Assessing the hydrological effects of different forestry management practices is important to predict future impacts and determine suitable forest management methods. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of forestry management practices on monthly river flow and hydrological indicators in Asalem forests, Gilan province. In this study, monthly river discharge data from two hydrometric stations (Kharjegil and Khalian) over a 30-year period (1986-2016) were collected, along with forest management operation data obtained from the regional forest management company; the monthly data were selected to investigate the long-term effects of forest management and reduce short-term fluctuations. Two-way ANOVA and Generalized Linear Model tests were used to evaluate the difference in monthly flow due to different forestry management practices. Additionally, One-way ANOVA for three types of forestry operations and an independent t-test for two types of forestry operations across three consecutive 10-year periods (1986-1996, 1997-2006, and 2007-2016) were used to assess significant differences in nine hydrological indicators focusing on various aspects of river flow regimes. In Kharjegil, Selective (Femel) cutting had a higher impact on monthly flow values than Shelterwood/clear cutting (p<0.05), while Near nature cutting had a more significant effect (p<0.002). No significant difference was observed between Selective cutting and Near nature cutting methods in Kharjegil and Khalian, except for the "Minimum flow index (MinF)" indicator (p<0.05) in Kharjegil. The location of the study stations may explain some differences in results. The statistical analysis suggests that Selective cutting and Near nature cutting methods have similar effects on most river flow indicators. However, in the Khalian station, Selective cutting has lower values for the "coefficient of variation (CV)" indicator compared to Near nature cutting, while Shelterwood/clear cutting is recommended to minimize the impact on minimum river flow.
We present the first Slovak national-scale reconstruction of post World War II rice cultivation in Slovakia using two military cartographic series (Military topographic mapping 1:25,000 - VTM25, 1952-1957; and 1:10,000, 1958-1971 - VTM10). Rice-field polygons were manually digitized strictly where the specific rice symbol occurs. We further verified the cartographic interpretation via a hydrotechnical case study (Zalaba project plans) and screened national WMTS tiles with a high-recall YOLOv5 utilized as a completeness check. We also cross-checked for positional error in 50 municipalities (2,297.7 ha) on VTM25 and 147 fields in 10 municipalities (254.34 ha) on VTM10, revealing a sharp post-1960 contraction with only similar to 11% of area persisting. LiDAR (1-m DTM) confirms preserved irrigation system fragments at several sites. Together, these lines of evidence show a brief expansion peak in the late 1950s followed by an abrupt termination, likely driven by policy and economics rather than local feasibility alone. We also highlight data limitations (symbol generalization, sheet-year asynchrony) and provide conservative area estimates. This national inventory provides a baseline for Central-European comparisons and for heritage-oriented conservation of agro-hydrotechnical relics.
Cycling in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) remains underdeveloped, reflecting decades of automobile-oriented planning that have shaped how bikeable the region's urban streets and environments are today. This paper first aims to clarify the concept of bikeability and explore the methodological approaches used in its assessment, with particular emphasis on European research. Second, it uses a bibliometric keyword analysis to examine whether thematic elements common in broader European bikeability literature appear in CEE cycling studies, followed by a critical review of relevant regional research. The findings highlight the marginal position of CEE countries within the European bikeability discourse and reveal a limited conceptualization and a lack of multidimensional approaches. Finally, the paper proposes a future research agenda for advancing bikeability assessment in the CEE context, which aims to address existing gaps and support evidence-based sustainable mobility planning. It argues that existing European frameworks could serve as a valuable starting point for evaluating cycling conditions in CEE cities, provided that the local context, data availability, and the needs of different user groups are considered.
Spatial poverty traps (SPTs) represent a complex geographical-economic concept that explains why certain areas suffer from persistent high rates of poverty. SPTs are not static entities, but dynamically evolving territories as a result of internal and external factors. This dynamism requires their continuous monitoring, adaptive identification frameworks, and modern, sophisticated and integrated approaches, which currently represent the most effective way of researching them and capturing the changes taking place within them. The aim contribution is to provide a rigorous, multifaceted analytical framework for the research and identification of SPTs. The objective is to provide policymakers and researchers with the theoretical-methodological and knowledgeinformational basis necessary for the transition from simple poverty mapping to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of persistent spatial poverty. Research into spatial poverty traps is a complex task and the contribution presents a holistic approach to their examination with emphasis on their identification and self-reinforcing mechanisms that cause poverty persistence. The contribution emphasises the key role of integrated methodologies and challenges that are an inherent part of the process of conceptualising research and identification of spatial poverty traps.
Analysis of data from the past two decades offers a comprehensive view of the changing landscape of the Alpine Ski World Cup in the context of climate change's impact. Examining the evolution of the total number of races, changes in their seasonal and geographical distribution, the frequency and causes of race cancellations, as well as tracking trends in race course temperatures over two distinct periods reveals worrying trends. The results consistently point to a gradual deterioration of climatic conditions in traditional venues. This negative trend is reflected not only in a noticeable increase in the number of races canceled for various reasons but also in an alarming rise in the average temperatures directly on the course during the races. These findings suggest that climate change is posing an increasingly significant challenge to the stability and future of the Alpine Ski World Cup.
Land cover and land use mapping initiatives provide important support for detecting the state and landscape changes. One of the longest land cover mapping projects is the CORINE Land Cover (CLC), which has found a wide range of uses over the last decades. Its potential successor, CLCplus, introduces a new approach that can process various landscape data to create new specific land cover products. In this paper, we used the CLCplus methodology to create a CLCplus Legacy map, which complements the existing CLC product but has much better spatial and thematic accuracy. We evaluated the resulting map by using the conformity at the first and third hierarchical levels of the CLC nomenclature for the whole territory of Slovakia and specifically at the landscape level in two selected areas with landscape metrics. The resulting map showed a high level of conformity - 90% at the first hierarchical level compared to 64% at the third hierarchical level with original CLC product, mainly due to the more detailed mapping method and the complexity of the classes at the third hierarchical level, which caused a change in the composition and configuration of the landscape as evidenced by the changes in landscape metrics. Landscape metrics highlighted disparity of CLC and CLCplus Legacy due to higher spatial detail of CLCplus, especially with the increased number of patches (from 122 to 1453 and from 24 to 423) and their richness (from 15 to 18 and from 8 to 15) on the landscape level.
The quality of habitats determines ecosystem integrity and is associated with its structure, functioning and components, reflecting the degradation degree, serving as the basis for assessing sustainable landscape development. Urbanization in Karaj County endangers ecosystems, requiring spatial planning to prevent habitat loss. The objective of this study is to evaluate habitat quality and degradation in Karaj County from 2013 to 2032, with predictions for the near future. Landsat images from 2013, 2018, and 2023 were obtained, and after LULC classification for the respective years, the InVEST model's habitat quality ecosystem service model was utilized to determine habitat quality. Based on existing threats to habitats, habitat quality was assessed by selecting six threats, including agriculture, urban areas, rural areas, railways, main roads, and secondary roads. Threat layers were weighted between zero and one. According to the results, the urban areas information layer was assigned the highest weight due to causing the most habitat destruction. The predictive results indicated a decrease in habitat quality from 2013 to 2032, with an increase in landscape degradation. During the study period, the area classified as "severe degradation" increased by 51.752 km2, nearly doubling from 2023 to 2032. The InVEST model, using LULC maps and habitat threats, effectively assessed habitat quality and predicted future changes. High-accuracy LULC classification (Kappa>90%) ensured reliability. Integrating the CA-Markov model improved land use change predictions. Habitat quality declined from 2013 to 2032, with the greatest loss in human-built areas, while conversion. Urban expansion from 2013 to 2023 reduced agricultural and natural areas, a trend expected to continue, increasing habitat threats. These results indicate the need for limiting urban expansion, preserving ecological corridors, and adopting targeted nature-based solutions, particularly in rapidly urbanizing zones like Karaj County, to mitigate projected degradation and maintain ecosystem integrity by 2032.
The continuous expansion of urban areas without considering all the influencing factors has led to numerous problems in the field of urbanization. However, urban development modeling serves as a valuable tool for explaining the interrelationships between the man-made and the natural environment. In this context, the current research aims to model the spatial development of human-made areas using Land Change Model (LCM) module and Markov Chain in Gorgan region. For this purpose, LULC maps for the years 1991, 2006, and 2021 were prepared using Landsat images and Support Vector Machine (SVM) model and the trend of changes during the study period was evaluated. Furthermore, potential transition modeling and predictions for the years 2036 and 2051 were performed using Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and Markov Chain methods, respectively. The results indicate an accuracy of over 75% for the generated LULC maps in the study area. The increasing trend in residential, orchard, and rainfed agricultural LULC classes and the decreasing trend in forest, irrigated agricultural, and rangeland LULC classes during the research period are among the findings of this study. Additionally, urban development intensity during the period from 2006 to 2021 has been greater than the period from 1991 to 2006. The conversion of 1.83 square kilometers of irrigated agricultural land to residential and orchard areas in the Gorgan region area occurred during the time period from 1991 to 2006. In general, the transformation of LULC classes from irrigated agriculture, forest, and rangeland to residential, rainfed agriculture, and orchard classes in Gorgan region predominates. The results and the approach used in this research highlight the efficiency of satellite data and information in the preparation and monitoring of LULC changes and its application in urban development management.
Departing from the premise that the mere existence of commercial enterprises is insufficient to determine whether the elderly population's supply needs are being met, this research aims to analyse whether the recent transformations in Lisbon's commercial fabric, driven by tourism, are affecting the ability of the elderly population of traditional neighbourhood of Alfama to access retail facilities. For this purpose, we draw on Levesque et al.'s (2013) conceptual framework on access, which encompasses the dimensions of affordability, appropriateness, approachability, acceptability, and availability and accommodation. Our findings show a detachment between the elderly population and the commercial fabric of the area. This is mostly due to the current orientation of retail towards tourism-related activities, neglecting the needs of the locals that continue to live in the area due to the gentrification pressure acknowledged to be affecting the neighbourhood. The results of our research highlight the need to consider the social sustainability of local communities living in areas with significant tourism activities. This research also underlines the relevance of recognising that access to retail needs to be evaluated from a multidimensional perspective to capture its complexity, especially when considering segments of the population affected by some sort of vulnerability.
Channel bathymetry detection focuses on extracting riverbed topography, and it is a primary tool for analysing channel dynamics, sedimentary processes, and habitat structures. A key challenge in underwater bathymetry is accurately capturing high-resolution topography of the channel bed. Knowledge of underwater channel shape and topography is a fundamental parameter essential for hydraulic modelling, monitoring of channel bed changes, and environmental assessments of riparian ecosystems, including underwater vegetation, grain size, and fish habitats. The objective of this study is to reconstruct the channel topography of the shallow, multi-channel braided Bel & aacute; River and the artificial Gab & ccaron;ikovo-Topo & lcaron;niky canal, featuring shallower and deeper sections, to critically evaluate the efficiency of various UAVbased bathymetric methods. Riverbed topography was reconstructed by two main approaches: through-water photogrammetry and spectral depth estimation. Results were validated through a traditional field survey, which included field measurements and a sonar survey. The accuracy of bathymetry refraction correction achieved a mean error of less than 1 cm, and the root mean square error (RMSE) reached a maximum of 13 cm for the Bel & aacute; River site, as validated by field ranging from 14.7 to 23.3 cm with a regression model R2 from 0.47 to 0.53.
This paper examines the distribution of the population and settlements in relation to the aquifers in Kosovo. Due to the ease of groundwater extraction, the population is highly concentrated above aquifers with intergranular porosity and medium to high permeability, which are mainly located in the plains of the country: Dukagjini, Kosovo, Anamorava, Llapi and Drenica. Using the GIS/RS technique and statistical analysis, the relationship between the aquifers and population distribution was analysed and presented in the article. The analysis of settlement and population data, along with the distribution of aquifers, indicates that a large proportion of the population lives in areas overlying aquifers with intergranular porosity and low to very high permeability. (sand, gravel, clay). These aquifers are home to 828 settlements (56.4% of all settlements) and a population of 1.34 million inhabitants, which corresponds to an increase from 66.8% (1948) to 85% (2024) of the country's population. The physical expansion of built-up areas, which cover 516 km2, can lead to depletion (lowering of the water table) and overuse of groundwater resources, especially in dry periods. In addition, the expansion of agricultural activities on arable land adjacent to these aquifers, combined with the uncontrolled use of chemical fertilisers, has led to groundwater contamination.
Although the concept ofso-called replacement migration has been well known for several decades, it is not often applied at the subnational level. This study is conducted at both the national and district levels in Slovakia. In addition to migration, theoretical fertility scenarios are also modelled. Mortality is used in only one scenario. The aim of the simulations is to contribute to the understanding and quantification of the future population size and age composition depending on different variants of fertility and migration. We seek fertility and migration scenarios that ensure the stable development of population size and age composition, thereby maintaining the current number and mean age of the population. We demonstrate that these scenarios, with a few exceptions, are theoretical, as a decrease in population size and an increase in the mean age of the population are irreversible. The strong influence of population momentum is evident. High population dynamics before 1989 caused large cohorts to move into senior age, and even extremely high migration and fertility rates cannot reverse the trend. Only a few districts in some scenarios represent an exception.
Senegal is facing a growing challenge of severe climate and hydrological extremes as global warming accelerates. Developing countries, and Senegal in particular, are severely affected by these extreme climatic events due to their low adaptive capacity. Using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) dataset, the study sought to ascertain how the Aga-Foua-Djilas basin's extreme temperature, precipitation, and runoff indices might react in the future to global warming below the levels predicted by the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP), SSP 126, SSP 370, and SSP 585 scenarios. Daily temperature, precipitation and runoff data from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP) are used in the study. Extreme temperature and precipitation indices as well as Indicators of hydrologic alteration (IHA) are calculated. The results show that future climate warming scenarios may cause a substantial decline in precipitation intensity and days of extremely heavy precipitation, which could account for the fall in total annual precipitation. As temperatures rise and precipitation decreases, the extreme flow indices will trend downward. The rainfall deficit will cause a decline in the medians of the minimum and annual flows over 1, 3, 7, 30, and 90 days for the upcoming period. Consequently, changes in climatic extremes are expected to increase the probability of severe extreme events. Therefore, climate change will influence future trends in the alteration of hydroclimatic variables in the watershed, making their study essential.
