Spatiotemporal ecosystem services: Response to structural changes (A case study in Lahijan, Iran).

Structure and function are the inherent characteristics of each ecosystem providing various services such as clean air, extreme weather mitigation, and mental and physical well-being. The objective of this study is to develop a unified model combining Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services, ecological network (EN), and correlation analysis to investigate changes in ecosystem structure, function, and process. In this context, carbon sequestration, soil reduction, and flood risk mitigation were quantified from 2000 to 2020 and predicted for 2040 using the cellular automata and Markov chain (CA-Markov) model. Finally, correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship over time between the land use (LU) classes and the components of the forest EN that provide and exchange desired ecosystem services (ESs). Thus, the changes in LU in the region in recent years led to significant reduction of ESs in the region as well as changes in the interaction between services. These changes, on the one hand, reduced the area of cores and increased isolated forest patches and, on the other hand, led to the horizontal expansion of cities and agricultural lands. If this trend continues, the decline in services provided by the ecosystem will persist into the future. Consequently, it can be said that structural changes in the ecosystem can lead to changes in the ESs. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;00:1-13. © 2023 SETAC.

Landscape conservation and protected areas (case of Dena, Iran).

Inefficient management of protected areas (PAs) is often due to ignoring their surrounding matrix in the baseline studies, especially in wooded landscapes. In Iran, the application of landscape structure studies in protection policies and PA management is not prevalent. In this study, land cover changes in Dena Rural District (including parts of inside and outside Dena PA) have analyzed using the process of the Landsat images along with field survey two times (1989 and 2018). The landscape structural integrity was quantified based on the situation of oak forest land and its alteration. The composition and the configuration of oak forest land were assessed by metrics based on the moving extent of the Persian squirrel, Sciurus anomalus (which is an endangered focal endemic species completely dependent on the oak forest). Alterations of landscape structural integrity were compared for inside and outside Dena PA and at different altitudes. The results show connectivity loss and increased fragmentation of oak remnant patches, but this deforestation is more severe near areas facing direct human impacts and interventions. These are among attributes that are to be considered for zoning PA (such as controlling zone and training/participation zone). At higher altitudes, physical protection and strict control are more effective, while training local communities for stewardship is more essential at lower altitudes for conserving woodland integrity.

An improved method for assessing mismatches between supply and demand in urban regulating ecosystem services: A case study in Tabriz, Iran.

Regulating ecosystem services provided by urban forests are of great importance for the quality of life among city dwellers. To reach a maximum contribution to well-being in cities, the urban regulating ecosystem services (URES) must match with the demands in terms of space and time. If we understand the matches or mismatches between the current urban dwellers' desired quality conditions (demand) and the supply of URES by urban forests (UF) in the cities, this will facilitate integrating the concepts of ecosystem services in urban planning and management, but such an assessment has suffered from major knowledge limitations. Since it is complex and problematic to identify the direct demands for URES and the spatiotemporal patterns therein, improving the demand indicators can help to determine the actual requirements. In this paper, a methodological approach based on indicators is presented and demonstrated for two important URES: air quality improvement and global climate change mitigation provided by urban trees and shrubs. Four air quality standards and greenhouse gas reduction targets were used and compared to supplies of the URES in Tabriz, Iran. Our results show that the mean contribution of the URES supply to air quality standards and greenhouse gas reduction targets is modest. Hence, in Tabriz, there is a strong mismatch between demand and supply. Mismatches at the city scale will have to be reduced by both a reduction in pollutant emissions and an increased provisioning of URES supply through urban greenery. The presented assessment approach and the results for Tabriz make it explicit how different the demands and supplies of the two studied URES are, and we expect similar mismatches in many other cities. Therefore, our approach, relatively simple but still realistic and easy-to-apply, can raise awareness about, and the utility of, the ecosystem services concepts for urban planning and policymaking.

Conceptual change of disaster management models: A thematic analysis.

Different models have been proposed for disaster management by researchers and agencies. Despite their efficiency in some locations, disasters are still a fundamental challenge in the way of sustainable development. The purpose of this research is developing a comprehensive conceptual model for disaster management using thematic analysis. In this regard, first, disaster management models are collected. In the next stage, the themes of each model are extracted and categorised in three phases. In the first phase that is descriptive coding, available elements in each model are extracted as code and the basic themes are recognised. Then, in the phase of interpretive coding, basic themes are classified in three categories that are called organising themes (i.e. hazard assessment, risk management and management actions). In the final phase, strategic management is selected as the global or overarching theme to integrate all the other themes. Based on thematic analysis, it can be concluded that disaster management has three main elements that are the three organising themes. Therefore, comprehensive model of disaster management should include these three elements and their sub-basic themes that is called the ideal or criterion type. Results showed that some scientists have looked at disaster management one dimensionally (one theme). Even in two-dimensional models, one dimension has advantage over the other one. While the proposed typology in this study showed that the comprehensive model should include all the three mentioned elements.

Development and characterisation of composite films made of kefiran and starch.

In this study, new edible composite films were prepared by blending kefiran with corn starch. Film-forming solutions of different ratios of kefiran to corn starch (100/0, 70/30, 50/50, 30/70) were cast at room temperature. The effects of starch addition on the resulting films' physical, mechanical and water-vapor permeability (WVP) properties were investigated. Increasing starch content from 0% to 50% (v/v) decreased the WVP of films; however, with further starch addition the WVP increased. Also, this increase in starch content increased the tensile strength and extensibility of the composite films. However, these mechanical properties decreased at higher starch contents. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) curves showed that addition of starch at all levels increased the glass transition temperature of films. The electron scanning micrograph for the composite film was homogeneous, without signs of phase separation between the components. Thus, it was observed that these two film-forming components were compatible, and that an interaction existed between them.