<abstract><title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> The paper explains the concept of contemporary cultural ecology, a scientific approach reflecting the relationship between human society and natural environment. This approach is used by the scholars of Faculty of Arts at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Special attention is paid to the links between cultural ecology and landscape ecology, interdisciplinary study of biophysical as well as societal driven processes and patterns in landscapes.We present important disciplines of social sciences that focused on the relationship of humans and environment, and which inspired our concept of cultural ecology. The first human ecology appears in the 1920’s in Chicago. Human ecology of Robert E. Park and his colleagues was mostly aimed at urban sociology. A totally different approach is represented by cultural ecology of Julian Steward, who created it as an anthropological sub-discipline stressing the adaptive function of culture. Social ecology of Murray Bookchin brought more philosophy and social activism into the discussion. In the 1970’s human ecology presented by Gerald Young and environmental sociology of William Catton and Riley Dunlap got environmental factors back to the studies of modern complex societies.Apart from the sources of inspiration mainly from the US, we also briefly summarize Czech disciplines and scholars investigating the human-nature relationship, e.g. social ecology of Bohuslav Blažek, concentrating mostly on rural areas or the sociological approach towards environmental problems of Jan Keller.Furthermore, four constitutive principles of today’s cultural ecology are discussed. These include: 1) focus on <italic>the problems of present times </italic>instead of escapes into the past or the future, 2) <italic>integrative approach </italic>which is aware of the pitfalls of inter- or transdisciplinarity, 3) cultural core of society-environment relationships, i.e. reflection on the societyenvironment relationship through <italic>culture</italic>, and 4) <italic>dialogue </italic>between human (society) and environment (nature).Finally, the landscape as an object of study of cultural ecology is briefly discussed. We conclude that cultural ecology is a broad approach, stimulating discussions among various academics rather than a well-defined rigorous scientific discipline. We believe this to be the benefit of cultural ecology, which can foster illuminating discussions about important environmental issues. </abstract>

Department of Structural Policy of the EU and Rural Development, Faculty of Economics, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Studentská 13, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Department of Culturology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, Celetná 20, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic

Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Hradec Králové, Ambrožova 729, 500 02 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

Cultural Ecology: Contemporary Understanding of the Relationship between Humans and the Environment

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>This article describes examples of waste management systems from archaeological sites in Europe and the Middle East. These examples are then contextualized in the broader perspectives of environmental history. We can confidently claim that the natural resource use of societies predating the Lower Palaeolithic was in equilibrium with the environment. In sharp contrast stand communities from the Upper Palaeolithic and onwards, when agriculture appeared and provided opportunities for what seemed like unlimited expansion.</abstract>

Waste Management at the End of the Stone Age

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>As the world population continues to grow at a rapid rate, accompanied by a substantial growth in food demand which is expected to transpire in the next 50 years, 80 % of the population will be living in urban areas. In order to feed this growing population, there is a need for sustainable urban food. Producing sustainable urban food requires considering all factors of sustainability collectively including, environmental, social and economic advancement. A new method that has been proposed to address the issue of sustainability and to meet the growing food demand is, designing and implementing vertical farms. Vertical farming is a concept that involves cultivating plants with livestock on vertically inclined surfaces such as in skyscrapers in urban areas, where there is a lack of available land and space. However, there is a paucity of information and a limited number of published critical reviews on Vertical farming in urban areas. This study, in an attempt to review the major opportunities and challenges of Vertical Farming, uses the framework of sustainability to examine the role of it in prospective food provision in cities. This study is a critical review of 60 documents from related published papers from relevant journals and scientific online databases. Vertical Farming can be potentially beneficial in increasing food production, maintaining high quality and safety and contributing to sustainable urban farming. Well-known advantages of growing food within the urban territory can be beneficial environmentally, socially and economically. Vertical farms can also provide solutions for increasing food security worldwide.</abstract>

Opportunities and Challenges in Sustainability of Vertical Farming: A Review

<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>Sustainable Development and Sustainability: Landscape Approach as a Practical Interpretation of Principles and Implementation Concepts</title>The situation for governors and managers of natural resources has increased in complexity. Previously it was enough to sustain the yields of wood, food and energy. Today, maintenance of ecosystem services, conservation of biodiversity, rural development and human wellbeing are new additional objectives. At the same time there are new risks and uncertainties linked to climate change, economic globalisation, energy security and water supply. Consequently, adaptive and holistic research, governance and management are needed. Landscape is a concept and framework that can be used as an approach to enhance implementation of policies about sustainable development as a societal process and sustainability as outcomes on the ground. For our analysis to define the landscape approach we used a hierarchical framework consisting of principles, concepts and initiatives; and included three principles defining SD and sustainability and five international concepts to analyze its implementation for our analysis to define landscape approach. We propose a practical operationalization that consists of five core attributes, (1) a sufficiently large area that matches management requirements and challenges to deliver desired goods, services and values, (2) multi-level and multi-sector stakeholder collaboration that promotes sustainable development as a social process, (3) commitment to and understanding of sustainability as an aim among stakeholders, (4) integrative knowledge production, and (5) sharing of experience, results and information, to develop local or tacit to general or explicit knowledge. Finally, we discuss the need for integrative research to study landscape approach concepts and what local initiatives using different concepts deliver on the ground.</abstract>

School for Forest Management, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-739 21 Skinnskatteberg, Sweden

Forestry Faculty, Ukrainian National Forestry University Generala Chuprynky, 103, Lviv, Ukraine

Sustainable Development and Sustainability: Landscape Approach as a Practical Interpretation of Principles and Implementation Concepts

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> In the past 50 years, widespread removal of hedges and hedgerows in many European regions, with a consequent reduction in biodiversity, has occurred as a result of farming intensification. Acknowledging the ecological importance of linear farmland landscape elements, many agro-environmental schemes provide financial support for the management, conservation and reconstruction of hedges and hedgerows. The efficacy of such initiatives, also aimed at bat conservation, could be enhanced by including the role of hedges and hedgerows correlated to the variability of their physical structure and to the surrounding landscape context. Linear landscape elements are in fact of great importance to bats, whose flight activity tends to increase in proximity to hedges and hedgerows, used both during foraging and as commuting routes. Nevertheless, information concerning the correlation between various physical structures of hedges and flight and foraging techniques in bats is still lacking. The present study analyses the activity of bats along two different hedge types, with and without trees, and in open spaces, in an area of the Padana plane (North-western Italy) as a function of different flight behaviours. Activity in bats appears higher along hedges than in open spaces but no significant differences are noted between the various hedge types under investigation. Foraging behaviour is primarily detected along hedges with trees but is lower along hedges without trees and in open spaces. This is particularly evident in bat species that have adapted to foraging in closed spaces surrounded by foliage (Myotis and Plecotus genera) or at the periphery of these environments (Pipistrellus genus), whereas it not seen species that forage in open spaces (Nyctalus genus). Hedge reconstruction aimed at bat conservation ought to, therefore, favour tall hedges with trees as opposed to low hedges without trees.</abstract>

The Importance of Linear Landscape Elements for Bats in a Farmland Area: The Influence of Height on Activity

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Restoration activities in degraded and/or deforested forest landscapes are common and old occurrences around the world. Tree planting is common in most forest landscape restoration initiatives. In Ethiopia, eight seedling-based landscape restoration options are identified to alleviate land degradation and its consequences. The primary purpose of this work was to review factors affecting the early survival of tree and shrub seedlings and their remedies in the restoration sites of Ethiopia. Drought and moisture stress, low soil fertility, poor seedling quality, weak species site matching, termites, livestock grazing, and seasonal frost are the basic factors that hinder the survival and growth of seedlings in the field. In situ rainwater harvesting structures, fertilizer application, the use of quality seedlings, the right species site matching, and the exclusion of livestock and grazing animals from planted seedlings are the remedies that must be employed to increase the success of tree-based restoration practices. Thus, further investigation of the factors affecting the survival of seedlings in the out-planting sites and remediation accordingly is necessary to ensure the productivity and sustainability of restoration practices in Ethiopia.
</abstract>

Review on Factors Affecting Early Survival of Tree /Shrub Seedlings and it’s Remedy in Restoration Sites of Ethiopia

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Flooding in urban areas is increasingly becoming a global challenge, driven by extreme rainfall events and the vulnerability or resilience of affected regions. This urban flood disaster not only threatens societal security but also hampers economic development in cities. Satellite remote sensing technology has played a crucial role in all aspects of flood disaster management, including preparedness, prevention, and relief efforts. Space systems, with their advantageous perspective, have proven their ability to provide essential information and services for effective flood management.
This study focuses on creating flood hazard maps for Bengaluru’s urban district using an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)-based Multi-Criterion Decision Analysis (MCDA) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Factors such as rainfall, drainage networks, land use, groundwater levels, terrain elevation, slope, and soil type are considered. The AHP method assigns weights and ranks to each factor, and a weighted linear combination approach is used to merge basic maps into the final flood vulnerability map.
</abstract>

Urban Flood Hazard Zonation in Bengaluru Urban District, India

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The industrial and economic development has initiated the rapid growth of small and medium-sized towns in India. Rewari City, a part of the National Capital Region of India, is undergoing rapid urban expansion. This study analyzes the process of urban expansion in Rewari city, its effect on land use &amp; land cover dynamics and landscape spatial patterns. The methodology of the study is reliant on open-source Landsat satellite data, GIS-based unsupervised classification, and spatial metrics analysis. The city expansion has been analyzed for a period of 31 years, from 1989 to 2020, and population growth has been studied since 1901. Within the study period, built-up area increased by 704%, with an annual expansion rate of 12.8 %. The other land cover classes, such as agriculture land, vegetation, barren land, and water bodies shrank in size over the years. Between 1989 and 2020, 69.4 % of the increase in built up area came at the expense of vegetation and agricultural land. It was also found that per capita land consumption rate increased significantly from 0.0024 to 0.0084, hinting towards dispersed and low-density development. Built-up land had a growth rate nearly 5 times higher than population, indicating urban sprawl. An evaluation of different landscape metrics revealed that the landscape of Rewari has lost land use diversity. The findings of this study offer information about the present state of urban growth. It also serves as a valuable resource for formulating comprehensive planning and development policies, ensuring the promotion of sustainable urban development.
</abstract>

Measuring Urban Expansion and Land Use/Land Cover Changes Using Remote Sensing and Landscape Metrics: A Case of Rewari City, India

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Preserving landscape connectivity in the Omo-Shasha-Oluwa Forest Reserves is crucial due to human-induced fragmentation, shrinking habitats, and disrupted migration routes for wildlife. From 2014 to 2016, we conducted surveys to gather large mammal presence data, mapping their distribution using the MaxEnt algorithm. Employing Circuitscape software and circuit theory concepts, we predicted connectivity patterns for six large mammal species. Our results consistently showed robust predictive performance, with Area Under the Curve (AUC) values exceeding 0.75 for species distribution models. Notably, we identified suitable habitat patches for seven key species, spanning 1760 km2 for <italic>C. civetta</italic>, 1515 km2 for <italic>T. Scriptus</italic>, 729 km2 for <italic>L. cyclotis</italic>, 1693 km2 for <italic>P. porcus</italic>, 1350 km2 for <italic>C. mona</italic>, 1406 km2 for <italic>P. maxwellii</italic>, and 1379 km2 for <italic>C. torquatus</italic>. Our analysis highlighted distance to human settlements as the most significant predictor for habitat models concerning <italic>T. Scriptus</italic>, <italic>C. civetta</italic>, <italic>P. maxwellii</italic>, <italic>C. torquatus</italic>, <italic>P. porcus</italic>, and <italic>C. mona</italic>, whereas land use type emerged as a critical factor for <italic>L. cyclotis</italic>. Furthermore, examination of maximum current flow patterns revealed varying degrees of connectivity among habitat patches, indicating potential bottlenecks to species movement, particularly across major rivers and in areas affected by human activities. These findings offer crucial insights for conservation efforts, guiding strategies to preserve wildlife metapopulation dynamics in the Omo-Shasha-Oluwa Forest Reserves landscape
</abstract>

Connecting Habitats: Modelling Landscape Connectivity for Large Mammals in Omo-Shasha-Oluwa Forest Reserves, South-West Nigeria

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
This paper represents an attempt at a detailed analysis of woodland presence and dynamics during the Middle Ages (AD 500-1500), as a contribution to the current debate on large-scale reforestation in the Netherlands. Palynological data for this particular period are scarce and allow only global reconstructions. To widen our search for historical woodland proxies, we investigated the potential of archaeologically excavated tree-trunk wells. We carried out a nation-wide inventory of this type of well, in which the shaft is formed by hollowed-out tree trunks, typically large oak trees. Our suspicion that such trees indicate the local presence of (old) woodland in the past was confirmed by a marked positive correlation with spatial reconstructions based on other sources of information: archaeological (charcoal kilns) and non-archaeological (place names and historical references). The observed correlations suggest that mapping the distribution of precisely dated tree-trunk wells can indeed contribute to achieving fairly detailed reconstructions of medieval woodland cover.
</abstract>

Sole Survivors: Using Tree-Trunk Wells from Archaeological Excavations to Inform Reconstructions of Medieval Deforestation, and Future Reforestation

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The main aim of the research is to identify landscape fragmentation (LF) in Slovakia with special emphasis on the contribution of protected areas (PAs) to mitigate the effect of LF. Results are presented in the final raster output (10 m grid). The raster contains 490,321,151 individual 10 m raster grids, with the LF average value of 59.12 % (where 0 represents fragmented landscape, 100 represents fully connected landscape by natural or semi-natural ecosystems) on the national level. Most of the territory of Slovakia falls within the range of values 55 – 65 %, which confirms the presence of significant continuous unfragmented areas. Based on the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) statistics results, there is a positive correlation of lower LF within the PAs network (p &lt; 0.05, Table 1) in comparison to the unprotected part of Slovakia. The results of geographically weight regression (GWR) proved a medium positive correlation (r2=0.36; r2adj=0.36; n=49,003), thus confirming to a certain extent the role of PAs in the mitigation of the effect of LF. On the other hand, the level of protection does not correlate significantly with fragmentation values, where a higher level of protection is not significantly connected with a lower level of LF. For each category of PA, individual statistics of quality and quantity of LF are estimated and subsequently compared with unprotected parts of Slovakia. The comparison of all PAs with each other resulted in 1,132 unique assessments. The overall average value of LF of unprotected parts is still rather high (56.42 %) and it shows that there are still significant areas existing, which are situated in unprotected parts of the country. Spatial analysis revealed, that these important parts are covering 93,065 hectares, and are variously spread across the whole of Slovakia. The average value of LF for these newly identified areas is 68.5 %. As output, the results of this research present a comprehensive national map of the level of LF and lists of PAs ranked according to the overall assessment of LF.
</abstract>

Contribution of Protected Areas to Mitigate the Effect of Landscape Fragmentation in Slovakia

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Groundwater plays a vital role in global water resources, supporting agricultural, industrial, and domestic water supply systems. However, the long-term sustainability of groundwater is increasingly threatened due to the widespread adoption of irrigation systems especially micro irrigation. Micro irrigation is a widespread agricultural technique that involves water application to crops through drip irrigation and sprinkler systems. This method has gained widespread adoption due to its ability to deliver water efficiently to crops. This review paper examines the impacts of micro irrigation on groundwater sustainability, focusing on its effects on groundwater quantity, quality, and overall sustainability. The findings reveal that micro irrigation can significantly contribute to groundwater conservation by reducing water losses. However, improper management practices, such as over-irrigation or incorrect application rates, can lead to excessive groundwater extraction, depletion of aquifers, and declining water tables. Applying fertilizers and pesticides in micro irrigation systems may lead to groundwater pollution, thereby affecting water quality and posing a risk to human health. This review article emphasizes the significance of appropriate design, installation, and upkeep of micro irrigation systems to minimize potential adverse effects on groundwater. Furthermore, regulatory frameworks, policies, and educational programs are crucial in promoting sustainable groundwater management practices in micro irrigation. The present review highlights the significance of adopting balanced water use practices, enhancing water management techniques, and implementing relevant regulations to ensure the sustainable utilization of groundwater resources in micro irrigation systems.
</abstract>

Sustainable Groundwater Management Through Micro Irrigation: A Critical Review on Challenges and Solutions

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> The Mediterranean landscape has been rapidly changing over the past decades. Many regions saw a population decline, which resulted in changing land use, abandonment of marginal lands and colonisation by shrubs and tree species. Typical features like farming terraces, olive yards, and upland grasslands have been decreasing over the past 50 years. This results in a declining biodiversity and loss of traditional Mediterranean landscapes. In this paper we assess the landscape changes that took place in two areas, in Portofino, on the Italian Riviera, and Lesvos, a Greek island near the Turkish coast. We compared land use maps and aerial photographs over the past decades to quantify the land use changes in these two areas. Additional information was acquired from farmers’ interviews and literature. We found that changes are related to societal changes in the appraisal of agricultural land uses, and to the urban expansion, tourism and recreation. These diffuse processes are a result of policy measures and autonomous societal transformations. This is confirmed by the results of two interview surveys: between 1999 and 2012 agricultural land use in Portofino regional Park and buffer zone further marginalised, and the associated landscape changes are perceived as a substantial loss of character and identity. This problem is emblematic for large parts of the Mediterranean. Comparing different landscapes reveal similar processes of landscape change, which can be related to similar driving forces. Based on such comparisons, we learn about possible trajectories of change, and ask for a comprehensive approach to land use management.</abstract>

Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, Mytilini, Greece

Landscape Change in Mediterranean Farmlands: Impacts of Land Abandonment on Cultivation Terraces in Portofino (Italy) and Lesvos (Greece)

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Species on the Earth are under increasing human pressure, according to some authors, the current rate of extinction occurred only a few times in the past, for the last time in the Cretaceous Period in the Mesozoic Era. The main goal of current nature conservation is to maintain the highest native biological diversity and to preserve and enhance life-supporting ecosystem processes, functions and services with the best possible use of financial resources. The areas where can be found the highest concentrations of endemic species and that also face the highest loss of natural habitats are called biodiversity hotspots. Globally, now there are 36 hotspots, covering 2.4 % of the Earth’s land area and harbouring about 50 % of endemic plant species and 42 % of endemic terrestrial vertebrate species in the world. The areas can be compared in terms of species richness, endemism, natural habitat loss or territorial protection and nature conservation can be carried out in the most efficient way. The most important hotspots are Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands and Sundaland.</abstract>

Evaluating Global Biodiversity Hotspots – Very Rich and Even More Endangered

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The present study shows the regulatory proposal related to plastic by the Peruvian government and also, the previous initiatives are described so that it can be taken as a reference for the successful implementation in other countries, taking into account the regulatory and business aspects at the same time.</abstract>

A New Regulation for Supporting a Circular Economy in the Plastic Industry: The Case of Peru (Short Communication)

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> Land cover is the physical and biological cover of the surface whereas land use covers the results of human activities for the exploitation of it. The land cover and landuse change is caused by both, natural and anthropogenic factors. The objective of this study was to detect land cover/use changes in Infraz Watershed. The study has used ArcGIS10 and ERDAS IMAGINE10, landsat images of 1973, 1986, 1995 and 2011 and socio-economic data to analyze land cover and landuse changes of Infraz watershed. The study has found that due to the population increase and improper agricultural activity bush and wetlands have declined where as farm and settlement lands expanded between the study years. About 1044 wetlands and 6338.7 ha of bush lands were lost and converted to cultivated and farm lands, grass lands and forest covers which were increased by 6685.3, 357.7 and 338.3 ha between the study periods respectively. There is an urgent need to limit the population growth rate and implementing land use policy in the Infraz watershed.</abstract>

Land Use/Cover Change at Infraz Watershed, Northwestren Ethiopia

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>An assessment of Varuna river basin of India was performed to study the various drainage parameters in GIS platform. The delineation of drainage network is possible either physically from topographic sheets or with the help data of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) by methods for calculation techniques. Extraction of the basin and sub-basins, stream network has been produced to evaluate the drainage characteristics in the study zone. The entire Varuna river basin has been subdivided into 3 sub-watersheds and 41 morphometric parameters have been computed under four broad categories i.e. drainage network, basin geometry, drainage texture, and relief characteristics. The morphometric analysis has been performed and different parameters have been correlated with each other to understand their underlying connection and their role over the basin hydro geomorphology. The study discloses different types of morphometric analysis and how they influence the soil and topography of the basin. The investigation and estimation of basin morphometry and relief parameters in GIS will be of massive utility in catchment area advancement, understanding the watershed for natural resource evaluation, planning and administration at any scale. The outcomes thus generated equip us with significant knowledge and may also provide an input that are essential in decision making for watershed planning and drainage development of the watershed.</abstract>

Geospatial Approach for Quantitative Drainage Morphometric Analysis of Varuna River Basin, India

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Journal of Landscape Ecology

The Journal of Czech National Chapter of the Association for Landscape Ecology (CZ-IALE)

The Journal of Landscape Ecology supports integration of knowledge from geo-, bio- and socio-sciences at the ecosystem and landscape level. Great emphasis is given to relationships...

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The Journal of Landscape Ecology supports integration of knowledge from geo-, bio- and socio-sciences at the ecosystem and landscape level. Great...

Journal of Landscape Ecology

The Journal of Czech National Chapter of the Association for Landscape Ecology (CZ-IALE)

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