Abstract Nature-based tourist destinations attract millions of visitors every year. In 2020, this trend was interrupted by the emergence of the COVID-19 disease and the introduction of global travel restrictions, which significantly reduced the number of tourists. However, with the lifting of these restrictions, the number of visitors to natural areas is increasing even faster. Many of these destinations are national parks and are poorly prepared for rapidly growing attendance, making the impact of human presence on wildlife in protected areas a concern. The main impacts of nature-based tourism on protected areas are: negative impacts on wildlife behaviour by increasing stress levels and spreading diseases and invasive species. There is a risk that nature-based tourism will cause even more damage to nature in the near future, as tourists’ knowledge of ecology and nature conservation is still insufficient, visitor numbers are increasing dynamically and the adaptation and management of protected areas is still inadequate. The most urgent research directions related to nature-based tourism are: large carnivores, ungulates, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Solutions for the management of protected areas should include: e.g. the establishment of educational centres, the provision of additional attractions, the temporary exclusion of certain parts of national parks and the reconstruction of tourism infrastructure in protected areas.
{"title":"The need for wildlife research and improved management of protected areas in the face of increased nature-based tourism","authors":"Adam Wójcicki, W. Świtlik, Dorota Dobrowolska","doi":"10.2478/oszn-2023-0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2023-0009","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Nature-based tourist destinations attract millions of visitors every year. In 2020, this trend was interrupted by the emergence of the COVID-19 disease and the introduction of global travel restrictions, which significantly reduced the number of tourists. However, with the lifting of these restrictions, the number of visitors to natural areas is increasing even faster. Many of these destinations are national parks and are poorly prepared for rapidly growing attendance, making the impact of human presence on wildlife in protected areas a concern. The main impacts of nature-based tourism on protected areas are: negative impacts on wildlife behaviour by increasing stress levels and spreading diseases and invasive species. There is a risk that nature-based tourism will cause even more damage to nature in the near future, as tourists’ knowledge of ecology and nature conservation is still insufficient, visitor numbers are increasing dynamically and the adaptation and management of protected areas is still inadequate. The most urgent research directions related to nature-based tourism are: large carnivores, ungulates, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Solutions for the management of protected areas should include: e.g. the establishment of educational centres, the provision of additional attractions, the temporary exclusion of certain parts of national parks and the reconstruction of tourism infrastructure in protected areas.","PeriodicalId":235641,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Protection and Natural Resources","volume":"15 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138943724","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}
Mirosław Szwed, Rafał Kozłowski, Zuzanna Śliwa, Aleksandra Zeliaś, Joanna Przybylska, Marta Ludew
Abstract Snow cover is a valuable source of information about air quality. It enables detection of dust and other air pollutants which have been accumulated throughout the period since the snow cover was formed. Research conducted in Kielce confirms multidirectional human pressure from local and regional emission sources. Combustion of fuels resulted in lower pH and increased EC, SO 4 and NO 3 concentrations in the southern and northern parts of the city. Elevated concentrations of Cl and Na indicate the effect of transportation and winter road maintenance. Apart from local emitters, air quality in Kielce is affected by the regional sources, including the nearby center of the lime and cement industries. Climate change is reflected in the number of days with snow and thickness of snow cover, declining since the 1990s.
{"title":"Hidden in snow: Selected aspects of chemical composition of an urban snow cover (Kielce, SE Poland)","authors":"Mirosław Szwed, Rafał Kozłowski, Zuzanna Śliwa, Aleksandra Zeliaś, Joanna Przybylska, Marta Ludew","doi":"10.2478/oszn-2023-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2023-0004","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Snow cover is a valuable source of information about air quality. It enables detection of dust and other air pollutants which have been accumulated throughout the period since the snow cover was formed. Research conducted in Kielce confirms multidirectional human pressure from local and regional emission sources. Combustion of fuels resulted in lower pH and increased EC, SO 4 and NO 3 concentrations in the southern and northern parts of the city. Elevated concentrations of Cl and Na indicate the effect of transportation and winter road maintenance. Apart from local emitters, air quality in Kielce is affected by the regional sources, including the nearby center of the lime and cement industries. Climate change is reflected in the number of days with snow and thickness of snow cover, declining since the 1990s.","PeriodicalId":235641,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Protection and Natural Resources","volume":"151 S302","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135777681","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}
Abstract The Natura 2000 initiative and National Parks are the most important forms of nature protection in European countries. However, conservation efforts are often hampered by biological invasions, which are some of the most serious environmental problems. The aim of this study was to assess, in protected areas, the impacts of invasive plants – alien Solidago spp. on Phengaris butterflies and Heracleum mantegazzianum on Heteroptera true bugs. Ph. teleius and Ph. nausithous were surveyed in the Jaworzno Meadows Natura 2000 site using the Capture-Mark-Recapture method. Heteroptera were surveyed using transect captures in Magurski National Park. The sizes of local populations of the butterflies were lower in patches with higher goldenrod cover. A high cover of the host plant may mitigate the negative impact of goldenrod during the early stage of invasion. In the case of poor habitat quality, nearby unprotected habitat patches act as ecological traps for butterflies due to the application of mowing during the butterfly flight period. The invasive giant hogweed had the most significant impact on reducing the number of Heteroptera individuals. Its influence was also observed at the assemblage level. The negative impact of hogweed has been detected despite the application of the first eradication treatments of this plant. Success in eradicating hogweed may be limited due to the spread of the plants from locations where removal is not applied.
{"title":"The Influence of Invasive Alien Plants on Umbrella Butterflies of the Genus <i>Phengaris</i> and Diversity of Heteroptera True Bugs","authors":"Konrad Kalarus","doi":"10.2478/oszn-2023-0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2023-0003","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Natura 2000 initiative and National Parks are the most important forms of nature protection in European countries. However, conservation efforts are often hampered by biological invasions, which are some of the most serious environmental problems. The aim of this study was to assess, in protected areas, the impacts of invasive plants – alien Solidago spp. on Phengaris butterflies and Heracleum mantegazzianum on Heteroptera true bugs. Ph. teleius and Ph. nausithous were surveyed in the Jaworzno Meadows Natura 2000 site using the Capture-Mark-Recapture method. Heteroptera were surveyed using transect captures in Magurski National Park. The sizes of local populations of the butterflies were lower in patches with higher goldenrod cover. A high cover of the host plant may mitigate the negative impact of goldenrod during the early stage of invasion. In the case of poor habitat quality, nearby unprotected habitat patches act as ecological traps for butterflies due to the application of mowing during the butterfly flight period. The invasive giant hogweed had the most significant impact on reducing the number of Heteroptera individuals. Its influence was also observed at the assemblage level. The negative impact of hogweed has been detected despite the application of the first eradication treatments of this plant. Success in eradicating hogweed may be limited due to the spread of the plants from locations where removal is not applied.","PeriodicalId":235641,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Protection and Natural Resources","volume":"1 3","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136263503","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}
Abstract Japan is regarded as an interesting source for drawing useful lessons that could help in drafting the process for transforming the Polish energy mix. The reason is very simple: the two countries have relatively similar starting points. A large proportion of the Japanese energy mix is still based on fossil fuels. We can already observe a slow but evident drift away from fossil fuels (from some 85% in 2013 to less than 75% in 2019). Another reason why Japan is relevant to the Polish conditions is the recent decision of the new government in Japan to return to nuclear energy after the Fukushima disaster. Other interesting solutions in the Japanese way forward include the wide use of hydrogen and ammonia; that could be interesting for Poland, because it is a major producer of hydrogen: the fifth in the world and the third in Europe. Grey hydrogen is currently produced, but that could easily be transformed into green hydrogen produced using distributed solar installations. It also seems that nobody in Poland is seriously working on the use of ammonia in the energy sector. Those reasons alone would be enough to choose Japan as the country for the analysis presented below, therefore the literature review is limited to the Japanese sphere. A short historical view of the energy-mix configuration is followed by an enumeration of the important aspects to consider for Polish conditions: energy security and energy efficiency, followed by an analysis of important sources of energy: nuclear, renewable energy sources (RES), hydrogen, and ammonia as well as thermal power development.
{"title":"Transformation of the Energy Sector and Consequences for the Energy Mix: A Case Study of Japan","authors":"Igor J. Mitroczuk","doi":"10.2478/oszn-2023-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2023-0002","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Japan is regarded as an interesting source for drawing useful lessons that could help in drafting the process for transforming the Polish energy mix. The reason is very simple: the two countries have relatively similar starting points. A large proportion of the Japanese energy mix is still based on fossil fuels. We can already observe a slow but evident drift away from fossil fuels (from some 85% in 2013 to less than 75% in 2019). Another reason why Japan is relevant to the Polish conditions is the recent decision of the new government in Japan to return to nuclear energy after the Fukushima disaster. Other interesting solutions in the Japanese way forward include the wide use of hydrogen and ammonia; that could be interesting for Poland, because it is a major producer of hydrogen: the fifth in the world and the third in Europe. Grey hydrogen is currently produced, but that could easily be transformed into green hydrogen produced using distributed solar installations. It also seems that nobody in Poland is seriously working on the use of ammonia in the energy sector. Those reasons alone would be enough to choose Japan as the country for the analysis presented below, therefore the literature review is limited to the Japanese sphere. A short historical view of the energy-mix configuration is followed by an enumeration of the important aspects to consider for Polish conditions: energy security and energy efficiency, followed by an analysis of important sources of energy: nuclear, renewable energy sources (RES), hydrogen, and ammonia as well as thermal power development.","PeriodicalId":235641,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Protection and Natural Resources","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135395351","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}
Abstract This review describes the presence of phthalate diesters (PAEs) in various products and elements of the environment, their toxicology, and possible risk is presented as reported in the scientific literature. PAEs have been detected in a variety of environmental elements, including air, soils, sediments, and landfill leachate, as well as in ground, surface, and drinking water, which makes them a common environmental contaminant. The most common and detectable phthalate in all elements of the environment is di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). When added up, the amounts of human exposure to all sources of phthalates can be significant and pose an equally significant health risk to humans and other living organisms. Several PAEs, including DEHP, di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), di-isobutylphthalate (DIBP), and butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) are classified as toxic to reproduction and have endocrine-disrupting properties. Despite the introduction of strict regulations and restrictions on PAEs worldwide, long-term monitoring of human exposure is needed to reduce the potential risk to humans and other living organisms.
{"title":"Phthalates in the environment: Their toxicology and associated risk to humans","authors":"Paweł Wowkonowicz","doi":"10.2478/oszn-2023-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2023-0001","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This review describes the presence of phthalate diesters (PAEs) in various products and elements of the environment, their toxicology, and possible risk is presented as reported in the scientific literature. PAEs have been detected in a variety of environmental elements, including air, soils, sediments, and landfill leachate, as well as in ground, surface, and drinking water, which makes them a common environmental contaminant. The most common and detectable phthalate in all elements of the environment is di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). When added up, the amounts of human exposure to all sources of phthalates can be significant and pose an equally significant health risk to humans and other living organisms. Several PAEs, including DEHP, di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), di-isobutylphthalate (DIBP), and butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) are classified as toxic to reproduction and have endocrine-disrupting properties. Despite the introduction of strict regulations and restrictions on PAEs worldwide, long-term monitoring of human exposure is needed to reduce the potential risk to humans and other living organisms.","PeriodicalId":235641,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Protection and Natural Resources","volume":"46 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135395353","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}
Abstract Environmental biomonitoring is an excellent supplement to instrumental methods of environmental quality assessment. The use of biological methods has many advantages (relatively low cost, independence from the source of energy in the field etc.). The limitation in the use of bioindication methods is the inability to compare the results with legal environmental pollution standards. Mosses are commonly used in air pollution monitoring. Mosses exhibit most of the characteristics attributed to effective bioindicators. The advantage of mosses over other bioindicators comes from the fact that the result depends only on-air pollution due to the lack of practical contact with the soil. Mosses are used in air pollution biomonitoring in two basic methods: naturally growing or transplanted to the researched area. They are most often used to assess air pollution by metals and other elements, but also by various organic compounds. A prerequisite for successful application of these methods is strict adherence to a recognised methodology and standardisation of all activities, such as random selection of measurement points. The article presents a critical analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of biomonitoring of air pollutants, along with a final recommendation for their use, provided that appropriate methodological rigor is maintained. An important advantage of mosses in biomonitoring is their relatively practical ease of application and interpretation of results, resulting in their widespread use.
{"title":"The Use of Mosses in Biomonitoring of Air Pollution in the Terrestrial Environment: A Review","authors":"A. Baczewska-Dąbrowska, B. Gworek, W. Dmuchowski","doi":"10.2478/oszn-2023-0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2023-0005","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Environmental biomonitoring is an excellent supplement to instrumental methods of environmental quality assessment. The use of biological methods has many advantages (relatively low cost, independence from the source of energy in the field etc.). The limitation in the use of bioindication methods is the inability to compare the results with legal environmental pollution standards. Mosses are commonly used in air pollution monitoring. Mosses exhibit most of the characteristics attributed to effective bioindicators. The advantage of mosses over other bioindicators comes from the fact that the result depends only on-air pollution due to the lack of practical contact with the soil. Mosses are used in air pollution biomonitoring in two basic methods: naturally growing or transplanted to the researched area. They are most often used to assess air pollution by metals and other elements, but also by various organic compounds. A prerequisite for successful application of these methods is strict adherence to a recognised methodology and standardisation of all activities, such as random selection of measurement points. The article presents a critical analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of biomonitoring of air pollutants, along with a final recommendation for their use, provided that appropriate methodological rigor is maintained. An important advantage of mosses in biomonitoring is their relatively practical ease of application and interpretation of results, resulting in their widespread use.","PeriodicalId":235641,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Protection and Natural Resources","volume":"146 1","pages":"19 - 30"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139371568","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}
Barbara Gołębiewska, M. Maciejczak, T. Filipiak, Agnieszka Sobolewska, Janusz Urbanowicz, Jerzy Osowski, Krzysztof Treder
Abstract Agricultural production is the main area of human activity that affects both food security and well-being, as well as the environment, in which people live. The modern economy tries to combine economic and environmental goals, because uncontrolled intensive production growth can lead to irreversible changes in the environment. This paper addresses the issue of evaluating one of the methods in search of the golden mean of sustainable agricultural production, on the example of the potato-microbiome interaction leading to the development of an innovative strategy of potato breeding and production. The aim was to apprise the economic and environmental effects of innovative potato cultivation with the use of beneficial microorganisms in Poland based on the field data. The data for the analyses were obtained from experimental field work carried out in 2021–2022 under the PotatoMetaBiome project. The analysis of the collected data allowed us to conclude that from the economic point of view, the most profitable was the strategy that included the use of practices based on synthetic means of production (with mineral fertilizers and chemical protection). On the other hand, the use of innovative preparations with beneficial microorganisms slightly increased the profitability in relation to the strategy without means of production and with the use of synthetic means of production. At the same time, it had the least negative impact on the environment than other agricultural practices. The obtained results indicate that the use of beneficial microorganisms may be a viable alternative agricultural strategy in potato production. It allows farmers to obtain satisfactory economic results while maintaining the environmental regime. Their use, however, requires further research in terms of the impact on the economics and organisation of agricultural production.
{"title":"Economic and Environmental Effects of Innovative Potato Cultivation with the Use of Beneficial Microorganisms in Poland","authors":"Barbara Gołębiewska, M. Maciejczak, T. Filipiak, Agnieszka Sobolewska, Janusz Urbanowicz, Jerzy Osowski, Krzysztof Treder","doi":"10.2478/oszn-2023-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2023-0006","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Agricultural production is the main area of human activity that affects both food security and well-being, as well as the environment, in which people live. The modern economy tries to combine economic and environmental goals, because uncontrolled intensive production growth can lead to irreversible changes in the environment. This paper addresses the issue of evaluating one of the methods in search of the golden mean of sustainable agricultural production, on the example of the potato-microbiome interaction leading to the development of an innovative strategy of potato breeding and production. The aim was to apprise the economic and environmental effects of innovative potato cultivation with the use of beneficial microorganisms in Poland based on the field data. The data for the analyses were obtained from experimental field work carried out in 2021–2022 under the PotatoMetaBiome project. The analysis of the collected data allowed us to conclude that from the economic point of view, the most profitable was the strategy that included the use of practices based on synthetic means of production (with mineral fertilizers and chemical protection). On the other hand, the use of innovative preparations with beneficial microorganisms slightly increased the profitability in relation to the strategy without means of production and with the use of synthetic means of production. At the same time, it had the least negative impact on the environment than other agricultural practices. The obtained results indicate that the use of beneficial microorganisms may be a viable alternative agricultural strategy in potato production. It allows farmers to obtain satisfactory economic results while maintaining the environmental regime. Their use, however, requires further research in terms of the impact on the economics and organisation of agricultural production.","PeriodicalId":235641,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Protection and Natural Resources","volume":"11 1","pages":"11 - 18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139371949","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}
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