Improve Ecosystem Health Research Articles

Artificial Grassland Revegetation Improves Soil Water Retention and Storage Capacity of the Degraded Hillside Alpine Meadow

ABSTRACTThe crucial role of soil water retention and storage in soil hydrology and the water cycle is well established. However, in sensitive and degraded ecosystems like alpine meadows, the effectiveness of revegetation in enhancing these critical functions remains understudied. This study investigates the effects of revegetating severely degraded hillside meadows with artificial grasslands on soil water retention and storage capacity in the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau. Soil analyses at a depth of 0–20 cm revealed significant improvements in soil properties after revegetation, with increases in soil organic matter content (86.8%), total porosity (11.9%), capillary porosity (31.6%), and clay content (13.5%). Both the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and field capacity (FC) increased markedly, by 9.7% and 63.7% in the upper layer (0–10 cm) and 21.7% and 69.6% in the lower layer (10–20 cm), respectively. Structural equation modeling identified bulk density, root mass density, FC, capillary porosity, and clay content as the dominant direct factors influencing Ks with path coefficients of −0.56, 0.30, −0.53, 0.57, and −0.12, respectively, while vegetation cover and aboveground biomass were found to have indirect influences. These findings demonstrate that revegetation with artificial grasslands effectively improves soil water retention and storage capacity in degraded hillside alpine meadows by regulating key soil hydraulic and physical properties. This enhanced water‐holding capacity has significant implications for understanding the dynamics of revegetation by artificial grassland establishment in improving ecosystem health and eco‐hydrological functions in these vulnerable environments. Furthermore, the study provides valuable insights and a theoretical basis for developing ecological restoration solutions for degraded hillside meadows in other alpine regions.

Soil health as a proxy for long-term reclamation success of metal-contaminated mine tailings using lime and biosolids

Mine lands contaminted with heavy metals pose environmental risks, and thus reclamation is paramount for improving soil, plant, animal, and ecosystem health. A metal-contaminated alluvial mine tailing, devoid of vegetation, received 224 ​Mg ​ha−1 of both lime and biosolids in 1998, and long-term reclamation success was quantified in 2019 with respect to soils, plants, and linkages to animals. Reclamation success was quantified using the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF), in conjunction with bioavailable (0.01 ​M CaCl2 extractable) and plant-available (Mehlich-3 extractable) soil metal concentrations, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, plant metal concentrations, and plant quality characteristics. Results showed that all soil indicators were improved in successfully-reclaimed areas as compared to on-site degraded areas, including increases in soil aggregate stability, pH, plant-available P and K, soil organic C, potentially-mineralizable N, microbial biomass C and β-glucosidase activity and decreases in soil bulk density and electrical conductivity. Of indicators, unitless soil health scores were assigned based on the SMAF, with data suggesting that bulk density, wet aggregate stability, potentially- mineralizable N, microbial biomass C, pH, and electrical conductivity should be monitored in the future. The long-term effects of lime and biosolids application have improved soil physical, biological, and overall soil health. Plant metal concentrations have decreased by an order of magnitude since early reclamation, with most plant metal concentrations being tolerable for domestic livestock consumption. From an animal health perspective, feeding grasses from this site during latter parts of a growing season may need supplemental feed to provide greater protein and energy content, and to reduce potentially-harmful Cd concentrations from food chain bioaccumulation. However, a health concern exists based on soil bioavailable Cd and Zn concentrations that exceed ecological soil screening levels. Still, plants have stabilized the soil and acidity remains neutralized, leading to long-term improvements in soil health, with overall improved ecosystem health.

Estimation of ammonia emissions from rice fields under different N inputs in China

Rice production is essential for ensuring food security. Nitrogen fertilizers applied in rice fields are prone to loss through NH3 emissions. We need to elucidate the responses of NH3 emissions to different N inputs. With a national dataset, we identified that N application rate, N application frequency, soil temperature, and soil silt fraction were the key driving factors of NH3 emissions. 190−210 kg N ha−1 was suitable for simultaneously reducing NH3 emissions and increasing rice yields. The model showed that under the actual N application rate and N application frequency of 3, national NH3 emissions were 0.852 Mt N each rice growing season, while national NH3 emission factor was 12.7 %. We developed a portable software to conveniently assess China's NH3 emissions from rice fields under different N inputs. The findings can help to optimize N inputs in rice fields to reduce NH3 emissions and improve ecosystem health and agricultural sustainability.

Viability of investing in ecological infrastructure in South Africa’s water supply areas

Ecological infrastructure (natural ecosystems that provide important services and save on built infrastructure costs) can have an important role in securing water supply, particularly in water-scarce areas, but this importance is not reflected in investment decisions, partly due to a lack of evidence. In South Africa, one of the main threats to water supply is the proliferation of woody invasive alien plants which significantly reduce stream flow and water yields. We used existing spatial data and estimates of the impact of woody invasive plants on flows and water yields and on restoration costs to analyse the viability of investing in ecological infrastructure at the scale of major water supply areas. The analysis involved comparison of the costs and effects on water yields of catchment restoration with those of planned built infrastructure interventions designed to meet increasing water demands in the medium to long term. The cost-effectiveness analysis used the unit reference value as a measure of comparison, which is based on the discounted flows of costs and water supplied over a defined time. Restoration could supply 24% of the combined yield of planned built infrastructure interventions by 2050, and is not only cost-effective but has the added advantage of a range of co-benefits delivered by improving ecosystem health. This finding suggests that investing in ecological infrastructure should be considered ahead of new built-infrastructure projects.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Green Shipping: Navigating towards Sustainable Maritime Practices

This paper aims to investigate the role that artificial intelligence (AI) plays in promoting sustainability in the marine industry. The report demonstrates the potential of AI-driven technology to improve vessel operations, decrease emissions, and promote environmental stewardship. This potential is shown by detailed examination of existing trends, problems, and possibilities. Several vital studies highlight the significance of policy interventions that encourage the use of artificial intelligence. These interventions include financial incentives, legal frameworks, and programs to increase capability. Throughout this work, the importance of the role that artificial intelligence plays in driving efficiency, safety, and sustainability is emphasized. This work also highlights the urgent need for action to address climate change and environmental degradation in the marine sector. The marine industry can lessen its carbon footprint, decrease pollution, and improve ecosystem health if it shifts to various alternative fuels, renewable energy sources, and technologies powered by artificial intelligence. At the end of this work, an appeal is made to policymakers, industry stakeholders, and technology providers, urging them to prioritize investments in artificial intelligence research and development and to create collaboration to speed up the transition to a marine sector that is more sustainable and resilient.

Estuarine environmental flow assessment based on the flow-ecological health index relation model: a case study in Yangtze River Estuary, China.

Environmental flow (e-flow) is the water demand of one given ecosystem, which can become the flow regulation target for protection and restoration of river or estuarine ecosystems. In this study, an e-flow assessment based on the flow-ecological health index (EHI) relation model was conducted to improve ecosystem health of the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE). Monitoring data of hydrology, biology, and water environment in the last decades were used for the model establishment. For the description of the YRE ecosystem, an EHI system was developed by cumulative frequency distribution curves and adaption of national standards. After preprocessing original flow values into proportional flow values, the generalized additive model and Monte Carlo random sampling were used for the establishment of the flow-EHI relation model. From the model calculation, the e-flow assessment results were that, in proportional flow values, the suitable flow range was 1.05-1.35, and the optimum flow range was 1.15-1.25 (flows in Yangtze River Datong Station). For flow regulation in two crucial periods, flows of 42,630-65,545 m3/s or over 14,675 m3/s are needed for the suitable flow of YRE in summer (June-August) or January, respectively. An adaptive management framework of ecological health-based estuarine e-flow assessment for YRE was contrived due to the limitation of current established model when facing the extreme drought in summer, 2022. The methodology and framework in this study are expected to provide valuable management and data support for the sustainable development of estuarine ecosystems and to bring inspiration for further studies at even continental or global levels.

Empowering Agricultural Ecosystems: Leveraging 5G IoT for Enhanced Product Integrity and Sustainable Ecological Environments

The study explores the change-making potential of 5G IoT technology in improving the security of agro-products and contributing to conservation of environments in the ecological field. Through the process of a series conducted in expression using the real agricultural settings, the study gives a visible proof that food traceability, quality assurance, resource management and environment conservation all gain the significant improvements. By relying on IoT sensors utilizing the latest 5G connectivity, stakeholders can have real-time data analytics and communication to take well-informed decisions, optimize resource usage, and manage the environmental risks. The analytics showed a noticeable boost in product traceability with real-time tracking, temperature monitoring during transportation, and automatic data logging rendering success rates above 95%. Resource management benefits are demonstrated in H2O and fertilizer reduction, reaching 30%, and up to 20% higher yields of crops than is traditional. Ecological conservation results exhibit the improved ecosystem health and the possibility to detect environmental pollution in real-time allows operational conservation measures. The research emphasizes on the prospect of 5G IoT whose benefits might transform agricultural practices and guarantee the authenticity and sustainability of food in the face of fast-changing environmental conditions.

Improving ecosystem health in highly altered river basins: a generalized framework and its application to the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin.

Continued large-scale public investment in declining ecosystems depends on demonstrations of "success". While the public conception of "success" often focuses on restoration to a pre-disturbance condition, the scientific community is more likely to measure success in terms of improved ecosystem health. Using a combination of literature review, workshops and expert solicitation we propose a generalized framework to improve ecosystem health in highly altered river basins by reducing ecosystem stressors, enhancing ecosystem processes and increasing ecosystem resilience. We illustrate the use of this framework in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) of the central United States (U.S.), by (i) identifying key stressors related to human activities, and (ii) creating a conceptual ecosystem model relating those stressors to effects on ecosystem structure and processes. As a result of our analysis, we identify a set of landscape-level indicators of ecosystem health, emphasizing leading indicators of stressor removal (e.g., reduced anthropogenic nutrient inputs), increased ecosystem function (e.g., increased water storage in the landscape) and increased resilience (e.g., changes in the percentage of perennial vegetative cover). We suggest that by including these indicators, along with lagging indicators such as direct measurements of water quality, stakeholders will be better able to assess the effectiveness of management actions. For example, if both leading and lagging indicators show improvement over time, then management actions are on track to attain desired ecosystem condition. If, however, leading indicators are not improving or even declining, then fundamental challenges to ecosystem health remain to be addressed and failure to address these will ultimately lead to declines in lagging indicators such as water quality. Although our model and indicators are specific to the MARB, we believe that the generalized framework and the process of model and indicator development will be valuable in an array of altered river basins.

Ecological transformation is the key to improve ecosystem health for resource-exhausted cities: A case study in China based on future development scenarios

Numerous cities are currently grappling with the challenge of ecological transformation, especially those categorized as resource-exhausted cities. In these urban areas, land use change is a highly scrutinized issue, as different land use strategies can lead to varied outcomes, impacting the ecological environment in multiple dimensions. Assessing ecosystem health reflects the quality of the regional ecological environment and serves as a comprehensive indicator for evaluating the sustainability and stability of urban ecosystems. To this end, a multi-objective optimization model was constructed to predict land use changes under four future development scenarios (four ecological transformation modes), using Shizuishan City (China), a resource-exhausted city situated in an ecologically fragile area, as an example. The “vigor-organization-resilience” assessment framework was employed to evaluate the ecosystem health conditions in each scenario from three dimensions. The study results showed: (1) The ranking of the average ecological health levels in Shizuishan City for 2022 and different future development scenarios is as follows: Low-Carbon Economic Development Scenario (0.302) > Ecological-Economic Coordinated Development Scenario (0.291) > Baseline Scenario (0.290) > Economic Development Scenario (0.281) > 2022 (0.248). (2) Compared to 2022, the ecosystem health levels under the four ecological transformation modes had all improved, with improvement areas accounting for over 60 %, highlighting the urgent necessity of ecological transformation in Shizuishan City. Among them, the Low-Carbon Economic Development Scenario exhibited the largest improvement area, reaching 75.81 %. (3) Ecological system vitality was identified as the dominant dimension influencing the ecological health in this region. This study emphasized multi-objective development needs and provided an integrated ecosystem health assessment method for assessing the comprehensive ecological effects of future ecological transformation modes in resource-exhausted cities.

Exploring coordinated development and its driving factors between carbon emission and ecosystem health in the southern hilly and mountainous region of China

Achieving “carbon neutrality” is an inevitable requirement for tackling global warming. As one of the national ecological barriers, the southern hilly and mountainous region (SHMR) shoulder the important mission of taking the lead in achieving “carbon peak” and “carbon neutrality”. Thus, it has important scientific significance to explore and analyze how to coordinate ecological development under the background of “double carbon action”, and it is a key step to ensure that the region achieves synergistic development of promoting economic development and improving ecosystem health. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to address these gaps by adopting a refined grid scale of 10 km × 10 km to explore the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of carbon emissions and ecosystem health. Additionally, we established a coupling coordination model of carbon emissions intensity (CEI) and ecosystem health index (EHI) to assess the impact of natural and socio-economic factors on the coupling coordination degree (CCD) in different regions. Our findings are as follows: 1) In the SHMR region, the EHI exhibited a progressive development trend, with spatially increasing values from the south to the north. 2) The spatial discrepancy in CEI has been on the rise, which assumed an increase of 4.69 times, and with an increasingly pronounced pattern of spatial imbalance. Carbon emissions tend to concentrate more in the eastern and northern areas, while they are comparatively lower in the western and southern regions. 3) The R2 of geographical weighted regression model (GWR) is all above 0.8, and the CCD between CEI and EHI demonstrated a positive developmental state. However, most regions still displayed an imbalanced development, albeit with a slight increase in areas exhibiting a more balanced development state. 4) The driving forces of natural and socio-economic factors had a dual-factor and non-linear enhancement effect on the CCD. The influence of natural factors on CCD has gradually diminished, whereas the influence of socio-economic factors has progressively strengthened.

Ecosystem service trade‐offs resulting from woody plant removal vary with biome, encroachment stage and removal method

Abstract Plant removal is used widely to restore systems encroached by woody plants and to improve ecosystem health and human well‐being. However, the effects of removal are rarely consistent, with a mixture of positive and negative outcomes for ecosystems, making it difficult to develop consistent prescriptions for achieving sustainable management of woody dominated systems. We complied a global database of 5086 records on the impacts of woody plant removal from 204 studies to explore where (biome; grassland, savanna, shrubland, woodland), when (encroachment stage; low, medium, high encroachment) and how (removal method; physical, chemical, browsing, burning, multiple removal techniques) woody plant removal would affect eight ecosystem services (forage value, soil stability, hydrological regulation, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, animal diversity, plant diversity and primary productivity). Removing woody plants in grasslands enhanced forage value, but woody removal in shrublands reduced hydrological regulation. Conversely, chemical removal enhanced hydrological regulation and forage value, but at the expense of plant diversity. In grasslands, interactions between encroachment stage and removal method also regulated service responses, with burning enhancing nutrient cycling under low encroachment, but reducing it in heavily encroached stands. The effectiveness of removal in promoting ecosystem services varied with removal method, with burning suppressing the long‐term effectiveness on carbon sequestration, but browsing exacerbating the negative effect on soil stability. Synthesis and applications. Our study demonstrates that, overall, different conditions of woody plant removal (biome, encroachment stage, removal method) result in different outcomes and trade‐offs in ecosystem services, with no condition maximising all services. The results highlights the importance of designing a specific management plan for promoting target ecosystem services. It provides a basis for making sound decisions about how to optimise the benefits of woody removal programmes on critical ecosystem services.

Rewilding the Detroit, Michigan, USA–Windsor, Ontario, Canada Metropolitan Area

Rewilding attempts to increase biodiversity and restore natural ecosystem processes by reducing human influence. Today, there is growing interest in rewilding urban areas. Rewilding of the Detroit, Michigan, USA and Windsor, Ontario, Canada metropolitan area, and its shared natural resource called the Detroit River, has been delineated through the reintroduction of peregrine falcons and osprey, and a return of other sentinel species like bald eagles, lake sturgeon, lake whitefish, walleye, beaver, and river otter. Rewilding has helped showcase the value and benefits of environmental protection and restoration, ecosystem services, habitat rehabilitation and enhancement, and conservation, including social and economic benefits. Improved ecosystem health and rewilding have become a catalyst for re-establishing a reconnection between urban denizens and natural resources through greenways and water trails. The provision of compelling outdoor experiences in nature, in turn, can help foster a personal attachment to the particular place people call home that can help inspire a stewardship ethic.

Linking people and riparian forests: a sociocultural and ecological approach to plan integrative restoration in farmlands

Global initiatives to restore habitats aim to improve ecosystem health; however, restoration programs are challenged with balancing human needs with ecological restoration objectives. To advise programs that aim to restore forest in farmlands and complement other analyses on ecologically‐based reference sites, we (1) identified species with sociocultural importance, termed as “priority species”; (2) developed an integrative index to find habitats where priority species coincide with healthy ecological conditions (i.e. relatively high diversity, specific plant composition, etc.); and (3) evaluated whether sociodemographic profiles of landowners influenced their plant knowledge and ecological condition of habitats. Our approach was applied to riparian forests in farmlands of the Toltén watershed in southern Chile. We conducted structured interviews to gather information on traditional uses and management of trees in riparian habitats from 45 landowners. We developed an integrative index by combining sociocultural information from interviews with existing vegetation data. From the list of 65 trees provided by landowners, we selected five priority species based on their high saliency, multiple uses, and known management. Only 6 out of 98 sites had high integrative index scores, with the majority showing low values for sociocultural and ecological conditions. Except for a difference in ecological criteria and gender, the evaluation of landowners' knowledge level with sociodemographic profiles did not show significant relationships. These findings suggest that our integrative index can guide the design of restoration objectives, emphasizing on species that are important to local communities by providing information on the ecological conditions in which these plants co‐occur.

Evaluating hydrological alterations and recommending minimum flow release from the Ujjani dam to improve the Bhima River ecosystem health.

Numerous anthropogenic activities like the construction of large dams, storages, and barrages changed the watershed characteristics impacting ecosystem health. In this study, the hydrological alterations (HAs) that have occurred in the Bhima River due to the construction of the Ujjani dam were analyzed. The hydraulic analysis is also performed to determine the hydraulic parameter and recommend the lowest flow release from the dam for improving ecosystem health. Fifty-eight years of data starting from the year 1960 to 2018 were gathered at Yadgir station, which is located downstream of the Ujjani dam. The data were divided into pre- and post-construction river flow discharge. To check for the change in the river flow regime for the post-dam construction period, HA was calculated using Flow Health Software (FHS). The results demonstrate that the dam impoundment reduces high flows primarily by storing flood flow for water supply, irrigation, etc. The velocity and depth provided by the environmental design flow for a flow health (FH) score of 0.62 give a very good habitat to fishes. A minimum release of 24.8 m3/s from the dam is recommended. This study will help policymakers mitigate the impacts of degrading ecosystem health of the Bhima River.

Mapping of suitable habitats for earthworms in China

Earthworms are important soil organisms that play critical roles in ecosystem material cycling and energy flows. Discovering and predicting the distribution of earthworm habitats is critical for managing biodiversity conservation projects and improving ecosystem health. However, earthworm data are challenging to obtain, and studies on the distribution of earthworms and factors affecting this have mainly been conducted in fields at a small scale; the spatial distribution of earthworms throughout China remains unclear. Species distribution models have been effectively used in macro-scale species suitability distribution studies; however, they have certain limitations. Thus, here, we optimized the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to achieve low complexity and high transferability, and the model was capable of predicting the potential distribution of earthworms in China. Modeling was based on the use of a developed database containing 286 earthworm occurrence records and 31 environmental variables (19 climatic, 9 soil, and 3 topographic variables). Results show that earthworm distribution is mainly controlled by the following environmental variables (with corresponding contribution rates): minimum temperature of the coldest month (18.47%), digital elevation model (17.65%), coarse fragments (16.72%), soil organic carbon (9.65%), soil type (7.53%), mean diurnal range (5.35%), and soil thickness (5.05%). The variables with the strongest influence on distribution are climate followed by landforms and soils. The relationship between the effect of environmental variables and earthworm distribution is not simple and linear, and each element has a certain threshold range. Only 50.67% of the total land area of China provides a suitable habitat for earthworms, and there are remarkable spatial differences. Of the various ecosystems, woodland ecosystems provide most of the suitable habitats, followed by cropland and grassland ecosystems, which together account for 45.74% of the land area. This study can be used as a reference for understanding and assessing ecosystem health, sustainability, and for enabling biodiversity conservation.

Extreme eutrophication and salinisation in the Coorong estuarine-lagoon ecosystem of Australia's largest river basin (Murray-Darling)

Estuaries in rainfall poor regions are highly susceptible to climatic and hydrological changes. The Coorong, a Ramsar-listed estuarine-coastal lagoon at the end of the Murray-Darling Basin (Australia), has experienced declining ecological health over recent decades. Twenty years of environmental data were analysed to assess patterns and drivers of water quality changes. Large areas of the Coorong are now persistently hyper-saline (salinity >80 psu) and hypereutrophic (total nitrogen, TN > 4 mg L−1, total phosphorus, TP > 0.2 mg L−1, chlorophyll a > 50 μg L−1) which coincided with reduced flushing due to diminished freshwater inflows and increasing evapo-concentration. Sediment quality also was related to flushing, with higher concentrations of organic carbon, TN, TP and sulfides as salinity increased. While total nutrient levels are very high, dissolved inorganic nutrients are generally low. Increased lagoonal flushing would be beneficial to reduce the hypersalinisation and hypereutrophication and improve ecosystem health.

Unveiling the Wheat Microbiome under Varied Agricultural Field Conditions.

Wheat being the important staple food crop plays a significant role in nutritional security. A wide variety of microbial communities beneficial to plants and contributing to plant health and production are found in the rhizosphere. The wheat microbiome encompasses an extensive variety of microbial species playing a key role in sustaining the physiology of the crop, nutrient uptake, and biotic/abiotic stress resilience. This report presents wheat microbiome analysis under six different farm practices, namely, organic (Org), timely sown (TS), wheat after pulse crop (WAPC), temperature-controlled phenotyping facility (TCPF), maize-wheat cropping system (MW), and residue burnt field (Bur), using 16S rRNA sequencing methodology. The soil samples collected from either side of the wheat row were mixed to get a final sample set for DNA extraction under each condition. After the data preprocessing, microbial community analysis was performed, followed by functional analysis and annotation. An abundance of the phylum Proteobacteria was observed, followed by Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Gemmatimonadetes in the majority of the samples, while relative abundance was found to vary at the genus level. Analysis against the Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes (CAZy) database showed a high number of glycoside hydrolase genes in the TS, TCPF, and WAPC samples, while the Org, MW, and Bur samples predominantly had glycosyltransferase genes and carbohydrate esterase genes were in the lowest numbers. Also, the Org and TCPF samples showed lower diversity, while rare and abundant species ranged from 12 to 25% and 20 to 32% of the total bacterial species in all the sets, respectively. These variations indicate that the different cropping sequence had a significant impact on soil microbial diversity and community composition, which characterizes its economic and environmental value as a sustainable agricultural approach to maintaining food security and ecosystem health. IMPORTANCE This investigation examined the wheat microbiome under six different agricultural field conditions to understand the role of cropping pattern on soil microbial diversity. This study also elaborated the community composition, which has importance in economic (role of beneficial community leading to higher production) and environmental (role of microbial diversity/community in safeguarding the soil health, etc.) arenas. This could lead to a sustainable farming approach for food security and improved ecosystem health. Also, the majority of the microbes are unculturable; hence, technology-based microcultivation will be a potential approach for harnessing other cultured microorganisms, leading to unique species for commercial production. The outcome of this research-accelerated work can provide an idea to the scientists/breeders/agronomists/pathologists under the mentioned field conditions regarding their influence over their crops.

Strategies for Restoring and Managing Ecological Corridors of Freshwater Ecosystem

Along with accelerating urbanization and associated anthropogenic disturbance, the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems worldwide are substantially damaged. To improve ecosystem health, and thus enhance the ecosystem security of the urban ecosystem, numbers of management approaches and engineering projects have been applied to mitigate the degradation of freshwaters. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of comprehensive and systematic research on the ecological corridor restoration of freshwater ecosystems; especially for Suzhou Grand Canal, one section of the world's longest and ancient Grand Canal which is inclined to severe ecosystem degradation. Through investigating the adjacent land use characteristics, habitat quality, vegetation cover, instream water quality, and habitat composition, we aimed to: (i) assess the water quality of the Suzhou Grand Canal; (ii) evaluate the ecological characteristics of the canal ecosystem; (iii) develop strategic countermeasures to restore the ecological corridors for the mitigation of ecological problems. The results demonstrated: a large built area, a smaller ecological zone, a low habitat quality and habitat connectivity, and a high degree of habitat fragmentation within the canal corridor, also a simplified instream habitat composition, and greater nutrient and COD concentrations in the surface water-especially in the upstream and midstream canal. All urbanization-induced multiple stressors, such as land use changes, altered hydrology, and the simplified riparian zone et al., contributed synergistically to the degradation of the canal ecosystem. To alleviate the ecosystem deterioration, three aspects of recommendations were proposed: water pollution control, watershed ecosystem restoration, and ecological network construction. Basically, building a comprehensive watershed ecological network-on the basis of associated ecosystem restoration, and the connection of multi-dimensional ecological corridors-would dramatically increase the maintenance of aquatic-terrestrial system biodiversity, and improve the regional ecological security pattern and watershed resilience toward stochastic future disturbances. This study contributes to the understanding of the ecological challenges and related causes of the canal ecosystem. The integrated strategy introduced in this study provides policymakers, water resource managers, and planners with comprehensive guidelines to restore and manage the ecological corridor of the canal ecosystem. This can be used as a reference in freshwater ecosystems elsewhere, to improve ecosystem stability for supporting the sustainable development of urban ecosystems.

Interactive effects of fishing effort reduction and climate change in a central Mediterranean fishing area: Insights from bio-economic indices derived from a dynamic food-web model

Disentangling the effects of mixed fisheries and climate change across entire food-webs requires a description of ecosystems using tools that can quantify interactive effects as well as bio-economic aspects. A calibrated dynamic model for the Sicily Channel food web, made up of 72 functional groups and including 13 fleet segments, was developed. A temporal simulation until 2050 was conducted to evaluate the bio-economic interactive effects of the reduction of bottom trawling fishing effort by exploring different scenarios that combine fishery and climate change. Our results indicate that direct and indirect effects produce a net increase in biomass of many functional groups with immediate decline of trawlers’ catches and economic incomes, followed by a long term increase mainly due to biomass rebuilding of commercial species which lasts 5-10 years after fishing reduction. Synergistic and antagonistic effects caused by changes in the fishing effort and in climate characterize a specific functional group’s response in biomass which, in turn, modulate also the catch and income of the other fleets, and especially of those sharing target resources. However, trawler’s intra-fleet competition is higher than the others fleet effects. In the medium term, the effects of fishing effort reduction are higher than those of climate change and seem to make exploitation of marine resources more sustainable over time and fishery processes more efficient by improving ecosystem health.

Spatiotemporal ecosystem health assessment comparison under the pressure-state-response framework

A spatiotemporal ecosystem health (EH) assessment study is necessary for sustainable development and proper management of natural resources. At present higher rate of human-socio-economic activities, industrialization, and misuse of land are major factors for ecosystem degradation. Therefore this research work used remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) technology, under pressure-state-response (PSR) framework with analytic hierarchy process (AHP) weight method based on 29 indicators were analyzed for spatiotemporal EH assessment in Tatarstan and Samara states in Russia from 2010 to 2020. Results indicate continuous degradation of EH in Tatarstan state while in Samara state first decreased and later on an improved ecosystem health condition. This is one of the most innovative analyses work for real-time accurate ecosystem health assessment, mapping, and monitoring as well as protect fragile eco-environment with sustainable development, proper policy-making, and management at any scale and region.