Search results for "conservation."
showing 10 items of 1994 documents
Bryophyte diversity in the gypsum outcrops of Sicily (Italy)
2020
Abstract: A study on the bryophyte diversity of 12 Sicilian gypsum outcrops, falling in 4 Nature Reserves and 5 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), is presented in order to increase knowledge about this peculiar flora for which conservation efforts need to be addressed. The bryoflora consists of a total of 85 taxa, 8 liverworts and 77 mosses, most of them belonging to the Pottiaceae family and characterized by xero-morphological adaptations. The bio-ecological analysis has emphasized the prevalence of xerophytic and basiphytic species with life form turf and life strategy colonist. Regarding the gypsicolous character, only one species, Tortula revolvens, behaves as a strict gypso- phyte, a…
Farmland abandonment in Europe: Identification of drivers and indicators, and development of a composite indicator of risk
2015
Accounting for more than half of the European Union's (EU) territory, agriculture ensures food production, manages important natural resources and supports socio-economic development of rural areas. Moreover, it is estimated that 50% of all plant and animal species (including some of that are listed in the EU Habitat Directive) depend on agricultural practices. The continuation of appropriate agricultural land management is essential to ensure these primary functions. Avoidance of farmland abandonment is therefore an important rationale for the EU's Common Agricultural Policy which requires improved knowledge of this phenomenon at the European level. This study assesses the risk of farmland…
Eco-efficiency assessment of olive farms in Andalusia
2012
Abstract Olive farming represents an important source of income and employment in the rural areas of Andalusia (Spain), which is the most important olive oil-producing region in the world. Unfortunately, it also exerts significant environmental pressures with regard to soil erosion, use of polluting inputs, excessive water consumption and biodiversity reduction. This paper uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques and pressure distance functions to contribute a farm-level assessment of the eco-efficiency of a sample of 292 Andalusian olive farmers. We distinguish between managerial eco-efficiency and program eco-efficiency, the latter being associated to the different natural conditio…
Technologies for green radio communication networks
2011
Since the introduction of cellular communications in the early '80s, the demand for two-way mobile communication services has increased tremendously. Today there are over 4 billion mobile users and 4.6 million radio base station sites worldwide. This rapid growth of the cellular mobile industry has been at the price of increased energy consumption and a sizable carbon footprint.
The history of human-induced soil erosion: Geomorphic legacies, early descriptions and research, and the development of soil conservation—A global sy…
2013
Abstract This paper presents a global synopsis about the geomorphic evidence of soil erosion in humid and semihumid areas since the beginning of agriculture. Historical documents, starting from ancient records to data from the mid-twentieth century and numerous literature reviews form an extensive assortment of examples that show how soil erosion has been perceived previously by scholars, land surveyors, farmers, land owners, researchers, and policy makers. Examples have been selected from ancient Greek and Roman Times and from central Europe, southern Africa, North America, the Chinese Loess Plateau, Australia, New Zealand, and Easter Island. Furthermore, a comprehensive collection on the …
High-Efficiency Multi-Junction Photovoltaic Cells in School Physics Laboratory
2020
Energy consumption in the world is increasing more and more due to the huge energy request coming from emerging countries such as China, India, etc. To face the challenge of sustainability, a solution may be the use of solar energy, since it is the most abundant renewable energy source on Earth. The electromagnetic energy coming from the Sun can be converted into usable energy (electricity) by solar cells, whose conversion efficiency is continuously increasing due to scientific and technological progress. The proposed activity is thought to be carried out with secondary as well as high school students to allow teachers to discuss sustainability issues, and to provide students with an introd…
Connectedness and connectivity of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas across country borders in the European Union
2012
Abstract We studied the spatial connectedness of Natura 2000 site boundaries and the functional connectivity of the Natura 2000 network across the 34 terrestrial borders of the European Union. Connectivity was measured by the dispersal success of 192 reptile, amphibian, invertebrate and plant species from Annex II of the European Union Habitats Directive, based on the presence of same species on both sides of the borders. Connectedness and connectivity varied greatly between state borders, with good and bad examples found in all parts of the European Union. Connectedness and connectivity were positively correlated. However, a few outlying examples showed that good connectedness is not neces…
The body size of headstarted and wild juvenile European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis)
2018
Headstarting is a popular conservation technique in which animals are raised under artificial conditions, and then released into natural habitat. The objective of this procedure is to grow animals to a size at which they are less vulnerable to predators. However, there is still little empirical evidence for the long-term effectiveness of the technique. Therefore, we compared body size of juvenile “wild” (= not taken to artificial rearing) and headstarted European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis), from two populations (in central and western Poland). Immediately after hatching there were no differences in size of the turtles, but after seven-ten years headstarted turtles were smaller. This so…
Catacomba di Villagrazia di Carini. La galleria XII: indagini archeologiche e problemi della conservazione
2017
The archaeological research in the southeastern area of the Early Christian catacombs of Villagrazia di Carini has been ongoing since 2000 to the present, but in 2014 the structural problems occurred during the excavation of the cubicles X13 and X15 have showed that this sector of the cemetery was cut into a tuff stone bench less compact and durable than the rest of the catacomb. Similarly, the excavation in the corridor XII has provided new informations about the serious effects of the physico-chemical changes that occurred here, over the centuries, by the action of the environmental factors and the continued infiltrations of water from the above ground. The risk of a collapse that would m…