scholarly journals The selection of anthropogenic habitat by wildlife as an ecological consequence of rural exodus: empirical examples from Spain

2021 ◽  
pp. 195-203
Author(s):  
A. Martínez-Abraín ◽  
X. Ferrer ◽  
J. Jiménez ◽  
I. C. Fernández-Calvo

The increasing urbanization of the landscape is a major component of global change worldwide. However, it is puzzling that wildlife is selecting anthropogenic habitats despite the availability of apparently high–quality semi–natural (i.e. less intensively modified) habitats. Definitive explanations for this process are still lacking. We have previously suggested that colonization of the urban habitat is initially triggered by ecological processes that take place outside urban areas as a consequence of past rural exodus. Here we present a diverse array of examples of selection of several types of anthropogenic habitat by wildlife in Spain (including transportation infrastructure, human–exclusion areas, urban areas under construction, cities, reservoirs, quarries and landfills) in support of this idea. Wildlife is moving out of its historical ecological refuges and losing fear of harmless urban humans. Mesopredators are rebounding by mesopredator release, due to ceased human persecution, and shrubs and trees are claiming former agricultural habitats. Together, these factors force many species to move to urbanized areas where they find open habitats, food associated with these habitats, and protection against predation. Hence, the classical balance of costs and benefits that takes place once inside urban areas, would actually be a second step of the process of colonization of urban areas. A better understanding of the initial triggers of urban colonization could help us increase the biological value of human–made habitats for wildlife in the future.

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Asra Hosseini

From earliest cities to the present, spatial division into residential zones and neighbourhoods is the universal feature of urban areas. This study explored issue of measuring neighbourhoods through spatial autocorrelation method based on Moran's I index in respect of achieving to best neighbourhoods' model for forming cities smarter. The research carried out by selection of 35 neighbourhoods only within central part of traditional city of Kerman in Iran. The results illustrate, 75% of neighbourhoods' area in the inner city of Kerman had clustered pattern, and it shows reduction in Moran's index is associated with disproportional distribution of density and increasing in Moran's I and Z-score have monotonic relation with more dense areas and clustered pattern. It may be more efficient for urban planner to focus on spatial autocorrelation to foster neighbourhood cohesion rather than emphasis on suburban area. It is recommended characteristics of historic neighbourhoods can be successfully linked to redevelopment plans toward making city smarter, and also people's quality of life can be related to the way that neighbourhoods' patterns are defined. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 288-313
Author(s):  
Juan M Mayoral ◽  
Gilberto Mosqueda ◽  
Daniel De La Rosa ◽  
Mauricio Alcaraz

Seismic performance of tunnels during earthquakes in densely populated areas requires assessing complex interactions with existing infrastructure such as bridges, urban overpasses, and metro stations, including low- to medium-rise buildings. This article presents the numerical study of an instrumented tunnel, currently under construction on stiff soils, located in the western part of Mexico City, during the Puebla-Mexico 19 September 2017 earthquake. Three-dimensional finite difference models were developed using the software FLAC3D. Initially, the static response of the tunnel was evaluated accounting for the excavation technique. Then, the seismic performance evaluation of the tunnel was carried out, computing ground deformations and factors of safety, considering soil nonlinearities. Good agreement was observed between predicted and observed damage during post-event site observations. Once the soundness of the numerical model was established, a numerical study was undertaken to investigate the effect of frequency content in tunnel-induced ground motion incoherence for tunnels built in cemented stiff soils. A series of strong ground motions recorded during normal and subduction events were used in the simulations, considering a return period of 250 years, as recommended in the Mexico City building code. From the results, it was concluded that the tunnel presence leads to important frequency content modification in the tunnel surroundings which can affect low- to mid-rise stiff structures located nearby. This important finding must be taken into account when assessing the seismic risk in highly populated urban areas, such as Mexico City.


2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Carrard ◽  
Juliet Willetts ◽  
Cynthia Mitchell ◽  
Mick Paddon ◽  
Monique Retamal

In peri-urban areas where infrastructure investments have not yet been made, there is a need to determine the most context-appropriate, fit for purpose and sustainable sanitation solutions. Decision makers must identify the optimal system scale (on the spectrum from centralized to community to cluster scale) and assess the long-term costs and socio-economic/environmental impacts associated with different options. Addressing both cost-effectiveness and sustainability are essential to ensure that institutions and communities are able to continue to bear the costs and management burden of infrastructure operation, maintenance and asset replacement. This paper describes an approach to sanitation planning currently being undertaken as a research study in Can Tho City in southern Vietnam, by the Institute for Sustainable Futures and Can Tho University in collaboration with Can Tho Water Supply and Sewerage Company. The aim of the study is to facilitate selection of the most context-appropriate, fit for purpose, cost effective and sustainable sanitation infrastructure solution. As such, the study compares a range of sanitation alternatives including centralized, decentralized (at household or cluster scale) and resource recovery options. This paper provides an overview of the study and considers aspects of the Can Tho and Vietnamese regulatory, development and institutional context that present drivers and challenges for comparison of options and selection of fit for purpose sanitation systems.


2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Szczepański ◽  
M. Wöjcikowski ◽  
B. Pankiewicz ◽  
M. KŁosowski ◽  
R. Żaglewski

FPGA and ASIC implementation of the algorithm for traffic monitoring in urban areas This paper describes the idea and the implementation of the image detection algorithm, that can be used in integrated sensor networks for environment and traffic monitoring in urban areas. The algorithm is dedicated to the extraction of moving vehicles from real-time camera images for the evaluation of traffic parameters, such as the number of vehicles, their direction of movement and their approximate speed. The authors, apart from the careful selection of particular steps of the algorithm towards hardware implementation, also proposed novel improvements, resulting in increasing the robustness and the efficiency. A single, stationary, monochrome camera is used, simple shadow and highlight elimination is performed. The occlusions are not taken into account, due to placing the camera at a location high above the road. The algorithm is designed and implemented in pipelined hardware, therefore high frame-rate efficiency has been achieved. The algorithm has been implemented and tested in FPGA and ASIC.


2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul H. Gobster

What does ecological restoration mean in an urban context? More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and in response to the dynamic patterns of urbanization, a growing number of ecologists, land managers, and volunteers are focusing their efforts in and around cities to restore remnants of natural diversity (Ingram 2008). Ecological restoration is still a quite youthful field, yet many scientists and practitioners hold a relatively fixed set of criteria for what defines a successful restoration project, irrespective of where sites are located. Among the criteria commonly stated, sites should be composed of indigenous species, have a structure and diversity characteristic of currently undisturbed or historically documented “reference” sites, and be maintained through ecological processes such as fire that ensure long-term sustainability with minimal human assistance (Ruiz-Jaén and Aide 2005; SER International 2004). Application of these criteria has led to many ecologically successful restorations, but some ecologists in the field have begun to question whether the same standards can be realistically applied to sites such as those within urban areas that have been radically altered by past human activity (e.g., Martínez and López-Barerra 2008) or are being influenced by novel conditions that result in unpredictable trajectories (Choi 2007). Perhaps more significantly, it is becoming increasingly recognized that the broader viability of restoration projects, especially those in urban areas, hinges on how socially successful they are in gaining public acceptance for restoration activities and practices, building constituencies to assist with implementation and maintenance, and addressing a broader set of sustainability goals that reach beyond the protection of native biodiversity (e.g., Choi et al. 2008; Hobbs 2007; Rosenzweig 2003).


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-230
Author(s):  
Raluca-Daniela Duinea

"The City of Oslo in Jan Erik Vold’s Poems. The aim of this paper is to examine, from a cultural and social perspective, the Norwegian urban areas and everyday situations in Jan Erik Vold’s (b. 1939) poems. Our close-reading technique reveals important social aspects, different places and streets, located in the capital city of Norway, Oslo. These urban poems written by the contemporary Norwegian poet Jan Erik Vold contribute to the reconstruction of a new Norwegian cultural identity as it is reflected in a selection of poems taken from Mor Godhjertas glade versjon. Ja (Mother Goodhearted’s Happy Version. Yes, 1968), followed by the poet’s wanderings in the city of Oslo in En som het Abel Ek (One Named Abel Ek, 1988), and concluding with his bitter social criticism in Elg (Moose, 1989) and IKKE. Skillingstrykk fra nittitallet (Not: Broadsides from the Nineties, 1993). Vold’s urban poems emphasise the transition from nyenkle (new simple), friendly and descriptive poems which present closely the city of Oslo on foot, to short, political and social critical poems from the 90s. Thus, it is of great importance to traverse various urban ‘landscapes’ in different periods of time, beginning with the 1960s, followed by the 80s and the 90s. Keywords: Jan Erik Vold, urban poems, social criticism, Norwegian urban areas, the city of Oslo "


2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Diogo Rocha Sousa ◽  
Lourdes Maria Abdu Elmoor-Loureiro

AIM: This study aimed provides a checklist of cladocerans and also an evaluation of richness and species composition in the Federal District, Brazil. METHODS: Checklist of cladocerans was obtained evaluating data from the literature, from taxonomic collection (Elmoor-Loureiro's collection) and from fauna surveys conducted over more than three decades in different types of aquatic environments. RESULTS: The 57 water bodies studied showed 56 species, of which 14 are new records. The number of species contained in the list displayed corresponds to 85% of what was expected for richness estimators. The highest number of species was observed in the lentic water bodies (52), which also presented the specific composition of fauna (R = 0.110; p = 0.016), possibly because there were samples taken among the aquatic vegetation. According to our understanding, some species may be subject to local extinctions because they inhabit water bodies located exclusively in urban areas, which can lead to a decline in richness. CONCLUSION: Thus, the results of this study can assist in monitoring aquatic environments and in selection of new areas for surveys of cladocerans in the Federal District.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Suciati Simah Bengi ◽  
Yusnizar Heniwaty ◽  
Dilinar Adlin

Abstract-This study discusses Guel dance learning media created in the form of postcards. Aims to be able to direct students in identifying, appreciating, and expressing dances of the Gayo area, especially Guel dance. Theories used in the research of packaging theory according to Cahyorini and Rusfian (2011: 28), theory of learning media according to Heinich in Susilana (2016: 06), and graphic media theory according to Susilana and Riyana (2016: 14) Packaging is a theory used for graphic design, in terms of producing the product, and the image media in the form of postcards used to make Guel dance material as a learning medium. The time of the study was conducted from August to October 2017. The research site was at Sanggar Renggali Jalan Merah Mege Hakim Bale Bujang Laut Tawar, Central Aceh District. The population of several artists Gayo and all members of Sanggar Renggali because learning Guel dance is a dance learning materials in schools in Takengon and Samples are 2 people Gayo artists and 2 dancers dance Guel. Data collection techniques include observation, interview, literature study, and documentation, and then analyzed by qualitative descriptive method. Based on research that has been done Guel dance is a tradition dance Gayo community that has been used as learning materials in the schools of Middle Secondary in Central Aceh district. Guel dance which is packed in the form of postcards as a medium of learning with menggunkana first step of planning is preparing the material, determining the location, selection of dancers, and prepare the facilities and infrastructure. The second step of implementation is taking photos, editing process, then the last step is the completion of postcards and final writing. And produces packaging of learning media of Guel dance that is in the form of postcard.  Keywords: Packaging, Guel Dance, Postcard Media


Author(s):  
Marija Šperac ◽  
Dino Obradović

The urbanization process significantly reduced the permeability of land surfaces, which affected the changes of runoff characteristics and the relations in the hydrological cycle. In urban environments, the relationships within the hydrological cycle have changed in quantity, in particular: precipitation, air temperature, evaporation, and infiltration. By applying the green infrastructure (GI) to urban environments is beneficial for the water resources and the social community. GI has an effect on the improvement of ecological, economic, and social conditions. Using GI into urban areas increases the permeability of land surfaces, whereby decreasing surface runoff, and thus the frequency of urban floods. It also has a significant influence on the regulation of air quality, water purification, climate change impact, and the changes in the appearance of the urban environment. When planning and designing the GI, it is necessary to identify the type of GI and determine the size and location of the selected GI. Since each urban environment has its own characteristics, it is necessary to analyze them before deciding on the GI. The paper analyzed meteorological parameters (precipitation, air temperature, insolation, air humidity) affecting the selection of GI types, using the specific example of an urban environment – the City of Osijek, Croatia. Significant parameters when designing GI are operation and maintenance These parameters directly affect the efficiency of GI. The proper selection of GI and its location results in maximum gains: the reduction of land surface drainage - drainage of the sewage system, purification and retention of precipitation at the place of production, the improvement of air quality, and the improvement of living conditions in urban environments


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