{"title":"Ageing of rural populations in Eastern Poland","authors":"I. Kiniorska, S. Pytel","doi":"10.2478/environ-2022-0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2022-0007","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract A demographic view of the ageing process of a population provides an assessmentof the degree of development of this phenomenon and its dynamics at a given time in a given area, such as an administrative unit, a country or other territory. In this study, the main research aim was to assess the demographic situation of rural areas in Eastern Poland in the context of an ageing population. Changes in both the number of people and the demographic structure of the population living in the region were analysed. The time period of the research covered the years 2008-2020. Statistical data used in the study were derived from the Local Data Bank of Statistics Poland. The assessment of the regional specificity of the processes of demographic changes in rural areas was based on the study of the relationships in the analyzed parameters, with the use of statistical measures defining the range of variability of the examined characteristics. In order to achieve the main aim of the study, a typology of the areas with a disturbed age structure was developed. Four groups of rural areas have been identified (labelled from A to D) which are characterised by varying degrees of advancement of the examined problem in 2020.","PeriodicalId":54005,"journal":{"name":"Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":"1 - 18"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46529867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alina Ohanisian, N. Levchenko, G. Shyshkanova, G. Abuselidze, V. Prykhodko, O. Banchuk-Petrosova
{"title":"Organic farms are the fundamental basis for the sustainable foreign economic activities of agrarians in Ukraine","authors":"Alina Ohanisian, N. Levchenko, G. Shyshkanova, G. Abuselidze, V. Prykhodko, O. Banchuk-Petrosova","doi":"10.2478/environ-2022-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2022-0011","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The article emphasizes the importance of organic production development in the agricultural sector of the Ukrainian economy and substantiates that one of the important priorities of agribusiness is organic production, which is mainly export-oriented, and therefore is the fundamental basis for the sustainability of the foreign economic activity of its farmers. An increase in organic production, in particular cattle products, is accompanied by additional methane emissions (but lower than those from nonorganic production), while Ukraine, having joined the Global Methane Pledge initiative to reduce methane emissions, has committed to taking measures to reduce its methane footprint and consequently the decision to invest and/or provide government support for development programs should be based on historical analysis using a decoupling approach. The trends of changes in the average annual livestock population, the livestock production volume and dynamics of methane emissions have been studied for the period of 1990-2019. A decoupling analysis has been carried out of the gap between trends of the economic growth rates of the livestock industry and the rates of anthropogenic pressure on the environment. The study demonstrated that the decoupling effect in cattle breeding has changed abruptly from strongly negative to weak decoupling. The dynamics of the export volume of dairy and meat products were analysed for the agribusiness of Ukraine during 2004-2021 and a forecast of changes in production volumes, as well as a forecast for the export volume of milk and beef were made for the period up to 2030.","PeriodicalId":54005,"journal":{"name":"Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":"49 - 61"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42891487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effects of urbanisation on food security in Africa: An overview and synthesis of the literature","authors":"B. Ngcamu","doi":"10.2478/environ-2022-0010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2022-0010","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The rapid and unplanned urbanisation in Africa has resulted in unprecedented and turbulent effects which include prolonged drought, massive floods, economic losses, increased food insecurity among small-scale and subsistence farmers and increased vulnerability because of rapid climate change. This has been exacerbated by the irrefutable fact that governments in Africa have been ill-prepared and incompetent to effectively deal with the adverse effects of increased urbanisation. In this light, in the overview of this literature study, the researcher set out to explore the theoretical underpinnings and empirical dimensions of the effects of urbanisation on food security in Africa. The study further captures, analyses, and synthesises the literature on best practice applied by governments in Africa in proactively responding to the effects of urbanisation on food security. Furthermore, patterns on the adverse effects of urbanisation relating to food security are unpacked from scholars, and various solutions investigated. This was achieved by rigorously reviewing eleven empirical and relevant journal which were selected from Google Scholar and ResearchGate. The interesting themes that emerged in this study include poor government interventions and decision-making processes, inadequate or absent land-use planning, and high incompetency levels among urban planners. This has led to environmental degradation and unsustainable food security as the result of prime agricultural land being used for infrastructure or housing developments. Solutions suggested for urban food insecurity include public–private partnerships, the alignment of policies with urban agriculture, participatory and strategic land-use planning, and the empowerment of women.","PeriodicalId":54005,"journal":{"name":"Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":"40 - 48"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48866025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
I. Goncharenko, I. Solomakha, V. Shevchyk, T. Dvirna, Igor Ya. Tymochko, V. Solomakha
{"title":"A phytoindicational assessment of the vegetation of afforestation belts in the Middle Dnipro Region, Ukraine","authors":"I. Goncharenko, I. Solomakha, V. Shevchyk, T. Dvirna, Igor Ya. Tymochko, V. Solomakha","doi":"10.2478/environ-2022-0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2022-0009","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract We performed a study of the vegetation of afforestation belts in the Middle Dnipro Region of Ukraine. These were planted to protect agricultural land from adverse climatic conditions. The syntaxonomy of these afforestation belts is, so far, embedded in the synanthropic class of Robinietea tree plantations, but over time, these may need another syntaxonomic solution. Based on the data, a phytoindicational assessment of these communities was performed. The ecological features of the vegetation of afforestation belts have been determined by the mutual influence of ecological factors of different origin, and the extent of these impacts. In particular, the climatic conditions and edaphic factors and also the peculiarities of the environment-forming influence of different dominant tree species in the main layers and the age of these plantations, which determines at different stages of sylvestral succession processes. According to our phytoindicational assessment, use of cluster analysis of these biotopes of afforestation belts, proved their considerable similarity taking into account all ecological factors, and the distribution is mainly due to the predominant tree species. As a result of ordination analysis, it was found that the factors that most correlate with the ordinal axes are light regime, soil nitrogen and humidity. Phytocoenoses of afforestation belts are a very specific component of the forest biome in this region, because they have been artificially created.","PeriodicalId":54005,"journal":{"name":"Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":"30 - 39"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44927245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The impact of urban morphology on transportation: a case study of the city of Al-Kut, Iraq","authors":"I. Jasim, Laheab A. Al-Maliki, S. K. Al-Mamoori","doi":"10.2478/environ-2022-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2022-0006","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study aims to cognize the current effects of land use decisions on traffic in the city centre and predict the future effects of these decisions. The researchers studied and analyzed the effect of changing land uses in the eastern part of Al-Kut city centre on traffic in the city centre. The study adopted the descriptive analytical approach based on the study area data and information. A field survey of the land uses that are most attractive to movement and another field survey of the traffic volume in the study area’s main streets. The study found that the transportation problems in the city centre will be exacerbated in the future due to the inappropriate position of many activities in the past two decades. All these changes attracted many transport trips and thus increased the volume of movement in the area. Kut city’s specificity exacerbated the problem as all the crossings between the two river banks are located in the city centre. This problem will be exacerbated in the future when Wasit University colleges are completed, and the number of transport trips to them increases and at completing the mall construction.","PeriodicalId":54005,"journal":{"name":"Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":"68 - 76"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45302119","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Spontaneous flora of O.V. Fomin Botanical Garden of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine","authors":"O. Shynder, V. Kolomiychuk, O. Melezhyk","doi":"10.2478/environ-2022-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2022-0004","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract For the first time we compiled a full checklist of the spontaneous flora of O.V. Fomin Botanical Garden of Taras Shevchenko National University, Kyiv. Native (281) and alien (243) taxa of the flora were analyzed. Among the alien species there are 115 xenophytes (including 71 archaeophytes and 44 neophytes), 128 ergasiophygophytes (including 3 archaeophytes and 125 neophytes). Four species of alien plants were listed for the first time for the flora of Ukraine: Arabis procurrens, Lactuca sibirica, Polanisia dodecandra subsp. trachysperma and Talinum paniculatum. It was found that the alien fraction of the flora is dominated by a stable component (54.7%), and among the ergasiophygophytes, most taxa (86.3%) are unstable components. Among the native plants, those species with a polyregional distribution predominate. This ratio is typical for transformed flora that have lost their natural structure. Among the alien species, the majority are sub-Mediterranean (43.6%), American (23.9%) and Asian (18.1%) in origin. In the biomorphological structure of the species of native plants perennial grasses predominate (65.3%), among xenophytes - annual grasses are dominant (74.8%), and among ergasiophygophytes perennial grasses predominate (43.8%). But despite the large number of alien plants in the botanical garden, their invasion can be mostly contained. The most widespread invasive plant is Parthenocissus vitacea, in addition, a number of potentially invasive plants need monitoring, in particular Parietaria officinalis, Phytolacca acinosa, Thladiantha dubia and some others. In addition, there is a list of introductions which have high naturalization rates and over time could replenish the composition of the spontaneous flora.","PeriodicalId":54005,"journal":{"name":"Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":"38 - 56"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44382775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The scars of war: A programme for the identification of the environmental effects of Word War II bombings for the purposes of spatial management in the Koźle Basin, Poland","authors":"J. M. Waga, M. Fajer, Bartłomiej Szypuła","doi":"10.2478/environ-2022-0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2022-0005","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Poland’s Koźle Basin contains numerous craters created from the explosions of World War II aerial bombs as well as craters left by unexploded ordnance. The state of the local environment has been severely affected. This situation presents an obstacle to spatial management of the land to this day. This research programme studied the distribution of postmilitary anthropogenic geohazards in the area. It was intended to help to indicate the appropriate courses of action, including in the field of spatial planning, in the areas affected by former bombing. Desk studies focused on photo-interpretive analysis of archival aerial photographs and took advantage of the potential of high-resolution shaded relief rasters created from digital terrain models derived from LiDAR scanning. Field studies used classic geomorphological methods. Studies conducted so far in the bombed areas indicate the necessity of carrying out systematic, anticipatory, accurate surveys of the land and soil surface with the use of geophysical methods. Currently, the traces identified in the field suggest that the amount of unexploded ordnance remaining in the ground is very large.","PeriodicalId":54005,"journal":{"name":"Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":"57 - 67"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42979735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"University campuses as agents for urban change","authors":"A. Mohammed, Tetsuya Ukai","doi":"10.2478/environ-2022-0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2022-0003","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Thanks to the leading role of universities in cities as knowledge and innovation hubs, many cities rely on their universities to face their economic and social challenges. On the other hand, universities need their cities to fulfil the capacity needed to satisfy student and staff needs for services and facilities. Therefore, the university-city relationship is considered to be intercorrelated and overlapping. However, due to the need for expansion, universities tend to move out and build larger campuses causing different trends of studentification and de-studentification in the city. These trends impact a city’s urban growth and transformation over time. This study analyses the impact of four different campuses of Kyushu University from 1993 to 2017 to understand the morphological impact of old and new campuses on their surroundings. A spacematrix and a mixed-use index were used to produce raster maps that helped to visualize temporal trends of urban density and the mixed use of functions in areas surrounding campuses. Results have shown that moved out campuses have the potential to impact the surrounding mixed use of functions. However, new campuses have the potential to impact a city’s urban density, therefore, trends in de-studentification can impact the campus-city functional relationship. Conversely, studentification trends can impact the campus-city physical relationship. Thus, university campuses could be considered as indirect agents that contribute to the urban physical and functional change of the city.","PeriodicalId":54005,"journal":{"name":"Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":"22 - 37"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47922923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Groundwater quality testing in the area of municipal waste landfill sites in Dąbrowa Górnicza (southern Poland)","authors":"Martyna Łukasik, D. Dąbrowska","doi":"10.2478/environ-2022-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2022-0002","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Groundwater quality assessment for pollution can be undertaken with the use of indicators that will confirm or deny the negative impact of potential pollution sources. Based on water quality monitoring data from the Lipówka I and Lipówka II municipal landfill sites in Dąbrowa Górnicza from the last five years, the water quality in the area was assessed using the Nemerow Pollution Index (NPI) method. Seven parameters were assessed – pH, electrical conductivity, and the concentrations of chlorides, sulphates, ammonium ions, boron and iron. The limits for class III water quality were used as the reference level. The results of the NPI calculations show that the highest indices were obtained for the piezometers PZ5 and T5 located in the outflow of the water from the Lipówka I landfill site. The highest values of the Nemerow index were obtained for ammonium ions and reached a value of over 36 in the PZ5 piezometer and 17 in the T5 piezometer. The other parameters did not indicate a significant impact of the landfill sites on the quality of groundwater. The highest values of the indicators were observed in 2017. It is worth noting that, apart from the large differences in the content of ammonium ions, the values of the Nemerow indices for the electrical conductivity specifically for the PZ5 piezometer are twice as high as for the other piezometers and four times higher than for boron. The Nemerow index is a useful and easy method of assessing the quality of groundwater. It can even be used for a small number of parameters.","PeriodicalId":54005,"journal":{"name":"Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":"13 - 21"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47028282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
P. Ty, Raphaël Marçon, Mucahid Mustafa Bayrak, Le Thi Hong Phuong
{"title":"The 2016 Vietnam marine life incident: measures of subjective resilience and livelihood implications for affected small-fishery communities","authors":"P. Ty, Raphaël Marçon, Mucahid Mustafa Bayrak, Le Thi Hong Phuong","doi":"10.2478/environ-2022-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2022-0001","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In April 2016, four provinces of Vietnam were struck by one of the largest manmade environmental incidents in Vietnam. Through a discharge of toxic chemicals by Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation, oceanic waters along Vietnam’s central coast were severely polluted. Consequently, the livelihoods of over 510,000 people living in coastal communities were severely affected by the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation incident (FHS incident). This study focusses on ex-ante and ex-post differences in livelihoods, and the subjective resilience of small-fishery households affected by the FHS incident in Hải Dương commune, a small coastal community, in central Vietnam. This was done through a qualitative analysis of livelihood strategies and resilience capacities of the affected households. Semi-structured interviews (n = 30), expert interviews (n = 3) and secondary data analysis were conducted from March to May 2018 employing a case study approach. Results show that the level of subjective resilience was strongly affected by a combination of social, financial, and human capitals. The presence, or lack, of these capitals combined with contextual factors influenced the livelihood strategies a household could pursue. Households that were able to pursue a combination of intensifying and diversifying livelihood strategies were most successful in recovering from and adjusting to the environmental incident. Households with restrained access to livelihood capitals were limited to intensifying livelihood strategies, having no real other option than persistence and increased dependence on government subsidies. Lastly, migration as a livelihood strategy and subsequent transformative resilience capacities remained generally low.","PeriodicalId":54005,"journal":{"name":"Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":"1 - 12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43877358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}