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Journal articles on the topic 'Landscape Quality Objectives'
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Ramos, Isabel Loupa. "‘Exploratory landscape scenarios’ in the formulation of ‘landscape quality objectives’." Futures 42, no. 7 (September 2010): 682–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2010.04.005.
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Wartmann, Flurina M., C. B. Stride, F. Kienast, and M. Hunziker. "Relating landscape ecological metrics with public survey data on perceived landscape quality and place attachment." Landscape Ecology 36, no. 8 (July 6, 2021): 2367–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-021-01290-y.
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Abstract Context It is essential for policy-making and planning that we understand landscapes not only in terms of landscape ecological patterns, but also in terms of their contribution to people's quality of life. Objectives In this study our objective is to test relationships between landscape ecology and social science indicators, by investigating how landscape patterns are linked to people’s perception of landscape quality. Methods To assess public views on landscapes we conducted a survey among 858 respondents in Switzerland. We combined this survey data on perceived landscape quality and place attachment with landscape metrics (e.g. diversity, naturalness of land cover, urban sprawl, fragmentation) in a statistical model to test hypotheses about the relationships between the different variables of interest. Results Our results illustrate the contribution of both landscape composition metrics and social science indicators to understanding variation in people’s perception and assessment of landscape. For example, we found the landscape ecology metrics on urban sprawl and fragmentation to be a negative predictor of overall satisfaction with landscape, and that perceived landscape quality positively predicted place attachment and satisfaction with the municipality landscape. Conclusions This study highlights the importance and feasibility of combining landscape ecology metrics and public survey data on how people perceive, value and relate to landscape in an integrated manner. Our approach has the potential for implementation across a variety of settings and can contribute to holistic and integrated landscape assessments that combine ecological and socio-cultural aspects.
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Grecevičius, Petras, and Romas Marčius. "OBJECTIVES OF DEVELOPING OLD PARK RECREATIONAL RESOURCES IN SEACOAST LANDSCAPE FORMATION." JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM 30, no. 3 (June 30, 2006): 125–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.3846/13921630.2006.10697073.
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During the last 15 years disagreements between the process of urbanization and environmental (historic, cultural) heritage have clearly increased. Klaipėda old parks and their fragments are disappearing fast, and hard efforts for protection of parks in Palanga, Kretinga, Plungė, Rietavas are needed. The density of construction in park surroundings is increased, and approaches to the parks and their environmental quality are reduced. The formation of settlement greenery systems in which old parks are the basic components of their spatial structure becomes more complicated. In accordance with modern European requirements and the Lithuanian Master Plan, priority should be given to greenery in the spatial settlement structure. To preserve the individuality of Lithuanian landscapes it is necessary to apply measures of planning that would help to combine natural and cultural components providing for a high quality of landscape not only in a short run but also in the remote future. One of such measures is understanding of an important role of historic parks in the spatial structure of coastal settlements and their management. The provision of sustainable development declared by world community commits to analysing particular regional and settlement possibilities, resources for significant improvement of peoples life quality. Resorts are distinguished by their singularity. They have an influence on the national attraction of Lithuania and facilitate state image formation. Some strategic aspects of a harmonious development of historic parks on the Lithuanian seacoast are analised in the work. Specific proposals for improving the results of landscape formation are also presented.
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Santé, Inés, José María Tubío, and David Miranda. "Public participation in defining landscape planning scenarios and landscape quality objectives (LQO): Landscape Guidelines for Galicia (NW Spain) case study." Land Use Policy 94 (May 2020): 104559. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104559.
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Holmes, Paul R., and And Marc Smith-Evans. "Monitoring progress towards Hong Kong's water quality objectives." Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 5, no. 1 (March 1995): 55–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3270050106.
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Ota, Liz, Robin L. Chazdon, John Herbohn, Nestor Gregorio, Sharif A. Mukul, and Sarah J. Wilson. "Achieving Quality Forest and Landscape Restoration in the Tropics." Forests 11, no. 8 (July 28, 2020): 820. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f11080820.
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Forest and landscape restoration (FLR) is being carried out across the world to meet ambitious global goals. However, the scale of these efforts combined with the timeframe in which they are supposed to take place may compromise the quality of restoration, and thus limit the persistence of restoration on the landscape. This paper presents a synthesis of ten case studies identified as FLR to critically analyse implemented initiatives, their outcomes, and main challenges, with an eye to improving future efforts. The identified FLR projects are diverse in terms of their spatial coverage, objectives; types of interventions; and initial socioeconomic, institutional, and environmental conditions. The six principles of FLR—which have been widely adopted in theory by large global organisations—are inadequately addressed across the initiatives presented here. The identified FLR project or interventions, although expected to offer diverse benefits, face many challenges including the lack of long-term sustainability of project interventions, limited uptake by regional and national agencies, limited monitoring, reporting and learning, poor governance structures, and technical barriers, which are mainly owing to institutional weaknesses. On the basis of these cases, we propose that the best pathway to achieving FLR is via an incremental process in which a smaller number of more achievable objectives are set and implemented over time, rather than setting highly ambitious targets that implementers struggle to achieve.
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Florin, Luc-Émile Bouche. "Implementing the Council of Europe Landscape Convention: The Deûle Park, Reawakening of a Landscape." Built Environment 48, no. 4 (December 1, 2022): 566–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.2148/benv.48.4.566.
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This paper is a study of a representative example of the application of the Council of Europe Landscape Convention (CEP), with a project that is emblematic of the implementation of the CEP as the first winner of the Council of Europe's landscape award in 2009. It shows how the principles of that international treaty ratified by France and enshrined in national law was able to inspire public plans and policies for the reconstruction of landscapes that met the objectives of the four sustainable development pillars of culture, environment, society, and economy. This example demonstrates that public policies can bring positive results in those fields and generate not only quality public space but also significant improvement in the quality of life by ensuring access to the fundamental good of landscape while preserving access to another fundamental good of drinking water. The paper starts with a short history of the Landscape Convention, then brie fly explores its main premises and values, before providing the concrete example of the Deûle Park or Parc de la Deûle located within the Lille metropolitan area, in the North of France.
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Fukushima, Nobuo, Naoko Itaya, Kanefusa Masuda, Takeyuki Okubo, and Masafumi Yamasaki. "The Meaning of “Fuchi” and the Scenic Landscape Role in Historic Kyoto’s Disaster Mitigation - “Fuchi” Use Until Scenic Landscape Setup Under the Old City Planning Act and Scenic Landscape Regulation Management in Kyoto -." Journal of Disaster Research 6, no. 1 (February 1, 2011): 96–108. http://dx.doi.org/10.20965/jdr.2011.p0096.
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We clarified scenic landscape district by analyzing the importance of the term “scenic landscape” itself and its practical use and identified disastermitigationmeasures for historical urban environments. The term “scenic landscape” is categorized mainly based on two meanings given by the national language dictionary of Japan; “elegance (omomuki, 趣)” and “personal quality (hitogara, 人柄).” The term is used to indicate psychological appraisal based on an aesthetic sense, not used to indicate a physical boundary. During post-Meiji-era modernization, the term “scenic landscape” acquired the added meaning of “elegant landscape,” a feature perceived by sight encompassing the meaning of “things to be preserved” – “scenic landscape district” thus came to mean an “elegant” scenic landscape and was established as a district system in the City Planning Act. The objectives of establishing a “scenic landscape district” were to preserve a historic site”s cultural heritage (core zone) and to maintain elegant landscapes (buffer zones) having historical value.
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Wu, Zhigao, Kangning Xiong, Dayun Zhu, and Jie Xiao. "Revelation of Coupled Ecosystem Quality and Landscape Patterns for Agroforestry Ecosystem Services Sustainability Improvement in the Karst Desertification Control." Agriculture 13, no. 1 (December 23, 2022): 43. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13010043.
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Since the 1950s, the rapid depletion of natural capital due to human activities has led to a growing global demand for ecological and socioeconomic sustainability, driving the development of agroforestry. Although agroforestry ecosystems can maintain sustainable land resources and maximize land productivity, their quality continues to fluctuate. Moreover, there is no clear review of studies addressing the impact of the evolution of agroforestry landscape patterns on their ecosystems, and to fill this gap, we conducted an inclusive review. A total of 163 publications related to agroforestry ecosystem quality and landscape patterns (ELA) that met a set of inclusion criteria were obtained through the Scopus database using the literature review method of searching, appraisal, and synthesis report. The objectives were to summarize the research progress on ELA, reveal the dynamic coupling mechanism between landscape pattern evolution and ecosystem quality, explore the role of landscape pattern optimization in ecological processes and services in agroforestry, and suggest future research and policy directions. Although the understanding of landscape patterns and ecological processes has been deepened, there are limitations in the study of scales, habitats, and other aspects. It is emphasized that understanding the interaction between agroforestry and other landscape elements in spatiotemporal organization is a prerequisite for promoting sustainable benefits, and that the challenges of spatiotemporal dynamics are integrated to scientifically optimize agroforestry landscape patterns. Finally, it is necessary to gain revelations based on the coupling relationship of ELA, through scientific management of agroforestry landscapes, in order to sustainably consolidate the effectiveness of karst rocky desertification (KRD) control and to enhance human welfare.
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Lu, Bin. "A Survey on Attitude Towards Quality Monitoring System of Linguistic Landscape." International Journal of Comparative Literature and Translation Studies 7, no. 3 (July 31, 2019): 87. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijclts.v.7n.3p.87.
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This study aims at investigating the difference between attitude towards the construction of quality monitoring system on linguistic landscape of Chinese tourism, and the current situation on regional special linguistic landscape program. By analyzing the degree of participation in serving for improvement the quality of local linguistic landscape, this survey carries out quantitative analysis of attitude research on constructing the benchmark indicators, program management, process control and quality evaluation; explores a sustainable development mode on linguistic landscape assessment for national tourism; promotes the formulation, implementation and promotion of the quality monitoring system on linguistic landscape tourism from 520 feedbacks of respondents. And the objectives of this research were to 1) to investigate the attitudes towards social influence and implementation of series of Standards and Guidance for English Translation and Usage in Public Service(2017-2019); 2) to study the factors that influence different attitudes and opinions; 3) to explore quality evaluation system of linguistic landscape, and promote linguistic landscape evaluation indicators and modes. The conclusion is that the governments should construct the common understanding of program mode and collaborative development on quality monitoring system.
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Christofides, A., A. Efstratiadis, D. Koutsoyiannis, G. F. Sargentis, and K. Hadjibiros. "Resolving conflicting objectives in the management of the Plastiras Lake: can we quantify beauty?" Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 9, no. 5 (October 19, 2005): 507–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hess-9-507-2005.
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Abstract. The possible water management of the Plastiras Lake, an artificial reservoir in central Greece, is examined. The lake and surrounding landscape are aesthetically degraded when the water level drops, and the requirement of maintaining a high quality of the scenery constitutes one of the several conflicting water uses, the other ones being irrigation, water supply, and power production. This environmental water use, and, to a lesser extent, the requirement for adequate water quality, results in constraining the annual release. Thus, the allowed fluctuation of reservoir stage is not defined by the physical and technical characteristics of the reservoir, but by a multi-criteria decision, the three criteria being maximising water release, ensuring adequate water quality, and maintaining a high quality of the natural landscape. Each of these criteria is analyzed separately. The results are then put together in a multicriterion tableau, which helps understand the implications of the possible alternative decisions. Several conflict resolution methods are overviewed, namely willingness to pay, hedonic prices, and multi-criteria decision analysis. All these methods attempt to quantify non-quantifiable qualities, and it is concluded that they don't necessarily offer any advantage over merely making a choice based on understanding.
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Christofides, A., A. Efstratiades, G. F. Sargentis, D. Koutsoyiannis, and K. Hadjibiros. "Resolving conflicting objectives in the management of the Plastiras Lake: can we quantify beauty?" Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions 2, no. 3 (May 30, 2005): 801–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hessd-2-801-2005.
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Abstract. The possible water management of the Plastiras Lake, an artificial reservoir in central Greece, is examined. The lake and surrounding landscape is aesthetically degraded when the water level drops, and the requirement of maintaining a high quality of the scenery constitutes one of the several conflicting water uses, the other ones being irrigation, water supply, and power production. This environmental water use, and, to a lesser extent, the requirement for adequate water quality, results in constraining the annual release. Thus, the allowed fluctuation of reservoir stage is not defined by the physical and technical characteristics of the reservoir, but by a multi-criteria decision, the three criteria being maximizing water release, ensuring adequate water quality, and maintaining a high quality of the natural landscape. Each of these criteria is analyzed separately. The results are then put together in a multicriterion tableau, which helps understand the implications of the possible alternative decisions. Several conflict resolution methods are overviewed, namely willingness to pay, hedonic prices, and multi-criteria decision analysis. All these methods attempt to quantify non-quantifiable qualities, and it is concluded that they don't necessarily offer any advantage over merely making a choice based on understanding.
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Jeanneret, Ph, S. Aviron, A. Alignier, C. Lavigne, J. Helfenstein, F. Herzog, S. Kay, and S. Petit. "Agroecology landscapes." Landscape Ecology 36, no. 8 (June 26, 2021): 2235–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-021-01248-0.
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Abstract Context Agroecology combines agronomic and ecological concepts. It relies on the enhancement of biodiversity and related ecosystem services to support agricultural production. It is dependent on biological interactions for the design and management of agricultural systems in agricultural landscapes. Objectives We review the role of landscape ecology to understand and promote biodiversity, pest regulation and crop pollination for the designing of “agroecology landscapes”. We illustrate the use of landscape ecological methods for supporting agroforestry systems as an example of agroecological development, and we propose pathways to implement agroecology at landscape scale. Methods The state of the art of how landscape ecology contributes to agroecology development is summarized based on a literature review. Results Agroecology requires thinking beyond the field scale to consider the positioning, quality and connectivity of fields and semi-natural habitats at larger spatial scales. The spatial and temporal organisation of semi-natural elements and the crop mosaic interact. Understanding this interaction is the pre-requisite for promoting patterns and mechanisms that foster biodiversity and ecosystem service provision. Promoting agroecological practices beyond individual farm borders can be rooted in a bottom-up approach from agroecological lighthouse farms to farm networks to amplify agroecology adoption at the landscape scale. Conclusions Achieving agricultural landscapes composed of fields and farms following agroecological management requires understanding of biodiversity patterns, biological interactions and mechanisms that determine and boost ecosystem functioning to improve services at landscape scale, involving farmers in a bottom-up and context-specific approach.
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Chmielewski, Tadeusz J., Agnieszka Kułak, Malwina Michalik-Śnieżek, and Bogdan Lorens. "Physiognomic structure of agro-forestry landscapes: method of evaluation and guidelines for design, on the example of the West Polesie Biosphere Reserve." International Agrophysics 30, no. 4 (October 1, 2016): 415–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/intag-2016-0014.
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Abstract Harmonious planning of agro-forestry landscapes plays a increasing role in building a social satisfaction flowing from the high quality of the environment on the rural areas. It is also a very good way to create a unique place identity of protected areas, rest areas etc. especially valuable regions. The objectives of the paper are: 1) elaboration the method of evaluation and mapping the physiognomic landscape composition on the rural areas with a high natural values; 2) testing this method on dominated by forests, peatbogs and arable lands the central part of the West Polesie UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (Eastern Poland); 3) formulation of guidelines on the design of landscape interiors and view openings composition, highlighting the unique features of West Polesie landscape and building a sense of the place identity; 4) to show the necessary to enshrine the values of physiognomic landscape composition in land use policy. In evaluation and mapping the landscape composition, a special attention was paid to the role of agro-forest ecotones. The results of the research part of the study as well as a guidelines on landscape design have been presented in the form of a map, study figures and a description.
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Ros-Cuéllar, Julia, Luciana Porter-Bolland, and Martha Bonilla-Moheno. "Can Multifunctional Landscapes Become Effective Conservation Strategies? Challenges and Opportunities From a Mexican Case Study." Land 8, no. 1 (January 3, 2019): 6. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land8010006.
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Protected Areas (PA) are the main strategy for nature conservation. However, PA are not always efficient for ecological conservation and social wellbeing. A possible alternative for conservation in human-dominated landscapes are Multifunctional Landscapes (ML), which allow the coexistence of multiple objectives, such as nature conservation and resource use. Using the activity system framework, we analyzed whether the ML concept was an operative alternative to PA within an area of interest for conservation in Veracruz, Mexico. Activity systems refer to the set of productive strategies that result from the mobilization of resources and which, within particular environmental governance contexts, shape the landscape. To understand the challenges and opportunities of our case study, we: (1) delimited the landscape according to local conservation interests; and (2) analyzed the role of stakeholders in shaping this landscape. The delimited landscape included areas considered wildlife reservoirs and water provisioning zones. Our results suggested that the existence of local conservation areas (private and communal), combined with shaded-coffee agroforestry practices, made this region an example of ML. Although local conservation initiatives are perceived as more legitimate than top-down approaches, agreements amongst stakeholders are essential to strengthen environmental governance. In specific socio-ecological contexts, ML can be effective strategies for conservation through agroecosystems that maintain a high-quality landscape matrix, allowing nature preservation and delivering economic benefits.
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Huang, Junda, Yuncai Wang, and Lang Zhang. "Identifying Spatial Priority of Ecological Restoration Dependent on Landscape Quality Trends in Metropolitan Areas." Land 11, no. 1 (December 24, 2021): 27. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land11010027.
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Ecological restoration has become an important tool for mitigating and adapting to environmental degradation caused by global urbanization. However, current research has focused on single indicators and qualitative analysis, meaning that ecological restoration has not been effectively and comprehensively addressed. This study constructed a spatial priority identification system for ecological restoration, with landscape area, landscape structure and landscape function as the core indicators. The system has wide adaptability. In this work, the spatial classification of ecological degradation was performed by overlay analysis. The results showed the following: (1) In the Shanghai metropolitan area, the landscape quality showed a trend of degradation, with built-up areas encroaching on forests and cropland. (2) Ecological degradation in the suburbs was more severe than that in the urban center. Forests had the highest landscape area indicator (LAI) stability. Significant degradation of landscape structure indicators (LSIs) occurred when built-up area and cropland were transformed into forests. (3) Different types of ecological restoration had significant spatial distribution patterns. Through this identification system, this study aimed to help planners/managers of ecological restoration to recognize the changing patterns of regional landscape quality and its relationship with land cover. It ultimately provides a basis for the formulation of regional ecological objectives and spatial strategies.
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Wolf, Kathleen. "Freeway Roadside Management: The Urban Forest Beyond the White Line." Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 29, no. 3 (May 1, 2003): 127–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.48044/jauf.2003.016.
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A national survey was conducted in the United States to learn more about public preferences and perceptions regarding forest and vegetation planning and management in urban freeway roadsides. In response to images depicting a visual continuum of landscape management treatments, drivers most preferred settings having tree plantings that screen adjacent commercial land uses. Preference results suggest solutions for landscape practices that create visual quality for drivers and provide visibility for commercial properties adjacent to freeway roadsides. The research also investigated public attitudes about roadside functions, uses, and public willingness to support roadside management expenditures. Increasingly, transportation agencies are designing urban roadside landscapes to achieve multiple objectives and perform multiple functions. This research offers insights on how to incorporate urban forestry into the planning and management of high-speed urban transportation corridors.
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Sowińska-Świerkosz, Barbara Natalia, and Tadeusz J. Chmielewski. "A new approach to the identification of Landscape Quality Objectives (LQOs) as a set of indicators." Journal of Environmental Management 184 (December 2016): 596–608. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.10.016.
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Liu, Ziye, Zhongke Feng, and Chen Chang. "GEF Innovative Forest Management Plan—Taking Grassland Forest Farm in Fengning County as an Example." Sustainability 14, no. 13 (June 27, 2022): 7795. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su14137795.
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Currently, China’s forest ecosystem focus is shifting from a single management objective to multiple management objectives, aiming to improve forest quality and maximize the benefits of ecosystem services. Many difficulties and problems are encountered in the long-term development of most northern state-owned forest farms—for example, the fragmentation and degradation of forest landscapes caused by poor forest management and extensive land use—resulting in an ecosystem that is unable to provide optimal services. This research was conducted on the Fengning Grassland Forest Farm, which is based on the GEF project of state-owned forest farms. We applied lessons from international advanced concepts, such as landscape restoration, and combinecombined all types of existing data and supplementary survey data on forest farms. In addition, we used multivariate statistical analysis and geostatistical analysis methods to optimize spatial layout and forest landscape structure. Strategies of landscape restoration and optimization, forest quality improvement, and grassland ecological restoration were proposed. A forest growth model was established to predict the annual growth of forests, calculate sustainable levels of annual cutting, calculate biomass and carbon sequestration in the management period, and evaluate the value of the ecological service functions of forest ecosystems in forest farms. Finally, a set of forest management methods was developed to effectively improve the sustainable management level of state-owned forest farms and enhance the service function of forest ecosystems.
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Ghorbanzadeh, Mojgan, and Seyed Hasan Taghvaei. "A Pattern for Eco-park design in Beshghardash landscape." Ciência e Natura 37 (December 21, 2015): 225. http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/2179460x20852.
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Nowadays, attention to strengthen environmental problems, effected from increasing population and process of development in countries, one of the major concern of designers is recognition of the suitable conditions of natural environment, and promotion of the environmental quality. This case with focus to present capabilities and uses of biodiversity and domestic is applied. Eco-park is one of the capabilities which have been designed to the following objectives: Protection of environment and environmental technology progress, Promenade and demonstrate, Learning information for public and Displaying unification between nature and human and their mutual relationship for promotion the comprehension of environment.This paper is about investigation and recognition of capabilities, for creating the suitable situation to change as regional Eco-park. The Case study is named "Beshghardash" that is located in 5th Kilometers Bodjnourd ( center of northern Khorasan province ). This region has approximately 380 hectares area and located in cold and dry climate , which is one of the attractive tourism centers in this region . This study is based on four principles as the following: Protection principle, Development principle, Principle of responsibility to public welfare in present and future, Adapting with situations principle. Finally pattern of designing the Beshghardash Eco-park following the objectives which are in sustainable environment and can say that Beshghardash Eco-park is a natural environment , which moreover to verify to environmental values can answer the sustainable development , like improving the humans life quality.
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Sartorio, Gianluigi, and Fulvia Pinto. "L'applicazione diffusa del principio perequativo per la tutela attiva del paesaggio nel Pgt." TERRITORIO, no. 49 (July 2009): 97–103. http://dx.doi.org/10.3280/tr2009-049013.
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- Regional Law n. 12/2005 offers local administrations every possibility of obtaining a planning instrument that is genuinely capable of introducing quality factors to an area in a general framework of flexible programming and the direct involvement of citizens in managing their environment. This scenario introduces the integral application of ‘active protection of the landscape' as in the proposal for the Taino general plan where the redevelopment of the environment and landscape constitutes a primary strategic value to be pursued because of the extremely attractive nature of the landscape in the district to which it belongs. In order to strengthen the compulsory nature of the sustainability and environmental and landscape quality objectives of the general plan, the local authority decided to make widespread use of the principle of equalisation by consent and of its role as promoter and guarantor of the procedures, which actively involve individual citizens in the implementation of the plan.
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Ide, Hyacinth, and Jessica Rose. "MASTER PLAN TO ROBUST PRACTICE: THE EVOLUTION OF SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE PRACTICES AT GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY." Journal of Green Building 13, no. 3 (June 2018): 179–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.3992/1943-4618.13.3.179.
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INTRODUCTION Universities across the globe are recognizing the need to implement sustainable landscaping practices in order to support wildlife, improve water quality and positively impact human health and wellbeing. Georgia Institute of Technology learned that such sustainable practices, when properly aligned with overarching campus goals, can also enable continuous, collaborative decision-making and student engagement. The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is a leading research university situated on 426 acres of land in midtown Atlanta, Georgia, with a student population of 27,000 (Fall 2017). An urban oasis in the center of town, Georgia Tech's campus offers 312.5 landscaped acres, 3.5 naturalized acres and 110 acres of buildings. The campus is also a level II certified arboretum boasting 12,000+ trees in its urban forest. Prior to the 1990s, Georgia Tech was commonly referred to as a concrete and brick campus with very little landscape. However, in 1999 all that changed when the Georgia Tech administration decided to invest in sustainable landscaping, including the recruitment of qualified staff with specific skill sets to take on this challenge. The Institute's initial landscape master plan objectives were to reduce impervious surfaces such as surface parking lots, increase woodland coverage and enlarge the tree canopy. A significant amount of sustainable landscape practices and collaborative methods grew from these initial objectives. Establishing a plan with clear goals, having the support of executive leadership and employing the right team members enabled the Georgia Tech campus to be transformed from a concrete jungle to a forested, urban oasis in less than 20 years.
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Paul, Catherine A., Greg L. Davis, Garald L. Horst, and Steven N. Rodie. "281 Water Use in Herbaceous Landscape Plants." HortScience 34, no. 3 (June 1999): 490F—491. http://dx.doi.org/10.21273/hortsci.34.3.490f.
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Water conservation in a landscape is an important issue because periodic water shortages are common in many regions of the world. This increases the importance of specifying landscape plants that require less water and matching the plant to site microclimates. Our objectives were to establish water-use rates for three herbaceous landscape plants and to determine the level of water reduction these plants can tolerate while maintaining both visual and landscape quality. Water use rates were determined for Schizachyrium scoparium (Little bluestem), Hosta spp. (Hosta) and Festuca cinerea `Dwarf' (Dwarf blue fescue) in studies using pot lysimeters at the Univ. of Nebraska Horticulture Research Greenhouse facility. Each lysimeter was watered to saturation, allowed to drain to field capacity, and weighed. The lysimeters were weighed again 24 h later, and the process was repeated to determine daily evapotranspiration. Results indicated that hosta used less water than dwarf blue fescue and little bluestem. In a subsequent study to compare the relative effects of withholding irrigation among these species, seven groups of five replicates of each species were grown in 1 peat: 0.33 vermiculite: 0.66 soil: 1 sand (by volume) in 7.6-L containers. Each container was watered to saturation, allowed to drain for 24 h to reach field capacity, and allowed to dry down in 10-day increments. Results of the dry-down study indicated that little bluestem maintained the best visual quality for the longest duration of drought, followed by dwarf blue fescue and hosta in decreasing order of visual quality.
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Paterson, George B., Gill Smart, Paul McKenzie, and Sally Cook. "Prioritising sites for pollinators in a fragmented coastal nectar habitat network in Western Europe." Landscape Ecology 34, no. 12 (October 30, 2019): 2791–805. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-019-00884-x.
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Abstract Context Habitat loss and fragmentation contribute significantly to pollinator decline and biodiversity loss globally. Conserving high quality habitats whilst restoring and connecting remnant habitat is critical to halt such declines. Objectives We quantified the connectivity of pollinator habitats for a generic focal species (GFS) which represented three groups of pollinators in an existing coastal nectar habitat network. Subsequently, in partnership with a conservation agency, we modelled an improved landscape that identified priority habitat patches to increase connectivity for pollinators. Methods We selected 4260 pollinator habitats along an 80 km section of coastland in Scotland using Phase 1 habitat data. A GFS represented three vulnerable European pollinator groups while graph theory and spatial metrics were used to identify optimal sites that could enhance habitat connectivity. Results Higher dispersing species experienced greater habitat connectivity in the improved landscape and habitat availability increased substantially in response to small increases in habitat. The improved landscape revealed important habitat patches in the existing landscape that should be protected and developed. Conclusions Our findings highlight that optimal landscapes can be designed through the integration of habitat data with spatial metrics for a GFS. By adopting this novel approach, conservation strategies can be targeted in an efficient manner to conserve at-risk species and their associated habitats. Integrating these design principles with policy and practice could enhance biodiversity across Europe.
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WHELAN, JACKIE, and JOHN FRY. "THE LACK OF SEA TO SUPPORT AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES IN IRELAND'S RURAL ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION SCHEME." Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management 13, no. 01 (March 2011): 101–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s1464333211003808.
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Proposals specifically aimed at environmental benefits or enhancements are often exempt from environmental assessment, despite evidence that they can be counter-productive. This is true of agri-environmental schemes where local farm-scale actions are expected to generate large-area cumulative effects on water quality, biodiversity or landscape. Evidence suggests benefits of schemes have often been assumed rather than planned for, necessitating ex-post assessment to justify continuance. This paper argues the need for the Irish Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS) to be assessed using SEA. REPS promoted a range of small-scale improvements in a bottom-up approach intended to reflect several high-level policy objectives primarily concerning environmental protection. The paper is based on analysis of "landscape protection" under the REPS from inception in 1994 until its phasing out period in 2015 when all participants will have completed their plans. The paper investigates how linking SEA to REPS had potential for harmonising with other policy objectives and therefore avoiding administrative duplication. Comparison with the Water Framework Directive suggests opportunities to connect different environmental procedures.
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Shober, Amy L., Kimberly A. Moore, Gitta S. Hasing, Christine Wiese, Geoffrey C. Denny, and Gary W. Knox. "Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization Rate on Aesthetic Quality of Landscape-grown Vines and Groundcovers." HortTechnology 24, no. 5 (October 2014): 604–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.21273/horttech.24.5.604.
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Research supporting recommendations for fertilizer needs of landscape-grown vines and groundcovers is lacking. The objectives of our study were to (1) evaluate the quality response of selected vine and groundcover species to nitrogen (N) fertilization at five rates and (2) validate the recommended N fertilizer rates (from the initial evaluation) by monitoring quality of additional landscape-grown vine and groundcover species. Three vine species and two groundcover species were planted in west-central Florida into raised beds containing subsoil fill material in a completely randomized design. Plants were fertilized every 6 weeks with a controlled release fertilizer (20N–0P–0K–23S) at an annual N rate of 0, 2, 4, 6, or 12 lb/1000 ft2. Plant aesthetic quality (0–5 scale) was assessed every 6 weeks for 30 weeks after planting. Although quality of some species increased significantly as N rate increased, all plants supplied with at least 4 lb/1000 ft2 per year N fertilizer had acceptable quality ratings of 3 or better. Screening of three additional vines and four additional groundcovers fertilized with controlled release fertilizer (42N–0P–0K) at an annual N rate of 3, 5, or 7 lb/1000 ft2 confirmed that fertilization with 2 to 4 lb/1000 ft2 per year should be adequate to maintain acceptable vines and groundcovers grown in the landscape in west-central Florida.
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Garofalo, Danilo, and Marcos Ferreira. "Regionalization of water quality parameters based on the landscape characteristics of small ungauged basins: a study carried out in south-eastern Brazil." European Journal of Geography 13, no. 1 (March 10, 2022): 47–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.48088/ejg.d.gar.13.1.47.68.
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One of the main problems associated with the analysis of water quality parameters (WQPs) in developing countries is the low number of sampling sites in small watersheds. One of the strategies used to solve this problem involves estimating WQPs based on the extrapolation of measurements carried out in other basins using regionalization methods associated with landscape characteristics. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the associations between landscape characteristics and WQPs and to propose a methodology for the regionalization of WQPs based on landscape characteristic data obtained from basins where WQP data were sampled. The study area was the upper Piracicaba-Jaguari River basin located in south-western Brazil. The methodology was based on a survey of 27 environmental variables and 12 water quality parameters in 44 small sub-basins. The non-parametric k-nearest neighbour regression (K-NNR) algorithm was used to estimate the WQP values for the small sub-basins that lacked data. The results showed that the landscape characteristics of the studied sub-basins related to land use and cover significantly influenced the WQPs. The mapped regions showed significant differences among the total dissolved solids, chloride, electric conductivity, pH, salinity, resistivity, dissolved oxygen, and nitrate parameter values.
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Mattsson, Eskil, Martin Erlandsson, Per Erik Karlsson, and Hampus Holmström. "A Conceptual Landscape-Level Approach to Assess the Impacts of Forestry on Biodiversity." Sustainability 14, no. 7 (April 1, 2022): 4214. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su14074214.
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In this study, we propose a conceptual approach to assessing biodiversity impacts in the life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of forest wood production with a focus on Nordic managed forests at the landscape level. As a basis for our methodology, we suggest assessing the proportion of the total land area of productive forest under the control of a forest owner that fulfils certain criteria that can be regarded as having a positive impact on the development of forest biodiversity. A similar assessment of the forest management performed on the surrounding land is used to define a site-specific reference situation. In the context of an attributional LCA, the suggested method for the specification of business-as-usual (BAU) or environmental quality objectives (EQO) baselines encourages forest owners to choose forest management options that increase the proportion of productive forest land with properties that are more favorable to biodiversity over time. We illustrate the BAU baseline approach with two examples in Sweden to calculate the biodiversity impact from wood production for individual forest owners using four biodiversity indicators from the Swedish national Environmental Quality Objectives (EQOS)—‘Living Forests’. The approach defined in this study is at this stage only applicable to forestry assessments. Using a BAU baseline approach similar to that used for international climate reporting is a simple but novel approach that makes use of consensuses that have already been drawn and approaches that have already been established.
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Dehotin, J., and I. Braud. "Which spatial discretization for distributed hydrological models? Proposition of a methodology and illustration for medium to large-scale catchments." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 12, no. 3 (May 23, 2008): 769–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hess-12-769-2008.
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Abstract. Distributed hydrological models are valuable tools to derive distributed estimation of water balance components or to study the impact of land-use or climate change on water resources and water quality. In these models, the choice of an appropriate spatial discretization is a crucial issue. It is obviously linked to the available data, their spatial resolution and the dominant hydrological processes. For a given catchment and a given data set, the "optimal" spatial discretization should be adapted to the modelling objectives, as the latter determine the dominant hydrological processes considered in the modelling. For small catchments, landscape heterogeneity can be represented explicitly, whereas for large catchments such fine representation is not feasible and simplification is needed. The question is thus: is it possible to design a flexible methodology to represent landscape heterogeneity efficiently, according to the problem to be solved? This methodology should allow a controlled and objective trade-off between available data, the scale of the dominant water cycle components and the modelling objectives. In this paper, we propose a general methodology for such catchment discretization. It is based on the use of nested discretizations. The first level of discretization is composed of the sub-catchments, organised by the river network topology. The sub-catchment variability can be described using a second level of discretizations, which is called hydro-landscape units. This level of discretization is only performed if it is consistent with the modelling objectives, the active hydrological processes and data availability. The hydro-landscapes take into account different geophysical factors such as topography, land-use, pedology, but also suitable hydrological discontinuities such as ditches, hedges, dams, etc. For numerical reasons these hydro-landscapes can be further subdivided into smaller elements that will constitute the modelling units (third level of discretization). The first part of the paper presents a review about catchment discretization in hydrological models from which we derived the principles of our general methodology. The second part of the paper focuses on the derivation of hydro-landscape units for medium to large scale catchments. For this sub-catchment discretization, we propose the use of principles borrowed from landscape classification. These principles are independent of the catchment size. They allow retaining suitable features required in the catchment description in order to fulfil a specific modelling objective. The method leads to unstructured and homogeneous areas within the sub-catchments, which can be used to derive modelling meshes. It avoids map smoothing by suppressing the smallest units, the role of which can be very important in hydrology, and provides a confidence map (the distance map) for the classification. The confidence map can be used for further uncertainty analysis of modelling results. The final discretization remains consistent with the resolution of input data and that of the source maps. The last part of the paper illustrates the method using available data for the upper Saône catchment in France. The interest of the method for an efficient representation of landscape heterogeneity is illustrated by a comparison with more traditional mapping approaches. Examples of possible models, which can be built on this spatial discretization, are finally given as perspectives for the work.
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Colavitti, Anna Maria, Alessio Floris, and Sergio Serra. "Mind the Gap: Why the Landscape Planning System in Sardinia Does Not Work." Sustainability 13, no. 13 (June 29, 2021): 7300. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13137300.
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In Italy, after the introduction of the Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape in 2004, the Regional Landscape Plan (RLP) has acquired a coordination role in the urban planning system, for the implementation of policies for landscape protection and valorisation. The case study of the RLP of Sardinia is a paradigmatic application to the coastal area of the island, which is considered most vulnerable and subject to settlement pressure. The objectives of preservation and valorisation of the territorial resources should be transferred into local planning instruments by adopting strategies aimed at the preservation of the consolidated urban fabric, at the requalification and completion of the existing built-up areas according to the principles of land take limitation and increase in urban quality. The paper investigates the state of implementation and the level of integration of landscape contents in the local plans that have been adapted to the RLP, using a qualitative comparative method. In addition, the results of the plan coherence checks, elaborated by the regional monitoring bodies after the adaptation process, have been analysed to identify the common criticalities and weaknesses. The results highlight the lack of effectiveness of the RLP, after more than a decade since its approval, considering the limited number of adequate local plans and the poor quality of their analytical and regulative contents in terms of landscape protection and valorisation. Conclusions suggest some possible ways to revise the RLP, focusing on the participation of local communities and the development of a new landscape culture.
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Fisher, Rohan, Scott Heckbert, and Stephen Garnett. "Reframing Wildfire Simulations for Understanding Complex Human–Landscape Interactions in Cross-Cultural Contexts: A Case Study from Northern Australia." Fire 4, no. 3 (August 13, 2021): 46. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/fire4030046.
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An increase in the frequency of severe fire events, as well as a growing interest in wildfire mitigation strategies, has created a demand for skilled managers of landscape fire and a better community understanding of fire behaviour. While on-ground experience is essential, there is potential to substantially enhance training and community engagement with explanatory simulations. Through this work, we explore landscape fire behaviour as a complex system where understanding key behaviour characteristics is often more important and achievable than prediction. It is argued that this approach has particular value in Northern Australia, where fires burn across vast and sparsely inhabited landscapes that are largely under Indigenous ownership. Land and fire management in such complex cross-cultural contexts requires combining traditional and local knowledge with science and technology to achieve the best outcomes. We describe the workings of the model, a stochastic cellular automata fire behaviour simulation, developed through a participatory modelling approach for Northern Australia; the outputs generated; and a range of operational applications. We found that simulation assisted training and engagement through the development of an understanding of fire dynamics through visualisation, underpinned by landscape data sets, and engaging a culturally diverse set of land managers in discussions of fire management. We conclude that there is scope for a broader use of explanatory fire simulations to support development of shared understandings of fire management objectives.
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Guirguis, Marianne Nabil, Rania Rushdy Moussa, Khaled M. Dewidar, and Naglaa Mohamed Yossif. "The Effect of Landscape Features Implemented in Egyptian Parks on Satisfying the Human Needs and Well-being." WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT 18 (January 9, 2022): 100–113. http://dx.doi.org/10.37394/232015.2022.18.11.
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Recently, parks have been recognized as one of the main contributors in the strategic objectives of urban projects, since they provide job opportunities, place attractiveness, increase the real estate market and property values, tourist development, increase the since of social belonging between the residents, improving the public health and the quality of the residents’ life. The presented research is aiming to investigate the effect of Landscape features on the quality of life (QOL) inside Egyptian parks. This study has been inspired by early theorists like “Maslow” and other theorists who have followed Maslow’s footsteps. They analysed and measured the concept of quality of life (QOL)into two well-known terms “human needs” and “well-being”. The study explores the impact of landscape features towards “human needs and well-being”. Lately, Egypt is suffering from inflation and economic crisis which affect the Egyptians life style. Most of the Egyptian society is living a stressful life; this study will examine whether the Egyptian parks help Egyptians as an escape way where all the negative vibes are going to meet with nature resulting in a positive outcome. This research used qualitative investigation method to measure the impact of implementing landscape features in Egyptian parks on enhancing the quality of the Egyptian life by measuring the (QOL) with regards to “human needs and well-being”. The presented research investigated the impact of landscape elements implemented in Al-Azhar Park and Family Park on “human needs and well-being”. That shall pave the way to investors, policymakers, architecture and civil practitioners to realize the potentials of designing and constructing parks in Egyptian urban environment, as an efficient tool to improve the quality of Egyptian life.
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Gorelick, David E., Latha M. Baskaran, and Henriëtte I. Jager. "Visualizing feedstock siting in biomass production: Tradeoffs between economic and water quality objectives." Land Use Policy 88 (November 2019): 104201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104201.
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Li, Zhichao, Jingjing Xie, Jingyi Yang, and Dingkun Chang. "Dynamic Monitoring and Analysis of Ecological Environment in the Coastal Tourist Destinations of Sanya City, Hainan." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1004, no. 1 (March 1, 2022): 012004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1004/1/012004.
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Abstract Taking the Sanya Bay as the study area, based on the remote sensing images of Gaofen-2 in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, this paper extracted 7 land use types of Sanya Bay. The main objectives of this paper includes: (1) Applying the theory of landscape ecology to calculate the landscape fragmentation and disturbance intensity in order to indicate the ecological changes in the study area; (2) Analysing the impact of landscape changes on the surroundings areas driven by the diversity of land use and perform the “Dynamic Monitoring and Analysis Technology for the Ecological Environment of Coastal Tourism Regions”. In which to monitor the dynamics of the ecological environment in the area of research. The results showed that the quality of the ecological environment in the study area changed dynamically with the construction of tourism sites: from year 2015 to 2017, due to a large number of construction, the ecological environment deteriorated to a certain extent; From 2017 to 2020, with the suspension of construction and environment restoration work, the quality of the ecological environment in the study area improved. Technology established in this paper provides a reference for the dynamic monitoring of the ecological environment in the coastal tourist area.
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Neumann, Wiebke, Camilla Sandström, Lina Holmgren, and Göran Ericsson. "Defining a mountain landscape characterized by grazing using actor perception, governmental strategy, and environmental monitoring data." Journal of Mountain Science 16, no. 7 (July 2019): 1691–701. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-5258-x.
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Abstract In multi-functional mountainous landscapes worldwide, conservation of natural values is a major task. Here, pro-active policies can be a way forward. National Environmental Quality Objectives (EQO) to solve environmental problems for future generations, however, often wrestle with being too visionary and lacking specificity, which complicates their implementation. The EQO “A Magnificent Mountain Landscape” that has been adopted by the Swedish Parliament in 1999 to preserve the pristine mountain environment in Sweden, experiences all these flaws. To aid its implementation, we studied the conditions and processes needed to define, to evaluate, and to preserve its goals across the Swedish mountain chain, using one of its milestone targets (a landscape characterized by grazing) as a study system. Applying qualitative and quantitative methods, we analyzed three types of data: 1) referral responses to the governmental strategy document, 2) interviews with relevant actors, and 3) environmental monitoring data (reindeer position data). Nationally, our results suggest a need for geographical differentiation to match regional/local conditions. Regionally, difference in both perception and definition of the milestone target among the actors hinders the formulation, monitoring, and evaluation of a common goal. Next to a culture-nature divide, we found that a “within as a user” and “from the outside as an observer” perspective influenced suggested definitions. Moreover, we found a need for better defining whether the goal is maintaining current conditions or restoring previous ones. Our result supports the use of animal position data as a decision support tool to monitor and to aid evaluation of the target. Given the number of actors involved and conflicts of interests present, we suggest the application of a structured decision process to accomplish agreements on a common goal. Here, environmental monitoring data can aid a “landscape assessment step” as a natural part in the decision process to target landscape management actions resourcefully and effectively.
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Smirnov, A. V. "Properties of objective functions and search algorithms in multi-objective optimization problems." Russian Technological Journal 10, no. 4 (July 30, 2022): 75–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.32362/2500-316x-2022-10-4-75-85.
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Objectives. A frequently used method for obtaining Pareto-optimal solutions is to minimize a selected quality index under restrictions of the other quality indices, whose values are thus preset. For a scalar objective function, the global minimum is sought that contains the restricted indices as penalty terms. However, the landscape of such a function has steep-ascent areas, which significantly complicate the search for the global minimum. This work compared the results of various heuristic algorithms in solving problems of this type. In addition, the possibility of solving such problems using the sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method, in which the restrictions are not imposed as the penalty terms, but included into the Lagrange function, was investigated.Methods. The experiments were conducted using two analytically defined objective functions and two objective functions that are encountered in problems of multi-objective optimization of characteristics of analog filters. The corresponding algorithms were realized in the MATLAB environment.Results. The only heuristic algorithm shown to obtain the optimal solutions for all the functions is the particle swarm optimization algorithm. The sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm was applicable to one of the analytically defined objective functions and one of the filter optimization objective functions, as well as appearing to be significantly superior to heuristic algorithms in speed and accuracy of solutions search. However, for the other two functions, this method was found to be incapable of finding correct solutions.Conclusions. A topical problem is the estimation of the applicability of the considered methods to obtaining Pareto-optimal solutions based on preliminary analysis of properties of functions that determine the quality indices.
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Lloyd, S. D., T. H. F. Wong, and B. Porter. "The planning and construction of an urban stormwater management scheme." Water Science and Technology 45, no. 7 (April 1, 2002): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2002.0111.
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Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) offers a means to integrate stormwater best management practices into urban planning and design to achieve multiple objectives. Some of these objectives relate to stormwater drainage, water quality improvements, aquatic habitat protection, stormwater harvesting and use, and landscape amenity. The Lynbrook Estate, Australia, has incorporated bio-filtration systems and wetlands into the design of major roads, local access streets and parklands that attenuate and treat roof runoff and road runoff from a 32 ha, 270 allotment residential precinct. This paper outlines the process that enabled the concept of a stormwater drainage design to be translated into on-ground works. Details of the construction activities, costs and market acceptance highlight the potential for the adoption of similar practices elsewhere.
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Almigdad, Ahmad, Noor Megdadi, Khalid Banimelhem, Bashar Al Omari, Anas Al Abdallat, and Ghandi Almanasir. "Diagnostic accuracy of phone messaging forwarded images for developmental dysplasia of the hip." Journal of Musculoskeletal Surgery and Research 6 (November 16, 2022): 260–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.25259/jmsr_125_2022.
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Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the accuracy of the diagnosis based on the phone forwarded pelvic radiographs for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and whether to accept decisions based on phone images. Methods: Two hundred and eight pelvic radiographs (416 hips) performed for DDH screening were evaluated by three orthopedic surgeons on picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and re-evaluated by the same surgeons after receiving them blindly on their phones through the WhatsApp application. Phone pictures were evaluated on both portrait and landscape viewing interfaces. Results: Nine ossification centers (2.9%) were detected on PACS but were not noticed when evaluated on the phone due to the lower phone image quality. All dislocated and dysplastic hips were correctly diagnosed by the phone. The phone overestimated the acetabular index by about two degrees, which explains why 4.8% and 7.5% of normal hips on PACS viewers were labeled dysplastic once evaluated on phone portrait and landscape viewers, respectively. However, landscape phone viewing and smaller phone screens were associated with a higher overestimation of the acetabular index. Conclusion: The phone is a valuable and safe tool for diagnosing DDH from pelvic radiographs. However, a precaution should be taken in borderline cases as the phone overestimated hip angles resulting in a misdiagnosis of normal hips as dysplastic. However, we do not recommend or encourage this practice because clinical evaluation is essential in any clinical decision-making.
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Lehmair, Theresa Anna, Ellen Pagel, Peter Poschlod, and Christoph Reisch. "Surrounding landscape structures, rather than habitat age, drive genetic variation of typical calcareous grassland plant species." Landscape Ecology 35, no. 12 (September 24, 2020): 2881–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-020-01120-7.
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Abstract Context Land use change reduced calcareous grasslands throughout Europe during the last decades. Subsequent fragmentation and habitat deterioration led, moreover, to a massive biodiversity decline. To counteract this alarming development, a clear understanding of genetic variation patterns, as fundamental level of biodiversity, becomes inevitable. Objectives The aim of our study was to identify the drivers of genetic variation in common calcareous grassland plant species. More specifically, we tested whether genetic diversity or differentiation of Asperula cynanchica, Campanula rotundifolia, and Linum catharticum depend on habitat age, landscape structure, habitat quality, and/or population size. Methods We investigated 912 individuals, 304 per study species, from 19 calcareous grasslands across the Swabian Alb in Baden-Württemberg (Germany) using AFLP analyses. Results We observed no significant influence of habitat age on genetic diversity and differentiation. Habitat quality also had no impact on genetic diversity and population size only showed weak effects. However, genetic diversity strongly depended on landscape structure represented by distance to the nearest settlement, total area of surrounding calcareous grasslands, and their connectivity. Conclusions Migratory sheep herding is considered as main land use in calcareous grasslands on the Swabian Alb and thus, landscape structures in the study region may describe movement patterns of grazing livestock. In this study, genetic variation in calcareous grassland populations was strongly affected by surrounding landscape structures and subsequent grazing patterns. Therefore, we assume that moderate grazing intensities over the long term may increase levels of genetic diversity, whereas periods of overgrazing or abandonment could lower genetic diversity.
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Pla-Narbona, Clàudia, Constantí Stefanescu, Joan Pino, Francisco J. Cabrero-Sañudo, Enrique García-Barros, Miguel L. Munguira, and Yolanda Melero. "Butterfly biodiversity in the city is driven by the interaction of the urban landscape and species traits: a call for contextualised management." Landscape Ecology 37, no. 1 (October 9, 2021): 81–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-021-01347-y.
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Abstract Context Urbanisation is an environmental filter for many species that leads to community homogenisation, with a few species inhabiting isolated patches (e.g. public and private gardens and parks) embedded within the urban landscape. Promoting biodiversity in urban areas requires understanding which species traits allow species to survive the urban landscape. Objectives The objective of this study was to assess how species traits and landscape factors combine to allow species functional groups to live in the city. Methods We used butterfly count data collected by volunteers in 24 gardens of Barcelona city, during 2018 and 2019. Species were clustered in functional groups according to their traits. We applied a multinomial choice model to test for the effect of the landscape on the different functional groups. Results Three functional groups became prevalent in the city while a fourth, containing most sedentary specialist species, was filtered out. Although the observed groups had similar species richness, abundances varied depending on urban landscape characteristics. Specialist sedentary specialists and medium mobile species were all favoured by patch connectivity; while the presence of mobile generalist species was only enhanced by habitat quality. Our results indicate that butterfly communities are more diverse in highly connected gardens. Conclusions Our study highlights the need of contextualised management with actions accounting for the species functional groups, rather than a management focused on general species richness. It demonstrates that urban landscape planning must focus on improving connectivity inside the city in order to diversify the community composition.
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Urbis, Arvydas, Ramūnas Povilanskas, Egidijus Jurkus, Julius Taminskas, and Domantas Urbis. "GIS-Based Aesthetic Appraisal of Short-Range Viewsheds of Coastal Dune and Forest Landscapes." Forests 12, no. 11 (November 7, 2021): 1534. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f12111534.
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This paper demonstrates the possibilities of a Geographical Information System (GIS) for investigating and explicating the spatial variation of the short-range viewshed aesthetic appeal in a World Heritage coastal dune and forest area. The study pursues the following objectives: (1) develop and trial a GIS-based algorithm for computing the Aesthetic Appeal Index for a Short-Range Viewshed (ǣ); (2) deliver an output map showing the spatial variation of the computed ǣ values in the target territory and distribution of the zones with high scenic quality and potential aesthetic ecosystem services (PAES); and (3) assess management alternatives in zones with high PAES and high conservation value. This study combines two key innovative aspects. First, it integrates an objective digital map of habitats with subjective scenic preferences of coastal forest and dune landscapes based on psychophysical and cognitive perceptions of scenic beauty. Second, it applies a GIS-based algorithm to translate subjective scenic preferences to an output map of ǣ. The study’s main conclusion is that the combined aesthetic appraisal of the immediate and foreground viewshed of coastal forests and dunes, by applying a specially created GIS algorithm, allows an assessment of the scenic quality of this landscape reliably in statistical terms.
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Coutts, Andrew M., Nigel J. Tapper, Jason Beringer, Margaret Loughnan, and Matthias Demuzere. "Watering our cities." Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment 37, no. 1 (November 6, 2012): 2–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0309133312461032.
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Urban drainage infrastructure is generally designed to rapidly export stormwater away from the urban environment to minimize flood risk created by extensive impervious surface cover. This deficit is resolved by importing high-quality potable water for irrigation. However, cities and towns at times face water restrictions in response to drought and water scarcity. This can exacerbate heating and drying, and promote the development of unfavourable urban climates. The combination of excessive heating driven by urban development, low water availability and future climate change impacts could compromise human health and amenity for urban dwellers. This paper draws on existing literature to demonstrate the potential of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) to help improve outdoor human thermal comfort in urban areas and support Climate Sensitive Urban Design (CSUD) objectives within the Australian context. WSUD provides a mechanism for retaining water in the urban landscape through stormwater harvesting and reuse while also reducing urban temperatures through enhanced evapotranspiration and surface cooling. Research suggests that WSUD features are broadly capable of lowering temperatures and improving human thermal comfort, and when integrated with vegetation (especially trees) have potential to meet CSUD objectives. However, the degree of benefit (the intensity of cooling and improvements to human thermal comfort) depends on a multitude of factors including local environmental conditions, the design and placement of the systems, and the nature of the surrounding urban landscape. We suggest that WSUD can provide a source of water across Australian urban environments for landscape irrigation and soil moisture replenishment to maximize the urban climatic benefits of existing vegetation and green spaces. WSUD should be implemented strategically into the urban landscape, targeting areas of high heat exposure, with many distributed WSUD features at regular intervals to promote infiltration and evapotranspiration, and maintain tree health.
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Lynch-Kelly, Katharine, Matthew Singer, and Norman R. Williams. "The Landscape of Randomised Controlled Trials of Therapies in Breast Cancer in Low and Middle Income Countries." International Journal of Breast Cancer 2017 (2017): 1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/4259704.
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Objectives. The objectives of this study were to identify the randomised controlled trials in breast cancer occurring in low and middle income countries (LMICs) generally and within Sub-Saharan Africa specifically, to describe the current status and identify opportunities for further research in these areas. Materials and Methods. Data for this study were obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov. The search term “Breast Cancer Research” was used, and relevant information extracted and analysed. Results. 2414 trials were identified, of which 1099 were eligible for inclusion. 69 of these trials occurred in LMICs. Of the 52 LMICs globally, 30% were participating in breast cancer research. Of the 17 LMICs in Africa, 77% are situated in Sub-Saharan Africa; 23% were participating in breast cancer research, which accounted for 9% of total Sub-Saharan African studies. Conclusion. This study provides current evidence for the need for breast cancer research in LMICs globally and within Sub-Saharan Africa. Within LMIC regions where research is active, the type and numbers of studies are unevenly distributed. High quality research within such areas should be encouraged as the results may have both local and global applications, particularly in the provision of affordable health care.
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Cannon, Jeffery B., Benjamin M. Gannon, Jonas A. Feinstein, Eunice A. Padley, and Loretta J. Metz. "Simulating spatial complexity in dry conifer forest restoration: implications for conservation prioritization and scenario evaluation." Landscape Ecology 35, no. 10 (September 24, 2020): 2301–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-020-01111-8.
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Abstract Context Several initiatives seek to increase the pace and scale of dry forest restoration and fuels reduction to enhance forest resilience to wildfire and other stressors while improving the quality and reliability of key ecosystem services. Ecological effects models are increasingly used to prioritize these efforts at the landscape-scale based on simulated treatment outcomes. Objectives Treatments are often simulated using uniform post-treatment target conditions or proportional changes to baseline forest structure variables, but do not account for the common objective of restoration to mimic the complex forest structure that was present historically which is thought to provide an example of structural conditions that contributed to ecosystem diversity and resilience. Methods We simulate spatially homogenous fire hazard reduction treatments along with heterogeneous restoration treatments in dry conifer forests to investigate how spatial complexity affects ecological indicators of (1) forest structural heterogeneity, (2) forest and watershed vulnerability to high-severity fire, and (3) feasibility of future prescribed fire use. Results Our results suggest that spatially explicit restoration treatments should produce similar wildfire and prescribed fire outcomes as homogeneous fuels reduction treatments, but with greater forest structural heterogeneity. The lack of strong tradeoffs between ecological objectives suggests the primary benefit of spatially complex treatments is to increase forest structural heterogeneity which may promote biodiversity. Conclusions We show that landscape-scale prioritization to maximize ecological benefits can change when spatially complex restoration treatments are modeled. Coupling landscape-scale management simulations and ecological effects models offers flexible decision support for conservation assessment, prioritization, and planning.
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Schroeder, Richard L. "A system to evaluate the scientific quality of biological and restoration objectives using National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plans as a case study." Journal for Nature Conservation 14, no. 3-4 (September 2006): 200–206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2006.04.002.
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Bell, F. Wayne, Nelson Thiffault, Kandyd Szuba, Nancy Luckai, and Al Stinson. "Synthesis of Silviculture Options, Costs, and Consequences of Alternative Vegetation Management Practices Relevant to Boreal and Temperate Conifer Forests: Introduction." Forestry Chronicle 87, no. 02 (April 2011): 155–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.5558/tfc2011-005.
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In 2007, a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary team from across Canada embarked on an exercise to synthesize knowledge about forest vegetation management alternatives and their use in northern forests. This exercise involved: (1) updating the Canadian Forest Pest Management database, (2) synthesizing relevant forest vegetation management literature, (3) conducting stand-level wildlife, wood quality, yield, and benefit–cost analyses, (4) conducting landscape-level analyses to determine the effects of a systematic reduction in herbicide use on forest management objectives, and (5) transferring the relevant information to forest managers. The results are presented as ten papers in this special issue of The Forestry Chronicle.
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Cialdea, Donatella. "Landscape Features of Costal Waterfronts: Historical Aspects and Planning Issues." Sustainability 12, no. 6 (March 18, 2020): 2378. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12062378.
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This paper investigates the relationship between different factors that impose on the productive and settlement structures on coastal areas through an analysis carried out on the Italian Adriatic Sea coast. In the panorama of medium- and small-size cities, the relationship between the city, the territory, and the sea very often plays an important role. The main issue of this article is to expose a methodology developed for the definition of landscape quality objectives in the planning of the coast of a region in Southern Italy, Molise. Effort was concentrated on the creation of a territorial survey matrix that could be exploited by local authorities. In drawing up the criteria on which to base the New Regional Landscape Plan, this study provided for the recognition of the identifying matrices for landscape interpretation, creating a database organized in five resource systems. For each resource system, three basic grids were created: each of them collects and processes different information series. These three grids were useful for defining the new protection that is proposed for the sample area. Different conditions emerge in this area, in which two coastal strips have been identified, to the east and to the west of the historical centre.
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Wartmann, Flurina M., Olga Koblet, and Ross S. Purves. "Assessing experienced tranquillity through natural language processing and landscape ecology measures." Landscape Ecology 36, no. 8 (January 27, 2021): 2347–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-020-01181-8.
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Abstract Context Identifying tranquil areas is important for landscape planning and policy-making. Research demonstrated discrepancies between modelled potential tranquil areas and where people experience tranquillity based on field surveys. Because surveys are resource-intensive, user-generated text data offers potential for extracting where people experience tranquillity. Objectives We explore and model the relationship between landscape ecological measures and experienced tranquillity extracted from user-generated text descriptions. Methods Georeferenced, user-generated landscape descriptions from Geograph.UK were filtered using keywords related to tranquillity. We stratify resulting tranquil locations according to dominant land cover and quantify the influence of landscape characteristics including diversity and naturalness on explaining the presence of tranquillity. Finally, we apply natural language processing to identify terms linked to tranquillity keywords and compare the similarity of these terms across land cover classes. Results Evaluation of potential keywords yielded six keywords associated with experienced tranquillity, resulting in 15,350 extracted tranquillity descriptions. The two most common land cover classes associated with tranquillity were arable and horticulture, and improved grassland, followed by urban and suburban. In the logistic regression model across all land cover classes, freshwater, elevation and naturalness were positive predictors of tranquillity. Built-up area was a negative predictor. Descriptions of tranquillity were most similar between improved grassland and arable and horticulture, and most dissimilar between arable and horticulture and urban. Conclusions This study highlights the potential of applying natural language processing to extract experienced tranquillity from text, and demonstrates links between landscape ecological measures and tranquillity as a perceived landscape quality.
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Zhang, Qianxi, Zehui Chen, and Fei Li. "Appropriate Management Scale of Farmland and Regional Differences under Different Objectives in Shaanxi Province, China." Land 10, no. 3 (March 19, 2021): 314. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land10030314.
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Agricultural development is facing two problems: insufficient grain production and low profit of farmers. There is a contradiction between the government’s goal of increasing production and the farmer’s goal of increasing profit. Exploring the appropriate management scale of farmland under different objectives is of great significance to alleviate the conflict of interests between the government and farmers. In this study the Cobb-Douglas production function model was used to measure the appropriate management scale of farmland under different objectives in Shaanxi Province and analyze the regional differences. Under the two objectives, the appropriate management scale of the Loess Plateau was the largest in the three regions, followed by Qinba Mountains and Guanzhong Plain. Farmland area and quality were the main influencing factors for the appropriate management scale of farmland under the goal of maximizing the farmland yield, while the nonagricultural employment rate and farmland transfer rate were the main influencing factors under the goal of maximizing farmers’ profits. It is easy for Shaanxi Province to increase farmers’ profits, but more land needed to be transferred to increase farmland yield. These results suggest that in order to balance the goal of increasing yield and profit, the transfer of rural surplus labor should be promoted, and the nonagricultural employment rate should be improved. In Loess Plateau, restoring the ecological environment and enhancing the farmland quality. In Guanzhong Plain, avoiding urban land encroachment on farmland. In Qinba Mountains, developing farming techniques and moderately increasing the intensity of farmland exploit.
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Tsao, Peg, Ashley Dunn, and Kenneth W. Mahaffey. "4243 Developing clinical research units to improve quality, efficiency, and cost effectiveness within an academic institution." Journal of Clinical and Translational Science 4, s1 (June 2020): 60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cts.2020.207.
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OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The Stanford CTSA Program has started to create Clinical Research Units (CRUs) with the goal to establish CRUs in all clinical departments by the end of 2020. CRUs will be responsible for managing the portfolio of projects proposed and conducted by faculty within departments. CRUs will be responsible for reviewing all clinical research studies. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: CRUs will be an integral part of the Stanford’s research infrastructure, tasked with 5 key functions to ensure clinical research conducted by Stanford investigators: scientific merit, feasibility, funding, compliance, progress. Each CRU will review all clinical research projects proposed by investigators within the department prior to moving forward with IRB review. Studies will be evaluated annually to ensure compliance with the protocol, applicable laws and regulations, and recruitment goals. The Stanford CTSA will provide guidelines, SOPs and personnel to assist CRUs. In fall 2019, a landscape analysis of SoM clinical departments was conducted to identify: 1)similar existing CRU-like systems,2)unique needs of departments/divisions for developing CRUs and3)barriers to implementation.RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Challenges the pilot CRU has faced include communication and concerns regarding additional obstacles to conducting research. However, as study teams moved through the initial CRU formation, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Study teams were appreciative of the constructive feedback and the support for setting up studies. Results from the landscape analysis identified CRU-like systems in 5 departments and highlighted concerns regarding resources needed to implement CRUs. Based on feedback from the landscape analysis, a faculty and operational lead was identified in each clinical department to oversee CRU implementation. Facilitated by CTSA personnel, CRU leads have met quarterly since April 2019. Meetings consist of discussing expectations, sharing ideas and identifying potential roadblocks. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: CRUs will constitute a new organizational structure that consists of teams of investigators and staff to promote high quality, efficient clinical research and enhance collaborative opportunities. The CRU leadership will champion new initiatives in CTR and create pathways for investigators to access research infrastructure and resources. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DESCRIPTION: NA.