Search

A major facet of the Anthropocene is global change, such as climate change, caused by human activities, which drastically affect biodiversity with all-scale declines and homogenization of biotas. This crisis does not only affect the ecological dynamics of biodiversity, but also its evolutionary dynamics, including genetic diversity, an aspect that is generally neglected. My tenet is therefore to consider biodiversity dynamics from an eco-evolutionary perspective, i.e. explicitly accounting for the possibility of rapid evolution and its feedback on ecological processes and the environment. I represent the impact of the various avatars of global change in a temporal perspective, from pre-industrial time to the near future, allowing to visualize their dynamics and to set desired values that should not be trespassed for a given time (e.g., +2 °C for 50 years from now). After presenting the impact of various stressors (e.g., climate change) on biodiversity, this representation is used to heuristically show the relevance of an eco-evolutionary perspective: (i) to analyze how biodiversity will respond to the stressors, for example by seeking out more suitable conditions or adapting to new conditions; (ii) to serve in predictive exercises to envision future dynamics (decades to centuries) under stressor impact; (iii) to propose nature-based solutions to the crisis. Significant obstacles stand in the way of the development of such an approach, in particular the general lack of interest in intraspecific diversity, and perhaps more generally a lack of understanding that, we, humans, are only a modest part of biodiversity.

In 1966, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) (then Canadian Wildlife Service) initiated a research program on polar bears (Ursus maritimus, Phipps, 1774) belonging to the Western Hudson Bay subpopulation (WH). This paper provides an overview of that program, highlighting the long-term research on WH polar bears with a focus on ECCC-led work. The WH research program, which has now extended across five decades with data on over 4600 individual bears, has evolved from a study of the basic ecology of polar bears into foundational work on the life history, demography, genetics, movement, behaviour, and ecology of an apex predator in a rapidly changing Arctic. Research on polar bears in Canada supports commitments under the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears (1973), the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), and Canada’s Species at Risk Act (2002). Among Canada’s 13 polar bear subpopulations, only WH has sufficient long-term monitoring of individuals to assess demographic, behavioural, and life history consequences of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. Future research should continue to ask key questions on how long-term environmental changes impact the ecology of polar bears. Integrating community priorities into the research program is necessary for it to continue to be successful in the future.

The neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography has stimulated much research in community ecology. Here, exact results are used to apply neutral model predictions to large regional samples. Three complementary neutral models are presented: the Ewens canonical neutral model, a model of subdivided ecological communities, and a “diversity begets diversity” neutral model. For all three models, an exact sampling formula is provided, and a new R package neutr, is presented. This package is used to fit species abundances from regional inventories of tropical forest trees in the Amazon, tropical Africa and Southeast Asia. It is shown that the neutral models fit well empirical data for all but the few most abundant species (from 6 to 40 depending on the continent). When the parameter θ is taken as an index or regional diversity, the Amazonia and Southeast Asia emerge with similar regional diversities (θ = 654 for Amazonia, versus θ = 726 for Southeast Asia), with a less diverse tropical African tree flora (θ = 219). The model infers 10,141 tree species with at least 50 individuals in Amazonia, 3477 in tropical Africa and 9915 in Southeast Asia. The spatially subdivided neutral model provides clear evidence for a spatial substructure in all three regional floras. These results show how neutral models are useful to explore regional patterns of species abundance and to provide insights about regional species pools.

The article reports on a series of initiatives by the Swiss Ornithological Station, including the implementation of a project named "A New Dawn for Birds," which has successfully transformed a large land into high-quality habitats for threatened bird species. It discusses the role of technology, such as GPS transmitters, in monitoring bird migrations and improving ecological knowledge.

El verano de 2022 se distinguió por ser una de las peores temporadas de incendios en la Europa Mediterránea debido a las repetidas olas de calor con temperaturas que superaron los 40ºC, resultando en incendios de gran magnitud, especialmente en España, donde se registraron incendios superiores a las 30.000 ha. En Aragón, el año 2022 fue también excepcional con 20.260 ha quemadas, ocho veces la media anual de 2005-2021, ocurriendo dos de los mayores incendios dentro del registro con datos. Históricamente, los grandes incendios en Aragón son principalmente de origen natural; sin embargo, desde 2010 se aprecia un cambio en las causas hacia grandes incendios más vinculados con actividades antrópicas, comportamiento que se acentúa en 2022. La temporada de incendios de 2022 en Aragón ha subrayado la necesidad de una mejor comprensión del riesgo de incendio y sus factores subyacentes, en línea con la demanda por parte de la comunidad científica de una gestión más eficiente del combustible y el territorio para afrontar futuros episodios de incendios extremos.

En este artículo se presenta brevemente la evolución de los centros de investigación del CSIC que dieron lugar a la creación del Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE). La Estación de Estudios Pirenaicos, creada en 1942, se transformó muy poco después en el Instituto de Estudios Pirenaicos (IEP), dirigido por los profesores Luis Solé Sabarís y José Manuel Casas Torres y con sede en el Departamento de Geografía de la Universidad de Zaragoza. Ellos fueron los organizadores de numerosas reuniones, de congresos internacionales sobre el Pirineo y los impulsores de la revista Pirineos. En 1963 se creó en Jaca el Centro Pirenaico de Biología Experimental bajo la dirección del Dr. Enrique Balcells Rocamora, con Pedro Montserrat Recoder actuando como vicedirector. En 1968 el IEP se trasladó a Jaca, con Enrique Balcells también como director. A partir de 1983 la fusión de los dos centros de investigación dio lugar al IPE. Se explica la evolución científica de los doctores Balcells y Montserrat, algunos de sus rasgos personales y el legado que transmitieron a otros científicos más jóvenes. Ese legado es responsable de la buena parte de la actual filosofía científica del IPE y que puede resumirse en la integración de las actividades humanas a diferentes escalas espaciales y temporales para explicar la evolución de los paisajes de montaña y su dinámica en un contexto de Cambio Global.

Estudiamos la migración pos nupcial de aves a través de los Pirineos en los puertos de montaña de Somport y Portalet durante 2016 y 2017. Se siguieron cuatro especies: (aves planeadoras) abejero europeo Pernis apivorus, milano negro Milvus migrans y aves batiendo alas, aleteadoras o remeras (avión común Delichon urbicum y golondrina común Hirundo rustica). Las planeadoras utilizaron las horas centrales del día para migrar debido a los flujos térmicos. Las aleteadoras evitaron los fuertes vientos. El abejero europeo migra desde mediados de agosto hasta mediados de septiembre, el milano negro desde mediados de julio hasta mediados de agosto, el avión común desde finales de julio hasta finales de septiembre y la golondrina común desde finales de agosto hasta mediados de octubre. La selección de la dirección del viento es diferente en cada especie. La temperatura es el factor meteorológico más relevante que explica su migración.

Herbivorous subterranean rodents, such as Ctenomys mendocinus (tuco-tuco), have a significant impact on vegetation cover and composition. This study aimed to examine the indirect influence of tuco-tucos on bird populations and assemblages in the southernmost region of the desert Puna. In a shrub-steppe community, at an altitude of between 3,000 and 3,100 m.a.s.l., bird surveys were conducted from February 2001 to October 2004. Transects of 50 m in length and 40 m in width were established: 56 located in highly disturbed patches and 53 in patches with low disturbance by tuco-tucos. Our results show that areas with higher disturbance by tuco-tucos are associated with a decrease in bird abundance (93 individuals in disturbed areas vs. 226 in undisturbed areas) and lower species richness (6 species in disturbed areas vs. 11 in undisturbed areas).

El Parque Nacional Sierra de las Nieves se sitúa en un espacio geográfico hotspot del cambio global. Este espacio presenta una gran variedad de paisajes eco-geomorfológicos, siendo el menos estudiado el situado por encima de 1.600 m.s.n.m., con rasgos bioclimáticos de alta montaña y uso humano prolongado. Este trabajo estudia las relaciones eco-geomorfológicas y edáficas en este sector, mediante la realización de un inventario eco-geomorfológico y muestreo y análisis de propiedades edáficas a lo largo de un transecto longitudinal, en una depresión de laderas calcáreas y presencia de cárcavas de fondo. Los resultados evidencian la falta de relación estadística entre las variables consideradas, lo que manifiesta la existencia de un patrón eco-geomorfológico que podría ser similar al de las islas de fertilidad, característica de ambientes semiáridos, a consecuencia de las condiciones bioclimáticas y el impacto del uso humano heredado. Este hallazgo deberá ser investigado con mayor detenimiento en futuros trabajos.

Este estudio contribuye al análisis de la etnozoonimia local desde una perspectiva multidisciplinar. Tras el trabajo de encuestación etnográfica y la revisión de literatura científica durante los años 2021/2023 se ha registrado el conocimiento tradicional y etnozoológico de la comarca. Así se han obtenido 392 zoónimos de 183 especies animales (180 identificadas y 3 constituyendo grupos no determinados aún). Los resultados del análisis indican que el 59,7 1% de los zoónimos presentan lexemas, prefijos o sufijos euskéricos, varios de los cuales se comparten entre los distintos animales estudiados y que el 84,7 % de dichos animales presentan multiplicidad de zoónimos. Además, tras la clasificación etnográfica de los mismos se obtiene que las categorías más destacadas son las relativas a los fisiozoónimos y a los onomazoónimos. Se concluye con una evaluación de la evolución, en razón de la pérdida o conservación de estos nombres comunes atendiendo a la contextualización antropológica y zoológica local.

El presente trabajo analiza los eventos deportivos organizados en Parques y Reservas Naturales de Chile entre los años 2017 y 2022. Los objetivos de esta investigación son identificar la cantidad y evolución de eventos deportivos, así como describir sus características. A partir de la información obtenida de la Corporación Nacional Forestal, complementada con la búsqueda de datos secundarios adicionales. Los resultados muestran un incremento en la organización de eventos, con una mayor concentración en la zona sur del país. Las carreras de montaña y bicicletas de montaña fueron las modalidades predominantes, concentrándose principalmente en los meses de primavera y verano, incluyendo recorridos múltiples y de larga distancia. Los resultados subrayan la necesidad de implementar medidas de gestión para asegurar un equilibrio entre el uso recreativo y la conservación en áreas protegidas.

The mangrove land cover is undergoing unprecedented anthropization. The main objective of this study is to map and quantify the dynamics of land cover in the Moanda Mangrove Marine Park between 2002 and 2020. Specifically, it aims to: (i) assess the annual rate of change in the mangrove land cover; (ii) estimate the influence of wood energy on the decline in mangrove forest area; and (iii) propose measures for the sustainable management of the Mangrove Marine Park forest. The study method is a combination of field survey, diachronic analysis of Landsat images and statistical analysis. The very good correspondence between the classification results and field reality was justified by the Kappa value (0.81) and overall accuracy (82.4%). The diachronic analysis of satellite images showed the regression of areas covered by forest classes in favor of the anthropogenic activities, herbaceous mangroves and the savannah. The annual deforestation rate in the Moanda Mangrove Marine Park is estimated at around 0.07%. The result points to the heavy dependence of coastal households in Moanda on fishing (31%), agriculture (26%) and charcoal production (22%), all of which put pressure on the natural resources of the Mangrove Marine Park. Promoting an integrated approach and techniques for the sustainable use of natural resources is an effective way of combating deforestation in the Moanda Mangrove Marine Park.

This article proposes a reading of the relation between ecology and pedagogy in French schools of architecture and landscape. It retraces the lengthy path to integrating ecology into schools, while highlighting the impetus generated by teacher networks set up to address these issues in the 2000s. Further, it describes how social, economic and political changes in favor of ecology have influenced architectural studies. Finally, drawing on the activities of the EnsaÉco scientific and educational network, trends in environmental transition education are described, both in terms of content and teaching methods.

Following decades of rapid industrialization and urbanization, China has committed to sustainable development by defining its own strategy, focusing on technological innovation and industrial modernization. While major urban areas have substantial resources in terms of manpower, materials, and finances to adapt to this shift, small towns in more remote regions do not have the same advantages. How can local governments of small towns adopt a territorial development strategy that effectively balances the competing priorities of productivity and environmental sustainability? This study examines the strategies adopted by two successive municipal administrations in Xianju, a small town in a remote area of eastern China, in light of the major challenges faced by Chinese municipalities: a strong focus on productivity, asymmetrical decentralization, and a persistent structural budget deficit. The research methodology included 50 interviews with a wide range of local stakeholders and analysis of documentary sources. The findings reveal an incremental and adaptable strategy employed by municipal officials in Xianju to establish a "green development" model that aligns with party-state expectations while supporting their career advancement. Although this model fosters job creation and helps counter the negative impacts of unregulated industrialization, it also risks generating new social and environmental inequalities.

This article analyzes viral environmentalist videos on YouTube. To do so, it observes the rise of the term “viral video” in the media and examines virality from a lexical point of view. Then, virality is connected with temporality in reference to an epidemiology of cultural representations on one hand, and with the discourse of knowledge transmission, on the other hand. The material characteristics of the corpus are then described, which shows one aspect of the virality of these videos, and the content of popularization and environmentalist discourse and the scenography of these videos are finally explained, which presents another aspect of virality.

This article explores how social, political and ecological issues precipitated by a cholera pandemic are not only dramatized in Mary Shelley’s novel, The Last Man (1826), but also how these reflect the continued radicalization of her own life and ideas. I want therefore to argue for a reading of the novel that goes beyond its obvious dystopian dimensions. In particular, in a striking reversal, how the plague triggers not chaos, confusion and conflict, but opens up utopian spaces for active cooperation and political engagement. Instead of merely being a story of ineluctable human extinction, Mary Shelley offers a more challenging diagnosis of worldwide contagion and its historical implications.

The article examines Gregory Bateson’s contributions to the emergence of Ecocriticism. The starting point of my study is his position paper Style, Grace, and Information in Primitive Art, presented in the Summer of 1967, which deals with the image of a Balinese funerary procession that took place in 1937. In this paper, Bates shows the difficulty of relating the American concept of “cultural pattern”, developed in the 1930s, to an ornamental Balinese art production. This art emerged under colonial conditions in dialogue and exchange with an avant-garde colony of artists and their primitivist notions of original ornamental art. Based on a recontextualization of the image studied by Bateson, I propose an alternative interpretation.

As an alternative to a model of world literature complicit with global capitalism and its ecological destruction, critics have proposed the ‘planetary turn’ to name the emergence of a mode of thinking capable of accommodating both social and ecological diversity. Global relationality in this context is understood not only as connectivity between different cultures but also that between the human and the non-human, and emphasizes not only cultural differences and interactions but also our deep embeddedness in and reliance on the ecological environment. Planetary thinking champions the dynamic entanglement between manifold peoples and cultures at the same time as it insists on the connections between the human and the physical world. This article focuses on the ways in which francophone postcolonial North African poetry also betrays a peculiar attentiveness at once to cultural hybridization and to the riches of the ecological landscape. The Moroccan Abdellatif Laâbi and the Tunisian Tahar Bekri are contemporary writers whose poetry has combined, over the last forty years or so, a passion for multilingualism and cultural exchange with a fascination with the singular plant life they discover at home and abroad. Both use both French and Arabic, though most of their work is in French, and write against the forces of oppression left by the legacies of colonialism in part by celebrating transculturality. Both also evoke a form of intimate communion with the ecological environment, and portray it as a force with agency in order to condemn the history of ecological destruction. Their ‘ecocosmopolitan’ poetry in this way proposes a salutary communality that responds in far-reaching ways to human mastery and oppression as it acts both on cultural difference and on the delicate ecology of planet.

Introductive notes on "Ecology and Revolution" by Herbert Marcuse It is presented here the first Italian translation of Ecology and Revolution, a discourse held by Herbert Marcuse in Paris, in June 1972, during a round table with other important intellectuals. The critical theorist shows the anti-ecological logic of the capitalist development and reflects on the possibility of the newly born environmental movement to face against it. In particular, he highlights the subjective sides of such existential revolt, rooted in the vital impulse of Eros and satisfiable only into a post-capitalist eco-aesthetic society.

Deep or Social Ecology? A Debate from Herbert Marcuse Marcuse After comparing the different perspectives of ‘Deep Ecology’ and ‘Social Ecology,’ the essay proceeds to analyze the Andrew Light’s proposal. Particular attention is paid to the role that Light believes Marcusian theory of nature and society could play to recompose the different perspectives.

This investigation analyzes an Eastern inspired educational experiment: Auroville, in India, near Pondicherry. This education does not propose a homogeneous and teleologically oriented progression, but rather an open exploration of several universes, in order to introduce students to an uncertain world. The idea would be to devise an alternative, ecological, spiritual model, which would take shape in an academic archipelago, where each school would take the form of small aurovillages, on the model of the utopian society of Auroville, with the creation of a solar kitchen, a medicine by sound, and a culture garden, in order to focus on political ecology. This thought experiment is also accompanied by critical considerations to show the intrinsic limits of such a model, which could nevertheless inspire some boldness in rethinking contemporary education systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution examines the circulation of ideas and the exchange of experience that takes place in the fields of artistic production and cultural dissemination. Art and its possible variations not only raise awareness of ecological causes, but also educate and even involve us in changing our consumption and lifestyle habits. These transformations are possible thanks to the convocation of imagination and discourse centered on eco-events designed to welcome the public through concrete and symbolic means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Carnets: Revue Electronique d'Etudes Françaises / Revista Electrónica de Estudos Franceses is the property of Associacao Portuguesa de Estudos Franceses (APEF) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of African & Mediterranean Journal of Architecture & Urbanism (AMJAU) is the property of Ecole Nationale d'Architecture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Resterilizable medical devices go through a washing process, where the temperature/duration pairing usually comply with an A0=3000 factor. In the context of energy tensions, we aimed to determine the most energy-efficient pairing. Method: We modeled the curve corresponding to the equation controlling the A0 = 3000 factor, then select the pairs to be measured, corresponding to the curve's inflection points. We installed a multimeter to measure the power consumption of our washer. Power consumption was computer-modeled, and the lowest point of the curve was determined. Results: The power consumption of our washer follows a polynomial curve of equation 32.043.x² - 5875.3.x + 276555 (R=0.993). The lowest point on the curve corresponds to the 92°/190s couple, with lower power consumption than the 93°/180 s couple currently used in service (p < 0.05). With over 1990 cycles per year and a cost reduction of almost 30%, the potential saving would be €915. Discussion: We were able to determine the most economical pairing in terms of power consumption on our washer. Further measurements are to be carried out on our other washers, to determine whether the results observed are also applicable to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Societe et Environnement is the property of Les Presses Agronomiques de Gembloux and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study is anchored by the notion of ecopoetry, which is part of the general issue of ecology. Seen less as a simple literary representation of nature, but as the art of experiencing its presence, this concept makes the poet an informed ecologist who works to defend nature in peril and raise human awareness of its protection. In this sense, the stylistic reading of L’Être, le désêtre et le non-être (2000) and Yah et Môni (2014) by Charles Nokan shows that poetic language is an echo of nature through the construction of an entire linguistic ecosystem. By mobilizing rhythm, image, allegory and anthropomorphization, the poet reveals that nature makes his senses vibrate. He also proposes an imaginary to reinvent this world.

Territorial transition in southern countries seems to have a distinctive aspect in comparison to northern countries, as it is governed by a dual challenge. On one hand, to regulate unrestrained urbanisation and, on the other hand, to maintain the principles of sustainability promoted on an international scale. In this article, we focus on the interaction between the two main pillars of sustainability, namely the social and the environment, and in particular on the degree of citizen involvement in processes regarding conservation of natural areas within their cities. Therefore, we question the modalities of territorial transition within theoretical and empirical frameworks for the case of the cities of Duitama in Colombia and Setif in Algeria. Two cities situated in southern countries, amid territorial transition, with rather similar geographical and natural characteristics, yet with very different social conditions. Through a comparative study it is possible to comprehend the diversity of social practices towards protecting the environment in these urban areas. The aim of this study is to understand how the inhabitants of these towns are currently involved in environmental protection, and their potential involvement in the ecological transformation that these two territories will undergo in the future.

Having appeared in 2002 in the author's suburban garden, a single plant of Dactylorhiza fuchsii gave rise, by April-May 2023, to a population of 764 plants in a vegetative state, of which 32% were flowering in June. The generative dispersal of the orchid throughout the lawn suggests that the symbiotic fungus is also present everywhere in the soil. The ecology of the orchid is discussed, taking into account the rather acid and by no means calcareous nature of the oligotrophic soil of the garden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ethnologie Française is the property of Presses Universitaires de France and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The countryside has long been a source of inspiration for literature in France, a country where the idea of nature is linked to nature as worked by man. The rural world was a central theme in pastoral and regionalist novels, which offered an idealized vision of the «Petits pays». Freed from old clichés, the countryside is (re)finding its place in contemporary literature. However, this literature appears within the context of a different relationship to nature: ecology has become a major issue, and «the environment» has now replaced «the countryside». This reality forces us to take a closer look at ecopoetics, the study of literature as it relates to the environment.In this article, Laure Coppieters presents the ecopoetic approach in contrast to American ecocriticism. This comparison leads us to precise the specificity of a particularly French approach. As one of the merits of ecopoetics is that it has opened up the corpus, Laure Coppieters then analyses environmental texts focusing on the rural world. She looks at a series of works by authors ranging from J. Giono to G. Koenig, through P. Gascar, J-L. Trassard, C. Hunzinger and others. This representative overview is an opportunity to discover the development of environmental literature: the emergence of «green» literature, «brown» literature and militant literature. Particular attention is paid to the importance that ecopoetics attaches to the creative act of writing.

Italo Calvino’s The Cosmicomics, despite its pluralistic openness to multiple critical interpretations by various theoretical and conceptual frameworks including post-humanism, science-fiction studies, postmodernism and many more, deals with the fundamental issue of the human’s physical and conceptual inseparability from Nature or the cosmos. The human’s inseparability from the non-humans (including animals, vegetation and inanimate matters) has profound ecological implications. What Calvino establishes in the mentioned text is the human’s inevitable and unconditional inclusion in Nature rather than his self-proclaimed, physical/conceptual exclusion from the same. This is vindicated by the fictional illustrations in the text in which the ‘human’ is posited as a mere member of the ecosystem, and not as its master. In this context, this article endeavours to explore and analyze the said ecological implications of the mentioned work in the light of some the established ecological theories and postulations.