Article
Ecology
Ludwig Liagre, Davide Pettenella, Alex Pra, Felipe Carazo Ortiz, Alberto Garcia Arguedas, Cuong Nguyen Chien
Summary: NFFs are a significant funding source for the forest sector globally, and integrating biodiversity in these domestic financing instruments could increase financing flows for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. Analysis of three NFF case studies shows that NFFs already operate on PES or PES-like mechanisms, serving as an intermediary between ecosystem services providers and buyers, with an opportunity to mainstream biodiversity objectives in NFFs.
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Juan Diego Araya, Ana Hernando, Rosario Tejera, Javier Velazquez
Summary: This paper proposes a method to evaluate the impact of ecosystem services on the sustainability of tourism using the MIVES method. The method was applied to two sites in Costa Rica, with Jimenez found to be more sustainable than Golfito. The economic and social requirements were well evaluated, while the environmental requirement scored the lowest for both sites.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hector Tavarez, Levan Elbakidze, Oscar J. Abelleira-Martinez, Zayra Ramos-Bendana, Nilsa A. Bosque-Perez
Summary: This study estimated household willingness to pay for gray and green interventions to augment water supply in rural Costa Rica using contingent valuation and choice experiment methods. Results showed variation in willingness to pay for different projects, with households valuing reforestation higher than well construction. Additionally, nonwater-related benefits and differences in value elicitation methods also influenced households' preferences and willingness to pay.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Barbara Schroeter, Sarah Gottwald, Karina Castro-Arce, Eva Hartkopf, Bernardo Aguilar-Gonzalez, Christian Albert
Summary: This short communication aims to demonstrate how a spatial planning process for Nature-based Solutions can be facilitated in an online context. It showcases the use of an online geographic map-based environment for virtual mobility, allowing participants to communicate their opinions and co-create local and regional NBS actions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Maestro, Maria Luisa Perez-Cayeiro, Alvaro Morales-Ramirez, Juan Adolfo Chica-Ruiz
Summary: Costa Rica is a biodiverse country committed to conservation. This study analyzes the management of three marine protected areas in the country and suggests improvements. The results show that different scenarios exist, ranging from proactive management with high citizen participation to formal management. The study highlights the importance of periodic evaluation and feedback in ensuring the success of marine protected area management.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher Eric Johnson, Kathryn A. Tafoya, Peter Beck, Amy Concilio, Kurt E. White, Rodolfo Quiros, Michael D. Wasserman
Summary: Variation in tropical forest management directly affects biodiversity and provisioning of ecosystem services on a global scale. Studying forests under different conservation approaches can help evaluate the effectiveness of specific methods. Canopy height is the only factor that significantly differs among the three conservation approaches.
Article
Forestry
Zhongfa Zhou, Lu Zhang, Tangyin Wu, Dan Luo, Lan Wu, Quan Chen, Qing Feng
Summary: Forests play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance and providing livelihood for humanity. This study focuses on karst regions, which face the challenges of ecological restoration and resident impoverishment. By using remote sensing and socio-economic methodologies, the research reveals significant improvements in forest rehabilitation and ecosystem service value due to compulsory forest conservation measures. The findings emphasize the importance of balancing ecological integrity and economic development for sustainable forest management in vulnerable landscapes.
Article
Economics
Matias Piaggio, Juha Siikamaeki
Summary: This study utilizes choice experiments to evaluate the benefits derived from undeveloped natural areas and urban parks in San Jose, Costa Rica. The results demonstrate the significant value individuals place on the restoration of these spaces and indicate variations in the valuation of ecosystem services between different park types and among households.
ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bert Kohlmann, Danny Vasquez, Alejandra Arroyo, Monika Springer
Summary: This study analyzed the assemblages of aquatic macroinvertebrates in Costa Rica's dry province of Guanacaste and found varying biological water quality, ranging from very bad to excellent. The results suggest that tropical Mesoamerican rivers contradict the river continuum concept, with predators and scrapers displacing shredders in numbers.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Han Guo, Michael Goulden, Min Gon Chung, Charity Nyelele, Benis Egoh, Catherine Keske, Martha Conklin, Roger Bales
Summary: Forest restoration is vital for increasing forest resilience to fire and drought in the Western United States. A study in California's Sierra Nevada assessed the economic benefits of such projects, including improvements in water supply and hydropower. The results found that water-related benefits can offset the costs of management actions aimed at forest restoration, especially in the face of climate change, supporting investments in restoring forests and highlighting the importance of accurate data and tools from the water-resources community.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ernesto Rojas-Sanchez, Fabian Umana-Blanco, Ana Jimenez-Rocha, Karen Vega-Benavides, Alejandro Medaglia, Alberto Solano-Barquero, Alicia Rojas, Mauricio Jimenez
Summary: Prosthenorchis elegans is a parasite that infects non-human primates in the Americas, causing intestinal pathology that can be life-threatening. Squirrel monkeys in Costa Rica were found to be infected with P. elegans. Histopathological analysis showed a severe pyogranulomatous response characterized by the presence of macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, fibroblasts, and lymphocytes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Kelley E. Langhans, Rafael J. P. Schmitt, Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer, Christopher B. Anderson, Christian Vargas Bolanos, Fermin Vargas Cabezas, Rodolfo Dirzo, Jesse A. Goldstein, Theodora Horangic, Cornelia Miller Granados, Taylor M. Powell, Jeffrey R. Smith, Irene Alvarado Quesada, Alvaro Umana Quesada, Rafael Monge Vargas, Stacie Wolny, Gretchen C. Daily
Summary: Riparian buffers, such as forests along rivers, play a crucial role in providing essential ecosystem services. In Costa Rica, their protection and restoration efforts are supported by legislative and executive frameworks, aiming to conserve forests that deliver public benefits locally and globally. By conducting a detailed analysis, it was found that targeted riparian reforestation in Costa Rica can significantly improve water quality, increase carbon storage, and enhance other ecosystem services. These benefits are particularly important for vulnerable communities that rely on rivers for drinking water. Implementing riparian reforestation through existing laws could bring substantial benefits to rivers and those who depend on them.
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Ivan Perez-Rubio, Daniel Flores, Christian Vargas, Francisco Jimenez, Iker Etxano
Summary: Deforestation and unsustainable management of agricultural and livestock production systems have led to fragmented and degraded landscapes in tropical mountain areas. Establishing a micro-scale PES scheme could help restore disturbed ecosystems and improve household well-being.
Article
Forestry
Florian Oberleitner, Carola Egger, Sarah Oberdorfer, Stefan Dullinger, Wolfgang Wanek, Peter Hietz
Summary: Tropical secondary forests play a crucial role in carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation, but their recovery rates vary widely and are influenced by various environmental factors. Aboveground biomass recovers quickly in the early stages of succession, while tree species richness increases at a slower pace. Recovery rates differ significantly among forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Marek Trenciansky, Martina Sterbova, Jozef Vybostok, Martin Lieskovsky
Summary: The study found differences in surface runoff between forest and non-forest catchments, which were mainly attributed to changes in agricultural land management rather than the influence of forest cover.
Article
Ecology
Gioia de Melo, Matias Piaggio
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
(2015)
Article
Ecology
Matias Piaggio, Vicent Alcantara, Emilio Padilla
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
(2015)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Vicent Alcantara, Emilio Padilla, Matias Piaggio
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2017)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Maike Hamann, Kevin Berry, Tomas Chaigneau, Tracie Curry, Robert Heilmayr, Patrik J. G. Henriksson, Jonas Hentati-Sundberg, Amir Jina, Emilie Lindkvist, Yolanda Lopez-Maldonado, Emmi Nieminen, Matias Piaggio, Jiangxiao Qiu, Juan C. Rocha, Caroline Schill, Alon Shepon, Andrew R. Tilman, Inge van den Bijgaart, Tong Wu
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES, VOL 43
(2018)
Article
Economics
Matias Piaggio, Emilio Padilla
Article
Environmental Studies
Matias Piaggio
Summary: Urban green spaces have a positive impact on residents' well-being and are closely related to property market values. Residents assign high value to undeveloped natural areas, large urban green spaces, and neighborhood parks. The research findings provide insights for urban planning policies.
Article
Economics
Matias Piaggio, Emilio Padilla, Carolina Roman
Article
Economics
Matias Piaggio, Vicent Alcantara, Emilio Padilla
ECONOMIC SYSTEMS RESEARCH
(2014)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Toshimi Nakajima, Mao Kuragano, Makoto Yamada, Ryo Sugimoto
Summary: This study compared the contribution of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to river nutrient budgets at nearshore and embayment scales, and found that SGD-derived nutrients become more important at larger spatial scales.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fan Liu, Lei Zhang, Chongyang Zhang, Ziguang Chen, Jingguang Li
Summary: NO2 emissions from wall-mounted gas stoves used for household heating have become a significant source of indoor pollution in Chinese urban areas. The high indoor concentration of NO2 poses potential health risks to residents. It is urgently necessary to establish relevant regulations and implement emission reduction technologies to reduce NO2 emissions from wall-mounted gas stoves.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Letter
Environmental Sciences
Hans Peter H. Arp, Raoul Wolf, Sarah E. Hale, Sivani Baskaran, Juliane Gluege, Martin Scheringer, Xenia Trier, Ian T. Cousins, Harrie Timmer, Roberta Hofman-Caris, Anna Lennquist, Andre D. Bannink, Gerard J. Stroomberg, Rosa M. A. Sjerps, Rosa Montes, Rosario Rodil, Jose Benito Quintana, Daniel Zahn, Herve Gallard, Tobias Mohr, Ivo Schliebner, Michael Neumann
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Philomina Onyedikachi Peter, Binessi Edouard Ifon, Francois Nkinahamira, Kayode Hassan Lasisi, Jiangwei Li, Anyi Hu, Chang-Ping Yu
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in sediments from Yundang Lagoon, China. The results show four distinct fluorescent components, with protein-like substances being the most prevalent. Additionally, the total fluorescence intensity and LREE concentrations exhibit a synchronized increase from Outer to Inner to Songbai Lake core sediments. The findings demonstrate a strong correlation between DOM content and pollution levels.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Surya Gupta, Pasquale Borrelli, Panos Panagos, Christine Alewell
Summary: The objective of this study is to incorporate soil hydraulic properties into the erodibility factor (K) of USLE-type models. By modifying and improving the existing equations for soil texture and permeability, the study successfully included information on saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) into the calculation of K factor. Using the Random Forest machine learning algorithm, two independent K factor maps with different spatial resolutions were generated. The results show that the decrease in K factor values has a positive impact on the modeling of soil erosion rates.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jesmin Akter, Wendy J. M. Smith, Yawen Liu, Ilho Kim, Stuart L. Simpson, Phong Thai, Asja Korajkic, Warish Ahmed
Summary: The choice of workflow in wastewater surveillance has a significant impact on SARS-CoV-2 concentrations, while having minimal effects on HF183 and no effect on HAdV 40/41 concentrations. Certain components in the workflow can be interchangeable, but factors such as buffer type, chloroform, and homogenization speed can affect the recovery of viruses and bacteria.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu Luo, Xueting Yang, Diwei Wang, Hongmei Xu, Hongai Zhang, Shasha Huang, Qiyuan Wang, Ningning Zhang, Junji Cao, Zhenxing Shen
Summary: Atmospheric PM2.5, which can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), is associated with cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality. The study found that both the mass concentration of PM2.5 and the DTT activity were higher during the heating season than during the nonheating season. Combustion sources were the primary contributors to DTT activity during the heating season, while secondary formation dominated during the nonheating season. The study also revealed that biomass burning had the highest inherent oxidation potential among all sources investigated.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Erin L. Murphy, Leah R. Gerber, Chelsea M. Rochman, Beth Polidoro
Summary: Plastic pollution has devastating consequences for marine organisms. This study uses a trait-based framework to develop a vulnerability index for marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles in Hawai'i. The index ranks 63 study species based on their vulnerability to macroplastic pollution, providing valuable information for species monitoring and management priorities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kenji Maurice, Amelia Bourceret, Sami Youssef, Stephane Boivin, Liam Laurent-Webb, Coraline Damasio, Hassan Boukcim, Marc-Andre Selosse, Marc Ducousso
Summary: Growing pressure from climate change and agricultural land use is destabilizing soil microbial community interactions. Little is known about microbial community resistance and adaptation to disturbances, hindering our understanding of recovery latency and implications for ecosystem functioning. This study found that anthropic disturbance and natural disturbance have different effects on the topology and stability of soil microbial networks.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yunhao Li, Yali Feng, Haoran Li, Yisong Yao, Chenglong Xu, Jinrong Ju, Ruiyu Ma, Haoyu Wang, Shiwei Jiang
Summary: Deep-sea mining poses a serious threat to marine ecosystems and human health by disturbing sediment and transmitting metal ions through the food chain. This study developed a new regenerative adsorption material, OMN@SA, which effectively removes metal ions. The adsorption mechanism and performance of the material for metal ion fixation were investigated.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Antonio Medici, Margherita Lavorgna, Marina Isidori, Chiara Russo, Elena Orlo, Giovanni Luongo, Giovanni Di Fabio, Armando Zarrelli
Summary: Valsartan, a widely used antihypertensive drug, has been detected in high concentrations in surface waters due to its unchanged excretion and incomplete degradation in wastewater treatment plants. This study investigated the degradation of valsartan and identified 14 degradation byproducts. The acute and chronic toxicity of these byproducts were evaluated in key organisms in the freshwater trophic chain.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiang Lin, Lianbao Chi, Qing Yuan, Busu Li, Mingbao Feng
Summary: This study investigated the photodegradation behavior and product formation of two representative pharmaceuticals in simulated estuary water. The study found that the formed transformation products of these pharmaceuticals have potential toxicity on marine organisms, including oxidative stress and damage to cellular components.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hua Fang, Dongdong Jiang, Ye He, Siyi Wu, Yuehong Li, Ziqi Zhang, Haoting Chen, Zixin Zheng, Yan Sun, Wenxiang Wang
Summary: This study revealed that exposure to lower levels of air pollutants led to decreased pregnancy rates, with PM10, NO2, SO2, and CO emerging as the four most prominent pollutants. Individuals aged 35 and above exhibited heightened susceptibility to pollutants.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ali Shaan Manzoor Ghumman, Rashid Shamsuddin, Amin Abbasi, Mohaira Ahmad, Yoshiaki Yoshida, Abdul Sami, Hamad Almohamadi
Summary: In this study, inverse vulcanized polysulfides (IVP) were synthesized by reacting molten sulfur with 4-vinyl benzyl chloride, and then functionalized using N-methyl D-glucamine (NMDG). The functionalized IVP showed a high mercury adsorption capacity and a machine learning model was developed to predict the amount of mercury removed. Furthermore, the functionalized IVP can be regenerated and reused, providing a sustainable and cost-effective adsorbent.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rita Bonfiglio, Renata Sisto, Stefano Casciardi, Valeria Palumbo, Maria Paola Scioli, Erica Giacobbi, Francesca Servadei, Gerry Melino, Alessandro Mauriello, Manuel Scimeca
Summary: This study investigated the presence of aluminum in human colon cancer samples and its potential association with biological processes involved in cancer progression. Aluminum was found in tumor areas of 24% of patients and was associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell death. Additional analyses revealed higher tumor mutational burden and mutations in genes related to EMT and apoptosis in aluminum-positive colon cancers. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of aluminum toxicity may improve strategies for the management of colon cancer patients.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)