Ecological Projects Research Articles

On the need to plan for increased logistical challenges in ecological projects due to impacts of a changing climate

Anthropogenic climate change is manifesting in more extreme and unpredictable weather. We posit that weather-dependent biological fieldwork, especially in marine and coastal settings, is increasingly hindered by manifestations of a changing climate. Even if field researchers and practitioners can safely withstand the elements, research and monitoring protocols commonly dictate suitable conditions for data collection. Subsequently, climate change restricts field researchers' ability to collect data on ecological systems impacted by the changing climate. Research projects and protocols require active reconfiguration to future-proof field data collection. We suggest that weather-induced hurdles currently pressuring the execution of field campaigns can be mitigated by (1) conducting a cost-benefit analysis of existing research projects to streamline the use of limited resources, (2) adopting emerging technologies to reduce time in the field, and (3) collaborating with organizations and community-based scientists to increase project efficiency.

Response of Vegetation Dynamics in the Three-North Region of China to Climate and Human Activities from 1982 to 2018

To tackle ecological problems, many ecological restoration projects have been implemented in northern China. Identifying the drivers of vegetation change is critical for continued ecological engineering. In this study, three typical ecological reserves in the Three-North Shelter Forest Program Region (TNSFR) were selected to identify their vegetation development characteristics and driving mechanisms using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), climate factors, and land use data. The results show that (1) NDVIs increased in the range of human activities of all of the three ecological reserves, indicating an obvious effect of the vegetation restoration projects. (2) In the planting period, vegetation restoration was mainly correlated with human activities. After entering the tending period, the impact of climate changes on vegetation dynamics was enhanced. (3) Temperature and precipitation provided approximate driving effects on vegetation dynamics in Region I, while vegetation dynamics in Regions II and III were more strongly correlated with precipitation. (4) The proportion of areas with ecological measures exceeded 50% in all three regions. In short, ecological projects in the three ecological reserves dominated the quantity of vegetation restoration, while climate changes influenced the quality of vegetation restoration.

A climate-water quality assessment framework for quantifying the contributions of climate change and human activities to water quality variations

Water quality safety has attracted global attention and is closely related to the development of the social economy and human health. It is widely recognized that climate change and human activities significantly affect water quality changes. Therefore, quantifying the contributions of factors that drive long-term water quality changes is crucial for effective water quality management. Here, we built a climate-water quality assessment framework (CWQAF) based on climate-water quality response coefficients and trend analysis methods, to achieve this goal. Our results showed that the water quality improved significantly by 4.45%–20.54% from 2011 to 2020 in the Minjiang River basin (MRB). Human activities (including the construction of ecological projects, stricter discharge measures, etc.) were the main driving factors contributing 65%–77% of the improvement effect. Notably, there were differences in the contributions of human activities to water quality parameter changes, such as DO (increase (I): 0.12 mg/L, human contribution (HC): 66.8%), CODMn (decrease (D): 0.71 mg/L, HC: 67.2%), BOD5 (D: 1.10 mg/L, HC: 77.7%), CODCr (D: 4.20 mg/L, HC: 81.2%), TP (D: 0.13 mg/L,HC: 72.8%) and NH3–N (D: 0.40 mg/L, HC: 63.0%). Climate change explained 23%–35% of the variation in water quality. The water quality response to climate change was relatively significant with precipitation. For example, the downstream region was more susceptible to climate change than was the upstream region, as the downstream movement of precipitation centers strengthened the process of climatic factors affecting water quality changes in the MRB. Generally, although human activities were the main driving factor of water quality changes at the basin scale, the contribution of climate change could not be ignored. This study provided a manageable framework for the quantitative analysis of the influence of human activities and climate change on water quality to enable more precise and effective water quality management.

Sediment organic carbon dynamics response to land use change in diverse watershed anthropogenic activities

Sediment organic carbon (SOC) is a precious archive that synthesizes anthropogenic processes that remove geochemical fluxes from watersheds. However, the scarcity of inspection about the dynamic mechanisms of anthropogenic activities on SOC limits understanding into how key human factors drive carbon dynamics. Here, four typical basins with similar natural but significantly diverse human contexts (high-moderate-low disturbance: XJ-ZS and YJ-LS) were selected to reconstruct sedimentation rates (SR) and SOC dynamics nearly a century based on 200-cm corers. A partial least squares path model (PLS-PM) was used to establish successive (70 years) and multiple anthropogenic data (population, agriculture, land use, etc.) quantification methods for SOC. Intensified anthropogenic disturbances shifted all SR from pre-stable to post-1960s fluctuating increases (total coefficient: high: 0.63 < low: 0.47 < medium: 0.45). Although land use change was co-critical driver of SOC variations, their trend and extent differed under the dams and other disturbances (SOC mutated in high-moderate but stable in low). For high basin, land use changes increased (0.12) but dams reduced (−0.10) the downstream SOC. Furthermore, SOC mutation corresponded to soil erosion due to urbanization in both periods A and B. For moderate, SOC was reversed with the increase in afforestation and cropland (−0.19) due to the forest excitation effect and deep ploughing, which corresponded to the drought in phase B and the anthropogenic ecological project in A. For low, the increase in SOC corresponded to the Great Leap Forward deforestation in period B and the reed sweep in A, which suggested the minor land change substantially affected (0.16) SOC in fragile environments. Overall, SOC dynamics revealed that anthropogenic activities affected terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems for near the centenary, especially land use. This is constructive for agroforestry management and reservoir construction, consistent with expectations like upstream carbon sequestration and downstream carbon stabilization.

Spatio-Temporal Changes and Contribution of Human and Meteorological Factors to Grassland Net Primary Productivity in the Three-Rivers Headwater Region from 2000 to 2019

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the net primary productivity (NPP) of grassland in the Three-Rivers Headwaters (TRH) region has changed significantly. In this study, NPP was assessed by the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford approach (CASA) model in TRH from 2000 to 2019. The abrupt changes of NPP and meteorological factors were analyzed by cumulative departure, MK test, and Pettitt test. The contributions of meteorological and human factors to changes in grassland NPP were quantitatively assessed using the scenario simulation method. The obtained results showed that: (1) From 2000 to 2019, the NPP of grasslands increased from 135.72 to 141.16 gC/m−2a−1. However, the overall growth trend was not significant, and the proportion of significant growth was only 31.45%; (2) An abrupt increase in meteorological factors occurred around 2005, while an abrupt increase in NPP occurred around 2008, which showed that 2008 was the year when human factors, such as ecological projects and policies, began to show a significant impact on the growth of NPP; and (3) The contribution of human factors to the abrupt increase in NPP was significantly greater than the contribution of meteorological factors. The contribution of human factors exceeded 70% in 93.68% of the studied area, reaching 98% in general, while the contribution of meteorological factors was less than 2%. Among them, the human contributions to the Yangtze River Source, the Yellow River Source, and the Lancang River Source all exceeded 95%. The negative effects of meteorological factors on the growth of NPP in the abovementioned three regions were as high as 47.35%, 48.66%, and 36.91%, respectively. Human factors have contributed greatly to the increase in NPP in most of the source areas of the Yellow River, the eastern part of Tanggulashan County, the southeastern part of Zhiduo County, and the western part of Zaduo County at the source of the Yangtze River.

Effects of Human Social-Economic Activities on Vegetation Suitability in the Yellow River Basin, China

Vegetation suitability assessment is the premise of scientific vegetation restoration and identifying its effect factors is conducive to imposing more targeted measures. In this paper, we take 24 social-economic factors that may affect vegetation suitability as indicators and construct the three criterion layers of production, life and policy. Then, we use cross-sectional data of 448 counties in the Yellow River Basin during 2018 to analyze how the social-economic factors influence the vegetation suitability. The results show that human activity factors affecting vegetation suitability vary a lot for counties in different reaches of the Yellow River. To be specific, overirrigation and overfertilization have negative influences on vegetation suitability in upstream counties. In the middle reaches, development of the secondary industry and urbanization have the most significant negative effects on vegetation suitability. When it comes to the lower reaches, economic advance contributes to the vegetation suitability, but an excessive population density counteracts this positive effect. We also find that the implementation of major ecological projects has played a positive role in improving vegetation suitability in the last few years, and the more targeted the policies are, the more significant their effects will be. In summary, there is no doubt that overfrequent human activities can interfere with the vegetation suitability. At the end of this article, we put forward some pertinent suggestions on how to better play the subjective initiative of human activities to improve the suitability of vegetation.

Impacts of vegetation restoration on water resources and carbon sequestration in the mountainous area of Haihe River basin, China

The mountainous region of the Haihe River basin (MHRB) plays an important role in the water resource supply of its nearby mega-cities, including Beijing and Tianjin, and large areas of cropland. With the implementation of afforestation projects in recent decades, vegetation and carbon (C) uptake have greatly increased in the MHRB. In addition, the annual runoff has significantly declined, threatening regional water security. The trade-off relationship between water yield and C uptake in the MHRB remains unknown. This study employed a biogeochemical model (Biome-BGC) to simulate the natural vegetation dynamics and gross primary productivity (GPP) during 1982–2019 driven by climate forcing. A distributed hydrological model (geomorphology-based hydrological model, GBHM) was adopted to assess the impact of vegetation restoration on the hydrological processes. The results indicated that the leaf area index in the MHRB increased significantly (P < 0.01) during 1982–2019, which led to evapotranspiration increase and runoff (R) reduction. Under the influence of vegetation restoration, both the GPP and the water use efficiency (WUE) increased significantly in the MHRB during 2000–2019, however, the improvement of WUE decreased with the aridity index increasing. Our results showed that vegetation restoration can improve C sequestration efficiency in the MHRB and that the trade-off between water yield and C sequestration should be considered in planning ecological projects to achieve C neutrality.

Quantitative Evaluation Method for Construction Disturbance and Ecological Restoration of Waterway Engineering and Its Application

With the increasing emphasis on the ecology and environment of rivers, the construction of ecological waterway projects has become a development trend in China. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the ecological effects of ecological waterway construction. Based on pressure-state-response (PSR) and driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) logical frameworks, this paper established a state-pressure-impact-response (SPIR) conceptual model. The model took the river ecology and environment state as the main line, and described the disturbance pressure of the engineering construction on the river state, the impacts of the project on the river comprehensive function, and the positive responses taken in the full lifetime cycle of the project. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy evaluation model were used to study the changes of the river ecosystem status after suffering from the construction pressure and taking positive responses. Taking the 12.5 m deep water waterway project in the Taicang-Nantong section of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River as an example, the disturbance on the ecology and environment at different stages of the project construction and the effort of relieving the negative impacts of the project on the ecology and environment were evaluated by the health level of the ecosystem. The paper can provide a scientific method for the evaluation of ecological projects in river ecosystems.

Analysis and Synthesis of Alternative Solutions to Environmental Problems Associated with Large-scale Projects

In this study the environmental problems in the large-scale project called "Ecology of the Angaro-Yenisei region" are addressed. A description of various approaches to assess the program of conservation and restoration of the Yenisei as the basis of the ecological potential of the Angaro-Yenisei region is presented. A justification is given for taking into account the uncertainty in such an assessment. The present study suggests three stages of assessment for different levels, macro-, meso- and microlevel. The estimates of the previous assessment level are the initial information for the lower level, which allows a gradually reduction of the degree of uncertainty. At the first stage, the goals of the program were developed and ranked by expert assessment methods. The second stage consisted in analyzing the National Project called "Ecology of Russia," composed of 11 interconnected federal projects. A mathematical model of the problem of optimal project management in conditions of uncertainty is presented. At the third stage, a hybrid model of assessing a large ecological project from the logical-descriptive model created at the first stage and the mathematical model of stage 2 is considered. Similar models, in the creation of which the authors took part, were used in the assessment of large-scale railway projects. More specifically, with the help of one of them, an analysis of the development of the Asian part of the Russian Federation was carried out by the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In conclusion, the need of the use of mathematical methods at various stages of assessing large-scale environmental projects from their initiation to implementation is justified

Is land degradation worsening in Northern China? Quantitative evidence and enlightenment from satellites

AbstractLand degradation has become an urgent environmental issue globally. The complexity of land degradation hinders its quantification and monitoring, which is needed to realize the sustainable development of land resources. This study constructed a comprehensive index—land degradation status index (LDSI), which integrates in fractional vegetation cover (FVC), net primary productivity (NPP), albedo, and modified temperature vegetation drought index (MTVDI) based on spatial principal component analysis (SPCA). Land degradation was then identified by the dynamics of land degradation status during 2001–2018. This study investigated the spatio‐temporal process and driving mechanism of land degradation in Northern China. The result indicates that: (1) LDSI had a better monitoring performance compared with normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), (2) although some degraded land had been effectively rehabilitated (17.11%), a highly clustered spatial distribution of land degradation status remained, challenging to break, (3) localized land degradation had expanded (1.063%), mainly in semiarid (0.481%), dry sub‐humid (0.289%), and humid (0.187%) regions, and (4) differences in climate, environmental backgrounds, and human activities were driven land degradation status and process. This study also assessed the effectiveness of ecological projects implemented by the Chinese government. The in‐depth understanding of the change regularity and influencing mechanism in land degradation status and process can provide a scientific basis for formulating ecological policies based on local conditions.

Sustainable Management Behavior of Farmland Shelterbelt of Farmers in Ecologically Fragile Areas: Empirical Evidence from Xinjiang, China

The farmland shelterbelt is an important artificial ecological project for improving farmland microclimates, ensuring agricultural production, and promoting sustainable development in China’s ecologically fragile areas. Due to the quasi-public attribute, farmland shelterbelts were mainly constructed and managed by the government in the past. In recent years, the reform of the separation of three rights in collective forestland and the mechanism of “private supply of public goods” have prompted farmers to participate in the modern forest management system. However, there is a lack of consistency between farmers’ management intentions and actual contract operation and management behaviors, resulting in weakened management and protection in many places, which seriously restricts the construction efficiency of farmland shelterbelts. Therefore, based on the survey data and planning behavior theory (TPB) of 1106 farmers in 16 major agricultural production areas (counties) in Xinjiang, this study aims to explore the key factors affecting farmers ‘forestry management and production decision making and to verify the transformation mechanism of farmers’ behavior through path analysis. The results show that the management decisions of farmers in ecologically fragile areas follow the path form of “cognitive → intention → behavior”, in which the multi-dimensional cognition of farmers has a significant impact on farmers’ behavioral intention, while the effect on behavioral response is relatively small, which currently depends on the promotion of ecological compensation and government behavior. Finally, this study puts forward countermeasures and suggestions for continuously stimulating the farmers’ forest operation behavior and provides policy reference for promoting the sustainable development of farmland shelterbelts in ecologically fragile areas put forward countermeasures and suggestions for continuously stimulating farmers’ forestry behavior.

Assessment of land degradation in Inner Mongolia between 2000 and 2020 based on remote sensing data

Achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN) worldwide is a significant target of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG15.3). Inner Mongolia, as a typical dryland region in northern China, has carried out several large-scale ecological restoration programs to combat land degradation. However, there is a lack of comprehensive assessment of its land degradation situation after ecological programs implementation, which is of great significance to supporting SDG15.3 in China. This study analyzed the land degradation situation using the improved SDG15.3.1 calculation framework based on fine resolution data in Inner Mongolia from 2000 to 2020, and finally comprehensively evaluated the land status of the whole region and those subject to ecological programs. The results show that net land restoration proportion of various ecological project regions and whole region continues to increase. The scope of the Grain for Green Program (GGP) had the largest proportion of net land restoration while the Natural Reserve Program (NRP) had the lowest proportion from 2000 to 2020. The net land restoration area of Inner Mongolia during 2000–2010 and 2010–2020 was 35,800 km² and 65,300 km², respectively. Overall, Inner Mongolia has achieved statistically zero growth in land degradation under the governance of ecological restoration programs. Therefore, reasonable planning, well monitoring, and timely assessment of ecological restoration programs are crucial to support SDG15.3.

Assessment of Restoration Degree and Restoration Potential of Key Ecosystem-Regulating Services in the Three-River Headwaters Region Based on Vegetation Coverage

The Three-River Headwaters Region (TRHR) is an important part of the ecological security barrier of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau in China. Twenty years after the implementation of the TRHR ecological protection and construction project, the restoration degree and restoration potential of its major ecosystem services still lack clear quantification. In this paper, taking the core area of the nature reserve as the climax background of the TRHR zonal ecosystem, based on the multiple regression analysis (MLR) and model parameter control method based on the eco-geographical area, ecosystem types, and climate factors; the climax background, restoration degree, and restoration potential of TRHR’s water retention (WR), soil retention (SR), and windbreak and sand fixation (WD) services were quantitatively researched. The main conclusions were as follows: (1) The evaluation method of climax background, restoration degree, and restoration potential based on fractional vegetation cover (FVC) can accurately quantify the regional differences of the restoration degree and restoration potential of TRHR’s key ecosystem-regulating services. The restoration degree and restoration potential of WR and SR services showed a spatial pattern of high in the southeast and low in the northwest, and the restoration degree and restoration potential of WD services showed a spatial pattern of high in the west and low in the east, which was closely related to natural conditions such as precipitation and wind speed. (2) The proportion of restoration potential to climax background for WR, SR, and WD services were 48.38%, 62.15%, and 56.37%, respectively. (3) The implementation of the TRHR ecological project in the future should focus on the vicinity of the 400 mm dry and wet zone dividing line, as well as in the southeastern mountains, hills, and river valleys, to carry out degraded vegetation restoration and soil and water conservation measures to improve ecosystem services. Near-natural restoration measures should be considered in Zhiduo and Geermu in the western part of the TRHR, where wind erosion is high, and the restoration goals of ecological projects should be formulated in combination with local climatic conditions and restoration potential.

Multi-source remote sensing data shows a significant increase in vegetation on the Tibetan Plateau since 2000

In recent years, there has been growing concern that vegetation changes on the Tibetan Plateau are associated with climate change (temperature and precipitation) and human activities. This study used six types of remote sensing vegetation data, including GIMMS (Global Inventory Modelling and Mapping Studies) NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) NDVI, MODIS EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index), SPOT Vegetation (Spot-VGT) NDVI, LAI (Leaf Area Index) and NPP (Net Primary Productivity), and applied the maximum synthesis method, trend analysis, correlation analysis, and multivariate statistical analysis to investigate vegetation change processes since the 1980s. The study showed that the amount of vegetation on the TP had increased significantly since 2000 ( p &lt; .01), especially in the northeastern part of the TP. There was no significant change prior to 2000. The different vegetation data sources varied greatly. Four remote sensing indices, MODIS EVI, Spot-VGT NDVI, LAI, and NPP, showed a significant increase in vegetation from 2000, accounting for 16.18%, 44.55%, 30.44% and 8.94% of the total area, respectively ( p &lt; .05). Multiple data sources provided a more comprehensive understanding, whereas a single data source had substantial uncertainty. Human activities, such as the implementation of large-scale ecological projects, played a dominant role in increasing vegetation, while climate change played a subsidiary role. The MODIS EVI, Spot-VGT NDVI, LAI, and NPP data showed that the area of increased vegetation caused by human activities accounted for 53.51%, 45.68%, 37.52%, and 31.79% of the total area of the TP, respectively. The relative increase from climate change was 10.28%, 17.49%, 13.15%, and 8.82%, respectively. The current study applied multi-source remotely sensed vegetation data, which effectively reduced the uncertainty caused by individual data sources and provided more rigorous and scientific research conclusions.

Spatial-Temporal Variations and Trade-Offs of Ecosystem Services in Anhui Province, China.

Research on the spatiotemporal evolution and trade-offs of ecosystem services (ESs) is important for optimizing the ecological security barrier system and promoting coordinated socio-economic development. Natural factors, e.g., climate change, and human factors, e.g., unreasonable land use, have impacted and damaged ecosystem structure and function, leading to challenges with ES trade-offs and the spatial identification of priority protected areas. Here, the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of five ESs (water yield, nitrogen export, soil retention, carbon storage, and habitat quality) in Anhui Province, China, from 2000-2020 were analyzed based on the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model. The trade-offs and spatial patterns among different ESs were explored using Pearson correlation and hotspot analyses; the dynamics of natural growth, cultivated land protection, and ecological protection scenarios for ESs in 2030 were simulated and analyzed by coupling InVEST with the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model. The results reveal the following. (1) From 2000-2020, increases in water yield and soil retention occurred, with concurrent declines in the other services; the total nitrogen high-value area was mainly concentrated in the plain, with the other services' high-value areas mainly concentrated in the Dabieshan and Southern Anhui Mountains, with each ES showing similar spatial distributions across years. (2) The ESs were mainly synergistic, with trade-offs mainly between nitrogen export and other services. (3) Hotspot overlap between water yield and the other ESs was relatively low; no more than 6.53% of ecosystems per unit area provided five ESs simultaneously. (4) Other than water yield, the ecological protection scenario was more conducive to improving ecosystem functions. This study's results indicate inadequate synergy among ESs in Anhui Province; competition among land types must be further balanced in the future. This study provides a basic reference for implementing ecological projects and constructing ecological security patterns.

Beyond the Environmental Kuznets Curve: An Empirical Study Taking China’s Poverty Alleviation Campaign as a Quasi-Experiment

Poverty-stricken areas in China have the dual task of alleviating poverty and safeguarding national ecological security. Based on statistical surveys and satellite remote sensing data, we construct a staggered difference-in-difference model to empirically analyze the dual impact of poverty alleviation on the economic development and eco-environment of poverty-stricken areas. This study also examines viable pathways for economic development in poor areas in the context of ecological conservation. The results show that the poverty eradication campaign under the leadership of the Communist Party of China has significantly improved the rate of economic growth in poverty-stricken areas while also significantly improving the quality of the local eco-environment. Further analysis shows that ecological projects and ecological compensation make the greatest contribution to promoting the conversion of ecological resources into economic output in poverty-stricken areas. China’s successful experience in green poverty alleviation can not only provide important policy enlightenment for the nation’s continuation of its comprehensive revitalization drive in rural areas, but also provide new options for other developing countries to achieve their green take-off.

Changes in wintering Hooded Cranes and their habitats at Chongming Dongtan over the past 20 years

The Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) is listed as a Vulnerable species in the IUCN red list. Tidal wetland (tideland), the major habitat for wintering Hooded Cranes at East China's Chongming Dongtan, has dramatically changed in the past two decades, but there is limited knowledge about the population and habitat changes of the Hooded Cranes. This study investigated the population size and distribution of wintering Hooded Cranes at Chongming Dongtan from 2000 to 2021. We used remote sensing images combined with a vegetation classification algorithm to analyse the distribution of saltmarsh vegetation. The quadrat method was used to investigate the density and weight of the underground corms of Sea Bulrush (Scirpus mariquter), the main food on tideland for the Hooded Cranes. From 2000 to 2021, the population number of wintering Hooded Cranes at Chongming Dongtan remained stable at approximately 100. In 2000, the area of Scirpus spp. and Common Reed (Phragmites australis) accounted for approximately half of the total saltmarsh area at Chongming Dongtan, respectively. The invasive Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) rapidly expanded on tideland in the 2000s while the Scirpus spp. was competed out and thus significantly reduced in area. After the implementation of an ecological project to control Smooth Cordgrass and to restore Scirpus spp. in the 2010s, the area of the Smooth Cordgrass decreased considerably while the area of Scirpus spp. increased. The corms of Sea Bulrush decreased on the southeastern tideland during the study period, which might be the cause of the northward movement of the foraging Hooded Cranes on tideland. We also found Hooded Cranes foraged crops in the nearby farmland in mid-winter, causing human-bird conflicts in the recent decade. Our results found that changes in habitat and food conditions on tideland impacted wintering Hooded Cranes. Foraging in farmland with human disturbance in the recent decade might be related to insufficient food on tideland. We suggest active intervention to accelerate the restoration of Sea Bulrush on tideland and reduce human disturbance in farmland to improve the habitat quality of the wintering Hooded Crane at Chongming Dongtan.

Population of the Columba livia in Yoshkar-Ola and execution of the ecological project "Watch out, ornithosis!"

In the manuscript, the authors described the results of the evaluation of the Columba livia population in Yoshkar-Ola (Russia). In the period from 2018 to 2022, the population density of pigeons in the city center increased by 15% and amounted to about 1,000 individuals per km2. The increase in the number of C. livia is not safe for humans. C. livia are most active during the day at permanent locations where they are fed by people. Of the five color morphs, dark-gray prevails. Pigeons belonging to the dark-gray morph are the most adapted to life in urban conditions. As part of the first phase of the project "Watch out, ornithosis!" from the Presidential Grants Foundation of the Russian Federation we conducted a survey of the citizens. As a result of the survey, we identified risk groups of the people due to ignorance about the features of the disease ornithosis. Older people feed pigeons more often and do not know about the diseases that birds carry. Schoolchildren also do not know about ornithosis. The next stage of the project will be the dissemination of preventive information about ornithosis and other diseases carried by pigeons, preventive measures.

Implementing a cluster-based method for managing solid waste in the coastal zone of the Black Sea

The analysis of existing problems of intensively developing infrastructure of the coastal zone of the Black Sea in the field of accumulation of wastes is presented and the optimal ways of its solution at the initial stages of designing of the refuse processing enterprises are offered. The purpose of the work to show that the creation of a full cycle of recycling solid waste will significantly improve the economic and environmental performance of the Ministry of Ecology and Nature Conservation of the Republic of Crimea. Calculation of required industrial capacities of the rubbish processing enterprise is made, the approach in the field of the waste treatment, differing from the existing archaic methods of disposal and based on the cluster distribution is offered. Clustering will make it possible to carry out deep processing of raw materials, to reduce to zero the volume of burial of waste, to transport it to the place of final processing by railway and automobile transport, which will considerably simplify logistics. Such measures will significantly reduce the effect of negative impact on the environment, generate useful capacities in the form of heat and electricity for domestic and industrial consumption, and attract additional investments to the region, increasing the revenue part of the budget of the region as a whole. The proposed approach is well aligned with the national Ecology Project.

Deep awareness as a factor of environmental motivation at sea

There are environmental problems at sea and some of them are specific. The International Maritime Organization is on the way of strict controlling permanently intensification regulations. One of the most important of them is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). To prevent uncontrolled and undesired actions of seafarers officers are interested in strong methods including motivating others and themselves as leadership skills are requested by practice and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). After considering different types of motives, factors in/decreasing their effectiveness existing at sea, the authors developed the practical research, analyzed the revealed data on the nature of the dominating motives among cadets of the Maritime University and the seafarers, and concluded highly developed awareness of the existing pollution at sea. Established forming experiment proved that the deep awareness of environmental problems adds to the inside, the strongest environmental motivation to fallow International regulations, acceptable from both behavioral and self-controlling points of view. Further actualized professional self-organization strategy helped to educational ecological project development, which were involved in the working courses.