scholarly journals Working With Nature Approaches for the Creation of Soft Intertidal Habitats

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Aiken ◽  
Rory Mulloy ◽  
Gordon Dwane ◽  
Emma L. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Sediment Control ◽  
Habitat Creation ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Intertidal Habitats ◽  
Functional Components

As the artificial defenses often required for urban and industrial development, such as seawalls, breakwaters, and bund walls, directly replace natural habitats, they may produce population fragmentation and a disruption of ecological connectivity, compromising the delivery of ecosystem services. Such problems have increasingly been addressed through “Working with Nature” (WwN) techniques, wherein natural features such as species and habitats are included as additional functional components within the design of built infrastructure. There now exists a convincing body of empirical evidence that WwN techniques can enhance the structural integrity of coastal works, and at the same time promote biodiversity and ecosystem services. While these benefits have often been achieved through modification of the hard surfaces of the coastal defense structures themselves, the desired ecological and engineering goals may often demand the creation of new soft substrates from sediment. Here we discuss the design considerations for creating new sediment habitats in the intertidal zone within new coastal infrastructure works. We focus on the sediment control structures required to satisfy the physiological and ecological requirements of seagrass and mangroves – two keystone intertidal species that are common candidates for restoration – and illustrate the concepts by discussing the case study of soft habitat creation within a major multi-commodity port.

scholarly journals Improving the knowledge of plant potential biodiversity-ecosystem services links using maps at the regional level in Southern Patagonia

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yamina Micaela Rosas ◽  
Pablo L. Peri ◽  
María Vanessa Lencinas ◽  
Romina Lasagno ◽  
Guillermo J. Martínez Pastur
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Southern Patagonia

Abstract Background Biodiversity supports multiple ecosystem services, whereas species loss endangers the provision of many services and affects ecosystem resilience and resistance capacity. The increase of remote sensing techniques allows to estimate biodiversity and ecosystem services supply at the landscape level in areas with low available data (e.g. Southern Patagonia). This paper evaluates the potential biodiversity and how it links with ecosystem services, based on vascular plant species across eight ecological areas. We also evaluated the habitat plant requirements and their relation with natural gradients. A total of 977 plots were used to develop habitat suitability maps based on an environmental niche factor analysis of 15 more important indicator species for each ecological area (n = 53 species) using 40 explanatory variables. Finally, these maps were combined into a single potential biodiversity map, which was linked with environmental variables and ecosystem services supply. For comparisons, data were extracted and compared through analyses of variance. Results The plant habitat requirements varied greatly among the different ecological areas, and it was possible to define groups according to its specialization and marginality indexes. The potential biodiversity map allowed us to detect coldspots in the western mountains and hotspots in southern and eastern areas. Higher biodiversity was associated to higher temperatures and normalized difference vegetation index, while lower biodiversity was related to elevation and rainfall. Potential biodiversity was closely associated with supporting and provisioning ecosystem services in shrublands and grasslands in the humid steppe, while the lowest values were related to cultural ecosystem services in Nothofagus forests. Conclusions The present study showed that plant species present remarkable differences in spatial distributions and ecological requirements, being a useful proxy for potential biodiversity modelling. Potential biodiversity values change across ecological areas allowing to identify hotspots and coldspots, a useful tool for landscape management and conservation strategies. In addition, links with ecosystem services detect potential synergies and trade-offs, where areas with the lowest potential biodiversity are related to cultural ecosystem services (e.g. aesthetic values) and areas with the greatest potential biodiversity showed threats related to productive activities (e.g. livestock).

scholarly journals Alternative Materials and Methodology in Contemporary Design

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-42
Author(s):  
Anita Darabos ◽  
Judit Szalai
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Product Development ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
New Products ◽  
Natural Materials ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Alternative Materials ◽  
Environmental Considerations ◽  
The Creation

Abstract Nowadays, concerns related to mankind’s increasing and destructive impact on the environment have influenced and changed the paradigms of product development; this in turn has brought about the appearance of environmental considerations in the creation and design of new products. Numerous industrial sectors have changed their processes of product development and production to meet the ecological requirements. Issues such as the scarcity of natural resources, increasing consumption and increasing pollution also present a number of problems. This article presents a process of comparing new alternatives with a specific methodology of decision-making. It is primarily focused on the use of rare natural materials and resources that are extracted and processed.

Nature-like mining technology as a potentially monumental resolution of environmental contradictions during the development of solid mineral deposits

2020 ◽  
pp. 63-67
Author(s):  
Yu. P. Galchenko ◽  
◽  
G. V. Kalabin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Development ◽  
Biological Systems ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Russian Science ◽  
Mining Technology ◽  
Field Development ◽  
Technological Paradigm ◽  
Technical Systems ◽  
The Creation

The antagonistic contradiction between the biological essence of man and the abiological ways in which he obtains energy from the Sun for the creation of a food base and personal habitat is the determining factor shaping the image of our technocratic civilization. In order to address this contradiction in the development of the mineral and raw materials complex, it is necessary that the requirements for environmental security not be imposed on individual operations or processes but form the basis of a promising technological paradigm. In this way, the conservation of the Earth’s natural biota becomes a requirement and an inherent feature of the technologies created and applied. It seems abundantly clear that from a methodological point of view, technological responses to environmental challenges should be sought in the study of systems where these answers have already been obtained. Namely, these answers present themselves in biological systems taking form in nature-like technologies. Recent changes in public consciousness have inevitably led to the greener thinking in all spheres of human activity. The most illustrative ref lection of this phenomenon is the growing interest in nature-like technologies, which are associated with the main aspirations in the settling of a global environmental crisis generated by a long-term antagonistic confrontation between the technosphere and the bio- sphere. In considering the concept of nature-like technologies as a designation of the principal trend in the modernization of the general technological paradigm, it is necessary to distinguish two specific areas. Depending on whether or not the technologies that we use are present or absent in wildlife, we must first consider the construction of technologies by duplicating effective processes already observed in wildlife in the technosphere (nature-reproducing technologies) and, secondly, the creation of technological systems by transferring the effective functional structure of the circulation of matter and energy in biological systems to the technosphere (convergent technologies). The general theory of the creation of “similar to nature“ technologies is presented, based on the well-known principles of homeostatics - methods of maintaining the vital parameters of the interaction of natural and technical systems by controlling the contradictions between antagonists. The main directions of the structural and functional convergence of technical and biological sciences are identified when updating the technological paradigm of industrial development, based on the reproduction in the technosphere of systemic solutions that ensure the functioning of complex biological systems. Regarding the ecologization of the technological paradigm of the mineral resource complex, the methodology of creating an ecologically balanced technology as a multiobject cluster is based on the well-known principles of homeostatics, i.e., on the phased formation of a technological homeostat on the basis of the structure of a biological homeostat with the replacement of its essential elements with geotechnological target analogues. The result of this transformation is the construction of a convergent mining technology for integrated field development. Its use will ensure the development of technical systems that make it possible to limit external environmental impacts owing to the postexploitation self-restoration of natural biota phytocoenoses. The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Project No. 19-17-00034.

Obligaciones de los Estados miembros en materia de gestión de los Espacios Natura 2000 derivadas de los apartados 1 y 2 del artículo 6 de la Directiva Hábitats

2014 ◽  
pp. 2455-2494
Author(s):  
Juan José PÉREZ PÉREZ
Keyword(s):  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Natura 2000 Network ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Wild Fauna ◽  
Community Interest ◽  
European Court ◽  
La Red

LABURPENA: Habitaten Zuzentarauaren bidez, Natura 2000 Sarea sortu zen. Europar Batasuneko kontserbazio-eremu berezien sare ekologiko koherentea da, fauna- eta flora-espezie basatien zein Europar Batasunerako garrantzitsuak diren habitat naturalen kontserbaziorako. Estatu kideek zuzentarauaren 6. artikuluan xedatutako lan batzuk egin behar dituzte. Arau hori funtsezkoa da, Natura 2000 Sareko eremuen kudeaketari dagokionez. Lan honetan, ez zaio heltzen eremu horietan eragina izan dezaketen planen eta proiektuen ebaluazioa egiteko betebeharra aztertzeari, oso espezifikoa baita. Hain zuzen ere, Batzordeko erreferentziazko dokumentazioaren eta Europar Batasuneko Justizia Auzitegiaren jurisprudentziaren azterketa oinarri hartuta, honako hauek azaltzen saiatuko da lan honetan: zer jasotzen den babestu beharreko habitaten eta espezieen eskakizun ekologikoak betetzeko neurrietan, eta zein diren hartu beharreko neurri egokiak habitat eta espezie horiek hondamendi edo aldaketa nabarmenik ez izateko, eta zuzentarauaren helburuak betetzeko. RESUMEN: La Directiva Hábitats crea la Red Natura 2000, una red ecológica europea coherente de Zonas Especiales de Conservación existente en la Unión para la conservación de especies de fauna y flora silvestres y de hábitats naturales de importancia comunitaria. Los Estados miembros tienen que acometer unas tareas contempladas en el artículo 6 de la Directiva, precepto fundamental en cuanto a la gestión de los lugares Natura 2000 concierne. En este trabajo, sin abordar, por su especifidad, la obligación de evaluar planes y proyectos que puedan afectar a estos lugares, y analizando documentación de referencia de la Comisión y la jurisprudencia del TJUE, se intenta explicar en qué consisten esas medidas de conservación necesarias que respondan a las exigencias ecológicas de los hábitats y especies a proteger, así como las medidas apropiadas para evitar, en esos hábitats y especies, deterioros y alteraciones con efectos apreciables en los objetivos de la Directiva. ABSTRACT: The Habitats Directive established the Natura 2000 network, a coherent European ecological network of special areas of conservation that exists in the European Union for the conservation of species of wild fauna and flora and natural habitats of Community interest. Member states have to undertake some tasks contemplated in article 6 of the Directive, an essential provision as far as the management of Natura 2000 sites is concerned. This work, without tackling the duty to assess plans and projects that might affect these sites because of their specifity, and analyzing the documentation of reference of Commission and the caselaw of the European Court of Justice, tries to explain those necessary measures of conservation that meet the ecological requirements of habitats and species to protect together with the appropriate measures to avoid in those habitats and species, deteriorations and alterations in so far as such disturbance could be significant in relation to the objectives of the Directive.

scholarly journals Global humid tropics forest structural condition and forest structural integrity maps

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Hansen ◽  
Kevin Barnett ◽  
Patrick Jantz ◽  
Linda Phillips ◽  
Scott J. Goetz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Condition Index ◽  
Structural Condition ◽  
Humid Tropics ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Conservation Assessment

Abstract Remotely sensed maps of global forest extent are widely used for conservation assessment and planning. Yet, there is increasing recognition that these efforts must now include elements of forest quality for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Such data are not yet available globally. Here we introduce two data products, the Forest Structural Condition Index (SCI) and the Forest Structural Integrity Index (FSII), to meet this need for the humid tropics. The SCI integrates canopy height, tree cover, and time since disturbance to distinguish short, open-canopy, or recently deforested stands from tall, closed-canopy, older stands typical of primary forest. The SCI was validated against estimates of foliage height diversity derived from airborne lidar. The FSII overlays a global index of human pressure on SCI to identify structurally complex forests with low human pressure, likely the most valuable for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. These products represent an important step in maturation from conservation focus on forest extent to forest stands that should be considered “best of the last” in international policy settings.

scholarly journals Auckland’s Urban Sprawl, Policy Ambiguities and the Peri-Urbanisation to Pukekohe

Urban Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Silva
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Urban Sprawl ◽  
Agricultural Activities ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
City Regions ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Over Time

Urban sprawl has been discussed extensively with regard to its negative impacts. On this basis, regulations have been put in place to control sprawling suburbanization, including the establishment of restricted areas for expansion defined by administrative urban boundaries. Overall, these measures have not been at all successful, considering that city-regions continue to expand inorganically, often reinforcing urban sprawl patterns. As clear evidence of the weaknesses of planning regimes of control, these unsuccessful attempts are partly explained by a series of policy ambiguities that contradict the meaning of planning as a prescriptive discipline. This ambiguity is justified by the need to frame flexible regulations that allow adaptation to unforeseen events over time. In this paper, using the case of Auckland, New Zealand, it is demonstrated that instead of planning flexibility, there is planning “ambiguity” accompanied by weak opposition from rural regimes, which deliberately contributes to urban sprawl. This is relevant considering that the inorganic encroachment of rural lands diminishes the huge environmental potential of the peri-urban space of Auckland, its ecosystem services, and agricultural activities—all elements that encourage the creation of more environmentally sustainable peripheral landscapes as a counterpoint to traditional sprawling suburbanization.

Land for Food & Land for Nature?

Daedalus ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 144 (4) ◽  
pp. 57-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Balmford ◽  
Rhys Green ◽  
Ben Phalan
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Wild Species ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Environmental Externalities ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Land Sparing ◽  
Yield Production ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Coupling Yield

Opinions on how to limit the immense impact of agriculture on wild species are divided. Some think it best to retain as much wildlife as possible on farms, even at the cost of lowering yield (production per unit area). Others advocate the opposite: increasing yield so as to limit the area needed for farming, and then retaining larger areas under natural habitats. Still others support a mixture of the two extremes, or an intermediate approach. Here we summarize a model designed to resolve this disagreement, and review the empirical evidence available to date. We conclude that this evidence largely supports the second, so-called land-sparing approach to reconciling agriculture and biodiversity conservation, but that important questions remain over the generality of these findings for different biota and for ecosystem services, how best to increase yields while limiting environmental externalities, and whether there are effective, socially just, and practical mechanisms for coupling yield growth to habitat retention and restoration.

scholarly journals Spatial Trade-Offs and Temporal Evolution of Multiple Ecosystem Services in a Marine-Terrestrial Urban-Agglomeration Zone

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huaxiang Chen ◽  
Lina Tang ◽  
Quanyi Qiu ◽  
Baosheng Wang ◽  
Weixiang Hu
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Research To Practice ◽  
Construction Land ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
To Come

It takes some time for changes to come in ecosystem services, and trade-offs occur in the process of changes. As opposed to a point in time, we use data spanning the years 2000–2005, 2005–2010, and 2010–2015 to study this research. After quantifying types of ecosystem services, this paper uses spatial correlation analysis and root-mean square deviation (RMSD) method to explore the relationships among ecosystem services and calculate the degree of spatial trade-offs (DT). Results show that the construction land increased substantially albeit at a declining rate of growth, and the degree of trade-offs (DT) increased with nontrivial differences in space. The hotspots for trade-offs are spatially aggregated in some areas but have varying patterns between ecosystem service pairs. The increasing area (IA) of construction land does not promote increased DT until the former reaches a certain threshold. With the exception of land use changes, type of industrial development is one of the key factors that influence the trade-offs of ecosystem services in the research region. We apply the models and methods used in this research to practice and discuss the practical value of our results for planners and decision makers vis-à-vis the design and instigation of appropriate development strategies.

scholarly journals On the Role of Linguistics in Ecosystem Management

2020 ◽  
Vol 88 ◽  
pp. 01029
Author(s):  
Nwankwo Kalu Nnabueze ◽  
Yulia Zakirova
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Environmental Policies ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Use Of Resources

Ecosystem management is a speciality guaranteeing quality in knowledge towards management and modernization of innovations in ecology. Effective ecosystem management demands tools to overcome the difficulties and limitations of methodologies in the development and implementation of environmental policies. To achieve the appropriate application of principles of knowledge in different languages, the relevance of Linguistics emerges. The main purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the fact that making use of resources from Linguistics is specific in the direction of understanding the mechanics of language. which creates a platform for a better understanding of the maintenance of natural resource in various languages. Ecosystem management is essential to the harmony of the natural habitats of organisms. Management of natural resources and habitats are necessary regardless of uncertainty. Ignoring tradeoffs among ecosystem services can create unwanted management outcomes.

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