An Atlas of Past and Present Pollen Maps for Europe: 0-13000 Years Ago, and The Overlay Maps.

http://academic.oup.com/auk/article-pdf/104/4/794/30081688/auk0794.pdf

An atlas of past and Present Pollen Maps for Europe: 0-13000 Years Ago

The universal link planetary energetics photosynthesis heterotrophic conversations human energetics man as a simple heterotroph man as a solar farmer preindustrial complexification fossil fuels fossil-fuelled civilization energetics of food environmental implications energetic correlates grand patterns.

http://library.um.ac.id/free-contents/downloadpdf.php/buku/general-energetics-energy-in-the-biosphere-and-civilization-vaclav-smil-12423.pdf

General energetics : energy in the biosphere and civilization / Vaclav Smil)

Forests support human economy and well-being with multiple ecosystem services. In this paper, the ecosystem services generated in a mountainous forest area in North Italy were assessed in biophysical and monetary units. GIS was used to analyze and visualize the distribution and provision of different services. The assessment of ecosystem services in biophysical units was an important step to investigate ecosystem functions and actual service flows supporting socio-ecological systems. The Total Economic Value (TEV) of all the investigated ecosystem services was about 33 M€/yr, corresponding to 820 €/ha/yr. The provisioning services represented 40% of the TEV while the regulating and cultural services were 49% and 11%. The service of hydrogeological protection, particularly important in areas characterized by a high risk of avalanches and landslides, showed a major importance among the regulating services (81%) and within the TEV (40%). Results from mapping ecosystem services were useful in identifying and visualizing priority areas for different services, as well as exploring trade-offs and synergies between services. Finally, we argue that while a biophysical perspective can ensure a solid accounting base, a comprehensive economic valuation of all categories of forest ecosystem services can facilitate communication of their importance to policy makers.

Assessing, valuing, and mapping ecosystem services in Alpine forests

The fraction of total plant growth or net primary production (NPP) appropriated by humans, often referred to as human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP), is among the most widely used measures to assess the “human domination of Earth's ecosystems” ([1][1]). S. Rojstaczer et al. (“

Human Appropriation of Net Primary Production

Energy and emergy analysis for assessing changes in Polish agriculture since the accession to the European Union

Phytosociological analysis of non-forest communities was carried out on one of the oldest and the biggest military training grounds in Europe, located near the city of Torun, in central Poland. Heaths and psammophilous grasslands developed here as a result of deforestation of inland dunes in the valley of the Vistula River, as well as a result of destruction of soils and vegetation brought on by manoeuvres and artillery firings. They form a landscape mosaic with young self-seeding pines, mature pine forests and birch forests. Using the Braun-Blanquet method, 84 releves were made in the areas dominated by dwarf shrubs and 32 releves within psammophilous grasslands. Applying the classic phytosociological method, the following plant associations were distinguished in the first set of releves: Pohlio-Callunetum and Arctostaphylo-Callunetum , as well as the community with Cytisus scoparius . Within the psammophilous grasslands, two associations were distinguished: Spergulo vernalis-Corynephoretum and Calamagrostietum epigeji . In this paper, the heterogeneity within associations and communities was presented together with descriptions of individual syntaxa, as well as dynamic and developmental relationships between the aforementioned were identified.

/pdf/variability-of-the-structure-and-directions-in-the-sqy5hqxq5t.pdf

Variability of the structure and directions in the development of heaths and psammophilous grasslands within the artillery range near the city of Toruń

Environmental protection is often considered as competing with human activities and economic development. On the contrary, more innovative guidelines recommend nature conservation to be achieved without banning human activities but, instead, developing appropriate management practices aimed at joint economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The suitability of such management schemes should be evaluated through integrated assessment frameworks overcoming mono-dimensional metrics and criteria. In this study, we integrated different environmental accounting methods with life cycle and ecosystem services assessment to investigate the interplay of human activities and nature conservation in the Bory Tucholskie National Park (Poland). Indicators of environmental costs and impacts due to the exploitation of forest ecosystem services in the study area were calculated. In addition, the economic and ecological value of the main forest ecosystem services was assessed to explore the benefits gained in preserving stocks of natural capital while exploiting flows of eco- system services.

Integrating Environmental Accounting, Life Cycle and Ecosystem Services Assessment

Satellite imagery Landsat TM was used for the evaluation of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) on Zabory Landscape Park. On the basis of satellite imagery it was stated that spatial change of index is correlated with the range of forests in the past presented on old topographic maps and utilisation of the area. To define the influence of the previous land-use on NDVI value the comparison analyses was made on four sites. Two of them on areas which were deforested in the past and then reforested again at the end of 19th and 20th century. Two other sites were localised in areas where forest existence was not interrupted by the temporary agricultural usage of the area. It was stated that NDVI value on pine plantations on the post-agricultural soils is much lower than on pine forests on land that was not agricultural. Obtained index values for forest areas with a different history were compared to the defined in literature Chlorophyll Index values (CI) and states of green biomass in forest and peat bog communities of Zabory Landscape Park and NDVI values for pine plantations in wide geographical range.

The use of satellite remote sensing imagery for detection of secondary forests on post-agricultural soils : A case study of Tuchola Forest, Northern Poland

The paper presents the location and general description of habitats and plant communities with common milkweed occurring within the city limits of Torun. The data set comprised new localities of this species as well as those where Asclepias syriaca has been observed for several years but the sites have not been described in the ecological literature. Releves made at these sites were compared with those described by Puchalka et al. (2013) from three sites of Asclepias syriaca in Torun. A larger set of new sites included in the analysis allows for a more accurate description of the impact exerted by some ecological factors, e.g. afforestation, on the growth of the studied species. As evidenced by the new sites of Asclepias syriaca found recently in Torun and the surrounding area, it is necessary to monitor the dynamics of the population and to undertake the research on the impact of common milkweed on plant communities.

Andrzej Nienartowicz

Papers

Energy and emergy analysis for assessing changes in Polish agriculture since the accession to the European Union

Variability of the structure and directions in the development of heaths and psammophilous grasslands within the artillery range near the city of Toruń

Integrating Environmental Accounting, Life Cycle and Ecosystem Services Assessment

The use of satellite remote sensing imagery for detection of secondary forests on post-agricultural soils : A case study of Tuchola Forest, Northern Poland

New localities and habitat preferences of common milkweed Asclepias syriaca L. in Toruń (Central Poland)