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The National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) held a workshop in Santa Barbara from January 25-27, 2001. The workshop brought together representatives of the disciplines interested in landscape change, drawn from both the investigative sciences, such as geography, and the design disciplines, such as landscape architecture. Its purposes were to promote the building of a collaborative research community; to develop a joint research agenda; and to facilitate the exchange of ideas. It addressed its major objectives in the context of four themes: information technologies, decision making, landscape perception and assessment, and environmental and social sciences.This document contains: the workshop proposal, position papers submitted by participants and the workshop agenda.

The article offers a selection of papers drawn from thirty conserved objects and other materials written by George Catlin, which was preserved at the Archives of American Art. Papers presented, highlight Catlin's tireless efforts to promote and sell his works on Indian portraits, landscapes, manners and customs, and costumes, driven by the adamant conviction that the people of the United States should own and display his images of North America's disappearing native peoples. The entire collection of Catlin's work was arranged in acid-free folders and rehoused in standard archival containers, which were sent to the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, Massachusetts for repairing.

Abstract: A hybrid method of ecological habitat survey and mapping is presented, bridging paper-based methods and mobile electronic procedures. The hybrid approach uses a hand-held PDA with real-time dGPS to map habitats and record habitat attributes. It retains paper field maps to facilitate ecological decisions and to overcome the need for field surveyors to operate a fully functional mobile GIS system. The transition from paper records to a full GIS implementation is bridged by secondary digitisation in which a GIS specialist, trained in field survey procedures, interacts routinely with the field surveyors, throughout the field season to assure data quality standards. The methodology is practical and affordable, particularly if there are multiple field surveyors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit of happiness as an issue in planning for towns in trans-Appalachian America was a prime requisite. It is the intent of this paper to illustrate that, while many of the towns were paper towns that were never actualised, they acted as a catalyst for immigrants seeking to escape the oppression of Europe. Visualised as a new Eden, and promising land ownership with liberty, they were an opiate so strong that even with numerous instances of fraud and deceit the settlers came. Their belief that they had indeed arrived at Eden was so strong that it transcended any and all difficulties. This belief has influenced the planning and development of towns in America up to and including modern times. As long as people believe that their living situation is what is meant for them, their pursuit of happiness is satisfied. They have found their Eden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This position paper critically analyses the process to implement the UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (2011), exploring evaluation tools, innovative business / management models and financing tools for the conservation and regeneration of Historic Urban Landscape (HUL), to make it operational in the perspective of a circular economy model of sustainable development for city / territory system regeneration. Through evaluation tools, it is possible to pass from general principles to operational practices; to produce empirical evidence of the economic, social and environmental benefits of HUL integrated conservation and regeneration. The challenge of generating a symbiosis between conservation and transformation issues requires adequate evaluation methods, business, management and financing tools, engaging civil society and local stakeholders, capturing both HUL tangible and intangible values to turn the historic urban landscape into a driver of sustainable growth. The analysis carried out in this paper shows that through the suggested tools it is possible to make operational the UNESCO Recommendations, transforming conflicts into opportunities, producing economic attractiveness and strengthen social awareness and cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is about a 'place' that effectively no longer exists - in the sense of being a recognisable unit of territory. 'Chishanga' has always been a term of contestation, referring more or less tenuously to a stretch of ground across which struggles for authority, power and identity have taken place. In tracking and examining these struggles using oral history techniques, the paper draws attention to the fallacies of a chiefdom-based approach to pre-colonial African history. At the same time, it emphasises the significance or the real and imagined geographies around which identities revolve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape aesthetic quality (LAQ) evaluation is vital in territorial spatial planning. It helps to achieve the rational development and protection of territorial space and ensures the harmonious coexistence of developments and the ecological environment. Based on mapping and quantification, this paper took LAQ evaluation as the object, established a methodological framework for large-scale natural LAQ evaluation, excavated and identified key areas with outstanding landscape aesthetics service supply capabilities, and supported regional landscape planning and protection management. This paper took the Hengduan Mountains in China as an example to evaluate and identify the spatial distribution of the LAQ in mountainous areas. The results showed that the high-value LAQ areas are located east and south of the Hengduan Mountains, where high-quality natural landscapes are concentrated and have significant potential for establishing national parks. The evaluation results of the LAQ can provide a good reference for the spatial identification of future national parks in the Hengduan Mountains. Moreover, our research can provide a scientific basis for large-scale landscape spatial planning and decision-making for the classified protection and rational utilization of landscape resources and other mountain ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the challenges of accurate identification and localization of garbage in intricate urban street environments, this paper proposes EcoDetect-YOLO, a garbage exposure detection algorithm based on the YOLOv5s framework, utilizing an intricate environment waste exposure detection dataset constructed in this study. Initially, a convolutional block attention module (CBAM) is integrated between the second level of the feature pyramid etwork (P2) and the third level of the feature pyramid network (P3) layers to optimize the extraction of relevant garbage features while mitigating background noise. Subsequently, a P2 small-target detection head enhances the model's efficacy in identifying small garbage targets. Lastly, a bidirectional feature pyramid network (BiFPN) is introduced to strengthen the model's capability for deep feature fusion. Experimental results demonstrate EcoDetect-YOLO's adaptability to urban environments and its superior small-target detection capabilities, effectively recognizing nine types of garbage, such as paper and plastic trash. Compared to the baseline YOLOv5s model, EcoDetect-YOLO achieved a 4.7% increase in mAP0.5, reaching 58.1%, with a compact model size of 15.7 MB and an FPS of 39.36. Notably, even in the presence of strong noise, the model maintained a mAP0.5 exceeding 50%, underscoring its robustness. In summary, EcoDetect-YOLO, as proposed in this paper, boasts high precision, efficiency, and compactness, rendering it suitable for deployment on mobile devices for real-time detection and management of urban garbage exposure, thereby advancing urban automation governance and digital economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluates the art criticism by Carl Einstein of the seventeenth-century landscape engravings of Dutch artist Hercules Seghers. Details of how Einstein described the landscape engravings; Symbolism of Segher's work according to Einstein; Approach of Einstein in his criticism; Purpose of Einstein in criticizing Segher's work.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) could revolutionize our ability to understand and address climate change. Studies to date have focused on specific AI applications to climate science, technologies, and policy. Yet despite the vast demonstrated potential for AI to change the way in which climate research is conducted, no study has presented a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the way in which AI is intersecting with climate research around the world. Using a novel merged corpus of scholarly literature which contains millions of unique scholarly documents in multiple languages, we review the community of knowledge at the intersection of climate change and AI to understand how AI methods are being applied to climate-related research and which countries are leading in this area. We find that Chinese research institutions lead the world in publishing and funding research at the intersection of climate and AI, followed by the United States. In mapping the specific AI tasks or methods being applied to specific climate research fields, we highlight gaps and identify opportunities to expand the use of AI in climate research. This paper can therefore greatly improve our understanding of both the current use and the potential use of AI for climate research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a surge in interest towards innovative methods of landscape presentation across various tourism sectors, including natural heritage. Geotourism exemplifies this trend, emerging as a distinct form of tourism primarily centered on inanimate elements of nature, accentuating the aesthetic value of landscapes. Presently, geotourism serves as a platform for showcasing landscape along with its historical narrative, contemporary attributes, and, inherently, its evolutionary trajectory. This paper delves into novel avenues within geotourism, introducing the concept of nostalgic geotourism. This concept involves the portrayal of geological heritage through the lens of historical inquiry. The authors employ a multidimensional analysis to forge a robust theoretical framework underpinning the emergence of this unconventional form of tourism dedicated to landscape presentation. Additionally, the paper furnishes a case study conducted in the High Tatras region, featuring a 19th-century guided tour (lecture) on non-living nature. Through this illustration, the theoretical construct of nostalgic geotourism is applied to the locale. This heralds a fresh dimension of tourism reminiscent of traditional nostalgia-based tourism, with a pronounced cultural focus. The innovative concept fosters an increased interest in exploring geological heritage and natural landscapes, while emphasizing their sentimental value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on several papers on humanities geography presented at an Association of American Geographers session inspired by the geographical work of David Lowenthal. Lowenthal's views of geographic knowledge and geographic attitudes; His use of landscape in geography; Geographical scholarship and the humanities; Human role in the environment.

The growing interest of researchers in the topic of biocultural diversity has resulted in the research field expanding from its initial focus on places inhabited by indigenous communities to rural and then to urban landscapes. The aims of this study are to summarize and review the current state of knowledge on biocultural landscape (BCL), present a spectrum of human activities leading to their formation, and based on that, focus on typology of these landscapes. Moreover, the connections between cultural ecosystem services (CES) and BCLs were examined, and the research on these unique landscapes in individual countries and the proportion of studied landscape types were graphically displayed. BCLs are threatened all over the world; therefore, there is a need to identify and recognize them, and provide them with effective legislative protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the socio-economic reform in 1978, rural China has undergone drastic spatial restructuring, and the trend of multifunctional development and dynamic evolution of settlements in the countryside have become increasingly obvious. Functions and settlements are the important parts of rural areas. Rural multifunction is a new perspective to explore the diversified development paths of the countryside, and rural settlements provide basic support for rural multifunction. Clarifying the complex coupling coordination relationship between rural functional diversification (RFD) and rural settlement evolution (RSE), and identifying the spatial heterogeneity of their interactions is the key to promoting the rural revitalization strategy. This study analyzes the spatiotemporal changes in rural functions and rural settlements at the township level, alongside assessing various forms and the extent of coupled development. Therein, we consider the advantages of different coupling types of townships and propose four development paths for rural settlements to improve the adaptability of rural functions and settlements. The results show that: (1) The functions and settlements in the study area are characterized by significant spatial and temporal dynamics, indicating that the traditional mountainous countryside is in a process of rapid development and change. (2) The coupling coordination degree of RFD and RSE increases yearly, generally transitioning from the moderate imbalance to the basic coordination stage, and the coordinated townships have obvious spatial agglomeration. (3) Based on the elasticity coefficient model, this paper summarizes four coupling models of RFD and RSE to guide the optimization of rural settlement development paths. This research provides scientific guidance for developing countries in the spatial planning of rural territories and the optimization of rural settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Grotto-Heavens and Blissful Lands" (dongtian and fudi, 洞天福地) is a unique concept of sacred space in China and even in East Asia, combining beautiful natural scenery, rich historical heritage, and diverse cultural heritage. This paper tries to explain Mount Jingfu's (jingfu shan, 靜福山) aesthetic representations. The results show that the landscape's physical environment projects the spatio-temporal system and the concept of the universe in Daoist aesthetic ideals. With the spatial evolution of divine immortals' abodes from imagination to reality, people's yearning for divine cave palaces is transformed into their connection with and their expression of the palaces in exploring space interests and aesthetic trends that are then integrated into the secular life of thousands of households through living religious rituals. Preserved by local religious believers, the ritual activities incorporated geographic, familial, and divine interactions, and characterised essential social aesthetics. By exploring a typical case of Lingnan Region (lingnan, 嶺南, an old term for South China), this paper aims to elucidate the significance of the Grotto-Heavens and Blissful Lands as living heritage in contemporary society across multiple dimensions, and to provide a theoretical basis for the protection of its system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Content-Identifying Methodology", or CIM, is an approach developed by environmental psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan to understand the landscape characteristics that people find visually attractive. The Kaplans did this by surveying people's landscape preferences and then analyzing the preferences to develop sets of landscape scenes to which people reacted in a similar pattern. The underlying assumption is that a common stimulus or content exists in the photographs of a set responsible for the preference. However, identifying the common stimulus or content in each set or grouping of scenes and how it affects preference can still be challenging. Eye-tracking is a tool that can identify what the survey participants were looking at when indicating their preference for a landscape. This paper demonstrates how eye-tracking was used in two different landscape preference studies to identify the content important to people's preferences and provide insights into how the content affected preference. Eye-tracking can help identify a common stimulus, help determine if the stimulus is a physical or spatial characteristic of the landscape, and show how the stimulus varies in different landscape contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with landscape to examine the ways people associate meanings to their environment through the cultural perceptions of space and time. It aims to explain the transformation from natural to cultural landscape in the cultural context of socio-spatial and socio-temporal organization in rural Pakistan. It is argued here that spatial and temporal references are pivotal in constructing, perceiving, and memorizing cultural landscape. The paper is based on ethnography of a Pakistani village, using participant observation in addition to interviews from thirty-two participants. These interviews included narratives, photo-elicitation, and memory imagework to analyze the spatial and temporal aspects of landscape from socio-cultural perspectives in rural Pakistan. The study shows that the interrelationship of space and time in rural social organization is evident in the social construction of landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Change and persistence are often richly entangled facets of landscapes. While many studies use land use/land cover (depicted as polygons) to illustrate landscape evolution, this paper draws on approaches from landscape archaeology to investigate how lines and points can also be used to examine landscape morphologies. The study uses three distinct spatial elements: points (graves), lines (field boundaries), and polygons (land use) to represent landscape transformations and reflect time depth in the landscape. The paper aims to identify the most enduring landscape elements within the region and uncover the underlying mechanisms of persistence. It is suggested that the time depth exhibited in field boundaries surpasses that of land use in this case. Field boundaries provide a useful way to examine agricultural intensification, whereas land use is more sensitive to agricultural commercialization and urbanization. In addition, the Chinese Feng Shui funeral culture emerges as a stabilizing force that encourages landscape persistence. This cultural driver ensures the persistence of field patterns surrounding graves, making these fields the most ancient plots within the study area. In conclusion, representing the time depth of landscapes through linear features and points can serve as an important supplement to the study of landscape change based on land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dinara Mountain massif is recognized as an area of exceptional value, which led to its recent protection as a nature park, the second largest one in Croatia. The protected area includes the territory of two counties with four cities and nine municipalities, five of which are included with over 50% of the territory. The paper explains how landscape planning methods establish potential spatial conflicts and propose a compromise between landscape conservation and spatial development. The basic method was the identification and analysis of the landscape value models in 3 categories: natural, visual-experiential, and cultural-historical values. The creation of the models is preceded by a detailed analysis of all environmental components and the collection and creation of spatial data with the help of GIS tools. By overlapping the basic models, a cumulative model of the overall landscape values of the space is produced, which clearly shows which parts of the landscape have a higher value, regarding the protection requirements. The final value model is overlapped with the planned interventions and a clear overview of the vulnerability and possible conflict zones in the area is obtained. The paper describes the impact of individual interventions on the landscape qualities that need to be preserved and suggests guidelines for spatial plan corrections for the purpose of minimal impact on existing values, thus helping to prevent unwanted changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Fire Ecology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: This study aims to reveal the landscape and trends of graphene research in the world by using data from Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS). Design/methodology/approach: Index data from CAS have been retrieved on 78,756 papers and 23,057 patents on graphene from 1985 to March 2016, and scientometric methods were used to analyze the growth and distribution of R&D output, topic distribution and evolution, and distribution and evolution of substance properties and roles. Findings: In recent years R&D in graphene keeps in rapid growth, while China, South Korea and United States are the largest producers in research but China is relatively weak in patent applications in other countries. Research topics in graphene are continuously expanding from mechanical, material, and electrical properties to a diverse range of application areas such as batteries, capacitors, semiconductors, and sensors devices. The roles of emerging substances are increasing in Preparation and Biological Study. More techniques have been included to improve the preparation processes and applications of graphene in various fields. Research limitations: Only data from CAS is used and some R&D activities solely reported through other channels may be missed. Also more detailed analysis need to be done to reveal the impact of research on development or vice verse, development dynamics among the players, and impact of emerging terms or substance roles on research and technology development. Practical implications: This will provide a valuable reference for scientists and developers, R&D managers, R&D policy makers, industrial and business investers to understand the landscape and trends of graphene research. Its methodologies can be applied to other fields or with data from other similar sources. Originality/value: The integrative use of indexing data on papers and patents of CAS and the systematic exploration of the distribution trends in output, topics, substance roles are distinctive and insightful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acceptability analyses of place–based innovations provide crucial in-depth knowledge (e.g., perceptions and values on landscapes) for the social–ecological transformation of landscapes. However, previous acceptability analyses often neglected complex and ongoing processes. We argue that, for the design of a sustainability-oriented transformation and to address spatial and temporal dynamics in landscapes, an operational heuristic is needed; one that integrates acceptability analyses into an adaptive landscape co-design and management approach. Therefore, this conceptual–empirical paper introduces the concept of the 'acceptability and landscape design cycle' (ALDC), which is based on findings from various transdisciplinary innovation processes in the Spreewald region (Germany). It is composed of four iterative phases: (1) defining the preconditions for acceptability analysis, (2) conducting the acceptability analysis, (3) integrating the results into the landscape development strategy, and (4) re-designing and refining it. We illustrate the application of these phases using a case study of the cultural landscape in Spreewald. The paper provides practical implementation guidelines of the ALDC and contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of acceptability decisions regarding the transformation processes of landscapes. Furthermore, it can advance the understanding of how co-evolution of socio-ecological systems occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2011, a new approach was introduced into the management of heritage on Ilha de Moçambique by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Known as the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach, this seeks to expand current understanding of the island's historic urban heritage, recognising that 'heritage' is not limited solely to monuments or the built environment. Importantly, HUL incorporates urban sustainable development within the scope of heritage preservation. Given this, the adoption of the HUL approach has the potential to contribute to ensuring the authenticity and integrity of the built heritage, as prescribed by the 1972 UNESCO Convention, of Ilha de Moçambique, and effectively maintaining the Outstanding Universal Values that resulted in the declaration of the island as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. This paper discusses how local communities use the resources and heritage available to them and the central role of commerce, and the marketplace, in the heritage landscape of the island. A critical aspect of this is the sale of antiquities, including archaeological items, to tourists. Perspectives developed within the Rising from the Depths (RftD) network recently supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) UK, with funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), offer positive alternative solutions to overcome this challenging situation. In particular, the network sought to identify how the tangible submerged and coastal Marine Cultural Heritage (MCH) of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar, and its associated intangible aspects, can be utilised to stimulate ethical, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth in the region. Our paper demonstrates how the implementation of the RftD initiative when combined with the HUL approach can help to increase awareness among communities on Ilha de Moçambique about the relevance of their heritage and the need for preserving it while meeting everyday needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses the role of remote sensing technology in geomorphological research, specifically in landscape dynamics and erosion monitoring. Over the past two decades, advancements in remote sensing technologies such as RADAR, LiDAR, and UAVs have provided high-resolution data, enabling researchers to detect, quantify, and model changes in topography with unprecedented accuracy and resolution. The integration of GNSS, IMU, AI, and machine learning techniques has further enhanced the ability of remote sensing to assess topographic changes. The document highlights ten research papers in a special issue of Remote Sensing that demonstrate the various applications of these advanced techniques, including neotectonic investigations, analyses of ephemeral channels, and the quantification of soil erosion in vineyards. The document also discusses studies focusing on gully erosion and presents a review of process-based soil erosion models. Overall, these contributions showcase the advancements in these methodologies and provide insights into landscape dynamics across a variety of geomorphological and tectonic contexts. The document concludes by highlighting three areas that will form the basis of future research in remote sensing techniques: the use of AI and machine learning, real-time monitoring with high spatial and temporal resolution, and the democratization of high-accuracy data acquisition techniques. [Extracted from the article]

The Latrun area is known for its rich history and natural beauty. This paper explores the scenic and historical significance of Latrun, tracing its evolution from Roman times to its current state. The study highlights the area's strategic importance, the transformation of the Latrun Monastery, and the impact of historical conflicts on the local population and landscape. Through interviews and personal reflections, the paper delves into the enduring legacy of the region and the lives of its inhabitants, particularly focusing on Father Louis Wehbe and the displaced residents of 'Imwas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper evaluates the first 15 editions of the European Countryside magazine in relation to the EURORURAL conferences and international projects of the Department of Applied and Landscape Ecology of the Mendel University in Brno. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of On the W@terfront is the property of University of Barcelona, Centre de Recerca POLIS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the midlatitudes of the planet, we are facing the imminent disappearance of one of our best high-resolution (pre)historic climate and anthropogenic pollution archives, namely the loss of glacial ice, through accelerated global warming. To capture these records and interpret these vanishing archives, it is imperative that we extract ice-cores from midlatitude regions where glaciers still survive and analyse them within frameworks of inter-disciplinary research. In this paper, we focus on Georgia, part of the Greater Caucasus. Results of ice-core analyses from the region have never, to date, been integrated with its other abundant palaeo-environmental, archaeological and historical sources. We review the results of international projects on palaeo-environmental/geoarchaeological sediment archives, the archaeology of metal economies and preliminary ice-core data in Georgia. Collectively, we show that the different strands need to be integrated to fully explore relationships between climate/landscape change and human societal transformations. We then introduce an inclusive interdisciplinary framework for ongoing research on these themes, with an ultimate future goal of using data from the past to inform societal resilience strategies in the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual quality and impact assessments have historically relied on experts to formally evaluate the visual properties of a landscape. In contrast, environmental psychologists have studied subjective landscape preferences using ratings and surveys. These two approaches represent, respectively, the "objectivist" and "subjectivist" paradigms within visual landscape research. A gap, however, exists between these approaches: actual observation behaviors. In this paper, we argue for the inclusion of eye-tracking research in visual landscape assessments as a critical bridge between objective landscape qualities and subjective visual experiences. We describe the basics of eye-tracking methods and data types to introduce the role of eye movements in landscape preference formation. Three-dimensional immersive virtual environments are particularly useful for collecting these types of data, as they allow for quantification of the viewed environment's spatial and scene metrics in addition to providing eye-tracking capabilities at sufficient resolutions. These environmental and behavioral data can then be consolidated and analyzed within existing GIS platforms to draw conclusions about environmental influences on observation behaviors. While eye tracking may eventually contribute directly to the practice of visual quality or impact assessments, the near-term benefits of this work will most likely center around contributing to the objectivity and defensibility of assessments through validation and methodological recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper conducts a scientific assessment of aesthetic quality to provide intuitive and scientific planning strategies for national park construction. Focusing on Qianjiangyuan National Park, the study used the scenic beauty evaluation (SBE) method to subjectively assess landscape photos from 16 sample sites. Objective eye movement indicators describing visual behavior were also analyzed. A national park landscape visual quality assessment model was derived through multiple linear regressions correlating subjective evaluations with objective indicators. Spatial technologies like ArcGIS were used to analyze the visual quality and its spatial distribution. Key findings include (1) subjective evaluations showed higher SBE scores for wetland landscapes, followed by recreational, village, and forest landscapes, (2) eye movement behavior varied across landscape types, with the forest landscape having the shortest first fixation time and the lowest saccade frequency, while recreational landscapes had the lowest average saccade speed, (3) strong correlations were found between SBE and indicators such as average fixation time and saccade frequency, with fixation duration ratio being the leading factor influencing visual aesthetic quality, and (4) visual aesthetic quality was highest in the north and south areas of the park, with significant differences between sample sites in these regions compared to the central area. Among different functional zones, the ecological protection area had the highest quality, while the Suzhuang management area excelled in aesthetic quality compared to the Hetian management area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing recognition of the need for frameworks for environmental management which transcend disciplinary boundaries while building upon established approaches to applied research which have recognized legitimacy and utility. This paper investigates ways of thinking about practical transdisciplinarity in cases of integrated environmental and landscape management. A brief review is first presented of systemic conceptions which can inform our transdisciplinary practice, including ‘civic science’ and a recognition of contestable concepts. This is followed by a discussion of current approaches to inquiry and management of lived-in environments and landscapes, particularly that of integrated catchment management (ICM). Three case studies at different scales are then described to highlight the importance of core ‘contestable concepts’ around which transdisciplinary dialogues can occur. The first case study is that of the question of ‘risk’ in relation to the Hawkesbury Water Reuse Scheme, on the Hawkesbury campus of the University of Western Sydney. The second case study is that of ‘investment’ in stormwater and wastewater management in the Hawkesbury–Nepean River Catchment, in Western Sydney. The third case study is of the question of ‘meta-methodology’ when developing cases of ICM in China which build on both international experiences and the local context. The final section engages with transdisciplinarity as a contestable concept itself. The breadth of fields of inquiry engaging with this notion are briefly identified, along with some key examples of emerging concepts and language which may be broadly applicable to cases of environmental and landscape management. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

10.3390/d14050393 3 Jakob A., Breg Valjavec M., Carni A. Turnover of Plant Species on an Ecological Gradient in Karst Dolines Is Reflected in Plant Traits: Chorotypes, Life Forms, Plant Architecture and Strategies. The third paper [[3]] addresses plant communities and their architecture in relation to the environment in a typical karst landform-enclosed terrain depression known as a doline, with a strong ecological gradient. Karst landscapes are a set of various features built of rocks that are soluble in water. [Extracted from the article]

Permafrost is degrading across regions of the Arctic, which can lead to increases in nutrient concentrations in surface freshwaters. The oligotrophic state of many arctic lakes suggests that enhanced nutrient inputs may have important effects on these systems, but little is known about microbial nutrient limitation patterns in these lakes. We investigated microbial extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs) to infer seasonal nutrient dynamics and limitation across 24 lakes in southwest Greenland during summer (June and July). From early to late summer, enzyme activities that indicate microbial carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) demand increased in both the epilimnia and hypolimnia by 74% on average. Microbial investment in P acquisition was generally higher than that for N. Interactions among EEAs indicated that bacteria were primarily P limited. Dissolved organic matter (DOM, measured as dissolved organic carbon) was strongly and positively correlated with microbial P demand (R2 = 0.84 in July), while there were no relationships between DOM and microbial N demand. Microbial P limitation in June epilimnia (R² = 0.67) and July hypolimnia (R2 = 0.57) increased with DOM concentration. The consistency of microbial P limitation from June to July was related to the amount of DOM present, with some low DOM lakes becoming N-limited in July. Our results suggest that future changes in P or DOM inputs to these lakes are likely to alter microbial nutrient limitation patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Civil Protection Plan has been drafted for a 600 km² mountainous region in NW Italy Consisting of Orco and Soana Valleys. It is a part of the oldest natural park in Italy and attracts several thousand tourists every year. The work is concerned with the analysis of relevant physiographic characteristics of this Alpine landscapehaving extremely variable geomorphology and possess a long history of instability. Thousands of records as well as digital maps (involving overlay and comparison of up to 90 GIS layers) have been analyzed and cross-correlated to find out the details of the events. The study area experienced different types of natural hazards, typical of the whole Alpine environment. Thus, the present area has been selected for such multi-hazard research in which several natural processes have been investigated, concerning their damaging effects over the land. Due to 36 different severe hazardous events at least 250 deaths have been recorded in the area since 18th Century, in the occasion of. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]