Review
Forestry
Riyadh Mundher, Shamsul Abu Bakar, Suhardi Maulan, Mohd Johari Mohd Yusof, Ammar Al-Sharaa, Azlizam Aziz, Hangyu Gao
Summary: This study systematically reviews landscape aesthetic assessment studies in urban forests and proposes a model for urban forest aesthetics. The results indicate that aesthetic quality in urban forests is influenced by visual composition, visual sense, and visual conditions, which also contribute to the preservation of urban green spaces.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yanling Hao, Shixun Hu, Hai Xiao, Shiliang Liu
Summary: Understanding the Sichuan potted landscapes is important for exploring the development of Sichuan landscape architecture. The traditional regular bonsai of the Sichuan style is characterized by its rhythm and symmetry, while the rolling branch-type plants reflect a sense of harmony.
Article
Ecology
Na Zhang, Xiaorou Zheng, Xin Wang
Summary: To improve human well-being, there is increasing awareness of elevating aesthetic benefits by landscape design, planning, and management. However, which landscape features and attributes may be associated with aesthetic value of an urban landscape, human aesthetic preference, and landscape practices is still not clear yet. We proposed a comprehensive aesthetic assessment approach to realise the determination of landscape aesthetic indicators, integration of objective indicators and subjective preferences, and validation of estimations.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Erich Tasser, Alexandros Lavdas, Uta Schirpke
Summary: Clouds in landscape photographs can have an impact on people's preferences. The color contrast between clouds and the blue sky may attract attention. Therefore, landscape preference studies should consider not only the cloudiness of the sky, but also control the proportion of sky in different pictures to obtain comparable results.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chenxu Wang, Yanxu Liu, Jiarui Yu
Summary: A lack of an assessment system combining ecological, social, and economic indicators and a controversial methodology for identifying directions for ecological restoration in mining landscapes has been a challenge. By integrating aesthetic viewing service, this study evaluated four benefit objectives and performed multi-objective optimization for ecological restoration of mining landscapes. The results demonstrated that multi-objective restoration could provide comprehensive ecological-social-economic benefits compared to single-objective restoration.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Arvydas Urbis, Ramunas Povilanskas, Egidijus Jurkus, Julius Taminskas, Domantas Urbis
Summary: This study explores the spatial variation of short-range viewshed aesthetic appeal in a World Heritage coastal dune and forest area using GIS technology, integrating objective habitat maps with subjective scenic preferences. By developing an algorithm for evaluation, it provides insights for the management and conservation value of areas with high scenic quality.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katharina Sliwinski, Egbert Strauss, Klaus Jung, Ursula Siebert
Summary: Incorporating hunters into monitoring can provide reliable and valid data if conducted in a standardized scientific way. Take possible counting errors into account and ideally perform repeated counts to assess the error margin for each counting site would help to quantify the uncertainty in the calculation of mortality rates.
Article
Surgery
Becher Al-Halabi, Melina Vassiliou, Mirko Gilardino
Summary: This study introduces cognitive competencies in different settings in plastic surgery by comparing two mental models of different procedures, providing a framework to guide the teaching and assessment of these competencies.
PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Tom Harwood, Jamie Love, Michael Drielsma, Clare Brandon, Simon Ferrier
Summary: This study develops a repeatable indicator for measuring the capacity of landscapes to retain biodiversity under different climate conditions. An Australian case study shows significant regional variations in biodiversity retention, depending on climate change rate, landscape heterogeneity, and anthropogenic impacts.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Constance Blary, Christian Kerbiriou, Isabelle Le Viol, Kevin Barre
Summary: In intensively used agricultural landscapes, herbaceous field margins have a positive effect on the activity of narrow-space bat foragers, such as Myotis species, but do not replace other landscape variables that drive the activity of the whole community.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maraja Riechers, Agnes Balazsi, John-Oliver Engler, Girma Shumi, Joern Fischer
Summary: The study found that values related to nature can be grouped into four categories, focusing on individual cognition, social interaction and relaxation, cultural identity, and instrumental use. These values are closely related to respondents' attitudes towards environmental conservation and the frequency of their use of natural resources.
Article
Ecology
Henriikka Salminen, Helena Tukiainen, Janne Alahuhta, Jan Hjort, Karoliina Huusko, John-Arvid Grytnes, L. Camila Pacheco-Riano, Jutta Kapfer, Risto Virtanen, Tuija Maliniemi
Summary: Recent studies have shown that geodiversity is positively related to biodiversity at the landscape scale, but more evidence is needed at finer scales. This study investigates the link between plot-scale geodiversity and plant species richness in different tundra landscapes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
A. Lomba, J. Ferreiro da Costa, P. Ramil-Rego, E. Corbelle-Rico
Summary: Agriculture has significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. This research explores the relationship between farming systems and biodiversity at the landscape level, using Galicia, Spain as a case study. The findings highlight the importance of agricultural practices in promoting species and habitat richness, and provide insights for biodiversity-related policies at different decision-making scales.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Yangyang Shi, Jiao Zhang, Xinyue Shen, Liang Chen, Yunchen Xu, Rui Fu, Yang Su, Yiping Xia
Summary: This study found that plant form and species richness significantly influenced gaze behavior, while plant arrangement showed no significant effect. Landscape preference was positively correlated with fixation count but negatively correlated with mean fixation duration and total fixation duration. Women had more but shorter fixations than men while viewing perennial landscapes, and the difference in aesthetic preferences between men and women was not significant. Nonprofessionals tended to give higher preference ratings compared to professionals. The findings shed light on the influence of formal aesthetic characteristics on gaze behavior and demonstrate the effectiveness of vegetation landscapes designed based on public preferences for stress or fatigue restoration.
Article
Environmental Studies
Thais Thiesen, Mahadev G. Bhat, Hong Liu, Roberto Rovira
Summary: Creating sustainable urban landscapes in light of growing population pressures requires interdisciplinary multi-functional solutions. Alternative agro-ecosystems such as food forests, permaculture gardens, and edible landscapes can address social, economic, and ecological goals simultaneously. However, there is a lack of comprehensive tools to assess the performance of these alternative agro-ecosystems.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stefan Schmidt, Paulina Guerrero, Christian Albert
Summary: This article presents a practical method for identifying nature-based solutions (NBS) opportunity spaces to contribute to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The method includes synthesizing a catalog of NBS, estimating their potential to achieve development goals, and applying spatial indicators and data to explore opportunity spaces. The results in the Lahn river landscape showed existing NBS areas and areas with potential for further NBS creation. The proposed method offers a robust approach for mapping NBS to local SDGs.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jingxia Wang, Andreas Rienow, Martin David, Christian Albert
Summary: Developing and applying a method for analyzing GI connectivity at multiple spatiotemporal scales, this study found a 3.9% decrease in GI connectivity in the Ruhr Metropolitan Area from 2006 to 2018, despite only slight overall distribution changes. Four major types of GI connectivity changes were discovered in the 15 cities of RMA over the same period.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Blal Adem Esmail, Chiara Cortinovis, Lina Suleiman, Christian Albert, Davide Geneletti, Ulla Mortberg
Summary: This paper analyzes the adoption of greening concepts in the scientific planning literature in the metropolitan region of Stockholm, Sweden, over the past three decades. The study finds an increasing interest in biodiversity, ecosystem services, and nature-based solutions. The most commonly addressed societal challenges include population growth/densification, green space management, and biodiversity conservation. Quantitative methods are predominantly used, with some qualitative approaches in ecosystem services studies. Overall, the influence of scientific literature on the uptake of greening concepts in spatial planning appears to be limited, highlighting the need for more active translation and boundary management in advancing sustainable pathways for people and nature in metropolitan regions.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Chen Wen, Christian Albert, Christina von Haaren
Summary: This study spatially assessed the opportunities and demand for nature-based recreation for elderly people in urban areas. The results showed that only certain areas in Hannover provide high recreation opportunities for the elderly, while many existing green spaces lack diverse landscape components and sufficient facilities, compromising aesthetics and recreational opportunities.
ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mario Brillinger, Sebastian Scheuer, Christian Albert
Summary: This study aims to expand the understanding of individual and collaborative judgments of agency representatives about river development options with varying levels of NBS interventions, using participatory MCE. The results reveal a wide agreement among participants on the positive impacts of NBS on biodiversity and water quality, with ecological dimensions being judged as more important than non-ecological ones.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Anton Stahl Olafsson, Ross S. Purves, Flurina M. Wartmann, Maria Garcia -Martin, Nora Fagerholm, Mario Torralba, Christian Albert, Laura N. H. Verbrugge, Vuokko Heikinheimo, Tobias Plieninger, Claudia Bieling, Roope Kaaronen, Maximilian Hartmann, Christopher M. Raymond
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xuan Guo, Jiang Liu, Christian Albert, Xin-Chen Hong
Summary: This research explores the effects of audio-visual interaction on the perceived soundscape restorativeness (PSR) of urban parks, considering visitors with different social and demographic characteristics. The study finds that visitors' PSR values are significantly influenced by their perceptions of soundscape pleasantness and eventfulness, with visual landscape characteristics acting as mediators. Age is the most influential characteristic affecting PSR, followed by gender. The occupation and educational background have limited effects. The study suggests integrating soundscape design considerations in the future development of urban parks to enhance positive PSR effects for visitors.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Raphael Weber, Annegret Haase, Christian Albert
Summary: The accessibility of urban green spaces (UGS) for city dwellers has recently become a subject of great interest in research and policy. Previous studies have primarily focused on spatial distances and overlooked the qualities of UGS. By analyzing various data sets using a geographic information system, we evaluated the entire UGS setting of Hannover and identified age-appropriate green spaces that cater to diverse recreational nature qualities and potential demands. The results highlight the poor access of children and elderly people to UGS that meet their age-related requirements for unrestricted nature-based recreation. Nature quality and age-related requirements are crucial factors in the assessment of UGS accessibility and recreation. Therefore, addressing the vulnerabilities in age-related recreation in cities is essential for future planning and research.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Camilla Sandstrom, Irene Ring, Roland Olschewski, Riccardo Simoncini, Christian Albert, Sevil Acar, Malkhaz Adeishvili, Christina Allard, Yakov Anker, Raphael Arlettaz, Gyorgyi Bela, Luca Coscieme, Anke Fischer, Christine Fuerst, Bella Galil, Stephen Hynes, Ulan Kasymov, Cristina Marta-Pedroso, Ana Mendes, Ulf Molau, Jan Pergl
Summary: Recent assessments by IPBES indicate that Nature's Contributions to People (NCP) are at risk due to ongoing biodiversity loss, emphasizing the need for increased conservation efforts and sustainable use of biodiversity. Mainstreaming biodiversity into sectoral policies is seen as a strategy to achieve change. The review conducted for Europe and Central Asia highlights the potential of mainstreaming to improve biodiversity conservation and NCP provision, but also indicates the need for stronger implementation.
ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Blal Adem Esmail, Chiara Cortinovis, Jingxia Wang, Davide Geneletti, Christian Albert
Summary: From 2015 to 2019, the potential supply of key ecosystem services in Eritrea, including crop provisioning, water supply, and recreation, increased, except for wood supply. Our study provides policy-relevant insights for conserving, developing, or restoring ecosystem services in Eritrea. This approach can be applied to other data scarce contexts to support more sustainable land development for people and nature.
Article
Ecology
Jana Brenner, Stefan Schmidt, Christian Albert
Summary: This study applies a socio-ecological approach to explore and prioritize suitable opportunity spaces for roof greening in order to mitigate urban heat island effects. The findings indicate a significant area of high vulnerability to heat in Krefeld, with potential expansion until 2030. However, the majority of evaluated roofs lack vegetation cover, highlighting the need for prioritizing green roof implementation.
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)
Editorial Material
Biodiversity Conservation
Matthias Schroeter, Marta Berbes-Blazquez, Christian Albert, Rosemary Hill, Torsten Krause, Jacqueline Loos, Lelani M. Mannetti, Berta Martin-Lopez, Amrita Neelakantan, John A. Parrotta, Cristina Quintas-Soriano, David J. Abson, Rob Alkemade, Bas Amelung, Brigitte Baptiste, Edmundo Barrios, Houria Djoudi, Evangelia G. Drakou, Isabelle Durance, Marina Garcia Llorente, Davide Geneletti, Zuzana V. Harmackova, Sander Jacobs, Nina N. Kaiser, Jonathan Kingsley, Sarah Klain, Maria Jose Martinez-Harms, Ranjini Murali, Patrick O'Farrell, Ram Pandit, Laura Pereira, Sakshi Rana, Maraja Riechers, Graciela M. Rusch, Juan E. Sala, Catharina J. E. Schulp, Nadia Sitas, Suneetha M. Subramanian, Sebastian Villasante, Alexander van Oudenhoven
ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Thomas Beery, Anton Stahl Olafsson, Sandra Gentin, Megan Maurer, Sanna Stalhammar, Christian Albert, Claudia Bieling, Arjen Buijs, Nora Fagerholm, Maria Garcia-Martin, Tobias Plieninger, Christopher M. Raymond
Summary: The relationship between humans and nature has always been a subject of exploration throughout history, and recently the concept of connection to nature has become an important interdisciplinary field of study. Despite the growing attention to connection to nature, disconnection from nature has been underdeveloped and underresearched. In this article, the authors argue for a comprehensive understanding of disconnection from nature that goes beyond individual relationships and considers social and collective factors. They present the "wheel of disconnection" to illustrate how disconnections from nature manifest and challenge existing research that isolates human impacts on the environment from cultural and political contexts.
Review
Environmental Studies
Barbara Schroeter, Jochen Hack, Frank Hueesker, Christian Kuhlicke, Christian Albert
Summary: The article discusses the shortcomings in amplifying and mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into policy contexts, particularly in a post-COVID-19 world. It suggests using multi-scalar action, providing incentives for participation, integrating mediators, utilizing crisis opportunities, and learning from global experiences to achieve successful NbS amplification.
NPJ URBAN SUSTAINABILITY
(2022)
