Ecological Wealth Research Articles

Evaluation of climate-change impacts on the temporal and spatial behaviour of drought in South-Central Chile

ABSTRACT Chile is particularly vulnerable to climate change due to its geomorphology, ecological wealth and economic dependence on water resources, and has been facing a severe drought since 2010. The objective of this work is to propose a methodology able to project and evaluate changes in the magnitude, duration and frequency of meteorological and hydrological droughts, as a decision-making tool to support adaptation to climate change. Four basins were assessed using different downscaled General Circulation Models (GCM) and the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. Results were evaluated using Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Streamflow Index (SSFI) comparing drought events over two periods of time. An increase in magnitude and duration of meteorological droughts is projected, especially in the Andes Mountain range. Regarding hydrological drought, greater increases in magnitude and duration are projected for the Itata River Basin. In both types of droughts, an increase in frequency is expected.

Freshwater Gastropod Diversity in The Selected Lotic Environment, Betong, Sarawak, Borneo

Freshwater Gastropoda can be considered as the biological indicator in ecosystems such as rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. The objectives of this study are to identify freshwater gastropod species, diversity, and distribution along Sungai Penebak, Sungai Nanga Tiga, and Sungai Kabo in the Betong division. The study was conducted on 10 November 2020. A 50 m transect was laid on the riverbank of all three stations. The existing specimens were counted and collected from each sampling point and stored were taken to the laboratory for species identification. The diversity index and morphological study of freshwater gastropods were performed. Five species of freshwater gastropods belonging to four families were discovered. The five species of freshwater gastropods consisted of Sulcospira pageli, which shows great abundance, followed by Clea nigricans, Brotia costula, Pila ampullacea, and Vittina pennata. The diversity indices of collected Gastropoda species from the different stations, for instance, Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H’), Pielou’s evenness index (J’), and Margalef’s richness index were assessed; where station 3 showed higher diversity of Gastropoda compared to other two stations. The information presented in this paper might be helpful for ecological wealth studies and considered as the baseline data for the stream ecosystem in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Tracing the Postcolonial Ecocritical Aspects of Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide

This research article examines Amitav Ghosh’s novel The Hungry Tide in the theories of Postcolonialism and Ecocriticism. It provides a new perspective by interrelating postcolonial and ecological issues of indigenous people in the novel. The research article addresses the harsh realities of the protagonist in Sundarbans Island and reflects on the power of colonialization and the degradation of ecological wealth. The research article also traces the postcolonial elements and ecological aspects through various episodes, anecdotes, and experiences narrated in the novel. It focuses on the Sundarbans (Island) and investigates the link between the postcolonial geographies and identities. The research article highlights the problems of indigenous people in the novel. The research examines how the British colonization of India affected the local people and the environment. It mainly examines how the indigenous people play a role in safeguarding their environment. The article also interrelates the aspects of Postcolonial and Ecocriticism to highlight other social issues that the book raises.

Effective mechanisms in the formation of pool-rimstone dams in continental carbonate systems: The case study of Huanglong, China

The tufa/travertine landscape is an important heritage and ecological wealth given to mankind by nature, of which rimstone dam limiting pools are important features that allow their development. This study explores the mechanisms influencing the formation of rimstone dams through the study of depositional behavior in the short-term under hydrodynamic action, hydrochemical changes, and biological characterization, independent from the long-term dynamics. Numerical simulations clearly show the complex flow regimes of the paired pool and rimstone dam. Differences in flow regime and particle transport distribution in different areas of the pool lead to differences in deposition at different areas of the pool. Hydrodynamic effects generate morphological changes of the pool-rimstone dam by promoting the deposition on the outer wall of the dam and causing no-deposition and remobilization (erosion in a broad sense) in the inner wall. Significant changes in the ion concentrations of Ca2+ and HCO3− occur at short distances in the external upper and lower parts of the dam, suggesting that the thin layer of water and high velocity conditions in the outer wall of the rimstone dam facilitate precipitation. Biological processes influence the development of rimstone dam and promote its thickening. The plant remains of leaves, branches, and roots provide the basic depositional framework and depositional template for rimstone dam growth. Besides, microorganisms affect the micro-morphology of calcite through their own metabolism. This study aims to clarify the mechanisms of pool-rimstone dam formation by exploring the interactions between abiogenic and biogenic controls within a hydrodynamic model.

Travertine/tufa resource conservation and sustainable development call for a world-wide initiative

Travertine/Tufa landscape is an important heritage and ecological wealth given to mankind by nature. Travertine/Tufa itself has excellent scientific and aesthetic value, mostly with geological archives such as volcanoes, tectonics, and glaciers, as well as fingerprints referring to climate and evolution of life. However, these travertine/tufa landscapes also face degradation and disappearance caused by climate change, natural disasters, and human activities. Strengthening the conservation and sustainable development of the world's travertine/tufa resources is not only a slogan, but also requires the creation of a linked platform for the conservation of travertine/tufa resources with the participation of people from all over the world. This implies the necessity of sharing of databases and technical reserves, and the involvement of more people in the conservation of travertine/tufa resources through the construction of travertine/tufa culture. By recognizing the urgency of travertine/tufa resource conservation, this paper proposes four initiatives for travertine/tufa research aimed at guiding further research and promoting international cooperation to achieve effective conservation and sustainable development of the world's travertine/tufa resources.

Returning ecological wealth to nonhuman species through design: the case for ecosystemas

Returning ecological wealth to nonhuman species through design: the case for ecosystemas

Factors influencing consumers’ continuous purchase intention on fresh food e-commerce platforms: An organic foods-centric empirical investigation

E-commerce has brought new opportunities to expand sales channels for fresh products. However, China’s fresh food e-commerce platforms currently have a low repurchase rate among consumers and face operating losses or bankruptcy. Therefore, from the perspective of perceived value, this research took organic foods as the research object and included gender differences, thereby establishing a theoretical model to explain the factors affecting consumers’ continuous purchase intention on fresh food e-commerce platforms. We surveyed consumers who bought organic foods online and collected 454 valid samples. First, the findings have shown that product characteristics (nutritional content, natural content, and ecological wealth) and platform characteristics (information quality, system quality, and service quality) significantly impact the perceived utilitarian value and perceived hedonic value of consumers. Second, perceived value plays a critical mediating role in influencing product characteristics and platform characteristics on consumers’ continuous purchase intention. Finally, the results suggest that enterprises should focus on product characteristics and platform characteristics to enhance consumers’ perceived value, thus increasing their continuous purchase intention.

Implementation of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child in the South Urals in the 1990s

The relevance of the studied problem is determined by the subject of the study, namely the policy of the Russian Federation towards children. Children are the future of the state. The younger generation determines the future technological, intellectual, political, economic, demographic, and ecological wealth of the country. The objective of the article is to study the degree of implementation of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child in one of the largest regions of Russia – the South Urals in the 1990s. Research methods: synchronous, systemic-structural, historical-comparative, historical-genetic. As a result of the study, the authors draw conclusions and offer practical recommendations on the improvement of the state policy in the field of educating the younger generation in modern Russia. The practical significance of the conducted study is that the authors of the article investigated the first steps of implementation of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child in Russia. At the same time the authors explored unresolved issues in the field of children’s rights and public policy mistakes to prevent them from happening in the future.

Satisfaction and Its Relationship with Loyalty in Ecotourism: A Study in Costa Rica

Within ecotourism, the service can be improved with proper planning, achieving greater satisfaction and return of tourists, benefiting the destination and the community with higher income and employment. The objectives of this study were a) to analyze the relationships between tourists’ general satisfaction and loyalty, and b) to analyze the influence that the service aspects exert on the satisfaction and return of tourists. The study was conducted in Costa Rica, a Central American country with great ecological wealth for ecotourism. Three hundred ten questionnaires were filled out in the Arenal National Park and the Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge. Spearman's statistical method of correlation was used for data analysis. As main results, the aspects of the service had a significant and positive influence on the satisfaction and return intentions of tourists. The aspects that most influenced general satisfaction were accessibility and infrastructure, tranquility, gastronomic quality, and the human treatment received. While the aspects that most influenced the return intentions were the tourist information and signage, the gastronomic quality, the accessibility of the infrastructure, and the equipment and facilities of the restaurant. The findings will serve to develop sustainable plans in protected areas and to improve service in ecotourism.

Ngebel Sumber Kabuyutan: The Reflection of Human and Natural Harmony Through Serat Centhini

In 2019, the issue of the impact of the PLTP construction in Ngebel Ponorogo was widely discussed. Reduced groundwater supply is one of the inherent impacts of geothermal drilling activities. In line with the mandate of Law no. 5 of 2017 concerning the Advancement of Culture implies old manuscripts/texts as one of the objects of cultural advancement, attention to Ngebel's ecological issues reminds us of early 19th century Javanese literary work entitled Serat Centhini. In Serat Centhini Volume VII pupuh 394. Wirangrong, pada 18 to pupuh 398. Gambuh pada 38 narrative records of various ecological wealth in Ngebel, as well as various water resources and syncretism rites of respect for natural resources which can be categorized as mystical-ecological. The discussion of narrative discourse through Serat Centhini is presented as a reflection of Ngebel Ponorogo ecological richness and the harmonization of humans and nature. Given the imagination during the Covid-19 pandemic, nature has again become the focus of human attention. Thus, the imagination of Ngebel's ecological wealth in the past emerged for consideration of Ngebel's environmental sustainability for the construction of PLTP (Geothermal Power Plant) and in general as an imagination of the harmonization of humans and nature.

Spatial planning of fire-agency stations as a function of wildfire likelihood in Thasos, Greece

Even though wildfires constitute a natural phenomenon, they may have severe implications with respect to the socioeconomic structure of the affected population and the ecological wealth of a territory, especially when they burn under high intensities. Timing of the initial attack is thus crucial to fire control in areas that fires are considered to be under high threat of burning. The aim of this paper is to investigate the combined use of simulation modeling and spatial optimization to assess the pre-positioning of fire-management resources on a small Greek island, Thasos, based on the current and desired fire agency capabilities, maximization of environmental protection, and rationalization of financial resources. The estimation of burn probability (BP) depicted specific areas of high fire hazard in the southern, central, and western part of the island, where essential preventive measures should be undertaken. Based on this result, BP was then used as a primary input for the assessment of optimal locations of fire operation agencies in order to achieve the maximal coverage under certain (already available) and minimum number of fire-fighting vehicles in different time windows. The results generated three differentiated optimal location schemes [8 available vehicles within either 10 (immediate response time) or 31 min (average response time) with the current fire resources; 19 and 2 required vehicles within 10 and 31 min, respectively, based on a minimum number of fire resources]. This type of information enables us to propose a relocation of the current fire agency in a southern town of the island. The flexibility and interaction of the models provide a framework for appropriate decision making under a set of political and financial constraints.

Public Private People Partnership as Tourism Development Strategy for Kepulauan Bawean

Indonesia has great potentials in the field of tourism. The cumulative data of the Central Statistics Agency in January-August 2019 indicated that the number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia reached 10.87 million visits or up 2.67 percent compared with the number of foreign tourists visiting the same period in 2018, which amounted to 10.58 million visits. These data indicate that the number of tourists continues to increase and will impact on foreign exchange income both central and regional. However, in reality, tourism potentials in the regional scope lack the spotlight for the central government, and the local government has not been able to manage it. Kepulauan Bawean saves a lot of variety of maritime tourism charm and has an amazing underwater ecological wealth in the form of a group of islands, each of which has its uniqueness. Kepulauan Bawean lies 80 miles from the mainland of Gresik Regency. The purpose of this research is to recommend a strategy for developing tourism model through public-private-people partnerships (4Ps) for Kepulauan Bawean, Gresik Regency. The method used in this research is qualitative descriptive with data collection techniques through interviews and literature review. The results of this research provide a conceptual description of 4Ps and 4Ps implementation steps for Kepulauan Bawean by using the analysis of the application of three-flow theory in the agenda setting consisting of problem stream, policy stream, and political stream. The concept of public-private-people partnership is very suitable to be applied because it involves government, private and community actors to be partner as a tourism development strategy for Kepulauan Bawean.Key words: Kepulauan Bawean, Public-Private-People Partnership, Tourism, Public Service.

Творча активність у формуванні екологічної культури студентів ЗВО

The article deals with the important pedagogical problem as young person creative activity; the development of efficient mechanism of this process and proper pedagogical conditions for successful formation of students’ ecological culture are revealed as well. A human is characterized by a conscious, active and creative attitude to nature that is covered both materialistic and spiritual areas. Ecological culture determines a person’s spiritual outlook, way of thinking, aesthetic values and orientations, individual readiness for creation of cultural and ecological wealth as well as a more secure world. A person can learn how to act creatively when the situation requires their creative decisions. Creativity is an activity that actively engage person's imagination across all domains - cognitive, communicative, social, emotional, and physical. It is obvious that the assimilation of some knowledge and the development of appropriate skills are completely insufficient. These requirements of life are directly related to the educational process of higher education. High priority to the problems of students’ ecological education is due to the following reasons: the need to consider ecological education as a continuous and systematic process that operates during the entire period of training, the relevance of the formation of ecological culture in the period of the professional development of a personality. Our study showed that the greatest efficiency in the formation of ecological culture is achieved through the practicing of various pedagogical influence methods that are including the use of special questions, eco-games, auto-trainings, problem situations ensuring compliance with ethical standards of behavior and developing “environmental conscience” as well as other different types of creative tasks. The combination of various forms of work with the close students–educators cooperation makes a positive effect on formation of the ecological culture of future specialists.

浙江省衢州市绿金指数核算研究

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 浙江省衢州市绿金指数核算研究 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201809242073 作者: 作者单位: 环境保护部环境规划院,环境保护部环境规划院,环境保护部环境规划院,环境保护部环境规划院 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 水体污染控制与治理科技重大专项（2018ZX07301007） Green Gold Index accounting for Quzhou City in Zhejiang Province Author: Affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology,Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences,Chinese Academy of Sciences,,, Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:衢州市是浙江省重要生态屏障，"绿水青山"资源非常丰富。开展绿金指数核算可以总体测定和衡量衢州市"绿水青山"与"金山银山"之间转化关系的成果，助力衢州市更好地全面实践"两山"理论。基于生态系统生产总值（GEP）的核算结果与国内生产总值（GDP）的比值，浙江省衢州市绿金指数核算结果显示：2015年衢州市绿金指数为3.04，说明衢州市"绿水青山"资源价值远远大于"金山银山"，生态要素转变为生产要素、生态财富转变为物质财富的潜力巨大；与其他地区比较来看，衢州市绿金指数远高于全国水平（1.01）；与所在的浙江省及长三角的上海市和江苏省相比，衢州市领先地位突出，分别是浙江、上海和江苏的6倍、22倍和10倍；与相邻的安徽和江西相比，衢州市优势明显。研究认为衢州市需要利用丰富的"绿水青山"资源，积极探索打通"绿水青山"向"金山银山"的转化通道，真正实现经济效益、生态效益、社会效益共赢。 Abstract:By virtue of ecological advantages, Quzhou City is an important ecological shield for Zhejiang Province. The Green Gold Index (GGI) can measure and evaluate the results of transformation of ‘lucid waters and lush mountains’ (LWLW) to ‘gold and silver mountains’ (GSM) and help Quzhou City to better implement the theory of ‘lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.’ The GGI refers to the ratio of gross ecosystem product (GEP) to gross domestic product (GDP). According to the results of this study, the GGI for Quzhou City reached 3.04 in 2015, indicating that the value of ecological resources of the city is far greater than previously thought. There is huge potential for transforming ecological factors into production factors, and consequently turn ecological wealth into material wealth. In terms of regional comparison, Quzhou City presents a much higher GGI than the national average (1.01), and 6, 22, and 10 times higher than Zhejiang Province, Shanghai, and Jiangsu Province in the Yangtze River Delta, respectively. Therefore, Quzhou City secures a prominent lead and has an obvious advantage over the neighboring Anhui and Jiangxi provinces. This study suggests that Quzhou City should actively harness its rich ecological resources and open transformation channels from LWLW to GSM, so as to create win-win benefits among economic, ecological, and social dimensions. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Revitalizing human virtue by restoring organic morality

Most of human history and prehistory was lived in economic poverty but with social and ecological wealth, both of which are diminishing as commodification takes over most everything. Human moral wealth has also deteriorated. Because humans are biosocially, dynamically, and epigenetically shaped, early experience is key for developing one’s moral capital. When early experience is species-atypical, meaning that it falls outside the evolved developmental niche (EDN), which is often the case in modern societies, biopsychosocial moral development is undermined, shifting one’s nature and worldview to self-protectionism. Individuals develop into self-regarding shadows of their potential selves, exhibiting threat-reactive moral mindsets that promote unjust treatment of other humans and nonhumans. Humanity’s moral wealth can be re-cultivated by taking up what indigenous people all over the world know: that a good life, a virtuous life, is a one that is led by a well-cultivated heart, embodied in action that includes partnership with nonhumans. Moral educators can help students to revamp their capacities with self-calming skills, the development of social pleasure and communal ecological imagination.

Potencial de aprovechamiento de la biomasa vegetal como aislamiento en climas extremos del Ecuador

Un factor de gran riqueza ecológica de Ecuador está vinculado a su tradición en el uso de fibras y otros residuos de carácter orgánico. Estos materiales compuestos se emplean como elemento de relleno, refuerzo o aislamiento térmico en el campo de la construcción de viviendas, lo que conlleva un gran potencial en el marco de la arquitectura más sustentable. En Ecuador, la variabilidad climática y el bajo poder adquisitivo de muchos de sus habitantes obliga a utilizar materiales de construcción de presencia local y bajo o nulo costo, con el fin de lograr una vivienda económica y confortable. Es por ello que se han analizado la presencia de recursos o desechos naturales de biomasa a nivel regional confrontándolos la tradición constructiva, para posteriormente superponerlos geográficamente con las principales variables climáticas que afectan a la eficiencia energética. De esta forma es posible determinar qué, dónde y cómo utilizar los distintos recursos la biomasa para permitir una respuesta edificatoria que cuente con una sólida argumentación social, económica, medioambiental y energética con el objetivo de facilitar las condiciones adecuadas para el acceso a un hábitat económico, seguro, eficiente y digno.

Diversity of angiospermic plants in Dhanaulti Region, Uttarakhand: an emerging tourist destination in Western Himalaya

Situated adjacent to Mussoorie, the popular hill station in Uttarakhand state of India, Dhanaulti region is known for its scenic environs amidst the temperate forests. The floristic survey revealed a total of 112 species belonging to 96 genera and 47 families. Poaceae was the largest family with 16 genera and 17 species followed by Rosaceae represented by nine genera and 13 species and Asteraceae with eight genera and eight species. Lamiaceae and Caprifoliaceae had four species each while Brassicaceae, Celastraceae, Cyperaceae, Fabaceae, Orchidaceae, Plantaginaceae and Smilacaceae had three species each. Most dominant genus was Rubus with four species followed by Euonymus and Smilax with three species each. Two vulnerable species, Bergenia ciliata (Haw.) Sternb. and Valeriana jatamansi Jones, were also recorded. This study in addition gives an account on ethnobotanical uses of 51 species. Since Dhanaulti is an emerging tourist destination in Western Himalaya, the study will generate baseline information for management authorities to give due importance to its ecological wealth while planning any development in future.

Forest and Biodiversity Conservation in Ancient Indian Culture: A Review Based on Old Texts and Archaeological Evidences

In the early periods of human history, environment strongly determined the lives and activities of the people. They were very much close to forest and natural resources as we find in historical documents. Ancient Indian texts like Arthasastra, Sathapatha Bhramanas, Vedas, Manusmrti, Brhat-Samhita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Rajtarangini reflected the concepts of forest ecology and conservation in a sustainable manner. In the Indus valley civilization, several characteristics of the city planning and social structure showed environmental awareness. The presence of leaves, wild animals like peacocks and one-horned deer, tigers, elephants, bulls in the seals and the mud pots can indicate the pattern of biodiversity in those areas. Reduction of forests in that area was due to use of huge amount of timber-wood for burning bricks. So rainfall reduced and soil erosion caused deposition of silt in the Indus River which had choked off Mohenjodaro from the sea, causing a rise in the water table that must have been a prime factor in the destruction of Mohenjodaro. The sacred groves (Tapovana) of India were rich in biodiversity and ecological wealth, which was also mentioned in many ancient Indian documents like Abhigyan Shakuntalam written by Kalidasa. They are small packets of forests dedicated to local deities. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna compares the world to a single banyan tree with unlimited branches in which all the species of animals, humans and demigods wander, which reflects the concept of community ecology. The trees like Banyan and Peepal were often referred in historical background (widely protected in Asia and Africa) are keystone resources. In modern age, there are many policies developing in many countries for forest and biodiversity conservation, but they are all directly or indirectly influenced by the traditional knowledge developed in the ancient India.

Developing twenty-first century skills: insights from an intensive interdisciplinary workshop Mosaic of Life

The Baltic Sea, one of the world’s largest semi-enclosed seas, which, with its very low salinity and quasi-isolation from the big oceans cannot decide whether it is a sea or a large lake. This geologically-unique environment supports an even more surprising and delicate marine ecosystem, where a complex community of fishes, marine mammals and important microscopic organisms creates a magical mosaic of life. Humans have enjoyed the abundance of life in the Baltic Sea for thousands of years, and major Scandinavian and Baltic cities have oriented themselves towards this geo-ecosystem in order to develop and seek ecological, economical and cultural inspiration and wealth. The ‘Mosaic of Life’ workshop aimed at going beyond the obvious in examining the meaning of the Baltic Sea by gathering together a selection of young, creative minds from different backgrounds ranging from the arts and economics to geology and life sciences. This intensive workshop was designed as a unique training opportunity to develop essential twenty-first century skills – to introduce and develop creative, critical and interdisciplinary thinking and collaborative teamwork, as well as to foster a visual and scientific literacy, using project-based learning and hands-on activities. Our final goal has been to be inspired by the resulting connections, differences and unifying concepts, creating innovative, interdisciplinary projects which would look further than the sea – further than the eye can see and further into the future.

Assessment of nutritional parameters of native apple cultivars as new gene sources

Although there are tens of different apple varieties in Europe, only some of them were purposefully bred and selected in the past. In spite of the fact that they can have outstanding nutritional and technological properties, the majority of them are of only a local importance. The objective of this study was to show and popularize altogether 35 local apple varieties which are typical of the conditions of Central Europe. However, their genetic uniqueness represents an irreplaceable ecological wealth and for that reason these local varieties could become a new and outstanding source of nutrients and food. Today, they can be used not only for direct consumption and in food industry but also as a potential material for further breeding and selection. It was found out in our experiments that the highest content of total acids was shown by the variety ’Citronové zimní’ (6.1 g.kg−1 of fresh matter). As far as the content of pectins was concerned, the highest levels were found out in the variety ’Strymka’ (3.26% in fresh matter). Of minerals, potassium showed the highest levels in fruit; for example, the variety ’Boikovo’ contained 9.70 ppm of this element in dry matter. Peels showed approximately 7 times higher antioxidant capacity than the flesh. For example, peels of the variety ’Bernské růžové’ showed antioxidant capacity of as much as 56.65 mmol of trolox per kg of fresh matter. This paper should contribute to efforts focused on saving of genetic variability of apples and their further application both in human nutrition and a further breeding and selection under conditions of pomological and alimentary practice.