Search results for "Conservation"
showing 10 items of 2328 documents
Distribution maps of vegetation alliances in Europe
2022
Aim The first comprehensive checklist of European phytosociological alliances, orders and classes (EuroVegChecklist) was published by Mucina et al. (2016, Applied Vegetation Science, 19 (Suppl. 1), 3-264). However, this checklist did not contain detailed information on the distribution of individual vegetation types. Here we provide the first maps of all alliances in Europe. Location Europe, Greenland, Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Cyprus and the Caucasus countries. Methods We collected data on the occurrence of phytosociological alliances in European countries and regions from literature and vegetation-plot databases. We interpreted and complemented these data using the expert knowledge…
Mulching practices for reducing soil water erosion: A review
2016
Abstract Among the soil conservation practices that are used, mulching has been successfully applied to reduce soil and water losses in different contexts, such as agricultural lands, fire-affected areas, rangelands and anthropic sites. In these contexts, soil erosion by water is a serious problem, especially in semi-arid and semi-humid areas of the world. Although the beneficial effects of mulching are known, further research is needed to quantify them, especially in areas where soil erosion by water represents a severe threat. In the literature, there are still some uncertainties about how to maximize the effectiveness of mulching to reduce the soil and water loss rates. Given the serious…
CONSERVATION NEEDS FOR THE VERMETID REEFS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA
2015
Vermetid reefs are intertidal bioconstructions typical of many subtropical and temperate coastal areas worldwide. Distributed in the warmest waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the reefs are built by the vermetid gastropod Dendropoma petraeum and the coralline alga Neogoniolithon brassica-florida, two species included in the annexes of the Berna Convention. Vermetid reefs provide a wide set of ecosystem services, such as coastal protection from erosion, regulation of sediment transport and accumulation, serving as carbon deposit and increasing biodiversity at the intertidal level. Despite its vulnerability to several threats, such as pollution, spread of invasive species, ocean acidification a…
Nest-site competition between bumblebees (Bombidae), social wasps (Vespidae) and cavity-nesting birds in Britain and the Western Palearctic
2015
Capsule: There is no evidence of widespread significant nest-site competition in Britain or the Western Palearctic between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees or social wasps. Aims: To investigate competition between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees and wasps, particularly the range-expanding Tree Bumblebee, Saxon Wasp and European Hornet in Britain, and review evidence throughout the Western Palearctic. Methods: We compared field data from English and Polish studies of tits and woodpeckers breeding in nest-boxes and/or tree holes to assess nest-site competition with bumblebees and wasps. We reviewed the literature quantifying nest-site competition between birds and these insects in the …
Application of microsatellite markers as potential tools for traceability of Girgentana goat breed dairy products
2015
In livestock, breed assignment may play a key role in the certification of products linked to specific breeds. Traceability of farm animals and authentication of their products can contribute to improve breed profitability and sustainability of animal productions with significant impact on the rural economy of particular geographic areas and on breed and biodiversity conservation. With the goal of developing a breed genetic traceability system for Girgentana dairy products, the aim of this study was to identify specific microsatellite markers able to discriminate among the most important Sicilian dairy goat breeds, in order to detect possible adulteration in Girgentana dairy products. A tot…
La verifica di un de restauro come criterio per una riflessione necessaria. La Villa Romana del Casale di Piazza Armerina (Enna), dal 1997 nella Worl…
2022
Nei pressi di Piazza Armerina (Enna), all'inizio del sec. XX, sono stati scoperti i resti della Villa romana del Casale (IV sec. dC), con ricchi pavimenti musivi. Dopo il primo restauro, verso la metà degli anni Cinquanta del sec. XX, l'architetto F. Minissi e C. Brandi progettarono una protezione stabile e un sistema per la fruizione dei resti della villa. Il tetto è stato realizzato con materiali moderni: profili in alluminio e lastre di vetro e perspex, che evocavano le antiche volurne, pur mantenendo l'autenticità dei resti. La sistemazione, per mancanza di manutenzione, è stata fonte di degrado per i mosaici, e infatti dal 2007 sono iniziati i lavori per la loro distruzione e sostituzi…
Taxonomic and environmental implication of pedotechnique in large scale farming
2016
Abstract Human activities that involve deep modifications of the soils and a substantial deterioration of their features are numerous and very diverse. Such activities are considered as pedotechniques and, in large-scale farming, are used only under the boost of significant economic returns. In these last decades, the pedotechniques used to tailor soils suitable for table vine cultivation in the Acate valley (Sicily, Italy), not only led to objective difficulties in the classification of these deeply transformed soils but also, to several environmental hazards. In this work after considering the pedotechniques used in tailoring suitable soil for table vine cultivation, we propose to introdu…
Main intrinsic factors driving land grabbing in the African countries’ agro-food industry
2022
Land grabbing is a phenomenon that has spread widely over the last two decades and which involves rich and emerging countries and international companies as protagonists in the large-scale acquisition of land in developing countries. Through the development of an econometric model that takes into account the annual size of land grabbing in the African countries, the research aims to understand the main intrinsic factors, linked to the hosting countries, that guide the large-scale acquisition of land by foreign investors. Results show that the presence of a high debt towards foreign organisations, the high availability of virgin lands, the strong vocation of the hosting country for the culti…
La ricostruzione tridimensionale e il restauro virtuale di una tomba etrusca dipinta dell’Etruria meridionale interna: la “Grotta Dipinta” di Pranzov…
2015
[EN] The paper concerns the 3D reconstruction and virtual restoration of a painted rock-cut chamber tombs located in the interior of Southern Etruria (Viterbo Province, Central Italy). The tomb was discovered in 1901 in a place named Pranzovico and it dates from the mid-fifth century BC; it has a cross plan with central atrium (decorated with paintings) and three chambers in which there are the rock-cut funerary beds. The paintings have been largely destroyed by illegal excavators in the days immediately following the discovery; during the 20th century it was damaged due to agricultural works in the surroundings and now it is partially filled up. Its 3D reconstruction is based on the scarce…
The contribution of human migration to tourism: The VFR travel between the EU28 member states
2017
This study explores the correlation between human migration and that part of tourism due to people visiting friends and relatives in a foreign country. We first compared the network structure of migration stocks and tourism flows between the 28 member countries of the European Union over the period 2000–2012. Then, we performed several econometric analyses to study the main tourism determinants and the correlations between migration to tourism. The paper derives from the discussion of the results an estimate of the contribution to the overall tourism phenomenon due to visiting friends and relatives. Complex network analysis and gravity models were the investigation methods preferred.