scholarly journals Ecosystem restoration in Mexico: insights on the project planning phase

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-256
Author(s):  
Cristina Martínez-Garza ◽  
Moises Méndez-Toribio ◽  
Eliane Ceccon ◽  
Manuel R. Guariguata

Background: A deep discussion of the phases of planning by all stakeholders will help to identify the challenges faced by countries that are embarking on large-scale restoration actions to comply with international agreements. Question: Was the planning phase of restoration projects done according to international guidance? We evaluated six of the eight aspects of the international guidance for the planning phase of restoration projects carried out in Mexico between 1979 and 2016. Methods: The information about the restoration projects was compiled using a digital survey composed of 137 questions. Results: Seventy-five projects with a total area of 1,556,840 hectares were analyzed, mainly in temperate, humid, and deciduous forest. More projects measured the baseline with biotic than with abiotic variables, and social variables were seldom evaluated. Most projects aimed to recover biodiversity or ecosystem services, and they identified a reference ecosystem. Planned budgets included mainly field work. Conclusions: To promote the integration of ecological, social, and economic priorities, landscape restoration is suggested, since it is done at a scale which maximizes the benefits for nature and people. The inclusion of only field work in the budgets may decrease the total cost, but it may jeopardize project success due to poor planning. Careful and detailed planning of a national strategy constructed by all stakeholders that includes restoration of original ecosystems, agroforestry systems (which facilitate social participation and increase land productivity) and patches under natural succession, and investing in highly trained human resources will allow successful compliance with international restoration commitments.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Cáceres ◽  
Esteban Tapella ◽  
Diego A. Cabrol ◽  
Lucrecia Estigarribia

Argentina is experiencing an expansion of soya and maize cultivation that is pushing the agricultural frontier over areas formerly occupied by native Chaco forest. Subsistance farmers use this dry forest to raise goats and cattle and to obtain a broad range of goods and services. Thus, two very different and non-compatible land uses are in dispute. On the one hand subsistance farmers fostering an extensive and diversified forest use, on the other hand, large-scale producers who need to clear out the forest to sow annual crops in order to appropriate soil fertility. First, the paper looks at how these social actors perceive Chaco forest, what their interests are, and what kind of values they attach to it. Second, we analyze the social-environmental conflicts that arise among actors in order to appropriate forest’s benefits. Special attention is paid to the role played by the government in relation to: (a) how does it respond to the demands of the different sectors; and (b) how it deals with the management recommendations produced by scientists carrying out social and ecological research. To put these ideas at test we focus on a case study located in Western Córdoba (Argentina), where industrial agriculture is expanding at a fast pace, and where social actors’ interests are generating a series of disputes and conflicts. Drawing upon field work, the paper shows how power alliances between economic and political powers, use the institutional framework of the State in their own benefit, disregarding wider environmental and social costs. 



1996 ◽  
pp. 64-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguen Nghia Thin ◽  
Nguen Ba Thu ◽  
Tran Van Thuy

The tropical seasonal rainy evergreen broad-leaved forest vegetation of the Cucphoung National Park has been classified and the distribution of plant communities has been shown on the map using the relations of vegetation to geology, geomorphology and pedology. The method of vegetation mapping includes: 1) the identifying of vegetation types in the remote-sensed materials (aerial photographs and satellite images); 2) field work to compile the interpretation keys and to characterize all the communities of a study area; 3) compilation of the final vegetation map using the combined information. In the classification presented a number of different level vegetation units have been identified: formation classes (3), formation sub-classes (3), formation groups (3), formations (4), subformations (10) and communities (19). Communities have been taken as mapping units. So in the vegetation map of the National Park 19 vegetation categories has been shown altogether, among them 13 are natural primary communities, and 6 are the secondary, anthropogenic ones. The secondary succession goes through 3 main stages: grassland herbaceous xerophytic vegetation, xerophytic scrub, dense forest.



Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 374
Author(s):  
Piotr Brewczyński ◽  
Kamil Grałek ◽  
Piotr Bilański

The small-sized gametophytes and sporophytes of the green shield-moss Buxbaumia viridis (Moug.) Brid. make it difficult to study. However, in Europe, there has been increasing interest in this species in the past few years, mostly as a result of the implementation of the Natura 2000 network. In Poland, B. viridis has only been reported in isolated studies that have been limited in terms of area and the number of participating workers. One of the Polish regions where B. viridis was recently recorded is the Bieszczady Mountains, but there have been no large-scale surveys of that region to date. The objective of the current work was to describe the B. viridis population in the Bieszczady Mountains in terms of its spatial distribution and abundance, investigate its selected microhabitat preferences, and evaluate the conservation status of this moss species within the Natura 2000 site Bieszczady PLC180001. The studied region encompassed 93,490.44 ha, including 69,056.23 ha of managed forests and 24,434.21 ha of forests belonging to the Bieszczady National Park. A preliminary survey was conducted in the Cisna Forest District (forest area of 19,555.82 ha) on 15–17 November 2017, while the main survey was performed in selected forest subcompartments of four forest districts—Baligród, Komańcza, Lutowiska, and Stuposiany—as well as the Bieszczady National Park from 5 to 16 November 2018. The field work consisted of searching for B. viridis sporophytes and setae and recording selected population and locality characteristics. The study led to the discovery of 353 new B. viridis localities in 202 study areas, with 9197 diploid individuals (sporophytes or setae only) growing in 545 microhabitats. The number of B. viridis localities discovered in the Bieszczady Mountains during 17 days of survey in 2017 and 2018 was two times higher than the combined number of localities previously found in Poland over more than 150 years (159 localities). Additionally, the number of sporophytes and setae identified was two times greater than their overall number in previous records. In addition, this study provides information about selected microhabitat preferences and the conservation status of this moss in the Bieszczady Natura 2000 site.



Author(s):  
Judith Dwyer ◽  
Zhanming Liang ◽  
Valerie Thiessen


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 771-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie C. Pennington ◽  
Nate G. McDowell ◽  
J. Patrick Megonigal ◽  
James C. Stegen ◽  
Ben Bond-Lamberty

Abstract. Soil respiration (Rs), the flow of CO2 from the soil surface to the atmosphere, is one of the largest carbon fluxes in the terrestrial biosphere. The spatial variability of Rs is both large and poorly understood, limiting our ability to robustly scale it in space. One factor in Rs spatial variability is the autotrophic contribution from plant roots, but it is uncertain how the presence of plants affects the magnitude and temperature sensitivity of Rs. This study used 1 year of Rs measurements to examine the effect of localized basal area on Rs in the growing and dormant seasons, as well as during moisture-limited times, in a temperate, coastal, deciduous forest in eastern Maryland, USA. In a linear mixed-effects model, tree basal area within a 5 m radius (BA5) exerted a significant positive effect on the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration. Soil moisture was the dominant control on Rs during the dry portions of the year, while soil moisture, temperature, and BA5 all exerted significant effects on Rs in wetter periods. Our results suggest that autotrophic respiration is more sensitive to temperature than heterotrophic respiration at these sites, although we did not measure these source fluxes directly, and that soil respiration is highly moisture sensitive, even in a record-rainfall year. The Rs flux magnitudes (0.46–15.0 µmol m−2 s−1) and variability (coefficient of variability 10 %–23 % across plots) observed in this study were comparable to values observed in similar forests. Six Rs observations would be required in order to estimate the mean across all study sites to within 50 %, and 518 would be required in order to estimate it to within 5 %, with 95 % confidence. A better understanding of the spatial interactions between plants and microbes, as well as the strength and speed of above- and belowground coupling, is necessary to link these processes with large-scale soil-to-atmosphere C fluxes.



2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 199-211
Author(s):  
Koudzo Koda Donko ◽  
Chérif Mamadou ◽  
Adjossou Kossi ◽  
Béssan Amégnaglo Kossi ◽  
Diwediga Badabate ◽  
...  


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 2774
Author(s):  
Marta Konik ◽  
Piotr Kowalczuk ◽  
Monika Zabłocka ◽  
Anna Makarewicz ◽  
Justyna Meler ◽  
...  

The Nordic Seas and the Fram Strait regions are a melting pot of a number of water masses characterized by distinct optical water properties. The warm Atlantic Waters transported from the south and the Arctic Waters from the north, combined with the melt waters contributing to the Polar Waters, mediate the dynamic changes of the year-to-year large-scale circulation patterns in the area, which often form complex frontal zones. In the last decade, moreover, a significant shift in phytoplankton phenology in the area has been observed, with a certain northward expansion of temperate phytoplankton communities into the Arctic Ocean which could lead to a deterioration in the performance of remote sensing algorithms. In this research, we exploited the capability of the satellite sensors to monitor those inter-annual changes at basin scales. We propose locally adjusted algorithms for retrieving chlorophyll a concentrations Chla, absorption by particles ap at 443 and 670 nm, and total absorption atot at 443 and 670 nm developed on the basis of intensive field work conducted in 2013–2015. Measured in situ hyper spectral remote sensing reflectance has been used to reconstruct the MODIS and OLCI spectral channels for which the proposed algorithms have been adapted. We obtained MNB ≤ 0.5% for ap(670) and ≤3% for atot(670) and Chla. RMS was ≤30% for most of the retrieved optical water properties except ap(443) and Chla. The mean monthly mosaics of ap(443) computed on the basis of the proposed algorithm were used for reconstructing the spatial and temporal changes of the phytoplankton biomass in 2013–2015. The results corresponded very well with in situ measurements.



2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirini Spyridoula Stanota ◽  
Nafsika Ioanna Spyrou ◽  
Emmanuel Andreadakis ◽  
Emmanuel Skourtsos ◽  
Stylianos Lozios ◽  
...  

<p>UAS have been increasingly utilized for research in Natural Hazards and Risk Management, especially when it comes to inaccessible study areas where the thorough examination of the existing geological-tectonic structures cannot be achieved only by field work. The study area is located on Chios island (North Aegean Sea, Greece) along the Chios-Kardamyla Road in the region from Mersinidi to Myliga, where the particular geodynamic and seismotectonic regime results in earthquakes which cause a great amount of natural disasters including many landslides. The largest part of the area was inaccessible. The use of SfM (Structure for Motion) techniques to obtain data from the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-DJI Mavic Pro) flights above the study area led to detailed phototopographic, photomorphological, photogeological-tectonic and photogeotechnical mapping, detailed boundary and surface tectonic mapping and high-accuracy structural analysis in 3D environments. The combination of field work and UAS-based photogrammetry, provided complete and reliable results by following rapid and low-cost procedures by using Pix4D, ArcGIS, Rockware Rockworks 17, Rocscience Rocfall, Rocscience Slide and CAD software. The methodology was developed on the outline of the following workflow:</p><ul><li>Evaluation of existing geological, geotectonic, hydrogeological, seismotectonic and geotechnical data</li> <li>Flight project planning, according to: equipment specifications and capabilities, requirements of visual analysis, extent and morphology of the study area and expected weather conditions.</li> <li>Field mapping and UAS flight execution (imagery and footage capture).</li> <li>UAS imagery processing and interpretation: production of 3D models, Digital Surface Models (DSM), Digital Terrain Models (DTM) and Orthomosaics, formation boundaries recognition.</li> <li>Production of Geological-Tectonic maps for the study area.</li> <li>Research of the discontinuous tectonic deformation (SfM recognition and 3D mapping of tectonic lines and surfaces). Extraction of tectonic data (direction, dip, dip direction, aspect etc).</li> <li>Field and SfM tectonic data analysis and statistics (unification of tectonic data archive, weighting of the statistics, statistical processing and diagrams – density, rose, cyclographic projections etc).</li> <li>Research of the hydrogeological conditions of the area (determination of the role of groundwater in rock and soil movements according to hydrolithology and tectonic texture).</li> <li>Geotechnical mapping and hazard assessment.</li> </ul><p>Furthermore, this study includes the identification of the slope failures and the rock mass classification according to the internationally accepted stability calculation methodologies. Specific plans for rockfalls and rock slides, analysis of rockfall evolution and detailed simulation models of rockfalls were extracted. Appropriate measures and proposals for landslide risk reduction projects were also made. The evaluation of drilling results along the study area, the causes of landslides, the slope stability calculations and the proposed countermeasures are presented in the research. Especially regarding the carbonate rocks in the area, they have undergone tectonic strain that has led to their fragmentation into blocks and boulders. In combination with the water activity which reduces the shear strength of the discontinuities and the friction between a) the carbonate blocks and b) the carbonate mass and the clastic basement, these rock blocks are easily detached to overturn or slide on the downhill slopes, during intense precipitation or earthquake phenomena. </p>



1947 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-442
Author(s):  
K. W. Yarnold

One object of the investigation was to determine the ideal contributions to warmth comfort in small ‘domestic’ rooms of air heating and radiation. It was soon found that in rooms heated by fires, subjects usually complained of cold backs when the equivalent temperature was in the region of 60–65° F., the accepted standard for buildings heated by convection, and preferred equivalent temperatures above 70° F.Since large-scale trials, using many observers, were clearly necessary, the reliability of 5 min. test periods was studied; these short periods were proved reliable so long as the subject had previously been in a comfortable room for an hour or so.It was found necessary, in rooms heated by fires, to treat separately the side of the subject facing the fire and remote from it. The cooler side must be exposed to an equivalent temperature not much less than 65° F., while radiation falling on the warm side is to be regarded as a very desirable, but nonessential, bonus. These conclusions were confirmed by field work in the subjects' own homes.The eupatheoscope and globe thermometer were modified to enable conditions acting on the two sides of the body to be assessed separately.The extent to which radiation acting on the front of the body could compensate for a cold back to produce what was called ‘minimum comfort’ was also studied. It was shown that down to back equivalent temperatures of about 56° F. an increase of 2° in front equivalent temperature will compensate for a fall of 1° in back equivalent temperature, but below 56° F. compensation fails.The physical basis of sensations of stuffiness and freshness were also investigated. Throughout these experiments care was taken to ensure that the subjects were neither too hot nor too cold. In these conditions, only two factors appear to be important. First, the air temperature should be as low as possible. To obtain warmth comfort with a low air temperature some high temperature source of radiation is generally necessary. The peak wave-length of the radiation emitted by the fire is also of great importance, a striking change in the personal sensations occurring, for example, as the wave-length increases from 2 to 3μ. In general, those wavelengths which are absorbed in the outer layers of the skin cause sensations of stuffiness, and those which are not give rise to feelings of freshness. Peaks at 3, 4·1 and 4·7 μ should therefore be avoided in the design of gas and electric fires.



1977 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Hurst

SummaryAt the end of the third season of work by the British team participating in the UNESCO Save Carthage project, a summary is given of present knowledge of the occupation sequence on the Ilôt de l'Amirauté from c. 400 B.C. to A.D. 700. New information or reinterpretation since 1975 covers the relationship between the Punic and Roman planning of the island and the nature of its possible Augustan, Severan, and Justinianic rebuildings. The structures which have been excavated since 1974 between two Roman streets on the north side of the circular harbour are interpreted as a series of shops or small commercial premises of Roman and Byzantine date. Here, as on the island, a large-scale redevelopment of early Byzantine date is indicated. On the Avenue Habib Bourguiba the city wall now has archaeological dating consistent with the historical evidence that it was constructed c.A.D. 425 and it appears to be associated with a major defensive ditch. Burials were made between the wall and possible ditch shortly after, and perhaps during, the wall's construction. There is also archaeological confirmation of the historical evidence for the neglect of the defences under the Vandal occupation and for their repair following Belisarius' capture of Carthage in 533. By the end of the sixth century the defences were again being neglected and in the early seventh century there was a building on the site of the presumed Belisarian ditch. There is a suggestion of further defensive activity at the time of the Arab invasion. Within the wall, the sequence has been taken back to the destruction of a Roman building in the fifth century and a summary is made of the sequence for the whole site from the early fifth to the late seventh or early eighth century A.D. Field-work has now finished on this site while a further two seasons are anticipated on the two harbour sites.



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