Stakeholders’ Attitudes about the Transplantations of the Mediterranean Seagrass Posidonia oceanica as a Habitat Restoration Measure after Anthropogenic Impacts: A Q Methodology Approach

Anthropogenic impacts on Posidonia oceanica meadows have led to a decline of this ecosystem throughout the Mediterranean. Transplantations have often been prescribed as a compensation measure to mitigate the impacts caused by coastal maritime works. Here a Q methodology approach was used to investigate the stakeholders’ attitudes in four case studies of P. oceanica transplants realized in Italian waters. Twenty-two respondents were asked to score 37 statements, and the resultant Q-sorting was analyzed via an inverse PCA using the KADE software. Four discourses, corresponding to the significant axes in the factorial analysis were identified: science and conservation (F1), oriented at a rigorous scientific approach; engineering and industry (F2), oriented at the economic development; environmentalism and participation (F3), oriented at the conservation of seagrass meadows; and transplantation-oriented (F4), oriented at the realization of transplants as compensation measures. The main conflicts and agreements between discourses are assessed and discussed, based on the analysis of the distinguishing statements that contributed to consensus or disagreement among discourses. The benefits of the Q methodology in the identification and mediation of conflicts in the four case studies are discussed, and its potential as a powerful aid in the development of a good environmental governance is acknowledged.

Application of groundwater modeling to predict the effectiveness of various peat dome restoration methods in Pulang Pisau District, Central Kalimantan Province

A number of Indonesian Peat Hydrological Units (Kesatuan Hidrologis Gambut/KHG) have undergone severe degradation and require an effective restoration measure to increase their ecological, social, and economic function. A peat dome located in Garung village, Pulang Pisau District, Central Kalimantan Province, was selected in this research. It aimed to apply the mathematical modeling to predict the effect of various restoration methods on the sustainability of ecological functions of peak dome in this area and reveal the advantage and disadvantages of each specified method. The groundwater model was performed in this research to simulate the influence of four different restoration methods on the groundwater level of the peak dome. The water budget and the hydraulic conductivity of groundwater assigned in the modeling were derived from the previous research done in the other village within the same Peat Hydrological Units. Meanwhile, the soil property data and the other data related to groundwater and canal properties were obtained from the field measurement at the location during the rainy season. The result of modeling indicates that the restoration method employing a combination of canal backfilling and revegetation affects the most effectively the rising groundwater level of peat dome in the model domain, followed by the individual canal backfilling and canal blocking methods, respectively. The modeling approach enables us to prove the outcome of each applied restoration method toward the area of peak dome having groundwater level lower than 40 cm. In order to be able to apply this model in the other peatland area, a model validation utilizing the field measurement of hydraulic conductivity, groundwater level, and the canal water level is necessary to be carried out throughout the year, particularly during the dry season.

Fungi play a key role in the restoration of species-rich grasslands: trace-labelling carbon through the food chain

<p>Restoring natural plant communities on abandoned agricultural fields can be challenging due to a degraded soil community and a fertilizer legacy. We discovered that fungi are the initiators of a tighter connected soil food web which restores the closed carbon and nutrients cycles in soils, thereby accommodating species-rich plant communities in grasslands. Boosting the fungal channel as a bottom-up approach could thus be used as a next-generation restoration measure. We show data of soil inoculation experiments and trace the progression of change in the fungal community via sequencing and functioning via community response profiles. We assessed the top-down foraging of predators and consumers on the microbiome by analysing gut contents of consumers and predators from different restoration stages. We will be able to show preliminary data on the effect of fungi and their higher trophic levels in stimulating species-rich plant communities as well as give a prospect on the wider applications for microbiome engineering.</p>

A conflict between traditional flood measures and maintaining river ecosystems. A case study in river Lærdal, Norway

<p>Floods are among the most damaging natural disasters which are likely to increase with the effects of climate change and changes in land use. Therefore, rivers have been the focus of engineering for establishing structural flood mitigation measures. Traditional flood infrastructure, such as levees and dredging have threatened floodplains and river ecosystems and during the last decade, sustainable reconciliation of freshwater ecosystems is increasing. However, we still find many areas where these traditional measures are proposed and it is challenging to find tools for evaluations of different measures and quantification of the possible impacts. We propose the use of hydraulic modelling and remote sensing data for evaluation of different flood strategies and quantification of changes in hydraulic parameters in an ecological scale. This is applied in Lærdal River, in Norway, a national salmon river specially recognized by its environment for Atlantic salmon, where the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has proposed l flood measures that include confinement with walls and dredging in the riverbed. Results show that the constructing a higher wall could avoid dredging in the river bed resulting in a most cost-effective solution. Dredging could improve hydraulic conditions for juvenile salmon if applied as river restoration measure but channelization of the river would have big impacts in the river ecosystem.</p>

Water-Holding Characteristics of Litter in Meadow Steppes with Different Years of Fencing in Inner Mongolia, China

As a main restoration measure to address degraded grasslands, the installation of fences is often accompanied by accumulation of organic litter. This accumulated litter is a layer of physical moisture which intercepts rainfall and may inhibit plant growth and development. One of the important means to judge a reasonable length of time of fencing (the time a fence is present) is through assessing the water-holding mechanism and capacity of the litter. In this study, four meadows in the Chinese Hulunbuir grassland with different years of fencing duration were investigated in order to obtain data on organic community and litter accumulation. A soaking method was used to study water-holding characteristics of the litter and was divided into three parts of stem, leaves and decomposed parts as a means to summarize the water-holding mechanism within the litter. The results showed that: (1) Compared with the light grazing meadows, the diversity and uniformity of communities in meadows of fencing displayed a downward trend, while the accumulation of litter increased. (2) The stems, leaves, and decomposed components of litter in different communities showed a highly positive linear correlation with their maximum water-holding capacity (WHC). This indicates that the stem/leaf mass ratio and decomposition degree of litter are key factors in regulating WHC. (3) Based on this understanding, we established a model based on stem and leaf mass to predict the water-holding potential of litter in real world situations.

Long-term changes in phytoplankton and macrophyte communities in an eutrophic shallow reservoir and prospects for its restoration

Long-term changes in hydrochemistry and community structure of phytoplankton and macrophytes were analyzed in the Sestroretskiy Razliv reservoir (northwestern Russia). The average content of total phosphorus (TP) in May–October increased from 73 μg P l−1 in 1980 to 163 μg P l−1 in 2000. A significant increase in average chlorophyll a content from 16.6 μg l−1 in 1980 to 84.7 μg l−1 in 2000 and a shift in phytoplankton composition to the dominance of cyanobacteria over diatoms indicated a change in the trophic status of the reservoir from meso-eutrophic to hypertrophic. In 2016 and 2018, average TP was 96 and 101 μg P l−1, respectively. The average content of chlorophyll a was 43.6 μg l−1 in 2016 and 66.6 μg l−1 in warmer 2018, indicating persistent eutrophic conditions. Diatoms dominated both in 2016 and 2018, especially in 2016 characterized by unfavorable weather conditions. Cyanobacteria were more abundant in 2018 with higher summer temperatures. The decline of the total area covered by aquatic vegetation from 157 ha in 1980 to 76 ha in 2016 likely resulted from an increase in phytoplankton biomass and water turbidity. Based on the results of our observations, in addition to further reduction in nutrient loading, biomanipulation by introducing predatory fish as a restoration measure was proposed to improve the ecological status of the reservoir.

Comparison of Practice Factor Values of Soil and Water Conservation Measures Under the Condition of Snowmelt and Rainfall Erosion

<p>The benefits of soil and water conservation measures during snowmelt process is rarely studied in Northeast China. Based on the observation results of snowmelt erosion of Jixing runoff plots (Meihekou City, Jilin Province)in spring in 2015 and 2016, combined with the previous results of rainfall erosion, the practice factor values of soil and water conservation measures, the numbers of soil erosion events, the runoff depth and erosion modulus between snowmelt and rainfall conditions were compared to investigate the difference of effects of the soil and water conservation measures on snowmelt and rainfall erosion. The results show that the practice factor values range from 0.001 to 0.46, while the best measure for prevention of snowmelt erosion is the ecological restoration measure, with the characteristics of shorter period, less amount of snowmelt runoff. The effect of the cut-off drain measure, a typical engineering measures, on snowmelt erosion is mainly controlling the amount of snowmelt runoff. The erosion modulus and runoff depth of the shrub ridging are larger compared with the contour ridge and furrow planting, another kind of tillage measure, under snowmelt condition. Both two types of soil erosion, namely snowmelt and rainfall erosion, should be taken into account in planning and design of soil and water conservation measures in areas with snowmelt erosion, especially for the cultivated land.</p>

Reclamation of damaged agricultural land: an example of the Samara region

The issues of environmental protection, prevention of degradation and reclamation of damaged land are currently very significant and relevant. As damaged land has been observed the land where low productivity and low economic potential have arisen and natural productivity of ecosystems is changed due to human-caused activities. The nature and extent of the violation depends on the type, depth and duration of anthropogenic impact, on adopted system of work organization and the conditions of the environment. Black soil dominates in the soil cover in Samara region, therefore there has been developed agricultural production. However there are located large oilfields and gas fields, which are under active exploitation and reduction of vegetation, dumping technological sites, laying trenches for pipelines, etc. have been noticed, which leads to formation of technogenic soils, damaged land cover, loss of soil fertility and land use type change. There special restoration measure - reclamation should be putted into practice on the territory of all categories of land, but especially on agricultural land. The aim of the article is to study the situation with damaged agricultural land in Samara region of Russia and to develop scientifically based proposals for regeneration of its fertility after reclamation measures. The problems of pollution of agricultural land in the region have been investigated, main sources and types of pollution have been analysed, as well as legal, methodological and environmental protection documents on land reclamation have been studied. The peculiarities of reclamation of land on federal, municipal and property level have been considered. The article presents measures for reclamation of the land on the example of natural monopolies in the territory of the Samara region.

Poetics of the Pillory

On the lapse of the Licensing Act in 1695, Thomas Macaulay wrote in his History of England, ‘English literature was emancipated, and emancipated for ever, from the control of the government’. It’s certainly true that the system of prior restraint enshrined in this Restoration measure was now at an end, at least for print. Yet the same cannot be said of government control, which came to operate instead by means of post-publication retribution, not pre-publication licensing, notably for the common-law offence of seditious libel. For many of the authors affected, from Defoe to Cobbett, this new regime was a greater constraint on expression than the old, not least for its alarming unpredictability, and for the spectacular punishment—the pillory—that was sometimes entailed. Yet we may also see the constraint as an energizing force. Throughout the eighteenth century and into the Romantic period, writers developed and refined ingenious techniques for communicating dissident or otherwise contentious meanings while rendering the meanings deniable. As a work of both history and criticism, this book traces the rise and fall of seditious libel prosecution, and with it the theatre of the pillory, while arguing that the period’s characteristic forms of literary complexity—ambiguity, ellipsis, indirection, irony—may be traced to the persistence of censorship in the post-licensing world. The argument proceeds through case studies of major poets and prose writers including Dryden, Defoe, Pope, Fielding, Johnson, and Southey, and also calls attention to numerous little-known satires and libels across the extended period.