This paper studies the assessment of sensitivity to land degradation of Deliblato sands (the northern part of Serbia), as a special nature reserve. Sandy soils of Deliblato sands are highly sensitive to degradation (given their fragility), while the system of land use is regulated according to the law, consisting of three zones under protection. Based on the MEDALUS approach and the characteristics of the study area, four main factors were considered for evaluation: soil, climate, vegetation and management. Several indicators affecting the quality of each factor were identifi ed. Each indicator was quantifi ed according to its quality and given a weighting of between 1.0 and 2.0.ArcGIS 9 was utilized to analyze and prepare the layers of quality maps, using the geometric mean to integrate the individual indicator map. In turn, the geometric mean of all four quality indices was used to generate sensitivity of land degradation status map. Results showed that 56.26% of the area is classifi ed as critical; 43.18% as fragile; 0.55% as potentially affected and 0.01% as not affected by degradation. The values of vegetation quality index, expressed as coverage, diversity of vegetation functions and management policy during the protection regime are clearly represented through correlation coeffi cient (0.87 and 0.47).
Aiming at the protection of the future storage »Selova« against erosion and sediment, and also to protect the settlements and roads in the drainage basin against torrential floods, erosion control works in the upper part of the river Toplica basin, upstream of the storage »Selova«, started in 1947. The works included buildingtechnical works (check dams) and biological works (afforestation and grassing of bare lands and other erosion risk areas). During the period 1947 -2006, the following erosion control works were performed: afforestation of bare lands on the slopes 2,257.00 ha, grassing of bare lands 1,520.00 ha, and altogether 54 dams were constructed in the river Toplica tributaries. This caused the decrease of sediment transport in the main flow of the river Toplica. This paper, based on the field research in two time periods: 1988 and in the period 2004-2007, presents the state of erosion in the basin before erosion control works; type and scope of erosion control works and their effect on the intensity of erosion in the river Toplica basin upstream of the future storage »Selova«.
The erosion potential model was applied to estimate the soil erosion status of rural settlements during the years 1971 and 2011. We used univariate and bivariate local Moran’s I indices to detect and visualize the spatial clustering of settlements with respect to changes in erosion intensity and agricultural land use, as well as their mutual spatial correlation. The study area was differentiated into four statistically significant clusters using the calculated bivariate local Moran’s I indices. The statistical analysis examined the two largest clusters, i.e., the high–high and low–low clusters, and the results of the research indicate that the first four principal components explained 70.50% and 73.47% of the total variance, respectively. In the high–high cluster, the low rates of erosion reduction (average Index Z = 98) in the most significant types of rural settlements were determined according to demographic indicators (i.e., the higher population vitality and population density, the smaller share of the old population and the lower average age of the population) and the large proportion of arable land and Neogene sediments. In the low–low cluster, high erosion reduction rates were detected (average index Z = 64). In this cluster, the more statistically significant influence of natural conditions in combination with demographic–agrarian processes (i.e., the larger share of the old population, the higher average age of the population, the lower vitality index and deagrarization) were decisive factors in changing erosion intensity.
A project is a task comprising a set of interrelated activities requiring time and resources for their execution. It is often the case that during the construction of longitudinal and cross section structures for the regulation of a torrential catchment the required resources (labour, materials, mechanization, and finances) are often limited and because of that we face the problem of their efficient use. This paper deals with the problem of planning the execution of river regulation works on the Jelasnicka River with the aim to minimize the time extension due to limited resources. In the planning phase of project realization labour force is the limited resource. Heuristic techniques, i.e. the Gray-Kidd algorithm with the use of MS Project software were applied in the distribution of resources for the purposes of optimal labour engagement. This method uses the data acquired by the CPM method of network planning as input elements. Through more iterations, by moving noncritical and then critical project activities, the minimal extension of project duration was achieved by engaging more labour force. Therefore, the proposed heuristic and CPM method performed well in resolving the resource-constrained project scheduling problem. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 43007: Istrazivanje klimatskih promena na zivotnu sredinu: pracenje uticaja, adaptacija i ublazavanje , podprojekat br. 16: Socio-ekonomski razvoj, ublazavanje i adaptacija na klimatske promene]
Revegetation is the most sustainable method of soil stabilization at ski runs. In order to establish a stable plant community, it is recommended to use native species. However, non-native species are most often used. In this paper the revegetation of ski runs at two ski resorts is investigated: Divcibare and Stara Planina. Seven species were used for the revegetation of the ski run at the Divcibare ski resort of which six species were native. Six species were used for the revegetation of the Stara Planina ski resort, of which two species were native. It was established that the plant species used in the seed mixtures were suitable for erosion control at the investigated ski resorts.
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