Search results for " CONSERVATION"
showing 10 items of 1644 documents
Runoff initiation, soil detachment and connectivity are enhanced as a consequence of vineyards plantations.
2017
[EN] Rainfall-induced soil erosion is a major threat, especially in agricultural soils. In the Mediterranean belt, vineyards are affected by high soil loss rates, leading to land degradation. Plantation of new vines is carried out after deep ploughing, use of heavy machinery, wheel traffic, and trampling. Those works result in soil physical properties changes and contribute to enhanced runoff rates and increased soil erosion rates. The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of the plantation of vineyards on soil hydrological and erosional response under low frequency - high magnitude rainfall events, the ones that under the Mediterranean climatic conditions trigger extreme soil ero…
Spontaneous ecological recovery of vegetation in a red gypsum landfill: Betula pendula dominates after 10 years of inactivity
2019
International audience; Red gypsum is the product of the neutralization of titanium dioxide (TiO 2) extraction residue from ilmenite and anatase. The disposal of red gypsum creates heterogeneous plots with layers that may include Fe, Ca, Al, Mg, Mn, S, and other elements and an alkaline pH that makes revegetation complicated and slow. The vertical and horizontal dispersion of the sediment particles are the main concern. Therefore, the establishment of precise vegetation cover is needed to address this issue. One of the aims of this study was (1) to explore the distribution of the spontaneous vegetation found along a red gypsum-formed landfill located at the Ochsenfeld site in eastern France…
Lignin from steam‐exploded wood as binder in wood composites
2010
A study demonstrating the approach of zero‐waste technologies, a component of the Zero Emissions concept, and using lignin extracted from steam‐exploded wood as adhesive in hot‐pressed fibre boards and plywood to substitute phenol‐formaldehyde resins is reported. Properties of sample boards containing different amount of lignin adhesive are compared between themselves and with the EU standards for fibre boards. A strong correlation of density and form stability under humid conditions with the lignin content is found. Results of testing mechanical properties of the boards suggest that effect of lignin on mechanical strength depends on the size of particles and hot‐pressing temperature. Steam…
Research on ecological design to enhance comfort in open spaces of a city (Valencia, Spain). Utility of the physiological equivalent temperature (PET)
2013
For many years now, research has focused on issues concerning making cities easier to live in and some of the most important of these concern climatology and thermal comfort issues. There is also a growing awareness of the importance of open spaces and green areas, as key elements in providing opportunities for human interaction, leisure and physical exercise. They are important for all inhabitants, but particularly so for children and the elderly population. Of especial interest are the studies which have examined the interaction of comfort with the urban climate. This issue was studied throughout the twentieth century, but recently the role which can be played by biometeorological indices…
Economic development and agriculture: Managing protected areas and safeguarding the environment
2017
Abstract The establishment of protected areas has been one of the most important interventions to protect biodiversity from the threat of human activities and in particular from the agricultural traditional activities where they have been restricted at the expense of the economy of the territory sparking in literature a heated debate between those who argue the these hinder the socio-economic development and on the other hand are those who argue that is able to advance social welfare. On the basis of these considerations, the weight of agricultural sector of a country is highly linked to the percentage of protected areas even though the trend of the weight of agriculture in the overall econ…
An economic, perception and biophysical approach to the use of oat straw as mulch in Mediterranean rainfed agriculture land
2017
[EN] Soil erosion is a key cause of land degradation in agriculture lands; and it is a worldwide threat that must be solved by means of nature-based strategies to be able to achieve sustainability. The use of mulches can be a solution, but there is a lack of information on long-term effects of the use of straw. Furthermore, little is known about the perception of farmers and the economic cost on the implantation of straw as a conservation measure. Eight paired plots were selected in Sierra de Enguera on an agriculture field to determine the effect of straw cover on soil erosion. Four plots were tilled three times per year (Control) and four plots were not ploughed and 0.125 kg m(-2) y(-1) o…
Assessing the potential of Albufera de València Lagoon sediments for the restoration of charophyte meadows
2013
Abstract Albufera de Valencia Lagoon, the largest littoral lagoon on the Iberian Peninsula, has been affected by eutrophication processes since the 1970s due to the direct dumping of sewage waters of industrial, agricultural and urban origin. Consequently, the submerged vegetation that covered the bottom of the lagoon has been lost (charophytes and Potamogeton spp., Myriophyllum spp. and Ceratophyllum spp.). Despite efforts to improve water quality, this vegetation has not recovered. No information about the potential of the recent sediments to host charophyte development is available. In this study, we analysed several sediment cores taken from different areas of the lagoon to determine th…
Seasonal response of vegetation on pollutants removal in constructed wetland system treating dairy wastewater
2022
Constructed wetland systems provide the ideal solution for small and medium dairy farms as they can be built close to the farm and are easy to manage and use. However, their perfomance is significantly affected by vegetation activity during the year. The aims of the present study were to assess the treatment of dairy wastewater (DWW) by a horizontal subsurface flow system (HSSFs) and the effect of plants in the removal efficiency (RE) of BOD5, COD, total N (TN) and total P (TP), in Sicily (Italy). The HSSFs treated 6/7 m3 per day of wastewater produced by a small dairy farm subsequent to biological treatment. The system included two units which were separately planted with Arundo donax L. a…
Willingness of Student to Favour the Protection of Endangered Species in a Trade-off Conflict in Finland
1994
Abstract This paper explores the willingness of Finnish students to favour protection of endangered species in a hypothetical trade-off conflict, where conservation would cause an increase in the household energy cost. The most striking result was the very distinct preference of species which the students felt worth protecting. The students favoured species which are well known, taxonomically close to man and actually endangered. Major differences occurred among students due to sex, educational institute, nature-related activity groups, as well as knowledge of nature and conservation issues.
LUMINESCENCE STUDY OF DETERGENT OPTICAL BRIGHTENERS IN THE CONTEXT OF DEVELOPING OPTICAL ENVIRONMENTAL SENSORS FOR WATER QUALITY CONTROL
2006
Water quality and anthropogenic loads in many, but not all, cases are related. Some water quality monitoring programs analyse samples for the presence of Escherichia coli. These bacteria can come from humans and animals. Human‐attributable effluent contains optical brighteners (OBs) from detergents. A convenient and affordable optical quantitative method giving a linear luminescence outcome over several orders of detergent concentrations in the water solution is demonstrated. The proposed method uses the common presence of OBs in detergents. Detergent concentration in water can be used as a surrogate indicator of resultant anthropogenic loads in water bodies. The proposed optical method wit…