Preliminary results of investigations related to the ecology of Urdari open-pit lake

Flooding the remaining gaps of lignite open-pits and the formation of so-called open-pit lakes tends to become an increasingly common practice in Romania (in the Oltenia Mining Basin, where the lignite deposit contained in Dacian and Romanian formations was and is extracted through open-pits). This type of ecological reconstruction of former exploitation areas has been applied worldwide for quite a time, and there are many references in this regard in the scientific literature. In this context, the present paper aims to present some preliminary results regarding the ecology of these lakes, being taken as case study the lake formed in the remaining gap of Urdari open-pit, within the Rovinari Mining Basin. However, given the multitude of similar conditions (bioclimate, geological framework, the formation of the remaining gaps, etc.) in which they form, we appreciate that the conclusions of this study can be extrapolated for other lakes in the area (eg. South Peșteana). We point out from the outset that this study presents data on the existing biotope and biocenoses (restricted to species identification), without going into details about populations, ecosystem production, energy and matter flows within it, these investigations being foreseen for a future development stage of the present study.

Applying a Complex Integrated Method for Mapping and Assessment of the Degraded Ecosystem Hotspots from Romania

To meet the global challenges of climate change and human activity pressure on biodiversity conservation, it has become vital to map such pressure hotspots. Large areas, such as nation-wide regions, are difficult to map from the point of view of the resources needed for such mapping (human resources, hard and soft resources). European biodiversity policies have focused on restoring degraded ecosystems by at least 10% by 2020, and new policies aim to restore up to 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. In this study, methods developed and applied for the assessment of the degradation state of the ecosystems in a semi-automatic manner for the entire Romanian territory (238,391 km2) are presented. The following ecosystems were analyzed: forestry, grassland, rivers, lakes, caves and coastal areas. The information and data covering all the ecoregions of the Romania (~110,000 km2) were analyzed and processed, based on GIS and remote sensing techniques. The largest degraded areas were identified within the coastal area (49.80%), grassland ecosystems (38.59%) and the cave ecosystems (2.66%), while 27.64% of rivers ecosystems were degraded, followed by 8.52% of forest ecosystems, and 14.05% of lakes ecosystems. This analysis can contribute to better definition of the locations of the most affected areas, which will yield a useful spatial representation for future ecological reconstruction strategy.

Research on the Regeneration Status and Development Mode of the Landscape of the Third Tier Construction Industry Sites in China under the Background of Urban Renewal

Industrial sites are brownfields left in the process of urban development, which were originally considered as the burden of the city. However, in today’s lack of land resources, industrial sites have become valuable assets of the city. Further excavation and effective use of them is one of the important ways to alleviate the tension of urban land use. The strategy of ecological reconstruction and sustainable design in the landscape of industrial sites is mainly reflected in the minimal intervention in the natural ecology of the site, the use of renewable materials and resources, the retention of native plants, human history and site memory. It makes the ecology of urban industrial site landscape more balanced, enhances the uniqueness and experience of urban industrial site landscape, meets the spiritual and physiological needs of people in the city, and realizes the sharing of industrial site landscape to the public’s natural ecology, land, industrial spirit, history and humanity.

Study on Spatiotemporal Characteristic and Mechanism of Forest Loss in Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River

Under the backdrop of achieving carbon neutrality and accelerating urbanization, China’s forests face unprecedented pressures. This study explored the spatiotemporal characteristics of forest loss in the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (UAMRYR). The dynamic mechanism of forest loss caused by fire, logging, construction, and pollution was also analyzed using spatial database development, polygon superposition analysis, grid system construction, and coordinate system calculation. The results show that the forest loss in the UAMRYR experienced three stages: continuous acceleration (1990–2010), peak (2010–2015), and slight decline (2015–2020). Rapid urban expansion is the primary cause of forest loss, and the three metropolitan areas had the fastest urban expansion and the most severe forest loss. Due to the success of afforestation efforts, the forest loss caused by fire, logging, and pollution was restored by 80%, while most of the forest losses caused by construction are permanent. Given the current forest loss trends, large expanses of forests in the UAMRYR are at risk of being destroyed and causing serious damage to the region’s ecological environment. Forest losses can be significantly reduced by guiding the rational expansion of cities, supporting afforestation for urban construction projects, strengthening forest fire risk investigation, and implementing ecological reconstruction of polluted areas.

From the “Greta Thunberg Effect” to Green Conversion of Universities: The Reconstructive Praxis of Discursive Mobilizations

This paper investigates how one could envision a discursive mobilization process to transform protest movements into agents that help reconstruct the universities as agents supporting material mobilizations leading to ecological reconstruction. After reviewing universities’ ecological footprints, the author shows how theories of mobilization and conjunctures could contribute to understanding how this transformation could occur. Discursive mobilizations advance values or ideas but stop short of innovation and production system changes. Material mobilizations affect deployment of human, technological, industrial and financial resources. Conjunctures involve linkages of political activity to spaces implicated in both kinds of mobilizations in a given historical time frame. The study shows many nations having both extensive climate activism and concentrations of university students creating a possibility for greening education centers based on various models for doing so. Yet, two key problems emerge. First, some nations lag in climate activism. Second, interest in a Green Deal or Green New Deal does not always match the level of attention to leading activist Greta Thunberg. The paper illustrates how such problems can be addressed by university-based campaigns linking activist cohorts, mobilization supporting green conversion of higher education and solidaristic, mutual aid exchanges among regions.

Indigenous Ecological Reconstruction After Industrial Ruin in Two Iconic Sámi Catchments: Ethics of Comanagement?

The applicability of Indigenous ethics to the evaluation of ecological restoration is explored through two case examples involving the Indigenous Sámi rivers of Näätämö and Ponoi in the European North. Six key restoration approaches are described that would have been overlooked had it not been for the use of Indigenous ethics from the start of the work. The detection of rapidly proceeding climate change impacts and species range shifts, algae blooms, documentation of gendered coastal lifestyles, and ultimately the ecological restoration of salmonid habitats were recognized as critical markers of success when these approaches were practiced, lived and cherished by all members of the cogovernance community. This article asks critical questions about the role of Indigenous knowledge and rights within comanagement and environmental evaluations and makes the case for land-based lifestyles as vehicles for maintaining distinct, culturally relevant ethics processes.

Study of Reducing the Damage and Reuse of Waste Tanks in the Certej Mining Area

The Certej area is an area of gold mining activities with a history of several hundred years. The only activity with a significant share in the area was the mining activity, which provided the population of Certeju de Sus commune and its surroundings with the means necessary for a decent living. In the case of tailings dumps, the soil suffers a combined impact - by removing large areas of land from the natural circuit and by generating acidic water. The geology and morphology of the region, characterized by the existence of surfaces with different slopes, are natural causes that attribute different levels of vulnerability to land at the onset of degradation processes by erosion, landslides and excess moisture. All these bring limitations in the use of land on the main uses: agricultural, forestry, construction, etc. The paper aims to provide solutions for the reuse of these lands, their use by recultivation, the search for plant species adaptable to soil conditions. A relatively small number of species were determined on the tailings dumps in the studied area, the spontaneous vegetation is visibly stressed by the existing conditions. As such, the method of ecological reconstruction of freshly deposited tailings dumps by the method of forest recultivation is proposed.