Posters
Farmers’ Knowledge of Soil Fertility Compared to Carbon Stocks in Alaotra Region, Madagascar View Digital Media
Poster Session Solofo Nasandratra Ravonjiarison
The capitalization of knowledge on soil is essential for research questions on climate change and soil fertility improvement. Literature indicates that soil organic carbon stocks (SOCs) increase soil fertility and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from soils for climate change issues. How about farmers’ knowledge of this statement? This study in Alaotra Region, Madagascar aims to analyze local indicators and perceptions of soil fertility before checking if the SOCs scientifically validated as main parameters of soil fertility are also validated by farmers as an indicator of fertility. To address this issue, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 100 farmers. They were asked to identify poor and rich soils. Local indicators for fertility assessment mentioned in the interviews were recorded, and soil samples were taken for Carbon stock analysis in a laboratory. A total of fourteen (14) main local indicators was found to be used by farmers in Alaotra Region to assess soil fertility status. They can be categorized in three classes: soil physical indicators, bio-ecological indicators and soil productivity indicators. The result also show that farmers' perception of soil fertility status is positively correlated with the values of SOCs. The more the stocks increase, between 35,4 and 72,4 Mg C. ha-1, the more the farmers perceive the soils fertile. Soil management practice has a major impact on soil fertility. This good agreement between farmers and researchers confirms the need to reconcile knowledge from both to bring sustainable change in soil fertility.
Comparative Environmental and Economical Evaluation of Construction and Demolition Waste Management Systems View Digital Media
Poster Session Souvick Sasmal, Brajesh Dubey, Bharath H Aithal
The daily demand for natural resources for domestic and industrial usage is rising at an alarming rate, particularly in urban areas due to rapid population expansion, economic development, and industrialization. As a result, the sustainability of the ecosystems is being threatened by the disturbance of the normal cycles of land resources. One of the environmental catastrophes that many cities are experiencing because of urbanization is the high generation rate of Construction and Demolition Waste (C&DW). India is reported to produce 530MT of C&DW annually, and its scientific recycling or disposal is vital in reducing environmental consequences and unauthorized dumping. The primary goals of this study are to find out the minimum distance for locating an intermediate transfer station to minimize the environmental load of C&DW management processes and to examine the impact of decreasing coal consumption for the electricity mix using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) analysis. Four models for C&DW management scenarios are developed and evaluated. The scenarios are: ‘Landfilling’, ‘Recycling without Transfer Station’, ‘Recycling with Transfer Station’, and ‘Onsite Recycling’. The 'ReCiPe' life cycle impact assessment approach is used to examine the potential environmental consequences. The economic cost-benefit analysis was carried out using Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return indicators. The preliminary analysis shows that transfer stations should be located within a radius of 8km from the recycling plant and the electricity mix has very minimal impact on the overall environmental load.
Predictive Spatial Modeling: A Prescriptive Tool for Managing Construction and Demolition Waste Flow View Digital Media
Poster Session Shubhi Nuna, Bharath H Aithal, Brajesh Dubey
Rising populations in urban centers, across developing nations, have promoted rapid urbanization and urban growth. While the construction industry has enjoyed continuous development, it generates a large amount of construction and demolition waste (CDW). With an annual production of 150 million tonnes, CDW management has grown to be a significant environmental problem in the majority of Indian towns. A conservative 1.3% of CDW is recycled, 10–30% is utilized for backfilling, and the rest is illegally openly dumped. This study seeks to address the problem of CDW management by developing a municipality-level CDW collection route network. Predictive probable illegal dumpsite mapping has been carried out by analyzing the spatial distribution of already-existing sites and investigating factors influencing their occurrence. The primary data utilized include a list of 310 illegal dumpsites identified using photointerpretation of Google Earth imagery and UAV data for the years 2019-2022 and 27 potentially significant socioeconomic and physiographic characteristics. Current dumpsite mapping and prediction analysis were conducted using spatial statistics and GIS techniques. Through spatial modeling, the predicted locations of illegal dumpsites are mapped in relation to risk level. Additionally, a network of intermediate designated collecting stations around the municipality has been created based on high-risk regions employing mapping techniques for different decision support system-based planning. This has been linked to land use information discovered through the examination of satellite images. With the relevant thematic and spatial data, this technique will help to define future occurrences and may also be applied to different spatial environments.
(Active) Tourism in the Fragility of National Park Paklenica, Croatia View Digital Media
Poster Session Sanja Đurin, Senka Božić-Vrbančić
Today landscapes experience enormous transformations, and the once common biodiversity ceases to be normalized and is considered an invisible wealth, something unusual, precious and fragile, something that needs to be preserved from deterioration, disappearance, extinction. For this reason, nature parks and national parks are being created in Croatia, as well as elsewhere in the world. In the last ten years, National Parks on the Croatian coast have recorded a 100% increase in attendance. Economic, ecological and social factor influence the mission of conservation, which is embedded in the very core of national parks and nature parks, bringing it in conflict with the cultural demands of today's society. Under the pressure of consumerism, these special places have shifted the narrative and then the practice from conservation to being the providers of exceptional, unique experience content, which puts them significantly at odds with the idea of biodiversity conservation. Even promotion of what is considered sustainable tourism today, such as bicycle tourism or nautical tourism, does not guarantee the preservation of the biodiversity of these areas. In this paper, we present the preliminary results of the research that we are conducting in Paklenica National Park with a focus on balancing strategies between the demands of the active tourists and the need to preserve the biodiversity of protected area.
