<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">National parks and protected areas can contribute significantly to the needs of poor people who live in and around them and depend heavily on forest resources for their subsistence. Especially for the rural poor who have limited economic options, use of national park resources are the main source for their survival, giving them direct benefits from food, medicine and forest products. National parks can contribute to maintaining the ecosystem and biodiversity conservation, along with the economic benefits to the local population. National parks and protected areas can play a significant role in climate change mitigation as well. Nevertheless, benefits from these areas are not well recognized in management especially in developing countries by incorporating them for climate change mitigation. Though usually more priority is given to conservation, improvement of livelihood and climate change mitigation can be achieved by integrating national parks into management and policy, and by consideration of the potential of human resources. Thus the integration can improve the poverty situation of local people and help them to adapt to climatic change mitigation strategies. Therefore, management of national parks and protected areas should ensure the participation of local communities and stakeholders.</abstract>

Multi-benefits of national parks and protected areas: an integrative approach for developing countries

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The paper discusses the spatial and temporal variability in the occurrence of strong highs over Poland in the period 1951-2015. It focuses in particular on the persistence of the systems in question and the changes in their long-term variability. The study was based on the average daily sea-level air pressure values obtained from NCEP/NCAR Reanalyses for 12 grid points. A day with a strong high was defined as a day with daily average pressure equal to or higher than 1030 hPa. Over the study period, a minor increase in the annual air pressure values (0.17-0.32 hPa/10 years) was identified, as well as evidence of an increase in the number of days with strong highs. These changes were the most distinct in December and in southern Poland. A majority of strong high occurrences were recorded during the cool half of the year, they covered less than the whole territory of the country and typically persisted for no more than two days. The longest spells with pressure equal to or greater than 1030 hPa lasted between 15 and 22 days depending on the region. Such long sequences of days with strong highs coincided with years when strong highs were particularly frequent, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. No specific trends in persistence or seasonality were identified.</abstract>

Long-term variability of the frequency and persistence of strong highs over Poland

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">In the presented research ERS1-2 and Envisat ASAR archive data were used for the periods 1993 – 2000 and 2003 – 2010. The radar images were acquired over Upper Silesia in southern Poland. DinSAR (Differential InSAR) and SBAS (Small Baseline Subset) methods were applied for the detection of the most subsided areas. The DinSAR images were layer stacked for an image using 26 interferometry pairs of ERS1-2 SAR and 16 pairs from Envisat ASAR images in an ascending-descending orbit combination. The stacking of these images showed the most subsided parts of these cities even under low coherent areas, but the results are less precise. In the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, intensive underground coal exploitation has resulted in several surface deformations under Bytom (~8-17 km2), Piekary Śląskie (~9-15 km2), Ruda Śląska (~32-42 km2) and Katowice (~20-23 km2) with 25-40 cm of subsidence (in general) in the studied time periods. The SBAS technique has also shown that coal mining caused subsidence in the cities of Bytom, Katowice, and Piekary Śląskie of 5-7 cm/yr. The presented SBAS method did not work for low coherent areas, e.g. dense forested areas. DInSAR data also pointed to several decreasingly less active mining areas, which relate to the mine closures in Bytom and Ruda Śląska, which is also verified by the time series analysis.</abstract>

Using radar interferometry and SBAS technique to detect surface subsidence relating to coal mining in Upper Silesia from 1993-2000 and 2003-2010

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Białystok, Lublin, and Rzeszów are the three largest cities in eastern Poland, and the capitals of their provinces. They each have metropolitan ambitions, and based on partner agreements with the authorities of their neighbouring districts they initiated the establishment of metropolitan areas where they became the main centres. This article undertakes an analysis of a number of elements of each of these metropolitan areas in order to compare their position, and to give an assessment of the development of their metropolitan functions. The analysis concerned their demographic, social, economic and cultural parameters. Results of this research show that none of these analysed cities has yet developed sufficient functions coherent with the European metropolitan network. Each of them is a strong regional centre of national importance. Statistical analysis of the data shows no strong leader among these three metropolitan areas. The weak position of the Białystok Metropolitan Area is evident due to its particularly disturbing demographic processes which offer no chance for population development in the area or growth of its social potential. The Rzeszów Metropolitan Area maintains the best social-demographic and economic indices and it is also the most compact, coherent area with the least distance to its metropolitan centre.</abstract>

Metropolitan aspirations of cities in East Poland during the process of their development

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The concurrent processes of globalisation, computerisation, and integration shape and constantly modify developmental factors and generate multidirectional social changes. Among social life fields, one of them has been particularly sensitive to the impact of those processes and has remained in clear feedback relationship with them is education, including university-level education. This article aims to present some reflections on the key processes which influence the environment of higher education institutions’ activity and on what their impact specifically is. The factors taken into account include: the transformation of the political and economic system, integration with the European higher education area, the market shift of education, evolving social demands towards higher education institutions and society’s attitude towards work. As knowledge has become an asset largely affecting the quality of life of people and society, universities have changed their focus from searching for and exploring truth, good and beauty in the world towards becoming innovation centres, transferring knowledge as offering their educational services. In this article, those trends have been exemplified in relation to geography degree programmes, and shown through an evolution of the model of the university. Based on a review of the literature, it seems that the processes discussed also concern geography degree programmes, and the future operation of these programmes closely depends on whether they can maintain their care for high quality education coupled with genuine efforts to ensure the smooth transition of graduates into the labour market.</abstract>

Key processes shaping the current role and operation of higher education institutions in society

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Environmental & Socio-economic Studies

 Environmental &amp; Socio-economic Studies is an international, peer-reviewed journal publishing original research papers, review articles and scientific communications concerning the interactions between human activity and the environment in urban and industrial areas, and the functioning of society and nature, both in periods of urban growth and economic development, and in periods of the restructuring of the economy and the development of post-industrial space. The research attention is focused on cities, metropolitan areas and their associated suburban and rural areas, industrial and mining districts, and other areas under human impact. The journal also presents research results across the fields of physical geography, economic and human geography, the biology of organisms, ecology and nature conservation, environmental protection and natural resource management, geology, environmental engineering, environmental law and social sciences.   The journal is indexed in Scopus and Web of Science - Clarivate Analytics Emerging Sources Citation Index.   Environmental &amp; Socio-economic Studies publishes the results of research across a wide variety of interests in the following fields:    Human impact on the environment   Biomarkers used in monitoring the environment   Urban ecology   Landscape and urban planning   Environmental protection and restoring nature   Environmental management   Reclamation of post-industrial and post-mining areas   Economic development   Urban growth, living conditions and social conflicts   Conflicts around the use of natural resources   Legal aspects of environmental protection and spatial planning   Sustainable development   Environmental education   Physical geography and geology      Archiving   Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.   Plagiarism Policy   The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process.   Charges   The journal does not have article processing charges (APCs) nor article submission charges. 