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Exploring knowledge and attitudes towards climate change among a study sample from Khartoum State, Sudan
Alhuseen, Ahmed ; Kozová, M. ; Ismaeel, I. ; Cudlín, Pavel
In spite of an adaptation plan endorsed by the city’s authorities, Khartoum State, the capital of Sudan, has repetitively\nexperienced a series of ravaging climate variability impacts. As in similar cases elsewhere, there are\nindications of financial and institutional incapacities and shortfalls to run the adaptation process, as well as\nlack of public knowledge about climate change. It has been argued that having well-informed communities in\nsome developing countries has reduced vulnerability and exposure to climate-origin disasters. Aiming to provide\nquantitative insight into the community’s knowledge and attitudes about climate change, this study presents\nthe results of a survey carried out in 2014 in a simple random sample of Khartoum State residents encompassing\n395 households. Data analysis showed that >75% of the respondents were aware of both the term “climate\nchange” and its main causes. Due to certain cultural and religious factors, however, familiarity with its\nassociated risks was less (25–75%). Moreover, knowledge regarding the ongoing government efforts, leading\ninstitutions, participating non-government organizations, and beliefs about the capability of Khartoum State\nauthorities to adapt the city to the foreseen impacts was found to be low (<25%). Of the respondents, 49% believed\nthat both human activities and God are responsible for causing climate change. Seventy-nine per cent\nof the respondents were interested in acquiring information about climate change, but only 55.3% frequently\nobtain it. Although 79% of the respondents would agree or strongly agree to pay in order to mitigate climate\nchange, 50.4% believed that nothing had been done by local government to mitigate that change. The study\nprovides unprecedented insight into knowledge and attitudes towards climate change among Khartoum State\nhouseholds. The results can be used by city authorities and government politicians to support ongoing adaptive\nprocedures and decision-making while narrowing the knowledge gap concerning climate change risks.
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Forest regeneration within the treeline ecotone in the Giant Mountains under climate change
Cudlín, Ondřej ; Chumanová-Vávrová, Eva ; Edwards-Jonášová, Magda ; Heřman, Michal ; Štěpánek, Petr ; Cudlín, Pavel
Natural regeneration of mountain spruce forests began in the Giant Mountains 25 years ago after a reduction\nof severe and long-enduring air pollution. This process has been influenced by climatic change.\nThe aim of our contribution was to present background data for the potential elevational shift of spruce\nregeneration under conditions of climate change. These upslope shifts may also depend on constraints\nsuch as climate extremes, unfavourable soil conditions, absence of ectomycorrhizal symbionts, and lack of\nmicrosites suitable for seedlings. Since 2014, we have studied the main driving factors affecting Norway\nspruce regeneration, and in particular soil conditions, ectomycorrhizal symbionts, ground vegetation cover,\nand forest health, in six transects across the treeline ecotone located on a NW-to-NE transect through\nthe Giant Mountains. Microclimatic measurements showed that the mean difference in growing season\ntemperature between the montane spruce forests and forests at the treeline was −0.54°C. The model\nHADGEM2 predicted that in 20 years the temperature at the treeline will be similar to the current one at\nmontane elevations. The difference in prevailing soil types between the montane spruce forests and forests\nat the current treeline (i.e. podzol vs. ranker type) could be an important factor limiting success of the\nupslope spreading of spruce. Furthermore, areas covered by microsites favourable for natural spruce regeneration,\nespecially spruce litter patches, decaying wood, mosses, and Avenella flexuosa stands, were\nshown to decrease with increasing elevation. It is likely that spruce will move upslope in response to climate\nchange, but the process is likely to be slow or even blocked for some periods, especially by unfavourable\nsoil conditions and climatic extremes.
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Assessment of climate change impacts on selected ecosystem services in the Czech Republic: application of land use scenarios
Lorencová, Eliška ; Vačkářová, Davina Elena (advisor) ; Müller, Karel (referee) ; Cudlín, Pavel (referee)
Doctoral thesis abstract Assessment of climate change impacts on selected ecosystem services in the Czech Republic: Application of land use scenarios MSc Eliška Lorencová Climate and land use change are recognized as the greatest global environmental problems. Both considerably impact delivery of crucial ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, water flow regulation, erosion control, and food and fibre production. By combining future projections of ALARM scenarios (for years 2020, 2050 and 2080) with modelling of ecosystem services, the study aims to evaluate climate change impact on selected ecosystem services (carbon storage and sequestration, erosion control and sediment retention) in the Czech Republic. This study provides quantitative as well as spatially explicit analysis of the impacts on selected ecosystem services in the Czech Republic. Performed ecosystem service assessment indicates that spatial distribution of provision of ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and sequestration, sediment retention reflects the projected future land use changes. In case of carbon sequestration, SEDG scenario shows the lowest carbon sequestration rates accounting for 37,029.6 Gg C within the period 2000-2080. Stable vegetation cover is one of the factors that play important role in amount of sediment...
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Importance of plants for determination of ecological footprint
Vejvodová, Tereza ; Albrechtová, Jana (advisor) ; Cudlín, Pavel (referee)
Ecological footprint (EF) is a concept to measure anthropogenic influence of individuals, regions, states and society on environment, which is expressed by units of global hectares (gha). Global hectares are calculated from the equivalent number of hectares of biologically productive area, which ensure the needs of person, cities, regions or states. The calculation includes all the anthropogenic activities using renewable natural resources. EF also examines and quantifies the area needed for carbon sequestration. EF is calculated from six land use types - cropland, grazing land, forest for timber and fuelwood, fishing grounds, built-up land and forest for carbon dioxide uptake. Plants, as participants in a number of important processes on the Earth and the base of the food pyramid, can significantly modify the final EF through the value of their net primary production (NPP). Yield factors and equivalence factors are used to transfer different areas productivity (forest, cropland, grazing land, etc.) to get land use types in global hectares. The aim of the present thesis is to make a review of the concept of ecological footprint and its calculation methodology especially the effect of variability in NPP of plants in ecosystems. The influence of ongoing global climate change can affect NPP of plants and this...
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Plant biomass of reclaimed and unreclaimed heps of various age
Dvorščík, Petr ; Frouz, Jan (advisor) ; Cudlín, Pavel (referee)
This thesis has been elaborated as a part of complex succession research on the Velká podkrušnohorská spoil heap near Sokolov (north-west Bohemia, GPS: 50ř13'34.695"N, 12ř42'6.627"E) . The objective of this work is to describe biomass development of reclamational and successional localities on a chronosequence example. Unreclaimed areas are represented by successional spontaneous vegetation with dominant Goat willow (Salix caprea) with an mixture of European aspen (Populus tremula) and European birch (Betula pendula). Reclamation areas are represented by forest planting of Black alder (Alnus glutinosa) mixed with Grey alder (Alnus incana). On this localities was quantify total biomass (above and below ground biomass of herb and tree layer). Data evaluation was performed using allometric equations formed on destructive analysis of the main tree types. There is not statistically significant difference betwen the recovery site methods. Keywords: chronosequence, biomass, succession, reclamation, spoil-heap, allometric
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Modelling of ecosystem service change
Cudlín, Pavel ; Pechanec, V. ; Purkyt, Jan ; Jakubínský, Jiří ; Štěrbová, Lenka ; Cudlín, Ondřej ; Plch, Radek ; Seják, J. ; Včeláková, Renata ; Brom, J.
Submitted report introduced results obtained by researchers from the Institute of Global Change Research and the Department of Geoinformatics of University Palacký in Olomouc. From all activities the following activities are the most important: Habitat mapping of agricultural and non-agricultural plots in the Kopanický stream catchment according to Seják at al. (2003) a Seják at al. (2010); Computation of the indicators of landscape fragmentation and ecological stability for Kopanický stream catchment; Valuation of land use change from the point of view of the optimalization of the selected ecosystem functions performance and selected provisioning and regulating ecosystem service provision, including financial valuation; and Valuation of functional land use from point of views territorial planning of small villages and environmental demands to landscape.
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Models and tools for validation of biodiversity in the Dřevnice catchment
Cudlín, Ondřej ; Pechanec, V. ; Štěrbová, L. ; Cudlín, Pavel
We use several GIS tools to assess and predict the changes in biodiversity in the Dřevnice catchment. First,\nwe created GIS layer, consisted of natural and near to nature habitats (system Natura 2000) and Corine\nLand Cover for more anthropically influenced habitats. The Land Change Modeller was used to predict the\ndevelopment of land cover on the basis of comparison of data in several historical periods. To determine\nthe areas with high threat to biodiversity we created firstly another GIS layer of habitats with low\nnaturalness. Afterwards we used the model GLOBIO 3, which works with five basic driving forces (habitat\nnaturalness, infrastructure presence, distance from communications, nitrogen pollution load and\nmodelled climatic change parameters). GLOBIO 3 uses for each layer the MSA indicator (mean species\nabundance per area), which reflects the worldwide threat to selected endangered species. With regard to\nthe conditions of the Czech Republic and non‐availability of the nationwide database of finding data on\nprotected plant and animals, we should change this indicator for MHV (mean habitat value per area). Last\nGIS layer enables us to select up to now unprotected areas with a high value of biodiversity and naturalness of habitats for environmentally friendly agriculture and forestry management by model Marxan. The model combines the existing categories of natural reserves, biodiversity values (expressed in CZK according to Biotope Valuation Method) and the penalty for any nature degradation due to inadequate protection, abundance and distribution of species of interest (in this case the valuable and\npreserved habitats). Simultaneously it aims for a spatial compactness of design. The output is a layeridentifying the refugia for preservation and spreading of wild plants and animals to the cultural landscape,\nespecially with regard to climate change.
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The influence of land cover changes and landscape fragmentation on provision of the carbon sequestration ecosystem service
Pechanec, V. ; Purkyt, Jan ; Cudlín, Pavel
The aim of our contribution is to analyse the influence of land cover changes and landscape fragmentation in two small catchments (Všeminka, Fryštácký potok) within the forest–agricultural landscape of eastern Moravia (Czech Republic) on the carbon sequestration ecosystem service. Fragmentation was analysed using landscapeecological indices within ArcGIS 10.x software using the Patch Analyst extension. Data about the carbon sequestration ecosystem service were processed in the InVEST model. In the Všeminka catchment, carbon sequestration increased over the entire period of observation of 1953–2012. In the Fryštácký potok catchment, carbon sequestration decreased from 1950 to 2005, but increased from 2005 to 2012. The changes in fragmentation were not significant between 1953 and 2012, and so changes in carbon sequestration were caused mostly by land cover changes. The relationships among land cover change, fragmentation, and carbon sequestration from 1953 to 2012 are discussed.
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