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Biocultural Diversity as a New Emerging Concept for Sustainable Landscape Management

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2023) | Viewed by 11405

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Ivo Machar

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Department of Development and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Palacky University Olomouc, 17th Listopadu 12, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Interests: applying of landscape ecological principles to forest biodiversity conservation; floodplain forest ecology and sustainable management
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biocultural diversity is a novel concept emerging in environmental and sustainability science. This concept is based on the assessment of human–nature interrelations in cultural landscapes. The methodology of biocultural diversity concept uses various multidisciplinary approaches in studies on joining heritage and nature. Better understanding human–nature interrelations on local and regional level supports the sustainable management of cultural landscapes and nature and heritage conservation. The concept also includes issues related to cultural and historical heritage conservation and management, because it determines traditional cultural landscapes worldwide. Natural and human-made ecosystems with high cultural value (such as historical gardens and parks), as well as natural structures in landscape, such as ancient forests and veteran trees, can be incorporated to the term of biocultural diversity (BD). The concept of BD builds awareness of the role of humans as a key biological species in the biosphere. This global role of humans in BD is closely connected to our responsibility to our world. We need more knowledge about BD concept theory and applications to develop strategies for sustainable landscape management aimed at the conservation of cultural heritage and biodiversity in different geographical spaces.

Prof. Dr. Ivo Machar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

Ancient forests
Biodiversity and geodiversity
Biodiversity and people
Biocultural diversity
Ecological networks in a cultural landscape
Conservation management—a tool for biodiversity maintaining Countryside—areas for the meeting of people and nature
Cultural ecosystem services
Cultural landscape
Geoheritage assessment and conservation on local and regional level
Green urban areas
Heritage conservation
Historical parks and gardens
Human–nature interrelations
Joining of historical heritage and nature
Landscape sustainable management
Landscape scenery
Land-use changes
Lessons from history for future of landscape
Human-made ecosystems
Nature in cities
Open-air museums
Protected areas and people
Historical monuments and ruins as habitats
Stewardship in cities
Traditional land use in different landscapes
Trees as living symbols of historical or cultural event
Veteran trees

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2711 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ethnobotany of the Useful Native Species in Linares, Nuevo León, México

by Eduardo Estrada-Castillón, José Ángel Villarreal-Quintanilla, Arturo Mora-Olivo, Gerardo Cuéllar-Rodríguez, Jaime Sánchez-Salas, Tania Vianney Gutiérrez-Santillán, Renata Valdes Alameda, Diego Axayacatl González-Cuéllar, Cristina González-Montelongo and José Ramón Arévalo Sierra

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11565; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151511565 - 26 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 944

Abstract

In Linares, Nuevo León, Mexico, there is no record of the total number of species or the uses that people make of native plants. The purpose of this study was to know the species and their uses in the municipality of Linares, Nuevo León, Mexico. Based on 180 semi-structured interviews, collection, identification, and storage of botanical specimens, the regional ethnobotanical knowledge was assessed. The ethnobotanical information and significant use of plants in Linares was studied. To identify the cultural importance of the ethnobotanical uses of the plants, three indices were calculated: the Use Value Index (UVI), the Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), and the Fidelity Level (FL). We recorded 59 plant families, 151 genera, and 152 species. The families with the largest number of genera and species with uses registered are Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Cactaceae, Araceae, and Euphorbiaceae. The most common uses recorded are ornamental, medicinal, food, and forage. The highest values for ICF were for the circulatory, endocrine, and digestive systems. At least 20 species had 100% FL index values. The species with the highest UVI values were Equisetum laevigatum, Persea ameriana, Amaranthus palmeri, Lophophora williamsii, and Artemisia ludoviciana. A wide use of native flora is recognized in Linares, Nuevo León, which directly influences the livelihood of people in the area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biocultural Diversity as a New Emerging Concept for Sustainable Landscape Management)

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23 pages, 6568 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancing Biocultural Diversity of Wild Urban Woodland through Research-Based Architectural Design: Case Study—War Island in Belgrade, Serbia

by Ana Nikezić

Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11445; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141811445 - 13 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1356

Abstract

In the vortex of the environmental and ecological crises, it is clear that the cosmopolitan way of living is facing uncertainty with no easing in sight. Looking beyond the horizon at what the aftermath will yield, it is quite clear that the meaning of urbanity has to be transformed; the urban life has to support social and ecological well-being, and the city has to intertwine more closely with nature. Therefore, wild urban woodlands (WUWs), often morphologically exclusive, culturally contradictory, and biologically heterogeneous, are recognized together with the other informal wilderness of the city as catalyzers of a newly constructed identity and the first line of defense when the question of the socio-ecological resilience of the city is raised. The present study focuses on how the biocultural diversity of WUWs can be stimulated by architecture and on which principles and restorative components an architectural design should stand on. Taking War Island on the river Danube, in the very heart of Belgrade, Serbia, as the particular case study, a specific assignment was given to students of the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade to affirm, recuperate, and stipulate the relationship between the nature and the culture of the site. On the threshold of interdisciplinarity, a net of coordinated values is set up based on a theoretical, analytic, and typo-morphological approach, gathering the eco-cultural aspects, components, and characteristics of the place. On the bases of the students’ research-based design propositions, the results show different design paths promoting accessibility and security, restoring social responsibility and awareness, and regaining the socio-ecological well-being of the place. The conclusions drawn from the study open the perspective of the alliance between nature and culture through an architectural infrastructure that heals the landscape and induces its therapeutic properties, enhancing the biocultural diversity of the place and proclaiming a kind of hedonistic sustainability for the future life of cities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biocultural Diversity as a New Emerging Concept for Sustainable Landscape Management)

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14 pages, 2532 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Geodiversity Action Plans as a Tool for Developing Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Education

by Lucie Kubalíková, Aleš Bajer, Marie Balková, Karel Kirchner and Ivo Machar

Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 6043; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14106043 - 16 May 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 1657

Abstract

A complex approach to geodiversity and landscape in order to foster geoconservation and develop geotourism and geoeducation is usually more effective than isolated protection and promotion of geoheritage sites without wider context. A Geodiversity Action Plan (GAP) represents a reasonable tool for how to follow these goals in cooperation with local stakeholders. This specific document is not focused only on an inventory of sites of Earth science interest in an area, but encompasses all geodiversity (geological, geomorphological, soil and hydrological features, processes, systems and relationships). As geoconservation often goes hand in hand with education, sustainable tourism and promotion, the GAP includes practical proposals for management and rational use of the area’s geodiversity and geoheritage. This complex approach is needed as it provides a complement to the site-oriented protection or management and, moreover, it can be perceived as coherent with a geoethical approach. The paper presents a case study from Moravian-Slovak border (a central part of Bílé Karpaty/Biele Karpaty Mountains) where the proposal for GAP (including inventory, assessment and management measures) was elaborated together with local authorities, schools and other stakeholders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biocultural Diversity as a New Emerging Concept for Sustainable Landscape Management)

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11 pages, 250 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role and Practice of Geodiversity in Serving Ecosystems in China

by Yun Yu and Jianfeng Yang

Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4547; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14084547 - 11 Apr 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1198

Abstract

This paper demonstrates how geodiversity interconnects with the particular ecosystems and practices within China. As an essential component of natural diversity, geodiversity can provide the necessary services and products to ecosystems and humans. In current Chinese research, theories and methods of geodiversity in China are relatively lacking. We use the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment classification as a basis for four categories: provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services. In so doing we present the products and services associated with geodiversity in China. In practice, we found that China, especially in light of its geological survey, already has a working basis for maintaining and enhancing the quality of its geodiversity and geosystem. To better advance the theory and practice of geodiversity in China, we suggest making geodiversity and biodiversity the object of geological surveys to understand its natural processes and distribution. This will ensure that nature as a whole can be appropriately managed and protected, that geodiversity indicators in ecosystem assessments can be clarified, and that equally essential elements of nature policy to promote geodiversity and biodiversity can be added. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biocultural Diversity as a New Emerging Concept for Sustainable Landscape Management)

15 pages, 1713 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Restoring Natural Forests as the Most Efficient Way to Water Quality and Abundance: Case Study from Želivka River Basin

by Josef Seják, Ivo Machar, Jan Pokorný, Karl Seeley and Jitka Elznicová

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 814; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14020814 - 12 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1421

Abstract

This article shows how to restore Central European natural capital effectively. Water in the landscape is primarily sustained by vegetation and soil, most effectively by natural forests and only secondarily by artificial reservoirs. The authors document these facts using a case study from the Želivka River basin (Švihov reservoir), which collects surface water for the metropolitan region of Prague and Central Bohemia. With the Energy-Water-Vegetation Method, the authors demonstrate that the cultural human-changed landscape of the Želivka river basin is able to utilize only about 60% of its solar energy potential. In 1.5% of the territory of the Czech Republic, society annually loses supporting ecosystem services at a level higher than 25% of the annual GDP of the CR 2015. Water retention in the landscape needs to be re-evaluated and addressed in accordance with the thermodynamic principles of life and ecosystem functioning in the biosphere. It is necessary to begin restoring the most efficient natural capital in the landscapes and to return the broad-leaved deciduous forests by intelligent forestation methods to the cultural landscape to the extent justified; this is especially true of the Želivka River basin, which is Czechia’s biggest surface drinking-water collecting area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biocultural Diversity as a New Emerging Concept for Sustainable Landscape Management)

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Review

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13 pages, 7213 KiB

Open AccessReview

Proposing a New Methodology for Monument Conservation “SCOPE MANAGEMENT” by the Use of an Analytic Hierarchy Process Project Management Institute System and the ICOMOS Burra Charter

by Nina Almasifar, Tülay Özdemir Canbolat, Milad Akhavan and Roberto Alonso González-Lezcano

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13174; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132313174 - 28 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3727

Abstract

Managing the scope of the “Properties” and “Performances” domains plays a fundamental role in the scheduling and controlling of the wide variety of variables and processes involved in any project, for the purpose of increasing the quality of outputs, which leads to time and budget-saving. Notably, in monument conservation projects, “scope management” is a vital factor targeted at maintaining historical parameter values and accuracy in the number of interferences and occupations on sites. Nowadays, as urbanization speeds up unprecedently, the territories of these heritage sites have been demolished or have lost their place on the World Heritage List. Undoubtedly, the existence of such critical conditions makes it increasingly necessary to apply scope management methods to preserve such archaeological and historic sites across the world. The purpose of this article is to propose a “Comprehensive and Regular Systematic Schedule” for the purpose of monument conservation via the use of scope management, based on the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)—specifically the Burra Charter (1981). The results of this research include hierarchical levels of management processes which consider all the effective variables, both the tangible and intangible elements (independent factors) and the other weaknesses and opportunities of the project in order to determine the scope of the required operations, which must be scheduled based on historical sites’ conservation charters. In this way, in addition to reviving a cultural landscape’s (cultural heritage or site) essential and valuable parts, unnecessary changes can be avoided. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biocultural Diversity as a New Emerging Concept for Sustainable Landscape Management)

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