin (Catalonia, Spain) based on key stakeholders’ perceptions. We performed a sociocultural evaluation of the main water ecosystem services in the region through stakeholder interviews and participatory mapping. The basin was generally perceived as a hotspot of ecosystem services, but we detected varying opinions and considerable differences in the perceptions of importance and spatial distribution of water ecosystem services. These discrepancies were linked to the varying levels of stakeholders’ dependence on water. Our findings are important for contributing to correct water planning and management in the river basin, which is a complex water social system marked by conflicts between different stakeholder groups vying for the same resource. This complex situation requires bottom-up strategies to create transparent, participatory decision-making models.

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Impact of Land-Use/Land-Cover Change on Drinking Water Ecosystem Services in Wami River Basin, Tanzania

Resources ◽

10.3390/resources9040037 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 37 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sekela Twisa ◽

Mohamed Mwabumba ◽

Mathew Kurian ◽

Manfred F. Buchroithner

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Land Cover ◽

Land Cover Change ◽

Land Use Land Cover ◽

Quality Of Water ◽

Water Point ◽

Water Ecosystem ◽

Domestic Use

Land-use/land-cover changes are considered the dominant form of anthropogenic pressure on the environment, causing changes in ecosystem service patterns and affecting water supply services. Using the spatial econometric technique, we analysed the impact of land-use/land-cover change on water ecosystem services for domestic use upstream and downstream of the Wami River Basin. The results in terms of land-use/land-cover classes during the study period (2011–2016) indicate that cultivated land showed maximum positive changes in both sub-catchments, while bushland and woodland showed maximum negative changes upstream and downstream. The results showed that bushland, woodland, cultivated land, and grassland were significantly correlated with water point characteristics in both sub-catchments. For functionality characteristics, a significant effect was observed in bushland and grassland upstream and downstream, respectively, while sufficient water was found in woodland upstream and grassland downstream. Moreover, bushland was observed to have a significant number of water points with poor quality of water upstream, and a substantial number of water points with good quality of water were found in grassland downstream. We found that all measured land-use/land-cover changes and water point characteristic correlations were statistically significant; therefore, we concluded that land-use/land-cover change affects the water ecosystem in the basin. These results could facilitate decision-making and development of related policies and might support finding sustainable strategies for water ecosystem services for domestic use.

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Learning to See in Western Amazonia

Social Analysis ◽

10.3167/sa.2019.630202 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 63 (2) ◽

pp. 24-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Els Lagrou

Keyword(s):

Well Being ◽

The One ◽

Embodied Self ◽

Relational Network

Through the study of form, we explore how relations constitute persons for the Huni Kuin of Western Amazonia. Shamanistic song, and the role in it of patterned design, reveals a specific aesthetics that emphasizes processes of becoming, transformation, and figure/ground reversal. Since bodily substances and actions of others affect the ‘thinking body’, well-being depends on making visible the relational network that exists inside and outside one’s embodied self. An aesthetic battlefield unfolds where the doubles of ingested substances invert the predatory relation and come to envelop the ‘eye soul’ of the one who ingested them with their design and ornaments. This setting allows us to address the fractal quality of personhood and the permanent disequilibrium between symmetrical and asymmetrical relations in Amazonia.

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Assessment of quality of life in over-80 patients undergoing cardio-surgery: Is it feasible?

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(11)72086-7 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (S2) ◽

pp. 377-377 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

G. Pontoni ◽

S. Ferrari ◽

D. Gabbieri ◽

I. Pedulli ◽

D. Gambetti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Therapeutic Option ◽

Well Being ◽

Old Patients ◽

Cardiac Symptoms ◽

Sf 36 ◽

Socially Relevant ◽

The One

IntroductionCardiovascular disorders are the first cause of death among over-80 year-old patients and cardio-surgery is sometimes the one therapeutic option. No scientific assessment of Quality of Life (QoL) or other psycho-socially relevant consequences has been carried out. Aim of the study was to quantify and describe QoL on over-80 patients after cardio-surgery.MethodsStudy 1 was a one-arm cohort study on 192 subjects who underwent cardio-surgery between years 2003 and 2005 and were interviewed by phone 5 to 7 years after by means of SF-36 and the Seattle Angina Questionnaire, matching these with socio-demographics and clinical pre/post operative variables. Study 2 was a pre-post study on 21 subjects who underwent cardio-surgery in 2009-2010, who were interviewed face-to-face before the interventions and 6 months after, including assessment of anxiety and depression via the HADS.ResultsStudy 1 patients reported satisfaction with treatment in 80%, freedom from cardiac symptoms in 62% and overall well-being in 78% of cases. Study 2 patients reported statistically significant improvement of QoL (SF-36 mean total score 57.1 vs. 73.5, p = .001), clinical conditions and anxiety-depressive symptoms (p = .001 both for HADS-anxiety and HADS-depression).ConclusionsAssessment of QoL and anxiety-depressive symptoms should be included in routine evaluation of elderly surgical patients, though the present study also suggested the need for improvement of methodology of interview, being phone-calling and traditional self-assessment psychometric instruments particularly inappropriate for this patient population.

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Human-dog relationships during COVID-19 pandemic; booming dog adoption during social isolation

10.31235/osf.io/s9k4y ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Liat Morgan ◽

Alexandra Protopopova ◽

Rune Isak Dupont Birkler ◽

Beata Itin-Shwartz ◽

Gila Abells Sutton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Life Quality ◽

Well Being ◽

The Social ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

The One ◽

Impaired Quality

The recent COVID-19 pandemic led to uncertainty and severe health and economic concerns, which may have impacted human-dog relationships. Our objectives were to investigate how people perceived and acted during the COVID-19 pandemic social isolation, in regards to dog adoption and abandonment; and to examine the bidirectional relationships between dog owners’ well-being to that of their dogs. Overall, according to our analysis, the stricter the social isolation became during the pandemic, the interest in dog adoption as well as adoption rate increased significantly, while abandonment did not change. Moreover, there was a clear association between individuals’ impaired quality of life and their perceptions of poorer life quality of their dogs as well as the development of new behavioral problems. These findings suggest potential benefits for human-dog relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic, in compliance with the One Welfare approach.

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Dobrostan finansowy osób w dojrzałym i starszym wieku w wybranych krajach Unii Europejskiej

Ekonomia ◽

10.19195/2084-4093.23.4.8 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 95-109

Author(s):

Ewa Sobolewska-Poniedziałek

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Old Age ◽

Well Being ◽

Economic Effects ◽

European Continent ◽

Eu Member States ◽

New Development ◽

The One ◽

Desk Research

The financial well-being of people in mature and old age in selected countries of the European UnionThe dynamic nature of demographic changes taking place on the European continent implies the necessity of their analysis, both in the context of causes and effects. The scope of the analysis of these works will take into account first of all the consequences of changes in the age structure of the population, as a result of which the percentage of older people increases. This, in turn, determines that the socio-economic effects of these changes may be on the one hand a barrier to development, and on the other, a chance for new development opportunities. The purchasing power of people in mature and old age, combined with their growing share in the overall population structure, may inspire and cause the emergence of new industries and market segments focused primarily on meeting the needs of older people. The aim of the article is a comparative analysis of financial well-being of older people as a factor affecting the quality of life. The analysis will cover the situation of older Poles in the context of the situation of citizens of other EU Member States. The research will use the method of desk research, data from international statistics, in particular from Eurostat, will be used. In addition, the research methods used in the work will be the description method and critical analysis of domestic and foreign literature.

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Ecosystem Services of Hospital Gardens - Based on Microclimate Analyses of Green and Blue Garden Elements

Acta Biologica Marisiensis ◽

10.2478/abmj-2021-0006 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 60-72

Author(s):

Vera Takácsné Zajacz ◽

Kinga M Szilágyi

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Environment ◽

Landscape Planning ◽

Large Body ◽

Well Being ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Local Climate ◽

The Impact

Abstract The increasing urbanization process of the last decades has resulted in negative impacts and changes in the quality of the urban environment, as reflected in mortality and morbidity data (Páldy, 2018). The quality of the environment, the urban climate, the increased frequency and duration of extreme weather events, ultimately threaten human well-being. To design and build liveable cities, the quality of the urban environment must be improved, and improving micro- or local climate is an important factor in this. Increasing the proportion and quality of biologically active surfaces, i.e. the ecosystem services provided by green spaces, is one of the most effective tools for urban conditioning and enhancing human well-being. Determining the proportions of the green area, the design of vegetation, the choice of pavements and microarchitectures all determine the microclimate of an open-space. This has been confirmed by a large body of research and implemented work, but it is also important for designers to make a preliminary prediction of the impact of any intervention on the climatic conditions of the design site. These predictions will help cost-effective designing to determine which intervention will result in climate change. This research uses two specific examples to examine the effectiveness of each landscape designing tool and to show which designing tool produces what and how much climatic impact. For these studies, we used a climate modeling program (ENVI-MET), which runs simulations to infer the climate modifying effects of landscape planning tools. In the course of the research, we have shown that the local climate of hospital gardens could be significantly influenced by favorable, environmental-friend paving, a higher green cover ratio, and a well-developed and sufficiently dense tree canopy, and various water features.

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Human–dog relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic: booming dog adoption during social isolation

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications ◽

10.1057/s41599-020-00649-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Liat Morgan ◽

Alexandra Protopopova ◽

Rune Isak Dupont Birkler ◽

Beata Itin-Shwartz ◽

Gila Abells Sutton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Companion Animals ◽

Well Being ◽

Good Mental Health ◽

Human Animal ◽

Dog Owners ◽

The One

AbstractThe recent COVID-19 pandemic led to uncertainty and severe health and economic concerns. Previous studies indicated that owning a companion animal, such as a dog or a cat, has benefits for good mental health. Interactions with animals may help with depression and anxiety, particularly under stress-prone conditions. Human–animal interactions may even improve peer-to-peer social relationships, as well as enhance feelings of respect, trust, and empathy between people. Interestingly, it has also been shown that stress and poor well-being of dog owners negatively affect the well-being of their companion animals. However, a dramatic increase in dog abandonment could potentially occur due to COVID-19 related health, economic and social stresses, as well as due to the inconclusive reports of companion animals being potential COVID-19 carriers. Such a scenario may lead to high costs and considerable public health risks. Accordingly, we hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic, and the related social isolation, might lead to dramatic changes in human–dog bidirectional relationships. Using unique prospective and retrospective datasets, our objectives were to investigate how people perceived and acted during the COVID-19 pandemic social isolation, in regards to dog adoption and abandonment; and to examine the bidirectional relationship between the well-being of dog owners and that of their dogs. Overall, according to our analysis, as the social isolation became more stringent during the pandemic, the interest in dog adoption and the adoption rate increased significantly, while abandonment did not change. Moreover, there was a clear association between an individual’s impaired quality of life and their perceptions of a parallel deterioration in the quality of life of their dogs and reports of new behavioral problems. As humans and dogs are both social animals, these findings suggest potential benefits of the human–dog relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with the One Welfare approach that implies that there is a bidirectional connection between the welfare and health of humans and non-human animals. As our climate continues to change, more disasters including pandemics will likely occur, highlighting the importance of research into crisis-driven changes in human–animal relationships.

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From City- to Site-Dimension: Assessing the Urban Ecosystem Services of Different Types of Green Infrastructure

Land ◽

10.3390/land9050150 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 150 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Patrycia Brzoska ◽

Aiga Spāģe

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Planning ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Green Roofs ◽

Well Being ◽

Urban Ecosystem ◽

Primary Data ◽

Small Scale ◽

Small Scale Structures

Cities have a wide variety of green infrastructure types, such as parks and gardens. These structures can provide important ecosystem services (ES) with a major impact on human well-being. With respect to urban planning, special consideration must be given to such green infrastructure types when implementing measures to maintain and enhance the quality of life. Therefore, generating knowledge on the urban ES of differently scaled green infrastructure types is important. This systematic literature review provides an overview of existing studies which have explicitly investigated the urban ES of differently spatial-scaled green infrastructure types. By reviewing 76 publications, we confirm rising academic interest in this topic. The most frequently assessed urban ES belong to the category Regulating and Maintenance. Only a few have considered individual small structures such as green roofs or single gardens; green spaces are often aggregated into one, mostly city-wide, object of investigation, with resulting oversimplifications. Moreover, generalizing methods are mostly applied. Simultaneously, many studies have applied methods to evaluate location-specific primary data. More research is needed on small-scale structures, in particular to consider site-, and thus location-specific, parameters in order to successfully implement the ES concept into urban planning and to obtain realistic results for ES assessments.

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Environmental Responsibility of Coal Mining Companies and Quality of Life Measuring in Mining Clusters

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/201910502014 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 105 ◽

pp. 02014

Author(s):

Lyudmila Starikova ◽

Lyudmila Sagdeeva ◽

Irina Trapeznikova

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Coal Mining ◽

Well Being ◽

Coal Chemistry ◽

Regional Community ◽

Special Approach ◽

Water And Soil Pollution ◽

The One ◽

The Impact

The development of coal mining in the largest Russian mining cluster – Kuzbass (Kemerovo Region, Western Siberia) is accompanied, on the one hand, by an increase in environmental issues in the form of air, water and soil pollution. The same applies to the growth of coal processing in the region – coal preparation, coke and coal chemistry production. On the other hand, the well-being of the population of the region in which clusters of coal and coal chemistry are located is growing. Therefore, the responsibility of coal companies to the regional community acquires a dual meaning – ecological and socio-economic. Assessing such responsibility of coal companies requires the formation of a special approach to identifying the impact of mining development on the quality of life of local communities.

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