Natural Landscape Research Articles

Superoxide Photoproduction from Wetland Plant-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter: Implications for Biogeochemical Impacts of Plant Invasion.

Although the impacts of exotic wetland plant invasions on native biodiversity, landscape features, and carbon-nitrogen cycles are well appreciated, biogeochemical consequences posed by ecological competition, such as the heterogeneity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from plant detritus and its impact on the formation of reactive oxygen species, are poorly understood. Thus, this study delves into O2•- photogeneration potential of DOM derived from three different parts (stem, leaf, and panicle) of invasive Spartina alterniflora (SA) and native Phragmites australis (PA). It is found that DOM from the leaves of SA and the panicles of PA has a superior ability to produce O2•-. With more stable aromatic structures and a higher proportion of sulfur-containing organic compounds, SA-derived DOM generally yields more O2•- than that derived from PA. UVA exposure enhances the leaching of diverse DOM molecules from plant detritus. Based on the reported monitoring data and our findings, the invasion of SA is estimated to approximately double the concentration of O2•- in the surrounding water bodies. This study can help to predict the underlying biogeochemical impacts from the perspective of aquatic photochemistry in future scenarios of plant invasion, seawater intrusion, wetland degradation, and elevated solar UV radiation.

Navigating Educational Crossroads: An In-Depth Analysis of the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPED) Program in Santol, La Union, Philippines

This study delves into the heart of indigenous education, unraveling the intricacies of the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) Program in Santol, La Union, Philippines. Grounded in the dynamic global context of education as a fundamental human right and a transformative societal force, this research scrutinizes the successes, challenges, and areas demanding improvement within this focused educational initiative. Recent literature underscores the pivotal role of education in societal development, emphasizing its function as a catalyst for human rights, global sustainability, and the empowerment of marginalized communities. Despite commendable legislative frameworks in the Philippines and global initiatives like the Education for All (EFA) policy, challenges persist for indigenous populations. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse by presenting a meticulous analysis of the IPEd Program's implementation, examining the experiences of Santol, La Union. The findings promise to enrich educational policies and practices, aligning them with the evolving global and national educational landscape. By doing so, this study aspires to pave the way for more effective educational interventions that resonate with the unique cultural context of indigenous communities and foster a holistic approach to education, ensuring that no one is left behind in the pursuit of quality education for all.

THE ROLE OF CAVE NAMES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN KAZAKHSTAN

Geographical names, including speleonyms, which were once not registered in official sources, have been preserved in the form of missing words or errors in the Russian language. Therefore, the task of their collection and systematization is fixed by many resolutions of the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and other authorized bodies. One of the issues of determining the ways of implementing the project "sacred geography of Kazakhstan" and the direction of research work is aimed at restoring the names of caves. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the formation of cave names on the territory of Kazakhstan and the geographical prerequisites for their restoration. Research objectives: to determine the role of physical and geographical conditions of Kazakhstan in the formation of speleonyms; to reflect the patterns and areas of cave distribution in Kazakhstan and to analyze the geographical aspects of the formation of speleonyms; analysis of geographical aspects of the formation of speleonyms; determination of the place of speleonyms as tourist and recreational objects; making proposals for the preservation of caves and Speleonyms of Kazakhstan. The object of the study is caves and other underground parts distributed on the territory of Kazakhstan as special objects of the sacred regions of the country, the subject of the study is the conditions and meaning of the formation of the names of these caves, their geographical prerequisites and opportunities for restoration. The caves will be of great interest from a geomorphological, hydrological, bio-speleological, archaeological and paleozoological point of view. In recent years, they are studied as unique natural landscapes. The importance of caves for speleotourism is also difficult to overestimate.

Ecosystem services of "Zagrebell" regional landscape park in the urbanized environment of Ternopol: conceptual frameworks, approaches to assessment

Purpose. To consider the problem of the lack of a regulated regulatory and legal environment, complex methods and systematic practices of ecosystem services assessment in Ukraine. Results. The problem of the lack of a regulated regulatory and legal environment, complex methods and systematic practices of evaluating ecosystem services in Ukraine is considered. An assessment of the value of these services for the urban ecosystem of Ternopil was carried out using the materials of the regional landscape park "Zagrebellya". It was noted that the annual cost of ecosystem services is 16 billion 586 million 627 thousand 610 UAH. For comparison, the annual budget of Ternopil is UAH 3.3967 billion. (2024). Such a comparison is evidence that the cost of ecosystem services of natural landscapes of the RLP is not only 4.9 times higher than the annual budget of the city. These services are directly consumed by people and are primarily beneficial to local residents, because they are the ones who receive them, and if they sell them on, they become an intermediary between ecosystems and the end users of their services. Competent use of this group of services is an important window of opportunity for each of the territorial communities. In the future, it is important to implement the category "ecosystem service" in the legislative and other normative legal acts of Ukraine and to develop and implement payments for ecosystem services in the practice of budget planning. Conclusion. Ukraine faces the needs of modern modernization of the principles of sustainable development and inclusion in the development processes of ecosystem management. It can take place only on the basis of Ukraine's involvement in international trends of inclusion of natural ecosystem services in the mechanisms of sustainable development, which requires an appropriate economic assessment of these services. In the future, it is important to implement the category "ecosystem service" in the legislative and other normative legal acts of Ukraine and to develop and implement payments for ecosystem services in the practice of budget planning

Construction and Optimization Strategy of Ecological Security Pattern in County-Level Cities under Spatial and Temporal Variation of Ecosystem Services: Case Study of Mianzhu, China

Climate change and human activities are seriously affecting the ecological level and economic development of county-level cities. Mianzhu City is a typical county-level city located within the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The study selected primary ecological sources by analyzing high-level ecosystem service functions over time, using Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA). Ecological resistance surfaces were constructed using natural factors to address ecological risks associated with future urbanization. The construction of the ecological security pattern (ESP) followed the source–corridor–node paradigm, incorporating changes in ecosystem service risks. From 2010 to 2020, ecosystem service functions and values in Mianzhu City declined overall, with significant spatial variations. Human activities increased in ecologically fragile areas, aggravating exposure to ecological risks from climate change and urban expansion. Ecological protection and restoration zones were identified, with nature reserves in the north and the southern center as the core. In 2020, 19 ecological sources and 46 ecological corridors were identified, with a spatial distribution pattern of “more length and short resistance in the north, less length and long resistance in the south”. Additionally, 41 ecological pinch points and 16 ecological barrier points were determined. Considering the spatial distribution of the core areas of ecosystem services and lands with human-intensive activities, setting up the general idea of the ecological restoration pattern centered on forests, river corridors, and natural and artificial landscapes. The study provides new insights into constructing and optimizing the ESP, offering crucial references for the rapid urbanization of ecological restoration and development planning in urban regions.

DESTINOS TURÍSTICOS COM DESENVOLVIMENTO LOCAL ASSIMÉTRICO: OS “CENTROS TURÍSTICOS PLANEJADOS INTEGRALMENTE” DE LOS CABOS E LORETO, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR (MÉXICO)

Objective: This paper examines the effects of tourism on local development in two IPCs, Los Cabos and Loreto, located in the state of Baja California Sur (BCS), in northwestern Mexico. Theoretical Framework: The Integrally Planned Centers (IPC) are tourism development poles established in Mexico during the 1960s and 1970s to promote economic growth in peripheral coastal regions (then) underdeveloped but rich in natural resources and landscapes. Method: An analytical-descriptive methodology is used, specifically the analysis of principal components, which allows contextualizing the evolution of tourism and development trajectories. Results and Discussion: The results indicate the presence of asymmetric development trajectories, despite the fact that both regions started from the same development initiative, with FONATUR (the Mexican government's tourism board) in charge in both cases. Forty years after its creation, the government's tourism policy yields differentiated results. Los Cabos has become a world-renowned destination, associated with sport fishing, golf, and residential tourism. In contrast, the Loreto-Nopoló-Puerto Escondido tourist corridor has stagnated and is still waiting for its take-off towards sustained development. Research implications: The IPCs of Los Cabos and Loreto, Mexico, are the result of a public tourism policy based on an exogenous development model, fundamentally oriented to "sun and beach" tourism, where economic variables are prioritized, to the detriment of social and environmental variables, which are important elements of sustainable tourism. A markedly uneven growth process is observed between the two IPCs, Los Cabos points out, which, to date, is successful in macroeconomic variables, while in terms of development it is very limited and lower than planned. Originality/Value: In the research, inferential statistical methods are applied, through the analysis of Principal Components, from which the impact of public tourism policies on regional development is measured. This instrument is applied to two tourist destinations that show an asymmetrical development, one of which was constituted as the second international tourist destination in Mexico.

Тестування методу топографічної спорідненості зображень на зображеннях поверхні землі

Introduction. In connection with the development of the method of topographic affinity of images, it became necessary to conduct its testing according to the criteria of workability and efficiency. The purpose of the paper is testing of the method of determining the topographic affinity of images based on taking into account the detected special zones on the images of the natural landscape for the autonomous navigation of UAVs. Results. According to the results of testing for three tasks, the method showed its effectiveness at the level of 100%. Conclusions. The method of topographic affinity of images can work with a large number of complex and diverse images of the Earth's surface, which cannot be analyzed by other known methods, and with high efficiency. It can be used to build a system of autonomous navigation of UAVs separately or together with other methods. Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned aircraft complex, autonomous navigation, special points, special areas, method of analysis of special areas of images.

THE EFFECT OF COAL MINING ACTIVITIES ON HYDROLOGICAL PARAMETER CHANGE

Mining is a conventional activity that alters the natural landscape and causes hydrological parameter changes and environmental disruptions, such as hampered vegetation growth due to water table subsidence, damaged productive land that affects the river flow, water pollution, deforestation, and erosion. Land clearing for coal mining activity potentially damages the soil layer structure, due to the loss of ground cover vegetation, so hydrological parameter changes, including an 11.79% (50.55 mm) decreased base flow, 40.35% (273.73 mm) increased direct runoff, 21.92% (250.30 mm) increased surface runoff, an 15.73% (76.21 mm) decreased infiltration, 11.03 % (122.52 mm) increased potential evapotranspiration, causing fluctuating river debit. Every 10 Ha of land clearing for mining activities related to 51.46% (291.36 mm) increased runoff. Meanwhile, the postmining activities, including reclamation and vegetation, could only decrease the baseflow by 6.95% (5.95 mm) while increasing the direct runoff, surface runoff, infiltration, and potential evapotranspiration by 9.36% (89.11 mm), 11.19% (148.20 mm), 3.81% (15.56 mm), and 1.73% (21.34 mm), respectively. Furthermore, every 10 Ha of reclamation area is related to an 47.22% (264.62 mm) decrease in runoff.

The Kerch Peninsula in Transition: A Comprehensive Analysis and Prediction of Land Use and Land Cover Changes over Thirty Years

This study presents an in-depth analysis of land use and land cover change on the Kerch Peninsula over a period spanning three decades. Convolutional neural networks were employed in conjunction with satellite imagery analysis to map and quantify the changes in land use and cover. This revealed significant trends and transformations within the peninsula’s landscape. The analysis revealed a notable increase in urban expansion, particularly at the expense of natural ecosystems. Furthermore, there was a notable reversion of agricultural lands to grasslands, driven by economic downturns and reduced agricultural activity. These land cover changes underscore the urgency of implementing sustainable land management policies. The study recommends the establishment of conservation easements to protect remaining natural ecosystems, the initiation of reforestation programs to restore degraded lands, and the development of comprehensive water management strategies to address the peninsula’s hydrological challenges. Furthermore, the study underscores the pivotal importance of integrating change analysis and predictive modeling to anticipate future land cover scenarios and inform effective land management strategies. The model developed through this research, which employs advanced remote sensing and GIS technologies, provides a robust framework for understanding and managing land use and land cover change. This model can serve as a reference for similar regions globally, offering insights that can inform sustainable land use practices and policy decisions. The findings of this study have implications that extend beyond the Kerch Peninsula. They provide insights that can inform the management of land use changes and the conservation of natural landscapes in regions facing comparable socio-economic and environmental challenges.

Back to the Village: Assessing the Effects of Naturalness, Landscape Types, and Landscape Elements on the Restorative Potential of Rural Landscapes

Rural landscapes are acknowledged for their potential to restore human health due to natural characteristics. However, modern rural development has degraded these environments, thereby diminishing the restorative potential of rural landscapes. Few studies have systematically analyzed the impact of naturalness, landscape types, and landscape elements on restorativeness using both subjective and objective measurements. This study investigated the restorative effects of various rural landscapes in Guangzhou, employing electroencephalography and eye-tracking technologies to record physiological responses and using the Restorative Components Scale and the Perceived Restorativeness and Naturalness Scale to evaluate psychological responses. The results indicated the following: (1) There was a significant positive correlation between perceived naturalness and restorativeness, surpassing the impact of actual naturalness. (2) Different landscape types had varying impacts on restorativeness at the same level of perceived naturalness. Natural forest landscapes, artificial forest landscapes, and settlement landscapes exhibited the most substantial restorative effects among the natural, semi-natural, and artificial landscapes examined, respectively. (3) Restorative properties varied across landscape elements: trees and water significantly enhanced restorativeness, whereas constructed elements reduced it. Findings from this study can provide support for policymakers to make informed decisions regarding the selection and arrangement of rural landscape types and elements to enhance mental health and well-being.

Delineating Landscape Features Perception in Tourism-Based Traditional Villages: A Case Study of Xijiang Thousand Households Miao Village, Guizhou

This study is a feature perception study of traditional village landscapes, refines the research method of traditional village landscape features using tourists online comment data, combs the landscape perception features of Xijiang Thousand Households Miao Village from tourists perspectives, digs out the managers’ problems in landscape planning, protection, utilisation, and puts forward the corresponding improvement strategies. In this paper, the Octopus data collector was used to collect online evaluation data from nine target platforms, and ROST CM6 was used to analyse the data for word frequency analysis, semantic network analysis, and sentiment analysis. Finally, using Nvivo12, the data was coded and a multidimensional model of landscape perception was constructed: natural landscapes, cultural and social landscapes, perceived landscapes, seasonal landscapes, and services and infrastructures. The results show that in the landscape perception model, the cultural and social landscape modules are the core factors affecting tourists’ psychological perceptions, with most tourists holding positive emotions towards the scenic spots and a few negative emotions mainly focusing on the relatively weak natural landscape, the unsatisfactory road system and charging system, and the over-commercialised development. In response to these problems, this study proposes corresponding planning recommendations. The results of the study reflect the trend of deep integration of culture and tourism in traditional villages in China, respond to the policy guidance of China’s rural revitalisation policy, and provide useful references and insights for the landscape construction and development of the Xijiang Thousand Households Miao Village and even similar tourist-oriented traditional villages.

Agricultural landscape simplification affects wild plant reproduction indirectly through herbivore-mediated changes in floral display

As natural landscapes are modified and converted into simplified agricultural landscapes, the community composition and interactions of organisms persisting in these modified landscapes are altered. While many studies examine the consequences of these changing interactions for crops, few have evaluated the effects on wild plants. Here, we examine how pollinator and herbivore interactions affect reproductive success for wild resident and phytometer plants at sites along a landscape gradient ranging from natural to highly simplified. We tested the direct and indirect effects of landscape composition on plant traits and reproduction mediated by insect interactions. For phytometer plants exposed to herbivores, we found that greater landscape complexity corresponded with elevated herbivore damage, which reduced total flower production but increased individual flower size. Though larger flowers increased pollination, the reduction in flowers ultimately reduced plant reproductive success. Herbivory was also higher in complex landscapes for resident plants, but overall damage was low and therefore did not have a cascading effect on floral display and reproduction. This work highlights that landscape composition directly affects patterns of herbivory with cascading effects on pollination and wild plant reproduction. Further, the absence of an effect on reproduction for resident plants suggests that they may be adapted to their local insect community.

Results of monitoring of rare and protected insect species (Arthropoda: Insecta) in the State Nature Landscape Reserves of Sevastopol

Results of monitoring of rare and protected insect species (Arthropoda: Insecta) in the State Nature Landscape Reserves of Sevastopol

ASSESSMENT OF URBAN DYNAMICS – A CASE STUDY ON BERHAMPORE MUNICIPALITY AND ITS SURROUNDINGS, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

Berhampore was a former Armenian-to-British colony and historic commercial centre, had steady expansion during the colonial era, a still-ongoing trend. The natural landscape is transforming from the centre to the periphery in an extremely unpredictable way due to rapid urbanization. The current study examines the urban growth of Berhampore town in West Bengal, India, using geospatial techniques. To understand the spatiotemporal dynamics of the urban landscape from remotely sensed data, four indices are used: the Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Built-up Index (BUI), and the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI).The result of these indices shows the unsustainable urbanization in this region. Over the course of thirty years, the built-up area increased by nearly 7.80 percent, depleting the prime vegetative cover, water bodies and, in some cases, the barren land. According to the study, it is helpful to determine current urban growth and development so that local planning authorities may control growth and development in accordance with the ecological or environmental carrying capacity of the region.

Mapping a peripheral landscape: The Bronze Age transformation at Schnals Valley (South Tyrol/Italy)

The evolving human impact on the high alpine side valleys of the Alps has increasingly become the focus of the scientific community in recent decades. Despite the ongoing controversy surrounding the integration of the newly acquired economic area into the settlement zone, the research conducted in the Schnals Valley has proven instrumental. The extensive archeological survey, which goes beyond the conventional investigation of visible structures or rock shelters, has led to the discovery of 20 high alpine Bronze Age sites, of which only 15% are visible above ground. This study presents compelling evidence of an Early Bronze Age intensification that spanned the 19th and 18th centuries BC and an intensification expressed through an increase and territorial distribution, as well as in the diversification of archeological record during the Middle Bronze Age. The cultivation of the research area seems to have been completed approximately in the 15th century BC, with only isolated Late Bronze Age sites being added. This transition parallels the contemporaneous development of central settlement areas, underscoring a symbiotic relationship between human activity in the high alpine regions and the growth of lowland communities. The detailed archeological investigation of six sites provides the first insight into the Bronze Age high alpine building culture and the interior design, in particular well constructed hearths associated with the production of secondary products. The investigated high alpine building culture of Schnals Valley corresponds to that of inner alpine settlements, and highlights the synchronous cultural development on the valley floor and in the high mountains. Crucially, this cultivation of the natural landscape of the Schnals Valley is intricately tied to the broader tapestry of cultural contacts and the exchange of goods throughout Europe during the Bronze Age.

Landscape Image Defogging System Based on DCPA Algorithm Optimization

As the global climate environment deteriorates gradually, the collected images are covered by fog, which reduces the clarity of the images. Therefore, the processing of fog images is very important. In landscape image defogging research, the defogging process may be affected by factors such as data quality, noise interference, and computational efficiency. To improve the defogging effect of landscape fog images, a landscape image defogging system was put forward with the optimization of dark channel prior algorithm. The image defogging algorithm was combined with the improved atmospheric scattering model estimation algorithm and the dark channel convolutional network image defogging algorithm to achieve image defogging. The atmospheric light estimation method based on atmospheric scattering model combined transmittance map and grayscale map information to achieve optimization of defogging effect. In the improvement of the dark channel prior algorithm, a convolutional network was introduced for feature extraction to enhance the smoothing of image brightness changes and transmittance estimation. The research findings demonstrated that the signal-to-noise ratio of the image defogging algorithm estimated by the atmospheric scattering model could reach up to 19dB, which was about 15.4% higher than that of existing 5 image defogging algorithms on average, indicating that the image resolution of the algorithm was higher after defogging. In the Reside dataset, the image defogging algorithm based on dark channel prior increased the signal-to-noise ratio by about 9.5%, the average gradient by about 10.4%, the structural similarity by about 12%, and the information entropy by about 5.8%, indicating that the effect of the algorithm was stable and the image defogging effect was good. The dark channel convolutional network image defogging algorithm had less running time and reduced the complexity of the defogging structure, by contrast, it reduced the running time by about 67%. The average scores for the operability, stability, and defogging effect of the system were 9.87 points, 9.85 points, and 9.54 points, respectively, indicating good performance of the system. The user feedback on natural landscape fog maps, architectural landscape fog maps, and historical landscape fog maps is good, and the user experience is high.

Collective fishing with representatives of indigenous peoples of the North as a legalization of fishing for non-indigenous rural residents in the Primorsky Krai

Rural population who lives in the same natural and cultural landscape, and sometimes within the same vil-lage, are differentiated in their rights to access natural resources. People classified as indigenous population of the North, Siberia and the Far East (KMNS), unlike officially non-indigenous population, receive legal access to various biological resources. Positive discrimination of particular groups, for various reasons attributed to ‘more’ indigenous, has been causing controversy among anthropologists and sociologists for several decades, espe-cially regarding the situation of non-indigenous residents of multi-ethnic rural areas who do not have the right of access to natural resources, while living in the same environment. In Russia, this problem is specifically relevant for the coastal regions of the Far East, where fish and salmon roe have been historically the most important re-source of self-sustainment for both indigenous residents and resettlers. Using the example of one of the coastal areas of Primorsky Krai, where representatives of indigenous and non-indigenous peoples live alongside each other, we show how unequal distribution of rights to extract natural resources affects communication between them. Based on semi-structured interviews, informal conversations and observations collected during the field research, we have found that individual salmon fishing quotas are becoming a way to partially legalize informal fishing. Villagers go out fishing with their fellow villagers, and in case of the appearance of law enforcement agen-cies, fishermen from among KMNS take full responsibility for the catch and fishing gear on themselves. Regard-less of nationality, rural residents consider it unfair that non-indigenous peoples, who live in the same natural and climatic conditions, and have similar to KMNS economy, have no rights to catch salmonids. Thus, against the background of allocation of quotas for salmonid catching only to indigenous fishermen, new practices of reproduc-tion of solidarity and reciprocity are emerging in multiethnic rural communities.

Peran Generasi Z Dalam Paradigma Geopolitik Indonesia

In the era of Society 5.0 and Industrial Revolution 4.0, technological advances and globalization have triggered significant changes in various aspects of life, including geopolitics. Indonesia, with its position as the largest archipelagic country and abundant natural resources, has great potential for economic growth and geopolitical influence. Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2010, plays an important role in Indonesia's geopolitical paradigm. They are a digital native generation who grew up with technology and globalization, making them key actors in politics, society and the economy. This research aims to explore the role of Generation Z in overhauling Indonesia's geopolitical paradigm, using a literature study method that collects data from related journals and articles. The research results show that Generation Z utilizes digital technology to increase political participation, organize social movements, and promote citizen diplomacy. They are active in advocating global issues such as climate change, human rights, and gender equality, as well as encouraging sustainable business practices. The main findings of this research show that Generation Z in Indonesia is able to mobilize support and influence public policy through social media. Concrete examples include the #VoiceForClimate movement and protests against the Job Creation Law, which demonstrate their power in influencing public opinion and policy. In addition, their involvement in the digital economy and technological innovation creates new dynamics in the global economy, strengthening Indonesia's position on the international stage. The impact of this research confirms that Generation Z is a significant agent of change, bringing hope and inspiration for Indonesia's future. With an innovative, critical and progressive spirit, they are reshaping the national and global geopolitical landscape, ensuring their voices and values ​​are an integral part of the policy-making process.

THE GEOGRAPHICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE REGION «CENTRAL EUROPE»

Today on the political map of the world, Europe occupies a special position, plays an important role in defining and shaping the modern global world order. The full-scale war taking place in the heart of Europe indicates the relevance of the problem of civilizational confrontation in the 21st century and the difficulty in geographically defining those territories and natural regions that occupy a buffer position. Such geography not only determines the degree and rationality of the use of natural conditions and resources, but also the intensity and direction of the reconstruction of the landscape structure of the region, the transformation of natural landscapes into various groups of man-made ones, their subsequent changes and anthropogenic layering. Central Europe is a special region of Europe. This territory has always been at the forefront of scientific and political knowledge during the most difficult stages of the historical formation and development of Europe. In the 20s of the 21st century, it did not lose its importance, and the transformational processes shaping the geopolitical situation in the Northern Hemisphere and on the continent of Eurasia confirm this. A.H. Donska notes that the concept of Central Europe characterizes one of the most unstable and uneven parts of Europe. Without a clear geographical designation, Central Europe can be seen as a response to global political challenges. Scientists claim that today there is a need to rethink the regionalization of Europe, the place and role of Central Europe in the processes of dynamic interaction between the Asia-Pacific region and the European Union. The concept of Central Europe, as a component of the concept of Europe, is the spread of the European integration process, Europeanness and civilizational choice. The aim of the article: to explore geographical interpretations of the Central Europe as a scientific category. The study was based on the principle of natural anthropogenic compatibility, which is thoroughly revealed in the works of G. I. Denysyk. General and specific scientific research methods have been used. The article scientifically substantiates and proves that Central Europe is a natural-geographical, socio-geographical, geopolitical and historical-geographical region, which today should be interpreted as a spiritual concept, state of mind, geographical bastion, appropriate institutional basis, as a struggle for "its western" and understanding of Europeanness. The novelty of the study is that Central Europe was considered not only as a geographical materialist territorial entity (natural, social-geographical), but also from the point of view of humanistic geography as a natural-socio-historical-cultural territory, which is constantly changing in the space and time. Key words: Central Europe, natural-geographical region, socio-geographical region, natural-socio-historical-cultural territory.

Evaluating the efficacy of sampling acquisition paths for mapping vegetation structure using terrestrial mobile laser scanning.

Mobile Laser Scanning (MLS) is rapidly increasing in popularity for the capture and quantification of vegetation structure in natural landscapes. However, understanding the optimal implementation for forest capture in the field is still limited, particularly regarding the choice in acquisition path and length followed during data capture. How variable is the characterisation of vegetation structure when using different acquisition paths, and is this difference likely to be significant for most users? In this study we compared four acquisition path designs commonly cited in the literature to determine the importance of this choice for users when capturing vegetation structure. MLS point clouds were systematically captured to repeatedly survey study plots in a closed-canopy forest ecosystem in south-eastern Australia. Digital elevation models, canopy height models, and vertical voxel occupancy profiles were derived to illustrate the sensitivity of the path's length and configuration to variability in the quantification of vegetation structure. We found strong agreement between the acquisition path designs that increased as path length increased. No significant differences were found in digital elevation models derived at 75% and 100% path lengths. However, differences were observed in two and four of the 25% and 50% path length plots respectively. Significant differences in canopy height model data were only found in one plot at the 50% path length. Mean differences to the reference digital elevation models was 0.09 m across all plots, and 0.4 m for the canopy height models. Voxel occupancy profiles showed the greatest agreement between the understory and canopy where the mean difference between acquisition paths across all plots was 5.72%. Our findings have significant implications for the use of MLS from an operational perspective, as they illustrate the variability and reliability of their use in natural forested landscapes. Users can choose to balance their choice in acquisition path design with path length to meet requirements such as efficiency or ease of data capture in the field.