The role of art colonies in local development through the example of Cered Art Colony

The current study's topic is the summary of the roles of art colonies in the local example. The theoretical basis of the study was given by the international scientific literature of art colonies and the role of culture in the life of settlements. The matter of research is relevant as an investigation based on a case study has not been made yet on this topic; moreover, it consists of important results for the professionals. On this basis, it can be determined that which factors affect positively the human and natural environment through an art colony. A further advantage of the study can conclude to the possible development ways of culture in the life of villages. The current research, regarding the future, is an ideal starting point to know the role of art in local (and regional) development. The main results of the case study are the tangible effects of the colony on the (natural and human) environment.

Design for sustainable cultural landscapes : A whole-systems framework

This article explores how Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) could be used as a guidance framework for the capacity development of those engaged in the process of identifying, protecting, conserving, presenting and transmitting cultural landscapes. It draws insights from the Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) curriculum intended to serve the purpose of educating for the transition to a comprehensive sustainable culture. The framework follows the pattern of the EDE curriculum organised in four dimensions of sustainability and the three dimensions of learning - cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural. Each of these four dimensions, in turn, contains five modules– thus twenty subject areas in total, all of which need to be considered by sustainable cultural landscape educational programmes. The paper concludes that in order to create a whole-systems guidance framework addressing cultural landscape complexities, a wide variety of viewpoints needs to be considered including community, nature rights and traditional ways of knowing and other participatory epistemologies.

Drought and its impact on the bio-production of forests

The precipitation deficit, heat waves and subsequent drought significantly affected the forests in the Czech Republic. Primarily, forests were affected by physiological insufficiency and later by biotic and abiotic factors. On the initiative of the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, a study of the condition and damage of forest functions in the model area was formulated. The study was aimed at the model locality of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, especially the forest management unit of the Da?ice municipality (South Bohemian Region). The study uses certified national methodologies for evaluating forest function damage (Vyskot et al. 2003; Vyskot et al. 2014). This paper specifies the state and damage of the bio-production function depending on the represented forest management groups, stand types of woody plants and age phases of stands, in terms of value (in %) and finance in Czech koruna (CZK, the currency of the Czech Republic). In particular, spruce stands and their dominant mixtures of non-matured and fully matured trees were affected by major damage of a destructive nature. Due to the changed ecosystem conditions, a modified concept of forest management was proposed.

Construction of green hostels based on biologically renewable construction materials and natural economic media network

With growing demand for sustainable tourism, ecotourism is a fast-growing branch of the tourism industry, where the design and management of destinations must take into consideration the quality, originality, ecological compatibility, aesthetical properties, educational value, and the evaluation of the carrying capacity of destinations. In this study, we propose a new type of artificial tourist attractions within educative ecotourism, the green hostels constructed entirely of natural materials in harmony with the environment. The here presented model may be adapted to any type of natural environments. Our model of green hostels is based on biologically renewable construction materials and natural economic media network, may constitute a new tourist product in ecotourism. Apart from the presentation of the concept, the study sought answers to the following specific issues: (1) Identify the target group of the planned tourist offer and its needs and estimate the potential number of direct recipients of the project and (2) Demand analysis, based on needs research in terms of developing the tourist offer in a given area, based on which it is possible to indicate the demand for a specific type of tourist product.

Limestone quarries and cave protection

It happened in Hungary several times that a limestone quarry opened the entrance of a new, unknown cave during its activity such as the case was in the Villány Mountains, in Budapest, and in Kesel?, Naszály or Esztramos Hills. It is right that the natural caves are protected, but what is the solution in such cases? Closing the mine? Absolving the cave from protection? It is a difficult question. The real way: we must weigh. Which is more expensive? How valuable and unique is the cave? How big is the economic loss if we close the mine? And how serious is the harm if it is allowed to annihilate the value of nature, which is impossible to reproduce? Examples follow from Hungary.

Importance of soil science in the European Green Deal : Congress inauguration statement

This is the Congress inauguration statement of Professor Carmelo Dazzi (President of the European Society for Soil Conservation) to the international conference “Sustainable Management of Cultural Landscapes in the context of the European Green Deal”, held in Santo Stefano di Camastra (Sicily, Italy) jointly organized by the European Society for Soil Conservation and the European Ecocycles Society on November 9-14, 2021.

Sustainable agriculture and sustainability of water resources from the aspect of environmental protection

The international community has recognized soil salinization as one of the biggest global problems when it comes to soil conservation and its fertility, where the quality of water used for irrigation is a very important factor. Institute ofSoil Science in Belgrade conducted research on the properties of agricultural soil and irrigation water sampled at locations under irrigation systems within 6 areas of central Serbia (Braničevska, Podunavska, Pomoravska, Moravička, Mačvanska,and Toplička) in the period 2015-2018. Irrigation water was sampled at the research sites, in which the parameters for assessing its quality were analyzed (pH, electrical conductivity, sodium adsorptionratio, fixed residue). Five different classifications of irrigation water, which define the degree of risk of salinization and alkalization of soil due to the use of water of a certain quality for irrigation purposes, were applied in the paper. It was observed that a number of samples fall into different classes of application possibilities for irrigation according to different classifications. In some areas, the percentage of samples where a mismatch among classifications was observed is not negligible. Worldwide, priority is given to different classifications depending on practical experience and scientific conclusions. Many factors affect the degree of risk of soil salinization that issubject to change in the conditions of climate change. Having in mind the importance and prevalence of soil salinization, we conclude that the practice of using a number of classifications and their revision over time is a positive example and useful tool in the prevention and combat against soil salinization.

The influence of agriculture on the chemical composition of aerosols in the coastal zone of the Southern Baltic Sea (Gdynia)

In order to improve soil quality, size, and appearance of plants, various types of fertilizers are used in Poland. They are rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and potassium. Plants are fertilized before sowing, during germination, and during crop growth. Such agricultural activity can have a negative effect on the chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols, which can be transported with air masses far away from the agricultural sources regions. The aim of the research was to estimate the influence of agriculture on the chemical composition of aerosols of various sizes (<0.45 to 10 µm) in the atmosphere of the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea. The samples were collected in Gdynia, from 11/05/2016 to 17/08/2016, only outside traffic hours (10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) and only when air masses were transported from over agricultural areas. Aerosols were collected using Tisch Environmental high-flow impactor. The ions (NO3?, PO43-, K+, Ca2+) were determined by Metrohm ion chromatography (881 Compact IC pro). The obtained results allowed us to conclude that the highest mean concentrations of NO3?, K+, Ca2+occurred in aerosols below 0.45 µm in diameter (0.26, 0.04 and 5.85 µg·m-3, respectively). Phosphates showed the highest average concentration (0.191 µg·m-3) in aerosols with a diameter from 1.5 to 3.0 µm. The concentration of calcium and nitrates was the highest in the days when advection from Western Kashubia was dominant. In turn, the highest concentrations of phosphates and potassium occurred on the days when air masses were transported from Vistula ?u?awy. All episodes occurred in the spring when agricultural activity related to fertilizing farmland was the highest and the average wind speed was lower than 5 m·s-1, which indicates local to the regional origin of the analyzed compounds in aerosols.

Mapping floristic diversity: a case study in Sicily

This paper presents an operational methodology to map and analyze the floristic richness of “target species” in Natura 2000 sites, making use of G.I.S. tools and procedures. A Floristic diversity map (scale 1:50,000), covering an area of 612 km2, was produced by a team of experts as part of the management plans of “Madonie Mountains” Sites of Community Importance (SCIs), located in Sicily (Italy). The primary grid map represents the richness of “target species”, which include species of Community interests, taxa on the National Red List, endemic and threatened, species protected under International Conventions, taxa of phytogeographic importance. Secondary data frames include a three-dimensional map representing the number of species present in each cell, a coarser species richness distribution (scale 1:400,000) and a reference map of endemism rate in the Mediterranean area. Such a cartographic document has proven to be an effective tool in biodiversity conservation planning. Furthermore, the knowledge of floristic richness and distribution is not only important for the management of protected areas, but it is also important for the sustainable management of cultural landscapes.

Microalgae cultivation integrated into agro-industrial wastewater treatment

The world demands more and more energy due to the continuous population increase. In parallel, high organic and nutrient contents of wastewater streams are generated from anthropogenic activities like urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural practices. The continuous discharge of these wastewater streams into water bodies has been considered responsible for oxygen depletion and eutrophication in the environment. Integrating microalgae cultivation into wastewater treatment can be a promising solution to produce renewable energy while removing pollutants. In contrast to several review articles published about microalgae cultivation on different wastewater streams, the current review is focusing mainly on microalgae-based wastewater treatment on agricultural waste streams. Hence, first of all, the main characteristics of different agricultural streams will be described, then microalgal consortia cultivation, as well as monoculture strains, will be evaluated. Moreover, the photobioreactor systems for agricultural wastewater treatment will also be summarized. Finally, harvesting methods for microalgae recovery will be presented.