scholarly journals Cultural Ecosystem Services: The Case of Coastal-Rural Area (Nemunas Delta and Curonian Lagoon, Lithuania)

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Lina Marcinkevičiūtė ◽  
Rasa Pranskūnienė
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Rural Area ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Differentiation ◽  
Curonian Lagoon ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Impact

The benefits or harms of external and internal consequences for the viability of ecosystems are revealed through the impact on the quality of human life. The issues of assessing these benefits or harms are significant for the whole society and are therefore analyzed from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The article seeks to theoretically examine the coherence between humans and ecosystems, ensuring the social and economic well-being of present and future generations in the context of cultural ecosystem services (CES). As well, the article seeks to present the empirical research, carried out on the possibilities of adapting human activities to CES in the specific area, i.e., coastal-rural area, evaluating the past, present and future CES potential in the Lithuanian coastal zone, Nemunas Delta and Curonian Lagoon in Lithuania. Elderships located near the Curonian Lagoon or within the protected area of the Nemunas Delta Regional Park were selected for the study. For this purpose, the empirical study involved representatives of different (public and private) sectors and stakeholders. The research was carried out in local tourism cultural centers and elderships with four group respondents (tourists, farmers, entrepreneurs, eldership employees). The research revealed the past and the current situation of CES potential and showed the possible CES potential future development directions. The article described the opportunities for the rural population (a potential supply of cultural ecosystems) to achieve diversification of economic activities and the needs of tourists (a potential demand for cultural ecosystems) to achieve service differentiation. Therefore, the recommendations have been formulated on how to exploit future CES of a specific territory by “employing” available natural resources, i.e., the ecosystems.

scholarly journals The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech Republic

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 341
Author(s):  
Ralf-Uwe Syrbe ◽  
Ina Neumann ◽  
Karsten Grunewald ◽  
Patrycia Brzoska ◽  
Jiři Louda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Urban Nature ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

The quality of life in our cities critically depends on the intelligent planning and shaping of urban living space, in particular urban nature. By providing a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), urban nature essentially contributes to the well-being of city dwellers and plays a major role in avoiding common diseases through its positive impact on physical and mental health. Health is one of the most important factors underlying human welfare and is, thus, vital to sustainable development. The ES of urban green space provide other social-cultural functions alongside public health, for example by fostering environmental justice and citizenship participation. Thus, they should always be considered when searching for solutions to urban problems. The aim of this research was to determine the impact of green areas in three selected cities on the health and well-being of people by self-reporting of green areas’ visitors. To this end, we posed the research question: which types and characteristics of urban green space are most appreciated by city dwellers? Based on our findings, we have drawn up recommendations for practices to promote better living conditions. We have also pinpointed obstacles to and opportunities for leisure time activities as well as ways of supporting the public health of citizens.

scholarly journals The Science of Ageism: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 646-646
Author(s):  
Jerin Lee ◽  
Natalie Shook
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Census Bureau ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
The Past ◽  
Growing Pains ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
One Step ◽  
Prejudicial Attitudes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The past two decades have been marked by a rapidly aging population in the U.S. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018), making prejudicial attitudes toward older adults (i.e., ageism) and the impact of such attitudes more relevant. As such, ageism researchers have worked tirelessly to not only understand this normalized and insidious form of bias, but also develop efforts to combat it. This symposium will feature four ageism researchers who will showcase both the growing pains and novel contributions of ageism research, ranging from the impact of ageism on psychological health to ageism interventions to issues related to the measurement of ageism. Specifically, Dr. Ayalon will present findings regarding difficulties with the assessment of exposure to ageism and the consequences of ageism for psychological well-being. Dr. Horhota will share research demonstrating challenges associated with confronting ageism. Dr. Levy will present a model showcasing factors associated with the reduction of ageism. Ms. Lee will discuss research findings examining the construct validity of several ageism measures. These talks highlight theoretical and real-world implications associated with the complex nature of ageism, providing important directions for enriching ageism research going forward.

scholarly journals Nexus between Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and Ecosystem Services: A Socio-Ecological Analysis for Sustainable Ecosystem Management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manob Das ◽  
Arijit Das ◽  
Selim Seikh ◽  
Rajiv Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Indigenous Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Demographic Attributes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The well-being of the human society cannot be ensured and sustainable unless the flow of Ecosystem Services (ESs) would be matching with their consistent demand. The consistent flow of ESs required sustainable management of ecological resources of the ecosystem. The management of ecosystem can be ensured with variety of approaches. Integration of indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) in management prescription with the view that IEK based extraction of ESs ensures removal of resources from the ecosystem within the limit thereby ensuring the sustainability of ecosystem. Present study is an evaluation to understand the nexus between ESs and IEK for sustainable environmental management. The focus of the study was a tribal dominated socio-ecological patch of Barind Region of Malda district, Eastern India. The assessment of ESs and IEK was based on the data collected from the randomly selected tribal households following the pre-tested questionnaire containing questions on ESs as per millennium ecosystem assessment. The data were analyzed following social preference approach, and statistical tests (Krushkal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney). General linear model (GLM) has also been used to examine the impact of socio-demographic attributes on the perceived valuation of ESs. The results revealed that the provisioning ESs (such as water, fuel wood, medical plants) was most preferred followed by cultural and regulating ESs by tribal. Differential importance of ESs was observed among tribal and accounted by gender, education as well as age of the tribe. A gap between the actual accessibility and evaluation of ESs by the tribal communities was also apparent. The socio-demographic attributes have an immense impact on the valuation of ecosystem services and also governed based on the IEK. Various types of indigenous ecological belief systems were closely linked with conservation of ecosystem and sustainable supply of ESs. Present study can contribute to understand socio-ecological nexus with the lens of IEK in tribal dominated ecological landscapes for improved ecosystem and environmental management besides ensuring sustainability of flow of ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Environmental noise, its types and effects on health

2021 ◽  
pp. 41-48
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Noise ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Railway Traffic ◽  
The Impact

Noise can be defined as an undesirable sound that pollutes the environment. If noise is continuous and exceeds certain levels, negative effects on health can be observed. In recent years, the impact of environmental noise (road traffic noise, railway traffic noise, air traffic noise and industrial noise) on human health has come under increasingly intense scrutiny. Noise can cause a number of negative effects on health that directly or indirectly affect humans. The occurrence of some certain and harmful health effects drives the onset of others and may contribute to the development of various diseases. Health is not only a state of physical well-being, but also mental well-being. Mental health primarily depends on the quality of life, which can be affected by various environmental factors, such as noise. An important aspect of fighting noise is the most effective protection of the population by avoiding sources of noise and reducing it. This can be achieved by introducing new technical solutions and new technologies, including devices that generate less noise. Another important measure is educating the society and influencing the change of individual and collective behavior, which may contribute to reducing the harmful factor, which is noise in human life, and minimize the resulting negative effects on health.

scholarly journals A novel approach of mapping landscape aesthetic value and its validation with rural tourism data

2019 ◽  
pp. 283-301
Author(s):  
Zsuzsanna Lontai-Szilágyi ◽  
Boglárka Bertalan-Balázs ◽  
Bernadett Zsiros ◽  
Mária Vasvári ◽  
Singh Sudhir Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Rural Tourism ◽  
Landscape Aesthetics ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽  
Aesthetic Value ◽  
Tourism Product

Landscape aesthetic research that emerged from the second half of the 20th century has become increasingly appreciated and popular in the last few decades. There are two main reasons for this. On the one hand, it was recognized the role of landscape aesthetics in land use and environmental planning, management and conservation. On the other hand, its definition among Cultural Ecosystem Services has made it clear that landscape aesthetics has significant impact on human well-being and there is a need to examine it in the concept of Ecosystem Services and, in particular, Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES). The mapping of landscape aesthetics is mostly based on the exclusive evaluation of objective, biophysical landscape factors. The aim of the research was to create the landscape aesthetic map of Hungary with a novel method based on human perception. For this, a questionnaire survey and a GIS approach were used. In order to better understand the role of factors influencing the aesthetic value of the landscape, value maps separately for land cover and elevation that are decisive for the landscape experience were prepared. To validate the results of the maps, and contribute a better understanding of the interrelationship between CES, a certain tourism product was chosen, and the connection between landscape aesthetics and the offer of rural tourism was examined in Hungary and in the Danube Bend priority tourism development area. Our findings show that there is a difference in the results of the objective (GIS-based) and subjective (questionnaire-based) assessment of landscape aesthetic value with the more important role of elevation in the latter. According to our tourism product-based analysis, which represents a niche approach in its kind, landscape values are higher in the areas with rural accommodation. At the same time, based on the results of the Danube Bend region, it can also be concluded that elevation and land cover together are crucial factors in landscapes considered to be the most valuable in aesthetic terms. The most direct practical application of our research is to orientate further tourism development of the new Danube Bend area designated in 2017.

METEOROLOGICAL VOCABULARY IN UKRAINIAN AND CHINESE LANGUAGES: SYSTEMATIC TRANSLATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (31) ◽  
pp. 36-50
Author(s):  
Natalia Gavrilyuk
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Natural Phenomena ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Close Link ◽  
Ancient People ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

Within the anthropocentric paradigm of modern linguistics there is a steady interest in the human factor in language, which, among other things, is realized through the close attention of researchers to the theory of linguistic pictures of the world, which fully reflects the uniqueness of peoples Human life and activity are inseparable from nature. Nature is one, but manifests itself in various forms. In the process of learning about nature, man tries to realize both its unity and diversity. A special place in the perception of the world by man is occupied by climatic and weather phenomena that affect human behavior in the world, various aspects of his life, including economic, as well as well-being. In the IV century. BC became aware of the impact of fluctuations in weather conditions on human health. For example, Hippocrates established a close link between human disease and the weather conditions in which he lives. Over the centuries, people have gathered a variety of knowledge about nature: from misunderstanding of natural phenomena, fear of them, inherent in ancient people, to today’s scientific knowledge of nature, from the first folk signs of weather to the formation of modern science — meteorology. Nature as a source of everything necessary for man has an impact on both the material and spiritual culture of society. Therefore, knowledge of meteorological phenomena occupies an important place in the awareness of reality. The article considers the peculiarities of meteorological vocabulary in Chinese and Ukrainian languages, as well as the peculiarities of meteorological vocabulary translation in two languages.

scholarly journals Management of mountainous meadows associated with biodiversity attributes, perceived health benefits and cultural ecosystem services

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raja Imran Hussain ◽  
Ronnie Walcher ◽  
Renate Eder ◽  
Brigitte Allex ◽  
Peter Wallner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Perceived Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽  
Landscape Characteristics

Abstract Associations between biodiversity, human health and well-being have never been discussed with reference to agriculturally managed, species-rich mountainous meadows. We evaluated these associations between extensively managed (one mowing a year, no fertilization) and abandoned (no mowing since more than 80 years, no fertilization) semi-dry meadows located in the Austrian and Swiss Alps. We quantified the richness and abundance of plants, grasshoppers, true bugs, bumblebees, syrphids and landscape characteristics in the surroundings of the meadows. Associations between these biodiversity attributes and short-term psychological and physiological human health effects were assessed with 22 participants (10 males, 12 females; mean age 27 years). Participants´ pulse rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were not affected during visits to managed or abandoned meadows. However, perceived health benefits (e.g., stress reduction, attention restoration) were higher during their stays in managed than in abandoned meadows. Also, the attractiveness of the surrounding landscape and the recreation suitability were rated higher when visiting managed meadows. Perceived naturalness was positively correlated with plant richness and flower cover. A positive correlation was found between SBP and forest cover, but SBP was negatively correlated with the open landscape. A negative association was found between grasshoppers and recreational and landscape perceptions. We suggest to discuss biodiversity attributes not only in connection with agricultural management but also with cultural ecosystem services and health benefits to raise more awareness for multifaceted interrelationships between ecosystems and humans.

scholarly journals Subjective well-being indicators for large-scale assessment of cultural ecosystem services

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 258-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalind Bryce ◽  
Katherine N. Irvine ◽  
Andrew Church ◽  
Robert Fish ◽  
Sue Ranger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽  
Large Scale Assessment ◽  
Scale Assessment

scholarly journals Biotechnological Approaches for Generating Zinc-Enriched Crops to Combat Malnutrition

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Hefferon
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Genetic Modification ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Approaches ◽  
Staple Crops ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

The past twenty years have seen the application of biotechnology to generate nutritionally improved food crops. Biofortified rice, cassava, maize, sorghum and other staple crops biofortified with essential micronutrients have great potential to benefit the world’s poor, in terms of both health and economics. This paper describes the use of genetic modification to generate crops that are biofortified with zinc. Examples of zinc-enhanced crops which have been developed using biotechnological approaches will be discussed, and new approaches for research and development will be outlined. The impact of these biofortified crops on human health and well-being will be examined. This paper will conclude with a discussion of the obstacles that must be overcome to enable zinc-fortified crops to be accessible for the world’s malnourished.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document