Pub Date : 2025-02-11DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107549
Guglielmo Sonnino Sorisio , Andy Don , Jo Cable , Catherine A.M.E. Wilson
Culverts are high velocity barriers that pose a challenge for fish navigation. The high velocities generated within culverts have the potential to halt migrations and fragment habitats. Passage solutions for small, river resident, freshwater fish are scarce and eel tiles present a possible multi-species solution. In this study, moulded tiles designed to promote eel passage were mounted in a recirculating open channel flume, we quantified the associated hydrodynamics and assessed whether a sentinel species, the three spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) could navigate fixed flow conditions in the presence and absence of tiles, either alone or in shoals of three fish. The tiles produced a large reduction in streamwise velocity within them as well as around them and did so consistently for all flow conditions. The vertical and horizontal Reynolds shear stresses produced by the tiles was similar to canopy flow turbulence but the turbulent structures were not as discrete. The hydrodynamics of the tiles appear appropriate for fish passage due to the induced slow flow and moderate turbulence. The tiles significantly decreased impingement on the downstream flow straightener and exhaustion. Shoaling significantly increased passage, but in harsher local velocity conditions fish in shoals did not maintain cohesion. The tiles benefitted the fish by providing lower flow velocities but produced turbulence that in some cases destabilised the swimming fish. Despite this the tiles improved the swimming ability of minor species in areas where they would have otherwise become quickly exhausted.
{"title":"Evaluation of eel tile hydrodynamics and passage of a non-target shoaling species, the three spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)","authors":"Guglielmo Sonnino Sorisio , Andy Don , Jo Cable , Catherine A.M.E. Wilson","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107549","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107549","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Culverts are high velocity barriers that pose a challenge for fish navigation. The high velocities generated within culverts have the potential to halt migrations and fragment habitats. Passage solutions for small, river resident, freshwater fish are scarce and eel tiles present a possible multi-species solution. In this study, moulded tiles designed to promote eel passage were mounted in a recirculating open channel flume, we quantified the associated hydrodynamics and assessed whether a sentinel species, the three spined stickleback (<em>Gasterosteus aculeatus</em>) could navigate fixed flow conditions in the presence and absence of tiles, either alone or in shoals of three fish. The tiles produced a large reduction in streamwise velocity within them as well as around them and did so consistently for all flow conditions. The vertical and horizontal Reynolds shear stresses produced by the tiles was similar to canopy flow turbulence but the turbulent structures were not as discrete. The hydrodynamics of the tiles appear appropriate for fish passage due to the induced slow flow and moderate turbulence. The tiles significantly decreased impingement on the downstream flow straightener and exhaustion. Shoaling significantly increased passage, but in harsher local velocity conditions fish in shoals did not maintain cohesion. The tiles benefitted the fish by providing lower flow velocities but produced turbulence that in some cases destabilised the swimming fish. Despite this the tiles improved the swimming ability of minor species in areas where they would have otherwise become quickly exhausted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"213 ","pages":"Article 107549"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143388385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-11DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107546
Clare Escamilla , David R. Tyrpak , William H.J. Strosnider , Sarah A. White
The plant species established within floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) influence nutrient removal efficiency. To enhance adoption of FTWs by agricultural producers, both economic and ecological benefits from FTWs are needed to increase their use within irrigation retention reservoirs. Thus, we ascertained the feasibility of growing food crops in FTWs by evaluating two edible plant species to determine survivability and nutrient accumulation when grown in FTWs. We quantified plant growth (at saleable/harvestable size), nutrient uptake in root and shoot tissues, and overall nutrient removal efficiency of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) and Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) over a six- or eight-week period, respectively, with exposures to simulated irrigation return flow with moderate or high concentrations of nutrients present. Two cultivars of basil were mixed within each mesocosm to create a mixed planting design across the two fertilizer treatments and two types of Swiss chard (species and ‘Bright Lights’) were evaluated separately. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal efficiencies were calculated for a 7-day hydraulic retention time. Growth and nutrient removal efficiency were similar within each species. The average N removal rate was 0.077 and 0.19 g·m−2 day−1 for basil and 0.16 and 0.30 g·m−2 day−1 for the Swiss chard for moderate and high nutrient treatments, respectively. The average P removal rate was 0.015 and 0.036 g·m−2 day−1 for basil and 0.019 and 0.043 g·m−2 day−1 for Swiss chard for moderate and high nutrient treatments, respectively. Most nutrients were fixed within plant shoots. Multiple harvests throughout the growing season could potentially lead to increased profits and nutrient uptake. Additional research is needed to determine if higher nutrient reductions can be achieved through additional harvests, greater planting densities, or increased percent cover. Both basil and Swiss chard are promising plant selections for FTWs, pairing nutrient removal with marketable crop production.
{"title":"Basil and Swiss chard: Edible crops for use in floating treatment wetlands improving agricultural runoff","authors":"Clare Escamilla , David R. Tyrpak , William H.J. Strosnider , Sarah A. White","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107546","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107546","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The plant species established within floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) influence nutrient removal efficiency. To enhance adoption of FTWs by agricultural producers, both economic and ecological benefits from FTWs are needed to increase their use within irrigation retention reservoirs. Thus, we ascertained the feasibility of growing food crops in FTWs by evaluating two edible plant species to determine survivability and nutrient accumulation when grown in FTWs. We quantified plant growth (at saleable/harvestable size), nutrient uptake in root and shoot tissues, and overall nutrient removal efficiency of sweet basil (<em>Ocimum basilicum</em>) and Swiss chard (<em>Beta vulgaris</em>) over a six- or eight-week period, respectively, with exposures to simulated irrigation return flow with moderate or high concentrations of nutrients present. Two cultivars of basil were mixed within each mesocosm to create a mixed planting design across the two fertilizer treatments and two types of Swiss chard (species and ‘Bright Lights’) were evaluated separately. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal efficiencies were calculated for a 7-day hydraulic retention time. Growth and nutrient removal efficiency were similar within each species. The average N removal rate was 0.077 and 0.19 g·m<sup>−2</sup> day<sup>−1</sup> for basil and 0.16 and 0.30 g·m<sup>−2</sup> day<sup>−1</sup> for the Swiss chard for moderate and high nutrient treatments, respectively. The average P removal rate was 0.015 and 0.036 g·m<sup>−2</sup> day<sup>−1</sup> for basil and 0.019 and 0.043 g·m<sup>−2</sup> day<sup>−1</sup> for Swiss chard for moderate and high nutrient treatments, respectively. Most nutrients were fixed within plant shoots. Multiple harvests throughout the growing season could potentially lead to increased profits and nutrient uptake. Additional research is needed to determine if higher nutrient reductions can be achieved through additional harvests, greater planting densities, or increased percent cover. Both basil and Swiss chard are promising plant selections for FTWs, pairing nutrient removal with marketable crop production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"213 ","pages":"Article 107546"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-08DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107544
Zhongfa Zhou , Meng Zhu , Xiaopiao Wu , Rongping Liu , Jiale Wang , Jiaxue Wan , Jiajia Zheng
At present, the impact path and driving mechanism of increased forest carbon sequestration (CS) in the karst areas of southwestern China have not been clearly quantified. Quantifying the impact pathways and driving mechanisms of increased forest CS is a complex and important research field. By comparing typical karst and non-karst areas, we can gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and patterns of forest CS under different geographical and ecological conditions. This helps to develop more effective forest conservation and restoration strategies to address the challenges of global climate change and ecological crisis. Therefore, this study used random forest regression and structural equation modeling to select 14 latent variables based on 19,587 samples, including climate factor (CF), site environment (SC), human activity (HA) interference, and ecological engineering (EE), to study the key influencing factors and dominant driving pathways of forest CS change. The results indicate that forest restoration in karst areas is the main source of changes in vegetation carbon sequestration (VCS). Farmland (64.60 %), shrubs (27.83 %), and grasslands (7.57 %) were the main land types contributing to the transition to forest restoration. The trend of forest vegetation increase in karst ecologically fragile areas will gradually reach a stable state as the forest area saturates. Ecological engineering is the most direct and main driving force of forest vegetation restoration (VR) in karst areas, with an impact path coefficient of 0.62 (p < 0.01). Secondly, it's also directly influenced by anthropogenic interventions and climate change and indirectly negatively affected by the site environment. The order of impact was as follows: EE > HA > CF > SC. Although climatic conditions also had a positive impact on forest VR (0.093, p < 0.01), the short-term impact on CS changes during forest restoration in karst areas was not significant. The site environment indirectly affected the CS change of forest vegetation in karst areas by influencing human activities and then affecting the VR effect, with an impact path coefficient of −0.13 (p < 0.01). The results help us to understand more deeply the process of forest VR and CS changes in karst areas and the influence pathways of the driving factors, which can provide a reference basis for the regulation of CS in forest management.
{"title":"Quantifying the impact pathways and driving mechanisms of increased forest CS: A comparative study case from typical karst ecologically fragile and non-karst areas","authors":"Zhongfa Zhou , Meng Zhu , Xiaopiao Wu , Rongping Liu , Jiale Wang , Jiaxue Wan , Jiajia Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107544","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107544","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>At present, the impact path and driving mechanism of increased forest carbon sequestration (CS) in the karst areas of southwestern China have not been clearly quantified. Quantifying the impact pathways and driving mechanisms of increased forest CS is a complex and important research field. By comparing typical karst and non-karst areas, we can gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and patterns of forest CS under different geographical and ecological conditions. This helps to develop more effective forest conservation and restoration strategies to address the challenges of global climate change and ecological crisis. Therefore, this study used random forest regression and structural equation modeling to select 14 latent variables based on 19,587 samples, including climate factor (CF), site environment (SC), human activity (HA) interference, and ecological engineering (EE), to study the key influencing factors and dominant driving pathways of forest CS change. The results indicate that forest restoration in karst areas is the main source of changes in vegetation carbon sequestration (VCS). Farmland (64.60 %), shrubs (27.83 %), and grasslands (7.57 %) were the main land types contributing to the transition to forest restoration. The trend of forest vegetation increase in karst ecologically fragile areas will gradually reach a stable state as the forest area saturates. Ecological engineering is the most direct and main driving force of forest vegetation restoration (VR) in karst areas, with an impact path coefficient of 0.62 (<em>p</em> < 0.01). Secondly, it's also directly influenced by anthropogenic interventions and climate change and indirectly negatively affected by the site environment. The order of impact was as follows: EE > HA > CF > SC. Although climatic conditions also had a positive impact on forest VR (0.093, <em>p</em> < 0.01), the short-term impact on CS changes during forest restoration in karst areas was not significant. The site environment indirectly affected the CS change of forest vegetation in karst areas by influencing human activities and then affecting the VR effect, with an impact path coefficient of −0.13 (<em>p</em> < 0.01). The results help us to understand more deeply the process of forest VR and CS changes in karst areas and the influence pathways of the driving factors, which can provide a reference basis for the regulation of CS in forest management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"213 ","pages":"Article 107544"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143372987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107499
Guang Hao , Xiaoqin Chen , Zhibo Du , Nan Yang , Meiyang Li , Yue Gao , Jiaan Liang , Lei Chen , Hongyuan Li
Recent studies have explored changes in biodiversity and ecosystem function relationships in natural ecosystems under global climatic changes. However, little is known about whether these patterns and regulatory mechanisms can be applied to engineered ecosystems. On a green roof ecosystem, one of the most rapidly developing engineered ecosystems in recent years, we manipulated species richness and N addition, coupled with phylogenetic and functional analyses, to explore the determinants of green roof ecosystem function. Our results suggested that low N enrichment strengthened the positive relationships between species richness and ecosystem function. Species richness increased ecosystem function mainly by increasing phylogenetic diversity and functional dispersion of aboveground and belowground traits (niche complementarity effect). N enrichment directly increased ecosystem function, while it decreased ecosystem function through its negative effects on community weighted means of aboveground and belowground traits (mass ratio effect). Additionally, aboveground and belowground traits affected ecosystem function through different ways, and belowground traits played more direct roles than aboveground traits. Our findings emphasize that increasing the phylogenetic diversity (PD) and functional dispersion (FD) of traits could consistently improve ecosystem performance, irrespective of N enrichment. This study provides new insights into the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem function for engineered ecosystems under global climatic changes, which can help practitioners optimize the design and management of engineered ecosystems.
{"title":"Phylogenetic and functional diversity consistently increase engineered ecosystem functioning under nitrogen enrichment: The example of green roofs","authors":"Guang Hao , Xiaoqin Chen , Zhibo Du , Nan Yang , Meiyang Li , Yue Gao , Jiaan Liang , Lei Chen , Hongyuan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107499","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107499","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent studies have explored changes in biodiversity and ecosystem function relationships in natural ecosystems under global climatic changes. However, little is known about whether these patterns and regulatory mechanisms can be applied to engineered ecosystems. On a green roof ecosystem, one of the most rapidly developing engineered ecosystems in recent years, we manipulated species richness and N addition, coupled with phylogenetic and functional analyses, to explore the determinants of green roof ecosystem function. Our results suggested that low N enrichment strengthened the positive relationships between species richness and ecosystem function. Species richness increased ecosystem function mainly by increasing phylogenetic diversity and functional dispersion of aboveground and belowground traits (niche complementarity effect). N enrichment directly increased ecosystem function, while it decreased ecosystem function through its negative effects on community weighted means of aboveground and belowground traits (mass ratio effect). Additionally, aboveground and belowground traits affected ecosystem function through different ways, and belowground traits played more direct roles than aboveground traits. Our findings emphasize that increasing the phylogenetic diversity (PD) and functional dispersion (FD) of traits could consistently improve ecosystem performance, irrespective of N enrichment. This study provides new insights into the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem function for engineered ecosystems under global climatic changes, which can help practitioners optimize the design and management of engineered ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"212 ","pages":"Article 107499"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143165121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107486
Stefano Benvenuti
The success of wildflower strips for conserving pollinator biodiversity is often hampered by their poor sustainability, attributable to the short duration lifespan of the sown species. This three-year experiment aimed to: i) select the plant species that survived the agronomic disturbance practices implemented and ii) verify which crop management approach favoured their sustainability. Six experimental strips along the longest edges of the adjacent wheat crop were sown during the fall of 2019. The annual wildflower species that showed the best performances in emergence dynamics and seedling growth were some wildflowers derived from segetal weeds that are presently rare in conventional agroecosystems. The species Centaurea cyanus, Agrostemma githago, Glebionis coronaria among others attained the phenological stage of flowering most consistently, and also had the lowest mortality rates in the plant community studied. Despite preparing a stale seedbed, weeds were the most significant obstacle to the sustainability of the strips over time. Soil harrowing at the end of the summer lifecycle led to better plant survival performances (10.9 %) compared to senescent plant shredding (4.8 %). Harrowing also resulted in a greater wildflower survival the following year, as well as a higher number of pollinator visits. Honeybee visits were decreased by wildflower strip thinning over time, probably due to their typical constancy in the daily foraging choice for the same abundant species. A similar reduction was observed by the Lepidoptera. In contrast, generalist pollinators (i.e. Syrphidae, Bombyliidae, solitary bees and Coleoptera) were the least demanding pollinators in terms of the plant biodiversity of the sustainable wildflower strip. Harrowing led to a greater biodiversity of both wildflowers and pollinators (Shannon index, H′), and a lower weed dominance (Simpson index, D), compared to shredding. In summary, some segetal wildflowers could be incorporated into sustainable wildflower strips as they are self-seeding.
{"title":"Wildflower strips in the agroecosystem for pollinator biodiversity restoration: Which plant species are capable of self-seeding?","authors":"Stefano Benvenuti","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107486","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107486","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The success of wildflower strips for conserving pollinator biodiversity is often hampered by their poor sustainability, attributable to the short duration lifespan of the sown species. This three-year experiment aimed to: i) select the plant species that survived the agronomic disturbance practices implemented and ii) verify which crop management approach favoured their sustainability. Six experimental strips along the longest edges of the adjacent wheat crop were sown during the fall of 2019. The annual wildflower species that showed the best performances in emergence dynamics and seedling growth were some wildflowers derived from segetal weeds that are presently rare in conventional agroecosystems. The species <em>Centaurea cyanus</em>, <em>Agrostemma githago, Glebionis coronaria</em> among others attained the phenological stage of flowering most consistently, and also had the lowest mortality rates in the plant community studied. Despite preparing a stale seedbed, weeds were the most significant obstacle to the sustainability of the strips over time. Soil harrowing at the end of the summer lifecycle led to better plant survival performances (10.9 %) compared to senescent plant shredding (4.8 %). Harrowing also resulted in a greater wildflower survival the following year, as well as a higher number of pollinator visits. Honeybee visits were decreased by wildflower strip thinning over time, probably due to their typical constancy in the daily foraging choice for the same abundant species. A similar reduction was observed by the Lepidoptera. In contrast, generalist pollinators (i.e. Syrphidae, Bombyliidae, solitary bees and Coleoptera) were the least demanding pollinators in terms of the plant biodiversity of the sustainable wildflower strip. Harrowing led to a greater biodiversity of both wildflowers and pollinators (Shannon index, H′), and a lower weed dominance (Simpson index, D), compared to shredding. In summary, some segetal wildflowers could be incorporated into sustainable wildflower strips as they are self-seeding.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"212 ","pages":"Article 107486"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143165522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107510
Federico Preti , Cesare Crocetti , Severin Nijimbere , Jean Marie Vianney Nsabiyumva , Cyrille Hicintuka , Giulio Castelli
Burundi's landscapes are threatened by land degradation and erosion, like many other countries in Central Africa. Environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable technologies should be investigated to address the issue, and Soil and Water Bioengineering (SWBE) represents a suitable solution. This study describes the first-ever application of SWBE in the country, realized within the World Bank's Burundi Landscape Restoration and Resilience Project (PRRPB). An experimental installation of SWBE was implemented in the hilly Isare municipality (Colline) using the training sites method. The overall feasibility of the installation was evaluated through an analysis of the growth of the plants used – a botanic analysis - a transferability analysis and a cost analysis. The botanic monitoring highlighted that a relatively good survival rate was achieved at the site of the experimentation. The transferability analysis results showed minor constraints (mainly know-how on SWBE techniques and the availability of materials, qualified labor, and equipment and mechanical instruments) but no major ones. On the other hand, the presence of high botanical knowledge, jointly with the local biodiversity, and the economic advantages of SWBE, represent decisive factors that can guarantee successful transferability. In terms of costs of a sample SWBE technology (double crib wall), our results show a reduction of 42 % and 72 % in terms of Purchasing Power Parity $ (PPP$) for mechanical and manual excavation respectively, with reference to the cost of the same work in an EU country (Italy). In addition to this, such technology is much cheaper than a gabion wall (−25 % if the crib wall is installed with mechanical excavation; −105 % if with manual excavation) and a concrete wall (−326 % with mechanical excavation; −598 % with manual excavation). The results of this paper show that SWBE is potentially transferable to Burundi, allowing the solution of some of the land degradation problems in the country, specifically targeting small- to medium-sized landslides, and also to countries with similar landscapes and social settings. More experimental installations and more research on the barriers should be realized. The proposed approach can be replicated in any central African country endangered by erosion and landslides.
{"title":"Soil and Water Bioengineering (SWBE) in Africa: First experience and lessons-learned in Burundi","authors":"Federico Preti , Cesare Crocetti , Severin Nijimbere , Jean Marie Vianney Nsabiyumva , Cyrille Hicintuka , Giulio Castelli","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107510","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107510","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Burundi's landscapes are threatened by land degradation and erosion, like many other countries in Central Africa. Environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable technologies should be investigated to address the issue, and Soil and Water Bioengineering (SWBE) represents a suitable solution. This study describes the first-ever application of SWBE in the country, realized within the World Bank's Burundi Landscape Restoration and Resilience Project (PRRPB). An experimental installation of SWBE was implemented in the hilly Isare municipality (Colline) using the training sites method. The overall feasibility of the installation was evaluated through an analysis of the growth of the plants used – a botanic analysis - a transferability analysis and a cost analysis. The botanic monitoring highlighted that a relatively good survival rate was achieved at the site of the experimentation. The transferability analysis results showed minor constraints (mainly know-how on SWBE techniques and the availability of materials, qualified labor, and equipment and mechanical instruments) but no major ones. On the other hand, the presence of high botanical knowledge, jointly with the local biodiversity, and the economic advantages of SWBE, represent decisive factors that can guarantee successful transferability. In terms of costs of a sample SWBE technology (double crib wall), our results show a reduction of 42 % and 72 % in terms of Purchasing Power Parity $ (PPP$) for mechanical and manual excavation respectively, with reference to the cost of the same work in an EU country (Italy). In addition to this, such technology is much cheaper than a gabion wall (−25 % if the crib wall is installed with mechanical excavation; −105 % if with manual excavation) and a concrete wall (−326 % with mechanical excavation; −598 % with manual excavation). The results of this paper show that SWBE is potentially transferable to Burundi, allowing the solution of some of the land degradation problems in the country, specifically targeting small- to medium-sized landslides, and also to countries with similar landscapes and social settings. More experimental installations and more research on the barriers should be realized. The proposed approach can be replicated in any central African country endangered by erosion and landslides.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"212 ","pages":"Article 107510"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143165787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Free water surface flow constructed wetlands (FWS CWs) are widely utilized for nonpoint source pollution control and are greatly affected by seasonal variation. One of the key challenges is optimizing wetland design to ensure consistent performance throughout the year. To date, the impact of hydraulic performance on pollutant purification remains debated, and studies examining the correlation between their seasonal fluctuations are limited. This study conducted orthogonal experiments involving three categories of wetland parameters: geometric, hydraulic, and water quality parameters, to analyze the seasonal variability of the two wetland performance metrics. The results indicated that hydraulic performance presented high consistency across seasons and was more influenced by geometric and hydraulic parameters. Generally, FWS CWs with lower water depths and larger aspect ratios exhibited superior hydraulic performance. The purification effect for nitrogen showed obvious seasonal fluctuations, whereas phosphorus purification remained relatively stable. The concentration reduction efficiencies (CREs) of total nitrogen (TN) in Jun 2023, Sep 2023, and Dec 2023 were 16 % (±10 %), 19 % (±8 %), and 1 % (±9 %), respectively; for total phosphorus (TP), the CREs were 27 % (±11 %), 28 % (±16 %), and 16 % (±11 %). Both TN and TP CREs exhibited strong negative correlations with flow rate and influent nitrogen concentration, while load removal rates demonstrated strong negative correlations with water depth. There were few significant correlations between hydraulic performance and purification effect. It is recommended to use a parameter combination of a small aspect ratio, low water depth, and low flow rate to achieve stable purification effects year-round.
{"title":"Recommended parameter combination of free water surface flow constructed wetlands based on seasonal fluctuation of hydraulic performance and purification effect","authors":"Changqiang Guo , Qijiang Du , Zizun Wei , Qing Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107541","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107541","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Free water surface flow constructed wetlands (FWS CWs) are widely utilized for nonpoint source pollution control and are greatly affected by seasonal variation. One of the key challenges is optimizing wetland design to ensure consistent performance throughout the year. To date, the impact of hydraulic performance on pollutant purification remains debated, and studies examining the correlation between their seasonal fluctuations are limited. This study conducted orthogonal experiments involving three categories of wetland parameters: geometric, hydraulic, and water quality parameters, to analyze the seasonal variability of the two wetland performance metrics. The results indicated that hydraulic performance presented high consistency across seasons and was more influenced by geometric and hydraulic parameters. Generally, FWS CWs with lower water depths and larger aspect ratios exhibited superior hydraulic performance. The purification effect for nitrogen showed obvious seasonal fluctuations, whereas phosphorus purification remained relatively stable. The concentration reduction efficiencies (CREs) of total nitrogen (TN) in Jun 2023, Sep 2023, and Dec 2023 were 16 % (±10 %), 19 % (±8 %), and 1 % (±9 %), respectively; for total phosphorus (TP), the CREs were 27 % (±11 %), 28 % (±16 %), and 16 % (±11 %). Both TN and TP CREs exhibited strong negative correlations with flow rate and influent nitrogen concentration, while load removal rates demonstrated strong negative correlations with water depth. There were few significant correlations between hydraulic performance and purification effect. It is recommended to use a parameter combination of a small aspect ratio, low water depth, and low flow rate to achieve stable purification effects year-round.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"212 ","pages":"Article 107541"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143165809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107520
Johan C. Winterwerp , Annalise Bayney , Sabine Engel , Luandra Jack , Kene Moseley , Bob Smits
This paper presents five examples of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to restore degraded mangroves and mangrove-mud coasts. These examples are meant to provide inspiration for the restoration of other such coasts. The designs are based on a qualitative/conceptual understanding of the bio-physical system. This is obtained mainly from an in-depth analysis of historic satellite images and historic maps, while quantitative data are scarce, as is generally the case in these environments.
One example reflects the restoration of circulation and flushing in a small bay in the SW of the Caribbean Island Bonaire. Drainage channels were overgrown, and the forest was attacked from the back by hyper-salinity and the inflow of silts. The first, more urgent problem has now been addressed by re-opening a few channels, restoring circulation and flushing, and mangrove recruitment restarted.
The other four examples are from Guyana and Suriname. Though all sites are part of the greater Guiana coastal zone and driven by the same physical processes, local conditions are so different that different NbS-solutions were required to catch and arrest sufficient sediments to recreate mangrove habitat. The examples show why and how one solution works at one location, while elsewhere another approach was successful.
This paper can be regarded as a supplement to the Engineering with Nature Atlas issued by ERDC in 2024, which focuses on temperate climate environments though.
{"title":"Mangrove recovery by habitat restoration using nature-based solutions","authors":"Johan C. Winterwerp , Annalise Bayney , Sabine Engel , Luandra Jack , Kene Moseley , Bob Smits","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107520","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107520","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents five examples of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to restore degraded mangroves and mangrove-mud coasts. These examples are meant to provide inspiration for the restoration of other such coasts. The designs are based on a qualitative/conceptual understanding of the bio-physical system. This is obtained mainly from an in-depth analysis of historic satellite images and historic maps, while quantitative data are scarce, as is generally the case in these environments.</div><div>One example reflects the restoration of circulation and flushing in a small bay in the SW of the Caribbean Island Bonaire. Drainage channels were overgrown, and the forest was attacked from the back by hyper-salinity and the inflow of silts. The first, more urgent problem has now been addressed by re-opening a few channels, restoring circulation and flushing, and mangrove recruitment restarted.</div><div>The other four examples are from Guyana and Suriname. Though all sites are part of the greater Guiana coastal zone and driven by the same physical processes, local conditions are so different that different NbS-solutions were required to catch and arrest sufficient sediments to recreate mangrove habitat. The examples show why and how one solution works at one location, while elsewhere another approach was successful.</div><div>This paper can be regarded as a supplement to the Engineering with Nature Atlas issued by ERDC in 2024, which focuses on temperate climate environments though.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"212 ","pages":"Article 107520"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143166355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107525
Yue Zang , Kechao Wang , Suchen Xu , Wu Xiao , Tong Tong , Hao Sun , Chong Li
Mineral resource development is essential for economic growth; however, its significant negative impacts on land, ecology, and the environment cannot be overlooked. This study aims to identify and assess the restoration status and ecological quality of large-scale surface mining areas, especially in the absence of specific mining location information. We propose a systematic workflow that utilizes open-source remote sensing data. The process includes: (1) extracting surface mining areas using masking, morphological operations, and visual interpretation techniques; (2) constructing time-series of Bare Surface Percentage (BSP) for each mining area on the Google Earth Engine platform to distinguish between abandoned and active mines and examine their restoration rates; (3) creating the Remote sensing Ecological indicator for Mining areas (REM) to quantify the ecological quality and analyze its temporal changes. A total of 1183 mine sites were identified in the study area, of which 381 abandoned mines showed a significant decreasing trend in BSP from 2016 to 2021, with a median decline from 98 % in 2016 to 81 % in 2022, indicating improved vegetation recovery during this period. Additionally, the REM of abandoned mines generally exhibited a stable upward trend from 2016 to 2022. This study provides a systematic solution for identifying surface mining areas and monitoring the restoration scope and ecological quality on a broader scale. The methodology is extendable to other regions and can support further ecological restoration decision-making.
{"title":"Identification of surface mining and assessment of ecological restoration effects using GEE and Sentinel-2 image data - A case study on Yangtze River watershed, China","authors":"Yue Zang , Kechao Wang , Suchen Xu , Wu Xiao , Tong Tong , Hao Sun , Chong Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107525","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107525","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mineral resource development is essential for economic growth; however, its significant negative impacts on land, ecology, and the environment cannot be overlooked. This study aims to identify and assess the restoration status and ecological quality of large-scale surface mining areas, especially in the absence of specific mining location information. We propose a systematic workflow that utilizes open-source remote sensing data. The process includes: (1) extracting surface mining areas using masking, morphological operations, and visual interpretation techniques; (2) constructing time-series of Bare Surface Percentage (BSP) for each mining area on the Google Earth Engine platform to distinguish between abandoned and active mines and examine their restoration rates; (3) creating the Remote sensing Ecological indicator for Mining areas (REM) to quantify the ecological quality and analyze its temporal changes. A total of 1183 mine sites were identified in the study area, of which 381 abandoned mines showed a significant decreasing trend in BSP from 2016 to 2021, with a median decline from 98 % in 2016 to 81 % in 2022, indicating improved vegetation recovery during this period. Additionally, the REM of abandoned mines generally exhibited a stable upward trend from 2016 to 2022. This study provides a systematic solution for identifying surface mining areas and monitoring the restoration scope and ecological quality on a broader scale. The methodology is extendable to other regions and can support further ecological restoration decision-making.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"212 ","pages":"Article 107525"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143164668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107489
A. Lindenberger , H.P. Rauch , K. Kasak , M. Stelzhammer , M. von der Thannen
Beyond flood protection to prevent severe damage, the restored floodplain grassland in Austria provides ecosystem services in terms of carbon balance. Net ecosystem exchange (NEE), gross primary productivity (GPP), and ecosystem respiration (Reco) were quantified by the eddy covariance (EC) method before, during and after a severe flooding event. Our results show that the carbon balance is heavily influenced by water level in the study site. The diurnal variations influenced by various degree from the flood are analysed, showing the average daily GPP of the floodplain grassland in Marchegg dropping from 1.048 g C m−2 day−1 before the flood, down to 0.470 g C m−2 day−1 during the flood. The study demonstrates that the restored floodplain grassland in Marchegg functions as a robust CO2 sink with a cumulative NEE of 38.8 g carbon per m2 over the three-month study period, despite temporary disruptions caused by flooding events. The findings emphasise the considerable potential of floodplain grassland restoration for carbon storage and climate change mitigation, with the new data from the EC station offering valuable insights for future restoration projects. Finally, this supports the adoption of the new EU Nature Restoration Law and the need for restoring wetlands, floodplains and rivers to secure water availability and biodiversity in these unique ecosystems. NBS and more specifically as Soil and Water Bioengineering (SWBE) are methods with ecological advantages and a huge potential for sustainable recreation of near-natural ecosystems. It is of crucial importance to prove these beneficial effects, and to quantify them transparently in terms of quality assurance and use of resources in a sustainable and eco-friendly way.
{"title":"Impact of various flood conditions on the CO2 ecosystem exchange as a component of floodplain grassland restoration","authors":"A. Lindenberger , H.P. Rauch , K. Kasak , M. Stelzhammer , M. von der Thannen","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107489","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107489","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Beyond flood protection to prevent severe damage, the restored floodplain grassland in Austria provides ecosystem services in terms of carbon balance. Net ecosystem exchange (NEE), gross primary productivity (GPP), and ecosystem respiration (R<sub>eco</sub>) were quantified by the eddy covariance (EC) method before, during and after a severe flooding event. Our results show that the carbon balance is heavily influenced by water level in the study site. The diurnal variations influenced by various degree from the flood are analysed, showing the average daily GPP of the floodplain grassland in Marchegg dropping from 1.048 g C m<sup>−2</sup> day<sup>−1</sup> before the flood, down to 0.470 g C m<sup>−2</sup> day<sup>−1</sup> during the flood. The study demonstrates that the restored floodplain grassland in Marchegg functions as a robust CO2 sink with a cumulative NEE of 38.8 g carbon per m2 over the three-month study period, despite temporary disruptions caused by flooding events. The findings emphasise the considerable potential of floodplain grassland restoration for carbon storage and climate change mitigation, with the new data from the EC station offering valuable insights for future restoration projects. Finally, this supports the adoption of the new EU Nature Restoration Law and the need for restoring wetlands, floodplains and rivers to secure water availability and biodiversity in these unique ecosystems. NBS and more specifically as Soil and Water Bioengineering (SWBE) are methods with ecological advantages and a huge potential for sustainable recreation of near-natural ecosystems. It is of crucial importance to prove these beneficial effects, and to quantify them transparently in terms of quality assurance and use of resources in a sustainable and eco-friendly way.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"212 ","pages":"Article 107489"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143164672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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