1. Characterization factors to assess land use impacts on pollinator abundance in life cycle assessmentElizabeth M. Alejandre, Laura Scherer, Jeroen B. Guinée, Marcelo A. Aizen, Matthias Albrecht, Mario V. Balzan, Ignasi Bartomeus, Danilo Bevk, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: While wild pollinators play a key role in global food production, their assessment is currently missing from the most commonly used environmental impact assessment method, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This is mainly due to constraints in data availability and compatibility with LCA inventories. To target this gap, relative pollinator abundance estimates were obtained with the use of a Delphi assessment, during which 25 experts, covering 16 nationalities and 45 countries of expertise, provided scores for low, typical, and high expected abundance associated with 24 land use categories. Based on these estimates, this study presents a set of globally generic characterization factors (CFs) that allows translating land use into relative impacts to wild pollinator abundance. The associated uncertainty of the CFs is presented along with an illustrative case to demonstrate the applicability in LCA studies. The CFs based on estimates that reached consensus during the Delphi assessment are recommended as readily applicable and allow key differences among land use types to be distinguished. The resulting CFs are proposed as the first step for incorporating pollinator impacts in LCA studies, exemplifying the use of expert elicitation methods as a useful tool to fill data gaps that constrain the characterization of key environmental impacts.
Keywords: pollinator abundance, ecosystem service, Delphi expert elicitation, agriculture, impact assessment
Published in DiRROS: 12.07.2024; Views: 30; Downloads: 15
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2. Evolution of RMA in SloveniaPrimož Petek, Tjaša Baloh, Vanda Baloh, 2024, independent scientific component part or a chapter in a monograph Abstract: This chapter outlines the research management and administration (RMA) as a profession and work field in Slovenia. Thus, we present an overview of the Slovenian research system, describing how this system has evolved over time. In addition, we explain the emerging need for RMA skills, including its self-organisation component and the challenges that lie ahead. A section is dedicated to Slovenian RMA demographics using RAAAP-2 and RAAAP-3 surveys. The conclusions of the chapter focus on a forecast for the future of RMA in Slovenia and several possible paths to follow for its community.
Keywords: Slovenia, research management and administration, professionalisation, KOsRIS II, RAAAP, research ecosystem
Published in DiRROS: 30.04.2024; Views: 310; Downloads: 124
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3. Urban greenspaces and nearby natural areas support similar levels of soil ecosystem servicesDavid J. Eldridge, Haiying Cui, Jingyi Ding, Miguel Berdugo, Tadeo Sáez-Sandino, Jorge Duran, Juan J. Gaitan, José L. Blanco-Pastor, Alexandra Rodríguez, César Plaza, Tine Grebenc, Tina Unuk Nahberger, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Greenspaces are important for sustaining healthy urban environments and their human populations. Yet their capacity to support multiple ecosystem services simultaneously (multiservices) compared with nearby natural ecosystems remains virtually unknown. We conducted a global field survey in 56 urban areas to investigate the influence of urban greenspaces on 23 soil and plant attributes and compared them with nearby natural environments. We show that, in general, urban greenspaces and nearby natural areas support similar levels of soil multiservices, with only six of 23 attributes (available phosphorus, water holding capacity, water respiration, plant cover, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and arachnid richness) significantly greater in greenspaces, and one (available ammonium) greater in natural areas. Further analyses showed that, although natural areas and urban greenspaces delivered a similar number of services at low (>25% threshold) and moderate (>50%) levels of functioning, natural systems supported significantly more functions at high (>75%) levels of functioning. Management practices (mowing) played an important role in explaining urban ecosystem services, but there were no effects of fertilisation or irrigation. Some services declined with increasing site size, for both greenspaces and natural areas. Our work highlights the fact that urban greenspaces are more similar to natural environments than previously reported and underscores the importance of managing urban greenspaces not only for their social and recreational values, but for supporting multiple ecosystem services on which soils and human well-being depends.
Keywords: soil, ecosystem services, urban forests
Published in DiRROS: 17.04.2024; Views: 267; Downloads: 111
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4. A new approach towards a user-driven coastal climate service to enhance climate resilience in European citiesRoberta Paranunzio, Iulia Anton, Elisa Adirosi, Tasneem Ahmed, Luca Baldini, Carlo Brandini, Filippo Giannetti, Cécil J. W. Meulenberg, Alberto Ortolani, Francesco Pilla, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Coastal climate services play a crucial role in developing customised climate information for diverse end-users and stakeholders. To build climate-resilient societies, decision-makers should be empowered through easy access to powerful tools that enable timely adaptation to future and ongoing hazards. For this reason, fit-for-purpose climate services are needed to conduct accurate historical characterisation and projections for interpretative studies on climate- and water-related risks at the local coastal scale. The EU-funded SCORE project (Smart Control of Climate Resilience in European Coastal Cities) utilises climate and marine services for the development of smart technologies that support nature-based solutions to address specific concerns, including rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and coastal flooding due to extreme weather events. As part of the SCORE project, decision-makers will be able to address climate change-related coastal effects in their own cities through novel participatory approaches (Coastal City Living Labs—CCLLs). As part of this framework, this work (i) discusses the main requirements for the identification of fit-for-purpose coastal climate services for local-scale impact studies in European coastal cities based on CCLL requests and prior knowledge and (ii) provides relevant parameters and features that fulfil the users’ needs.
Keywords: ecosystem, ecosystem services, climate change adaptation, coastal climate service, urban areas, climate resilience, coastal hazards
Published in DiRROS: 05.01.2024; Views: 408; Downloads: 167
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5. Degradation and Stabilization of Polymer MaterialsBranka Mušič, Andrijana Sever Škapin, 2023, other scientific articles Keywords: polymer-based materials, nano, micro, and macro composites, effects on (micro) organisms and toxicity, impact on the ecosystem, mechanisms and products of accelerated aging and degradation, physical, chemical, mechanical, thermal, and morphological, analysis, biodegradability, sustainability, life cycle, renewable and recycled resources and the circular economy
Published in DiRROS: 21.12.2023; Views: 433; Downloads: 149
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10. Water - the future source of forestry income?Marek Trenčiansky, Martina Štěrbová, Jozef Výbošťok, Zuzana Dobsinska, Klára Báliková, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Keywords: water quality, forestry, forest ecosystem services, valuation of forest ecosystem services
Published in DiRROS: 05.10.2023; Views: 438; Downloads: 135
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