identification of rapid degradation of ecological resources requires effective environmental monitoring including ecological integrity assessment .our first aim is to analyze ecological integrity in a landscape context while developing a method to assess integrity in spite of a dearth of historical data. we used a spatial-temporal reference framework for land cover maps for assessing ecologica...

identification of rapid degradation of ecological resources requires effective environmental monitoring including ecological integrity assessment .our first aim is to analyze ecological integrity in a landscape context while developing a method to assess integrity in spite of a dearth of historical data. we used a spatial-temporal reference framework for land cover maps for assessing ecological...

The main goal of the present study was to develop an ecological integrity index for littoral wetland management and conservation in semiarid Mediterranean areas that have been highly impacted by agriculture, including the selection of pressure and state indicators at landscape and wetlands scales that reflect the status, condition, and trends of wetlands ecosystems. We used a causality framewor...

Biomonitoring programs to access the ecological integrity of freshwaters tend to rely exclusively on structural parameters. Here we evaluated stream ecological integrity using (a) benthic macroinvertebrate derived metrics and a biotic index as measures of structural integrity and (b) oak litter decomposition and associated fungal sporulation rates as measures of functional integrity. The study ...

While ecosystem services provide benefits at various spatial scales, often the decision to conserve an ecosystem lies with the local people. Knowing the perceptions of local landowners of the benefits provided by ecosystem services cannot only help in the design of efficient mechanisms for environmental conservation, but also in achieving the support of these mechanisms by the local stakeholder...

There is an increasing need in assessing ecological quality and integrity of estuaries and lagoons. This chapter shows the most recent efforts in assessing individual biological elements (from phytoplankton to fishes), together with the integrative tools developed in different geographical areas worldwide. However, reducing complex information from multiple ecosystem elements to a single color ...

INTRODUCTION The question of whether urban areas can offer a semblance of the natural world – a vestige (at least) of ecological integrity – is an important one to many people who live in these areas. As more and more of the world becomes urbanized, this question becomes highly relevant to the broader mission of maintaining the Earth’s biological diversity. Most people, especially when young, a...