Search

The paper has the aim of reflect on the current situation of the Lake Chad Basin, characterized by the increasing Humanitarian Situation , determined not more only from the water crisis, but from the progressive presence of terrorist militias of the fundamentalist group Boko Haram. Indeed, today, environmental and social degradation of forests, increasingly advanced, the increasing salinization of soils, the proliferation of aquatic vegetation, the high concentration of population around the lake and wetlands exacerbate exploitation of resources and stir up the anarchist social conflicts. Scholars therefore speak of climate refugees, who face not only climate change, but also international terrorism . In the realization of the paper we will use the Human Development Index ( HDI ), the Human Poverty Index ( HPI ) and the Global Hunger Index referring to countries bordering Lake Chad, in order to better understand the phenomena under investigation

International audience; Terraced landscapes are increasingly considered as valuable cultural, social, and environmental systems. However, we could attribute the loss of most of these landscapes and their tangible and intangible heritages to the abandonment or degradation of these areas that could be valorised and protected. The main goals of this study are providing a methodology and tools to analyse traditional terraced landscapes integrating spatial analysis with socio-economic analysis and suggesting operational or political proposals to reduce the abandonment of agricultural terraces. The selected study area is the olive-growing area in the municipality of Trevi (Umbria Region, Italy). This study’s innovative contribution is its methodology composed of two main steps: construction of an integrated and open database followed by launch of a participatory planning process. The results show that the main weakness of the conservation of the olive-growing landscape is the profitability level of olive oil production and sale. Some measures need to be implemented to address these issues, and a joint public and private effort is required. On the one hand, public institutions should provide direct funding and incentives, and on the other, consumers should be willing to pay more for extra-virgin olive oil with landscaped value. Moreover, nomination for inscription into UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a cultural landscape, advocated by local institutions, could generate useful synergies to implement efficient collective marketing policies, which are particularly demanded by olive growers.

An increasing number of scientists as well as the public discuss the spread of invasive alien species that replace local species. One of such species is Sosnowsky’s hogweed that creates problems to land owners and managers as well as local residents in Rezekne municipality.The aim of the paper is to assess expert opinions on the application of control methods for Sosnowsky’s hogweed in Rezekne municipality. To achieve the aim, the following specific research tasks were set: 1) to describe the situation with the spread of Sosnowsky’s hogweed in Rezekne municipality; 2) to identify the most effective methods of control for Sosnowsky's hogweed and their application in Rezekne municipality by employing the expert method.Research methods used: monographic, descriptive, analysis, synthesis, data grouping and a sociological method – an expert survey/interview. Kendall’s W was employed to analyse the extent of agreement among the experts.The research results showed that in general the experts were quite unanimous (W=0.59) and regarded the combined method, chemical control (application of herbicides) and soil tillage as the most effective methods to control Sosnowsky's hogweed. Also, the experts supposed that land owners and managers in Rezekne municipality did not choose the most effective and efficient control methods for Sosnowsky's hogweed.The paper has been elaborated with the financial support of Rezekne Academy of Technologies provided through a research grant.