Based on an extensive survey of woodland visitors in Wallonia, south Belgium, we examined a wide range of individual-, residential- and destination-level variables for their associations with the distance travelled for woodland leisure on foot, by bicycle and by car. For each transport mode, explanatory bivariate analyses were conducted firstly to identify potential correlates of the distances travelled. Then, cross-classified multilevel analysis was performed to build estimation models for the trip distance.

Large parts of sub‐Saharan Africa are experiencing rapid changes in land use and land cover, driven largely by the expansion of small‐scale shifting cultivation. This practice creates complex mosaic landscapes with active agricultural fields and patches of mature woodland, interspersed with remnant patches in various stages of regrowth.

Tropical land cover change experiments with fixed sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) and with an interactive ocean are compared to assess the relevance of including the ocean system in sensitivity studies to land surface conditions. The results show that the local response to deforestation is similar with fixed and simulated SSTs. Over Amazonia, all experiments simulate a comparable decrease in precipitation and no change in moisture convergence, implying that there is only a change in local water recycling.

We propose a simple mathematical framework to define consistently the environmental quality of a given landscape based on the relative abundances of the constituting land cover classes. Unlike traditional diversity measures, the new method does not evaluate the simple dispersion of the relative abundances of land cover classes, but assigns a weight to each land cover class according to the rank along a gradient of environmental quality.

The spatial distribution of non-native, invasive plants on the landscape is strongly influenced by human action. People introduce non-native species to new landscapes and regions (propagule pressure) as well as increase ecosystem invasibility through disturbance of native ecosystems. However, the relative importance of different landscape drivers of invasion may vary with landscape context (i.e., the types and amounts of surrounding land cover and land use). If so, data collected in one context may not be appropriate for predicting invasion risk across a broader landscape.

BACKGROUND: Sampling design is a key issue when establishing species inventories and characterizing habitats within highly heterogeneous landscapes. Sampling efforts in such environments may be constrained and many field studies only rely on subjective and/or qualitative approaches to design collection strategy. The region of Cacao, in French Guiana, provides an excellent study site to understand the presence and abundance of Anopheles mosquitoes, their species dynamics and the transmission risk of malaria across various environments.

The Khorezm oasis is one of the main ancient agricultural and cultural centers of Asia. Different studies have used administrative boundaries, without regard to the ecosystem complexity. Remote sensing is a technique that provides many advantages in relation to traditional land cover monitoring approaches. The main objective of this study was to identify the physical-geographical boundaries of Khorezm oasis and analyzed area change dynamics of the oasis using remote sensing data.

Aim To examine the effect of climate change on the occurrence and distribution of Pipistrellus nathusii (Nathusius' pipistrelle) in the United Kingdom (UK). Location We modelled habitat and climatic associations of P. nathusii in the UK and applied this model to the species' historical range in continental Europe. Methods A binomial logistic regression model was constructed relating the occurrence of P. nathusii to climate and habitat characteristics using historical species occurrence records (1940-2006) and CORINE land cover data.

This study reports on the first comprehensive global assessment of tropical storm (TS) impacts on coastal ecosystem vegetation along the landfall pathways of major hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons using satellite data of land cover vegetation for the years 2006 to 2012. Wind damage has been shown to reduce live vegetation pools of carbon, accelerate ecosystem respiration fluxes of carbon dioxide and thereby represent a potentially significant positive feedback to terrestrial greenhouse gas emissions.

This study compared the spatial and temporal patterns of Culex tarsalis Coquillett and Aedes vexans Meigen populations and examined their relationships with land cover types and climatic variability in Sioux Falls, SD. Between 24 and 30 CDC CO2-baited light traps were set annually in Sioux Falls from May to September 2005–2008. Land cover data were acquired from the 2001 National Land Cover Dataset and the percentages of selected land cover types were calculated within a 600-m buffer zone around each trap. Meteorological information was summarized from local weather stations. Cx.

The water shortage in the Yellow River, China, has been aggravated by rapid population growth and global climate changes. To identify the characteristics of streamflow change in the Yellow River, approximately 50 years of natural and observed streamflow data from 23 hydrological stations were examined. The Mann-Kendall and Pettitt tests were used to detect trends and abrupt change points.

We explored the ecological effects of grassland restoration programs using satellite imagery and field plots sampling data and analyzing the patterns and mechanisms of land cover change and vegetation activities in arid and semiarid China during the period from 1982 to 2008. The grassland cover in the 1980s, 2000 and 2005 was compared before and after the restoration programs. The variability of net primary production (NPP) and rain use efficiency (RUE) were analyzed as indicators of vegetation productivity.