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Factors such as urbanisation and industrialisation are leading to a sharp decline in ecosystems and habitats, thereby significantly impacting biodiversity. In my doctoral thesis, I investigate the concept of accountability concerning biodiversity through three independent empirical essays. These essays explore corporate reporting on biodiversity, the accountability mechanisms for negative environmental impacts resulting from airport expansions, and the accountability and intrinsic motivations of compensation agencies involved in mitigation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Automatisierungstechnik is the property of De Gruyter 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.)

On 23 October, 2024, BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany) and several individuals filed a constitutional complaint mirroring the Neubauer case, but directed at the biodiversity crisis. The claimants seek a declaration from the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) that the lack of a coherent scheme for the protection of biodiversity infringes fundamental rights and seek an order from the court for the legislature to take the necessary measures to adopt an appropriate, legally binding protection scheme within a clear timeline. This case presents a significant development in the field of strategic biodiversity litigation as the first systemic government framework case. It can be seen as the Urgenda of biodiversity litigation.

This taxonomic study describes Liomera schubarti n. sp., a newly discovered xanthid crab inhabiting live coral in the Persian Gulf. The new species shares a general resemblance with four other species of this genus, L. bella , L. margaritata , L. rugata and L. yaldwyni , particularly in carapace morphology, but it can be distinguished by the fusion of carapace areolets, specific pattern of granules on the outer surface of the chela and the unique structure of the male first gonopod. This contribution enriches our understanding of the xanthid crab diversity in the Persian Gulf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Im Zuge der Wahlen zum Europäischen Parlament (EP) im Juni 2024 ist der Europäische Green Deal (EGD) in die Defensive geraten. Die Stimmungslage, die noch im Umfeld der Wahlen von 2019 herrschte, hat sich verändert. Damals wurde das Ergebnis der Wahlen als Plädoyer der Unionsbürger für eine ambitioniertere Klima- und Umweltpolitik verstanden und aufgegriffen. Aktuell sind andere berechtigte politische Anliegen wie Migration, Sicherheit und wirtschaftliche Stabilität in den Vordergrund gerückt. Nicht verändert hat sich demgegenüber die Klimalage. Nach wie vor drohen die von der Wissenschaft ermittelten planetaren Belastungsgrenzen überschritten zu werden, die nicht zuletzt durch das im internationalen Übereinkommen von Paris rechtsverbindlich verankerte 1,5 bis 2 Grad-Ziel verstärkt politische Relevanz entfaltet haben.

One of the main reasons of a worldwide decline in bee diversity is the intensification of agriculture. In Austria, Germany and Switzerland, between 32 and 47 percent of the state area is used for agriculture. The decline of field edge structures, the use of pesticides and an associated loss of forage and habitats affect both honey bees and wild bees negatively. This work summarizes agricultural measures to maintain or restore bee habitats, for example by creating flowering areas, natural nesting sites or alternative management methods such as permaculture or agroforestry. Usage of pesticides and associated consequences for bees are discussed, as well as approaches to reduce insect loss due to multiple mowing in intensively managed grassland areas. Implementation of bee-friendly, yet economically feasible management methods is only accomplishable in reciprocal dialogue between science and the designers of agricultural landscapes - the farmers. Communicating ecological relationships between the preservation of bees, pollination services and environmental sustainability via continuing education and training of next generation farmers is crucial to increase sustainability in agricultural practices. This article aims at providing the basic knowledge for bee-friendly agriculture as well as suggestions for monitoring to assess the impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper presents an interdisciplinary concept dealing with climate change and biodiversity. Its aim is to foster the connectedness to nature and especially the environmental knowledge, which both influence the environmental competence. The pupils are supposed to become aware of the importance of biodiversity in the context of climate change and also acquire or consolidate the necessary chemical background knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploration of the biodiversity and ecology of freshwater bacteria is the topic of two Citizen Science research projects of the program "Sparkling Science", funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. A research group of the University of Innsbruck, Research Department for Limnology, Mondsee, works together with school classes and other groups of citizens. The aim is to involve citizen scientists in the whole process of creating scientific knowledge. Citizen scientists are especially involved in the discovery and description of new bacterial genera and species. Their efforts are visible in the resulting scientific publications. These projects are supposed to aim at attracting attention to the invisible world of microorganisms, their crucial role for our ecosystems as well as their huge and largely unexplored biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primer registre de la sangonera exòtica d'aigua dolça Helobdella europaea Kutschera 1987 a Portugal (Hirudinea, Glossiphoniidae) S'ha comunicat la propagació recent d'espècies de sangoneres exòtiques a tot Europa i encara hi ha una gran llacuna pel que fa a l'impacte que puguin tenir, com també a la seva distribució i ecologia. Aquí documentem la presència d'Helobdella europaea en un hàbitat d'aigua dolça al nord de Portugal, que constitueix el primer registre publicat per a aquesta espècie al país. Se'n van trobar quatre espècimens en un mostreig d'aigua al riu Ferreira que van ser recol·lectats ràpidament per estudiar-los. Se'n va fer la identificació morfològica i es van obtenir mostres de teixit per a la seqüenciació del codi de barres d'ADN. L'anàlisi genètica va donar com a resultat un sol haplotip compartit pels quatre espècimens i amb molt poca divergència d'altres seqüències disponibles en bases de dades públiques, la qual cosa en confirma la identitat.

Scientific facts about the relationships between the goals are indispensable for the rational social discourse on solving the various conflicting goals on the way to sustainable crop production. Therefore, the German Society for Agronomy has compiled scientific findings on the topics of biodiversity, climate relevance and climate resilience, nutrient management, crop protection, soil protection and production of renewable raw materials, and identified the existing need for research. After an executive summary that highlights the findings, the subject areas are explained in detail. The purpose of this paper is not to make recommendations for policy-making, but to support the public debate by providing factual information.

In a field trial, agronomic and crop effects of six intercrop mixtures and control (without catch crop) were investigated in maize cultivation. Additionally, the arthropod fauna was recorded with ground traps on in three dates in 2020 (10.-17.7.; 17.8. - 24.8.; 14.9. - 17.9.). The experimental objective was to verify whether the plant biomass remaining on the field (dt DM/ha) and its energy content (GJ/ha) have an impact on the diversity (Shannon-Weaner index) of the arthropod community and its biomass. It was found that the diversity of arthropod community differed significantly between some variants. However, the differences could not be explained by the introduced plant biomass and energy or other factors (number of plant species in the seed mixture, winter hardiness of the catch crops etc.). However, arthropod biomass increased as plant biomass and energy input increased. The result is consistent with literature findings on food web energy transfer and differential resource use by arthropod species. Similarly, the result is discussed in the context of policy approaches to promote insect conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Forum: Qualitative Social Research / Qualitative Sozialforschung is the property of Forum Qualitative Social Research 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.)

Copyright of kul-tur: Revista Interdisciplinària Sobre la Cultura de la Ciutat is the property of kul-tur: Revista Interdisciplinaria Sobre la Cultura de la Ciutat 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 einem Feldversuch wurden acker- und pflanzenbauliche Effekte von sechs Zwischenfruchtmischungen sowie der Kon­trol­le ohne Zwischenfrucht im Maisanbau untersucht. Ebenfalls wurde die Arthropodenfauna mit Bodenfallen an drei Terminen im Jahr 2020 erfasst (10.-17.7.; 17.8. – 24.8.; 14.9. – 17.9.). Versuchsziel war es zu überprüfen, ob die auf dem Feld verbleibende pflanzliche Biomasse (dt TM/ha) und ihr Energiegehalt (GJ/ha) einen Einfluss auf die Diversität (Shannon-Weaner-Index) der Arthropodengemeinschaft und ihre Biomasse hat. Es wurde festgestellt, dass sich die Diversität der Arthropodengesellschaft zwischen einigen Varianten sig­nifikant unterschied. Die Differenzen konnten jedoch nicht mit der eingebrachten pflanzlichen Biomasse und Energie oder anderen Faktoren (Anzahl Pflanzenarten in der Saatgutmischung, Winterfestigkeit der Zwischenfrüchte) erklärt werden. Jedoch nahm die Ar­thro­po­den­bio­mas­se mit dem Anstieg der pflanzlichen Biomasse und des Energieeintrages zu. Das Ergebnis steht im Einklang mit Literaturbefunden zum Energietransfer im Nahrungsnetz und der unterschiedlichen Ressourcennutzung durch Arthropodenarten. Ebenso wird das Ergebnis im Rahmen mit politischen Ansätzen zur Förderung des Insektenschutzes diskutiert.

Die Anwendung von Go-Along-Interviews ermöglicht einen integrierten Methodenmix, bei dem qualitative Interviews mit teilnehmender Beobachtung kombiniert werden, um die analytische Verknüpfung von Diskursen und Praktiken zu erleichtern. Ihre besondere Sensitivität für die räumliche Einbettung und Reflexion sozialer Prozesse wurde in diversen Forschungskontexten erprobt und beschrieben. Anhand unserer Forschung zu Stadtnaturbeziehungen bei Lockdown-Spaziergängen wollen wir diese methodologischen Diskurse fortführen und den Mehrwert von Go-Along-Interviews insbesondere für die sozial-ökologische und transdisziplinäre Forschung herausarbeiten. Die Corona-Lockdowns dienten uns dabei als Brennglas, um die in den alltäglichen Spaziergängen habitualisierten Naturinteraktionen aufzuspüren und subjektive Bedeutungen der Stadtnatur erfahrbar und kommunizierbar zu machen. Mittels konkreter Episoden unserer Interviews reflektieren wir methodische Besonderheiten von Go-Along-Interviews wie die Generierung von Erzählungen, die Einbeziehung von materiellen Umwelten und nicht-menschlichen Akteuren, die Erschließung von Erinnerungen und Erfahrungen, das Nachvollziehbarmachen von Bewertungen und die Ermöglichung einer Selbstreflexion. Diesen Potenzialen stellen wir spezifische Herausforderungen der Anwendung von Go-Along-Interviews im Hinblick auf die Zugänglichkeit des Interviewraums, die Dynamik der Interviewsituation sowie das veränderte Verhältnis zwischen Interviewer*in und Interviewpartner*in gegenüber. Unter Berücksichtigung dieser Herausforderungen können Go-Along-Interviews sowohl das sozialwissenschaftliche Methodenspektrum der Stadtnaturforschung als auch naturwissenschaftliche Beschreibungen der Stadtökologie maßgeblich bereichern. Dieser analytische Mehrwert wird ergänzt durch eine besondere Anschlussfähigkeit an transdisziplinäre, partizipative und transformative Forschung.

Guaitacargols és un projecte adreçat a centres d’educació secundària que proposa fer un estudi de la biodiversitat de cargols terrestres en espais propers als centres. La iniciativa és impulsada pel Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (MCNB), afavoreix el treball en xarxa amb el personal docent participant i compta amb l’acompanyament expert de l’Associació Catalana de Malacologia (ACM). El projecte apropa l’alumnat a la metodologia científica a través d’un estudi de camp real i inclou la filosofia de la ciència ciutadana, tot posant en valor la participació democratitzada de la ciutadania en la construcció del coneixement científic. Arran de la formació i les eines aportades pel MCNB i l’ACM, els equips docents de l’Institut ca n’Oriac (Sabadell) i de I’Institut Moianès (Moià) han dissenyat seqüències educatives que desenvolupen competències i continguts científics a partir del context dels cargols terrestres. Les dades obtingudes amb el treball de camp i la seva posterior identificació han estat validades científicament.

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Estudi de la diversitat de vertebrats al Margalla Hills National Park El Margalla Hills National Park d’Islamabad (Pakistan) és un important emplaçament pel que fa al nombre de plantes i animals que s’hi conserven. Aquest estudi es va iniciar per determinar l’estatus de la fauna present al parc nacional, la diversitat i les amenaces ambientals que poden afectar la protecció dels animals. Es va portar a terme un estudi de camp utilitzant un mètode de comptatge per punts d’observació a fi de determinar la diversitat de vertebrats al Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) d’Islamabad, que va donar com a resultat que l’MHNP està habitat aproximadament per 117 espècies d’ocells, 27 rèptils enigmàtics com la gariba, l’escurçó de Russell i la cobra índia, així com 30 espècies de mamífers com el muntjac, el senglar comú, el xacal daurat, la guineu vermella, lleopards asiàtics, micos, ratpenats frugívors i pangolins. Els resultats de l’estudi van mostrar un recompte màxim de 9.076 ocells de 117 espècies pertanyents a 48 famílies. Segons la Direcció de l’Òrgan Gestor de Fauna Salvatge d’Islamabad, el gòral de cua llarga (Nemorhaedus goral), una de les espècies úniques del parc, està extint a l’MHNP atès que no s’hi registra la presència de cap exemplar des de 2018. D’altra banda, l’augment d’exemplars de les espècies amenaçades lleopard comú (Panthera pardus) i pangolí (Manis crassicaudata) es considera satisfactori i podria ser degut a una millor aplicació del pla de gestió de la fauna salvatge per part de l’Òrgan Gestor, si bé cal centrar–se més en la conservació i protecció de la fauna salvatge de l’MHNP. Durant les visites també es van assenyalar amenaces com la degradació de l’hàbitat, el canvi climàtic i la caça excessiva. Tanmateix, es constata més rigor en la implementació de les legislacions aprovades i en l’aplicació dels mètodes de gestió dels parcs nacionals en pro de la diversitat única del Margalla Hills National Park. Llista de dades publicades a GBIF (Doi: 10.15470/hf1s9i).

The concept of differentiated land use was formulated already 50 years ago to preserve biodiversity and to maintain or restore the necessary landscape structure. Although it has been anchored in the Federal Nature Conservation Act, there is still nomonitoring of its implementation, although the German Advisory Council on the Environment has been calling for this for 25 years. The paper argues that the technical prerequisites formonitoring the differentiated land use are ready today and discusses the conceptual steps necessary. It identifies several dimensions and proposes corresponding indicators of landscape structure, in particular the degree of diversification and themixing of intensive land uses, the distribution of the size of intensively used areas, the proportion of semi-natural areas (at least 10%) and the interconnected arrangement of seminatural areas. Furthermore, the paper discusses suitable reference units and existing data. Finally, we identify remaining gaps in the data basis and discuss the question of defining target values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Atropellaments mortals de fauna silvestre a Odisha, Índia: una amenaça per a la biodiversitat que cal abordar Es van avaluar els atropellaments mortals de fauna silvestre a la carretera nacional NH–16, a l’estat d’Odisha (Índia), durant un període de mostreig de 90 dies. En total, l’avaluació va registrar 123 cossos de vertebrats morts pertanyents a mamífers (14 espècies), ocells (nou espècies) i rèptils (set espècies). Aquesta recerca sobre atropellaments mortals confirma que la carretera nacional NH–16 és el punt més perillós pel que fa a atropellaments per a moltes espècies de fauna silvestre nadiua. Cal portar a terme estudis addicionals per determinar com afecten les infraestructures lineals la fauna silvestre i establir estratègies de gestió adequades.

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Internationale Bildungsforschung und Entwicklungspädagogik is the property of Waxmann Verlag GmbH 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.)

Copyright of Julius-Kühn-Archiv is the property of Julius Kuehn Institut 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.)

Copyright of Julius-Kühn-Archiv is the property of Julius Kuehn Institut 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.)

Copyright of Julius-Kühn-Archiv is the property of Julius Kuehn Institut 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.)

Copyright of Julius-Kühn-Archiv is the property of Julius Kuehn Institut 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.)